Empty the Bench

By: Zachariah Blott

Phoenix absolutely thrashes Minnesota for 152 points: Sometimes the stars align just right, and something like this happens. Phoenix is one of fastest teams, shoots a ton of quick 3′s, and overall has a killer offense. Minnesota is lacking talent, lacking defense, and they also like to run. What happened was inevitable. On Tuesday night, the Suns dropped 152 points on Minnesota to the T-Wolves’ 114, and it was only that close because no Phoenix starter logged 30 minutes. The Suns hit 55 of 98 shots (56%), 15 of 31 triples (48%), and 27 of 29 free throws (93%). On top of all that, they turned the ball over only 7 times, an absurdly low number for a game this fast.

Eight Phoenix players finished in double-digit points, including all five starters and reserve Channing Frye’s 14 in 17 minutes. Steve Nash didn’t have a bad line himself, logging 13 points on 7 shots (and only one trip to the foul line), and 14 assists in 24 minutes. The Timberwolves had five players score at least 10 points, but only two went for more than 13, lead by Corey Brewer’s 21. The two square off again on Sunday, March 28.

Kurt Rambis photo credit: Icon SMI

Because someone has to say something nice about the Nets: The Hawks blew out New Jersey 108-84 on Tuesday, but Nets’ forward Josh Boone had a nice line. He had 13 points on 7 shots, which is good, but he also snared 20 rebounds in the contest. What’s particularly noteworthy about these boards is that 16 were defensive, and the Hawks hit almost half of their shots. Atlanta missed 43 shots for the game, and Boone pulled in over a third of them in only 31 minutes of burn while going up against Al Horford, Josh Smith, and teammate Brook Lopez for those miscues. Boone is another one of the reasons the Nets could be primed for a huge turnaround next year if they pick up LeBron, D-Wade, or Joe Johnson this summer.

It can’t always be LeBron, Dwight, and Nash: Twenty-two teams (so roughly 220 players) went at it on Wednesday, so you’d expect plenty of big numbers from many of the game’s biggest stars. The statistical leaders around the league that night, though, weren’t exactly who you’d expect. New Orleans’ David West, who’s having his worst year in some time, bested everyone with 36 points and 15 rebounds. Houston’s Shane Battier, who’s flirted with 1 block per his entire career, lead them all with 5. Chicago’s seldom-used Jannero Pargo came up with an NBA-best 5 steals in only 17 minutes. Houston’s Aaron Brooks, who averages about 2 to 3 triples per, hit a perfect 7 for 7. New Orleans’ Darren Collison and Golden State’s Monta Ellis combine for 11 assists per, but they topped the league with 14 and 13, respectively, in the category that looked the least ridiculous on Wednesday.

Zachariah Blott cannot recommend Rick Telander’s “Heaven Is A Playground” enough.

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