From: bis@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Bis)
Subject: Re: Phoenix is absolutely scary...
Organization: Bis Information Services
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 02:49:09 GMT

In article <1hrudiINNci3@shelley.u.washington.edu> tt300zx@milton.u.washington.edu (twin turbo 300zx) writes:
>>This is a team that looked awesome, and is just now adding Kevin Johnson
>>back into the folds (AllStar level Point Guard, former main man), and
>>Richard Dumas, who scored 27 tonight, and looks very, very good.  This team
>>went from being extremely talented and tough, to that and deep as well.
>>Barkley, Johnson, Majerle, Ainge, Chambers, Dumas, Ceballos, etc...
>
>	no doubt, phenix has 'too much' talents this year.
>	they have all the big-name players such as tommy chamber,
>	KJ, barkeley, ceballos, danny ainge, dan majerle...this is
>	what's gonna kill them this year. i am thinking that they
>	MiGHT not be 'together' enuf mentally to earn an championship.
>	everybody wants to show off, barkeley was traded because he
>	WaNTED to be traded to a 'championship' team, he wants a championship
>	for him and for himself only. he COULD very well be a selfish
>	player, i'm not sure, but sure looks like it. he has overshadowed
>	the S.T.A.R. players in phoenix.

That's silly.  The Suns don't have "too much" talent, they have a
surplus of talent.  Barring some major calamity, we're looking a the
next NBA dynasty.  While it's true that several franchise players
sometimes trip over each other when they're on the same team, that's
not what Phoenix has.  They have *one* franchise player, and a whole
array of all-stars, near all-stars, and former all-stars surrounding
him and coming off the bench.  And unlike most teams centered around a
superstar, they don't depend on him to carry the team day in and day
out (as the Bulls *depend* on Jordan, the Spurs *depend* on Robinson,
the Rockets *depend* on Olajuwon, etc., and couldn't even maintain
winning records without them (flame away, I don't care)).  As we've
already seen, if Barkley, or any other "key" player for that matter,
has an off-night or is out of the game, there are plenty of other
players that can step in and fill the gap.

Damn, I wish they'd show more Phoenix games around here.  All I ever
get to see are Celtics road crashes.

>>Can anyone beat them??  The Bulls, no.  The Knicks... No.  The Blazers, yeah
>>right..  The Jazz..  not this year...
>
>	i think the bulls just beat them in october, 1992, right?
>	i could be wrong because i remember that jordan and the company
>	went to phoenix and beat them by about 10 pts, yeah, that's right,
>	it was jordan's first visit to phoenix's newly constructed 'great
>	west arena'. jordan and the bulls killed the phoenix, no doubt.
>	the telecaster even said, "let's wait for the rematch in chicago
>	in march of 93..." yup, we'll see who can beat phoenix. :)

Well, some people have alreay pointed out that the Phoenix Suns are a
reconstructed team and that game was early in the season.  But what
hasn't been said is this:  one game doesn't mean shit.  This argument
reminds me of all the idiots who think that two teams' head-to-record
during regular season is equivalent to the odds of the outcome of a
playoffs series between them.