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Suns, Stoudemire shoot Pistons out of town
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Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire, center, takes a shot between Detroit Pistons defenders Jonas Jerebko, left, of Sweden, and Ben Wallace, right, in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Phoenix. The Suns won 117-91. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)
Amar'e Stoudemire had one of those games that actually justifies the max contract he'll be seeking at the end of this season.
There's never been any doubt that Stoudemire can dominate offensively in the NBA. His quickness and explosiveness around the rim, coupled with his accuracy from the perimeter, has made him a force to be reckoned with - even amongst the best of big defenders in the league. But is he worthy of a max deal?
Stoudemire made his case on Sunday night against the visiting Detroit Pistons, exploding for 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting, many of which came in the pivotal third quarter when the Suns put the game out of reach.
The Suns (11-3) rolled to a convincing 117-91 win over the struggling Pistons (5-9).
Stoudemire came alive early, scoring the game's first points on a 3-point play on the Suns' first possession. But it wasn't until the third quarter when a no-call on a Stoudemire shot induced a fist pumping outrage by the Suns' forward. His reaction earned him a technical foul and a renewed determination to dominate the paint. The next several minutes saw inspired offense, defense and rebounding from Stoudemire, a welcome sight for a team who has struggled to put teams away in the second half of games.
Stoudemire was hardly the only bright spot from a game that saw most of the starters on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. Steve Nash also got off to a quick start by looking for his shot early and feeding his teammates for easy buckets, scoring 20 and dishing out nine assists in just 27 minutes of action. Jason Richardson added 17 points while Grant Hill lead the Suns' in rebounding with eight.
The Suns' also received impressive play from their vastly improving bench, lead by Gorin Dragic and his 13 points. Coach Alvin Gentry was able to depend on his reserves to spell his starters and keep the Pistons against the ropes for most of the last three quarters.
The Pistons, who were playing the last game of a four game Western Conference road trip, were able to stay close during the first quarter, but we're clearly outmatched for the rest of the game. The 2009-10 Pistons squad is a far cry from the dominate Pistons teams of just a few years ago with the only remaining starter from the 2004 championship team being Ben Wallace (who ironically was the first one to leave the team).
FREE THROWS:
- Amar'e Stoudemire is a better player when he's emotionally invested. Sunday's game showed what even a simple no-call can do to his ambition and ability to take control of a game. The Suns coaching staff needs to find a way to get him fired up and playing with a controlled rage before every game. Maybe arrange with the officials to give him a technical foul in the first minute.
- Channing Frye took his first field goal attempt with just over one minute left in the second quarter, a made 3-pointer. He finished with 10 points on just 2-4 shooting from the field.
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