Game of the season

The Suns and the Lakers played a game on Tuesday that should be on ESPN classic anytime now. The Suns were at the losing end of what should easily be the game of the season so far - a triple overtime, 139-137 thriller on national TV. The only thing that could have made this any better is a Suns victory. I am not saying this just as a Suns fan, but after trailing by 21 in the third quarter, that ending would have made this gem of a game even more improbable and dramatic. But the game was loaded with dramatic moments anyways. Between the brilliance of Kobe and Nash, Channing Frye and Kobe Bryant's clutch shots, ice-in-the-veins free throws by Pau Gasol and Channing Frye, this game had everything. The game started slow for the Lakers and they looked disinterested and looked like they were just waiting to turn it on in the second half and put the Suns away. And sure enough, they did seem to step it up a notch in the third quarter and they were up by 21 before the Suns knew what hit them. The Lakers were ready to call it a night, but the Suns had other ideas. They may not be the most talented bunch these days, but they showed they are resilient, well except for Vince Carter of course. Channing Frye is especially awesome and is fast becoming one of the best clutch players in the league. Before the Lakers knew it, the Suns were back powered by the Suns' 3 point shooting.

Nash ignited that 3-Rd quarter comeback as always. There are many things we could talk about when it comes to this game and there are several game reports on the web doing the same. But I wanted to focus a little bit on what Nash did late in that third quarter to turn this game completely around. It was an amazing and underrated stretch of the game where Nash showcased his under-appreciated leadership skills. Oftentimes, talent in sports is mistaken for leadership. Not every talented player is a leader capable of doing the right things to show his team direction. But Nash totally is. He is unselfish and has the ultimate sense for what his team needs and when. He can turn his scoring on and off anytime and does it so deftly at specific points in the game, you are sometimes left speechless. In this game, the Lakers were running away with it in the third quarter and it looked like the Suns offense was stuck in mud. He could sense that the Suns were getting close to giving up when he went down the floor and hit back-to-back 3's and another 3 a few possessions later. You could sense that this totally galvanized the team and they started playing with a different rhythm right after. Nash again went back into his usual role as the Suns woke up as a team and started scoring. Granted, he had the talent to hit those shots and without that, he is no leader. But the way he senses his team's needs and provides whatever is needed is just a true leadership trait. Hope people like Carmelo Anthony understand this.

Coming back to the game, even as I was watching it late in the OT, I thought it was one of those games which meant more than just one W or L in the standings. I think this loss pretty much takes the Suns out of the playoffs. This is the reality both literally and emotionally. The Memphis Grizzlies seem to be well entrenched at that 8-Th spot and if they keep winning tough games on the Road against teams like the Celtics, the Suns a'int got no chance. But, a triple overtime loss like this takes way more out of you. It was impressive that the old Suns team came right back on Wednesday and won a back-to-back against the Raptors. But they have to make-up 3 games in 12 tries and leaf-frog 2 teams in Houston and Memphis. Utah is done as expected, but Denver without Melo and the Grizz without Gay are surprising everybody. All that the Suns have to show for this season might be this classic game. I don't mind if they miss the playoffs. Thats a better reality for the front-office and the ownership to deal with instead of thinking we are good just because we made the playoffs. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a couple of balls in the lottery. Of course, I still wanted them to win this triple overtime thriller against the hated Lakers, but the Lakers got it done at the end. It should have been contagious because the Clippers and the Wizards played an entertaining double overtime game the very next day on the same court. And the Hornets today beat the Jazz 121-117 in another entertaining OT game.