Kurt Thomas collected 12 points and 11 boards at the Suns Scrimmage in Tucson on Saturday night.
(Barry Gossage/NBAE Photos)
Everybody Wins at Saturday’s Suns Scrimmage
By Josh Greene, Suns.com
Posted: Oct. 9, 2005
Even though most of the pre-game talk centered around the one Sun who wouldn’t be suiting up for Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, it was the other 14 players who left the 7,688 fans in attendance buzzing in anticipation for the 2005-06 NBA season.
The league’s most improved team from a season ago picked up right where they left off, thanks to a rare, yet entertaining 83-83 tie at the University of Arizona’s McKale Center. The only thing missing may have been an injured Amaré Stoudemire, but otherwise the game featured all the things fans have come to expect from a Suns game – rim-rattling dunks, no shortage of three-point shots and the run and gun style that brought the team so much success a year ago.
But the best part Saturday was two squads treating the game as much more than just a scrimmage.
“Our team wanted to get a win,” said forward Kurt Thomas who had a game-high 11 boards. ”Their team wanted to get a win. We just wanted to see who would get to talk the most trash in the locker room after the scrimmage. It was a great game, a great performance for the fans.”
On a night that featured 18 lead changes, plenty of hustle, hard picks and aggressive play all the way from the perimeter to the baseline, All-Star forward Shawn Marion led all scorers with 29 points.
“Sometimes it takes a little while to get it going, but I got my second wind,” The Matrix said. “Everybody came out pumped up, man. The fans were geeked out tonight, and we were out there just having fun.”
While there were plenty of smiles both on the court and in the stands, the night also doubled as a fundraiser of sorts. The scrimmage brought in just under $24,000 for a new university basketball facility, with the Suns donating an additional $13,000 in a separate contribution.
Between the fan turnout and overall game intensity, it made Team White Head Coach Marc Iavaroni forget all about being involved in his first career basketball tie.
“This was better than we’ve ever had before for a preseason intra-squad game,” he said. “The whole experience here in Tucson has been very positive.”
Iavaroni’s Steve Nash-led squad had an 11-point lead at one point before Team Orange coached by Alvin Gentry stormed back for an exciting but ultimately indecisive ending. Without the services of Stoudemire on his squad, Gentry was forced to get a little creative with his lineup. That creativity led to some standout performances like Raja Bell scoring 24 points at the point and Eddie House continuing his strong Training Camp with 12 points and eight boards on the night.
“Eddie played very well,” Iavaroni said. “He really carried that team. Obviously, Shawn played well. All the rookies did a very nice job – Lucas Tischer and Dijon Thompson. They played very confidently and really I didn’t see anything negative.”
As for House, the former Arizona State Sun Devil standout who’s been impressing coaches all week, it’s safe to say the Wildcats fans in attendance remember him from his college days. It’s also safe to say the rivalry between the two schools is still on.
“It felt good to be out there with the Suns, besides the boos,” the guard said. “It is what it is and they just remember the work I put in when I was there. I’m here now for a whole other reason – make the Suns better and make a run to the championship.”
Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s tongue-in-cheek pre-game prediction, “The Phoenix Suns will definitely take it tonight,” was on the mark.
And on Oct. 14, the Suns will look to “give it” as their preseason schedule kicks off on the road vs. Seattle at 7 p.m.
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