I wasn't at the chat, of course. I had to start watching late, which I don't mind so much (thanks to TIVO), but chatting at the same time ruins the suspense.
My thoughts on the game:
The first half is where the Suns did their damage--they would have been up by a lot more if they had hit their free throws. They came out aggressive, played good transition defense (after the first blown break, the pattern that D'A pointed out) and ran the break well themselves. Amare was dominant...just a great half all around.
The Suns looked like crap in the second half, especially on the boards, but Seattle didn't look very good either, so they still won.
The defense was nice all game; that was the brightest spot. Not too many double-teams, either, which is absolutely the right way to play against Seattle.
The Sonics shut down Amare in the second half--they came much harder with the double-teams, and Amare couldn't make them pay by picking out the open man. I'm sure he'll learn in time, because he's sure to see a lot more of what the Sonics showed him in the next few weeks.
Joe Johnson seemed to score most of his points when Amare was on the bench, especially at the beginning of the fourth quarter. I'm not sure whether this is the plan or not, but it might be, since he's also the player who usually gets the shot coming out of time outs.
Joe is struggling with his scoring right now, although it didn't affect the rest of his game last night. I think that he still hasn't adjusted to playing with Amare.
I still don't like Eisley's game, even though he saved the team's bacon at the end--too much dribbling, not enough passing for a so-called PG. I think Barbosa actually outplayed Eisley last night, although Barbosa isn't capable of creating his own shot as professionally as Eisley did at the end. It was nice to see Eisley make 'em, but it would be nicer to see somebody with a future in the organization step up and take those shots, of course.
I think I've figured out why the Suns don't get many assists; it's not about the passing so much as the players who are finishing. Amare, Joe J and Eisley all get a lot of their points off the dribble, i.e. 'unassisted'.
I wonder what the team's offense will look like next year. Right now, it's all picks and rolls--kind of a Marbury offense without Marbury.
To me, the key to this game was that Seattle had just found out they weren't going to make the playoffs. The Suns have gotten used to making an effort anyway, but the Sonics are still in let-down mode...to the Suns' credit, though, they made the Sonics pay for their lack of energy.
It's nice to be able to see a Suns game with my own eyes once in a while.
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