NBA Outdoors! Oh yeah?

The basketball season has begun and new things have happened in the NBA. Apart from the trades, which are normal, there's this outdoor games. Okay, James Naismith created the game basketball as an indoor game for his students, right? So, the idea was really quite out-of-the-ordinary.

But David Stern surely has his ways. And unbelievably, he had the preseason tickets between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets sold out. The Suns and the Nuggets definitely had a wonderful view of the night sky in the Indian Wells Tennis Center. The game went well but it was pretty chilly that the players had to put their towels over their heads for some warmth. Allen Iverson, who's missed the game because of a sore knee, didn't have to endure the cold while watching his teammates win 77-72 against the now-defense-oriented Suns. Carmelo Anthony sat out for the second time with a sore finger while JR Smith did his own thing despite the icy-cold weather and finished with 12 points. Nene also had his share of the Nuggets' victory with 10 points.

The Suns played differently, giving more emphasis on their defense which is expected to improve. Among the problems of the cold Suns during the game was their turnovers and their poor 3-pt shooting. It was probably one of their lowest ever. Even so, Steve Nash played pretty well with 16 points while Boris Diaw took care of the ball with 10 rebounds. There's no one to blamed for the poor shooting of the Suns and Nuggets, who have showed offensive power during the past seasons, it's probably because of the wind slicing every now and then through the Indian Wells.

P.S. The new look of NBA.com is great!! Luv it!

Suns' Flame of Hope Still Alive

3-1? I knew it would happen. The Phoenix Suns are not the type of team who likes losing especially to the team that kept from getting the ring, they so wanted. They've had the biggest trade of season, replacing Shawn Marion for the Shaquille O'Neal. During Game 4, the Suns showed the Spurs who and where they're playing against. This time, the Suns were the ones who never trailed and the Spurs were locked down to just 82 points. Boris Diaw, a good friend of Spurs' Tony Parker, hit a lot of jumpers and were just plainly great right from the start of the game. “He was phenomenal,” D’Antoni said of Diaw's outstanding game 4 performance.

Game 4 was like the turnaround of game 3, this time the Suns owned the game. I guess, they learned from the past. “I was just embarrassed. I was really, really embarrassed at how I played and how my team played, and I couldn’t sleep,” Raja Bell said of the Suns embarassing loss to the Spurs on Game 3. Amidst all the boos from Planet Orange, the Spurs kept their cool and despite the loss, I still felt a tinge of confidence from them especially from the Big Three and Big Shot Rob. “I don’t mind being public enemy No. 1 here,” Robert Horry said. Now, the Spurs are going back to San Antonio and I bet the Alamodome is going to be as loud as ever. Go Spurs!.. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that the Spurs dominate game 5.

“If the Suns lose this series, D'Antoni is on the brink of termination as the Suns' coach

First Loss at Home

There is always a first time and this time the San Antonio Spurs got their first loss at home to the Phoenix Suns. Tim Duncan, the highest scorer of the Spurs, got 36pts, 17 rebounds, and 4 assists [looks like he's back in action!]. Grant Hill haven't aged at all with 22pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Suns who are in double-figures are Steve Nash [10pts, 10 assists], Amare Stoudemire [17pts], Leandro Barbosa [18pts], and Boris Diaw [11pts]. The San Antonio Spurs outrebounded the Phoenix Suns with 49 boards but that wasn't enough though. The game was tight even without Tony Parker and I am glad that Tim Duncan's numbers are back. Cheers to the Suns because they are the first team to beat the Spurs at the Alamo City this season.