What a surprise the Phoenix Suns have been. They are back to running and gunning, Nash looks great, Amare is rounding into shape, and G Hill and J Rich are filling their complimentary roles perfectly. But most importantly, these boys are playing a little d now, not a lot, but enough to win games. This starts with Amare who I said at the beginning of the season was one of the worst defenders in the league, but he has really started to make a commitment to the d end which has certainly helped this start.
Also, a team to talk about in the West is the Houston Rockets. Who would imagine this team would be sitting at .500 right now after all the changes, but a couple things are certain here. First, Rick Adelman can flat out coach. Second, this is the hardest playing team in the league. They just outwork you. Guys like Scola, Landry, and Hayes are as blue collar as the sky and they show it on a nightly basis. Also, this team can spread you out because they put so many shooters on the floor. Long rebounds lead to offensive rebounds when you have guys like these 3 working that hard for you.
What's going on with San Antonio? The Spurs look old. They look rusty and they don't look to be on the same page right now. Their classic defensive rotations aren't there. They don't have a legit 5 who can play off Duncan on the defensive end and their not getting much from their wings on the offensive end. I picked them 3rd in the West, I still think they can finish there, because Popp can get it done. However, TP better be healthy for that to happen.
Finally, you can see how top heavy the West is. The bottom is what it is, terrible. None of these teams will win 40 games except maybe Oklahoma City but as you could see from this week, they have a lot of growing up to do in the 4th quarter. I watched Durant three times this week take bad shots at the end of games. He's a super talent, an exceptional talent, but the next step in his learning curve is learning how to finish. He has to be that player for his team.
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