Hoops comes into focus

So I've finally gotten out of bed and have begun to cope with my beloved Patriots losing Superbowl 42. For me it's on par with the 1997 Rose Bowl, Game 6 of the 2002 World Series and Game 5 against the Sp*rs last year. When our teams lose it sucks, especially with a title on the line. Sports is the best form of entertainment with real drama rather than scripted twists and turns. When your team loses and the season is over the whole community feels it and you try not to dwell on it until the next season starts.

I mention all this because I haven't been following the Suns as closely as I would like because I've been obsessed with football for obvious reasons. The Suns can however help me move on... to more heartache. This season is quite possibly a final judgement on this group of Suns players. While my football team's recent success makes it a little easier to handle a playoff loss, my other teams never win. The San Francisco Giants have been the World Series twice in my lifetime and haven't won. The Suns have been to the Finals once and ran into the Jordan buzzsaw. You think 'we were so close we just need to make a move and just grow up a bit and we'll get back.'

Oh if it was only that simple. The chemistry has been iffy this year as Marion, Stoudemire and Nash have taken turns complaining. The front office says they are sticking with this core group and for all intents and purposes, this 2nd half stretch and playoff run could be the last we see of this team as it is.

The country is now turning it's focus to basketball as the NBA starts national coverage and the college hoop drama gets us warmed up for the playoffs. There are good stories. The resurgence in Boston (pray for no playoff upsets- Boston vs Detroit must happen). The surprising rise of the Hornets and Blazers. Then there's the totally unexplainable genius of Mitch Kupchak.

How the f*ck do you trade Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol? Sure the other pieces are nice but that gives the (healthy) Lakers a huge and talented starting lineup- to go with their awesome bench. Before the Bynum injury, I thought the Lakers were better than the Suns. Now the Suns have to fight to win their division. It looks like at least two teams above .500 will MISS the playoffs in the West. Seeding is probably more important than ever and given the few games separating the top teams, a couple bad loses can drop a team from 1st to 6th.

While there a ton of obstacles in the Suns path to the Finals, seeing if this team can break through will be nerve wracking and fun. This team will have to be on the same page because their salaries prevent the team from seriously retooling and require that they simply get better to be an elite team. The way the Suns have played so far, it seems this team has a ceiling. Their lack of consistent defense, height and depth makes it hard to see this team getting any deeper than the previous three years. The West might be the best it's ever been and the Suns will have to show us more if they're gonna win it. We'll been watching living and dying with every play.