Win for the Godfather

Sunday's night game is definitely one I would have loved to have been at. While the Suns play was uneven, the halftime festivities were special as Jerry Colangelo was added to the Ring of Honor. The Suns responded by making a run and put away the Cavaliers in the second half 103-92

I was happy the NBATV feed showed the ceremony because KJ and Thunder Dan gave emotional speeches and it was cool to see all the Suns legends (except the seriously ill Connie Hawkins) all together to honor Colangelo. The man is one of the fixtures in the American basketball and he helped turn Phoenix into the sports hub it is today. While some fans may balk at that idea, Phoenix has all four major sports, spring training, two college bowls, another Superbowl next year, major NASCAR and PGA tour stops and Colangelo had a direct or residual influence on a lot of it.

Positives
Steve Nash (30 pts, 10 ast) took over the game in the second half. He killed Cleveland's bigs on switches. The defensive rotations were also much sharper in the second half as the team trapped and doubled to force tough shots.

Concerns
Big starters minutes even though the team was a man down. (The +/- bears out the starters were very effective). The shooting from the field and the line is pretty bad so far.

Thoughts
This is a game you gotta win. It's almost like homecoming. While the Cavaliers are no pushover, you can't lose in front of all the legends (or a 2nd straight at home for that matter). Perhaps this motivation and a few coaching adjustments sparked the second half run.

Since it's still so early, I'm looking for things to pick out of every game. The more I watch Grant Hill, the more I like him as a Sun. I think he's still thinking on the offensive end but he makes a lot of smart plays. If he commits a turnover, he immediately looks for a way to get it back- be it a steal or catching a big not looking and taking a charge. I really love how he slashes to the rim and creates contact.

Eastern road swing this week. The Bobcats and Hawks have looked decent early so the competition will be good and we'll see if Amare is ready to go after sitting out Sunday. All the teams they'll face have good young big men (and of course Shaq) so this small lineup will need a defensive effort like the second half of this game to avoid getting pounded inside.