OGT: Detroit at Phoenix (3/16/07, 10 pm, MY20)

[Glenn]

Detroit (41-22) at Phoenix (50-14)

Game Info: 10:00 pm EDT Fri Mar 16, 2007

By MATT BECKER, STATS Writer

The Phoenix Suns have little time to relax after one of their most strenuous victories of the season.

Two days after knocking off the best team in the Western Conference, the Suns try and defeat the leaders in the East when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday.

Phoenix (50-14) tightened the race for the top seed in the West with a thrilling 129-127 double-overtime victory over first-place Dallas on Wednesday.

The Suns trailed by seven points with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, but Steve Nash scored 10 points in the final minute, capped by a tying 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime. He finished with 32 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds.

Amare Stoudemire scored 24 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and in the overtimes, and finished making 16-of-19 shots.

"He was unstoppable," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He had a little sore back, a little muscle cramp or something in the first half. ... But, man, did he rise to the occasion in the fourth quarter. It was unbelievable."

The Suns won their sixth straight and 11th in 12 games since the All-Star break, moving within 2 1/2 games of the Mavericks for the best record in the league.

While Phoenix and Dallas have been grabbing all the attention with their astounding seasons and lengthy winning streaks, Detroit (41-22) is looking to secure the top spot in the East for the second straight season.

"We relish flying under the radar right now. The talk is all about Dallas and Phoenix and that's fine with us," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "We're comfortable with where we are at and our guys are really following the game plan."

Detroit, which leads Cleveland by two games in the Central Division and the East, defeated Portland 87-75 on Wednesday, improving to 4-0 on a five-game road trip. The Pistons return home on Sunday to host the Mavericks.

The Pistons have won nine of their last 10 away from the Palace of Auburn Hills, and are an East-best 22-10 on the road.

Phoenix, meanwhile, has won six straight at US Airways Center, and 16 of its last 17 home games with Nash in the lineup.

"I'm not scared of nobody," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said. "They should be scared of us."

The Suns have struggled against the Pistons lately at home, though, losing five of their last six there against them. They were able to win 108-101 at Detroit on Dec. 31, as Nash totaled 35 points and 12 assists, while Stoudemire had 31 points and 13 rebounds in that win.

Richard Hamilton finished with 31 points in the loss to Phoenix, and had 21 points in Wednesday's victory as he's been alternating good and bad performances in his last six games.

He's averaging 24.3 points and 59.2 percent shooting in his three good games, but just 10.0 points while shooting 33.3 percent in his bad ones. After a solid game against Portland, he could be in for a rough game against the Suns.

Chris Webber was held to just five points on 2-of-8 shooting on Wednesday, after scoring a season-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in Tuesday's win over Seattle.

Webber, who signed with Detroit in January, has yet to play the Suns as a member of the Pistons. He was held to just eight points against them in November when playing for Philadelphia.

Detroit has not been swept in a season series by Phoenix since 1999-2000.

[Glenn]

Phoenix is up first and I don’t think anybody plays quite like the Suns. And that’s one reason Mike D’Antoni plays that way. Their goal is to get more shots than you do and they execute you to death in a very quick game. To do that, you have to have an all-world point guard in terms of floor generalship and they have one in Steve Nash. They’re a reasonably good team without him – they might even play for a playoff spot without him. With him, they’re a legitimate championship contender. Their game is unlike anybody else’s. You see them so infrequently if you’re an Eastern team that it’s truly hard to get ready for them.

I think Flip Saunders is right on the money when he says it’s especially difficult to prepare for Phoenix in the regular season, as opposed to the postseason, although I think you do have to fear them in the playoffs, too. Any team that can score like that – if they happen to be healthy and right at the top of their game – they can beat anybody. I think they can beat enough teams in a row to win a championship. I’m not saying they will, but I certainly believe they can. As Flip says, they become even more difficult to deal with when it’s a quick, one-and-done type of deal.

I do feel the only way they can play the way they play is with Steve Nash – or with somebody who is a very good Steve Nash impersonator, and I don’t think there are any. He’s such a skilled setup guy and such a confident passer in terms of his timing and his technique that he makes plays work and he makes them impossible to defend. I don’t know who runs the pick and roll like they do, for instance.

He gets good players playing great and he gets the likes of Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire to the point where they’re all-world on some nights. His ability to knock down shots and to take it to the basket himself and finish truly does put the frosting on the cake. He’s making a lot of money for a lot of people. If I’m a player and know I have some ability that I have not been able to showcase and I’m given an opportunity to play for Phoenix, I’ve got to give it serious consideration. I might even play there for less money because I know tomorrow I’m going to get more money. Fortunately, we don’t have any guys like that on the Pistons – they’ve already proven themselves. But I think that would be a great temptation for the rest of Steve Nash’s career.

Blakely

Pistons ready for the Suns?

PHOENIX — I know the Pistons look really good right now at both ends of the floor with four straight, and rather convincing, road wins. But people, let's try to keep some perspective on this. Aside from the Denver game, the Pistons should have beaten the Clips, Seattle and Portland. All three of those teams stink, plain and simple.

Still, there's no denying Detroit is playing better, but it'll take a win over a team like the Suns to really get a feel as to whether all these road wins are more than just a really talented team spanking a bunch of bad ballers.

The guy I'd keep an eye on is Chauncey Billups, who is SO, SO due for one of those 35-point, 11-assist, 5-rebound-type games. If he goes off like that, the Suns, as good as they have been at home, aren't going to win tomorrow.

[Matt]

this should be a good one. obviously, we can't out run the Suns, so we need to set the pace and play our half court sets.

[WTFchris]

I'm concerned about Flip guarding Nash or Barbosa. We better feed Sheed/Webber in the post a lot, since I think that will work often. They'll have Marion and Diaw guarding the post, so we have to take advantage of that.

[Glenn]

When was the last time the Pistons were 5.5 point underdogs?

http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/vbookie.php?

[WTFchris]

When was the last time the Pistons were 5.5 point underdogs?

http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/vbookie.php?

Good question. They are 7 point dogs in Dallas for Sunday too.

[Glenn]

Good question. They are 7 point dogs in Dallas for Sunday too.

That game is at The Palace.

[Hermy]

7 point dog at home? F-That. I'm gonna be on the floor screaming at that game, that's worth a couple missed Dallas FTs on its own.

[WTFchris]

I bet that line changes. No way we are a 7 point home dog.

[Darth Thanatos]

"I'm not scared of nobody," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said. "They should be scared of us."

Oh Jesus. Sheed is opening his big mouth again. Hopefully he can back his talk up for once in his life.