Suns Win! Wife Proven Wrong!

Well, thanks to American Idol night (in my house, this is one show- along with Dancing With the Stars  and So You Think You Can Dance- the kids want to watch with us), I got to watch the first 3 quarters of the Suns game and then get tweets about the fourth quarter and watch the nba.com play-by-play transcript.  Following Paul Coro's tweets, I was bummed as the Suns were, at the time, blowing the game. The first three quarters were very entertaining and encouraging, watching Phoenix play just a step ahead of one of the hottest teams in the league.

I went to nba.com when there were only a couple of minutes left. Believe it or not, watching a written transcript of the action of a close game is every bit as exciting and nerve-wracking. Down by 5, then 3, then 2. One minute left, down two, waiting to see the result of the Thunder's next possession. Could the Suns pull it off? A stop. Two free throws, tie game. At this point, the kids were huddled around the laptop and not watching the TV (but Lost was also recording, so no go on changing channels). A stop, and a second stop after the offensive rebound, 13 seconds left. Then...YES! The Richardson floating jump shot: Made (gracias nba.com description). 104-102 with 0.7 seconds left. A missed three-pointer and it is done! The pulled it off!!

This game was important for a few reasons. First of all, it was a quality road win against a potential playoff team. With the victory, Phoenix leapfrogged the Thunder in the standing and took the 5th seed position. Goran Dragic is proving he can play in this league- 16 points, 10 assists (but 6 turnovers) looked an awful lot like a line that Steve Nash gives. The team showed that it can win without Nash, even against a quality opponent. Amar'e Stoudemire put up another great performance (30 points, 9 rebounds) and Jason Richardson shone in an opportunity to show some leadership (20 points, 13 rebounds, the tying free throws, and the game-winner). I can live with this JRich, and even pay him $14 million. The team, after blowing a 15 point lead (yes, that story again), closed the game on a 16-4 run, and got defensive stops when it counted. As Nash said the other night, "That's what you get when you play the Suns".

All of these are great. But, for me, the most important thing was that it was win number 35. Why is that important? Well, my wife is a pessimist, and that's okay. She is the type that when she is disappointed, it really gets her down. As a result, she prefers to keep expectations low, so not to be disappointed. As for me, I'm used to disappointment when it comes to our teams. I am realistic, but I prefer to be optimistic as a fan. I'd prefer to be hurt later than miserable the entire time. Before the season began, Cami (the eternally pessimistic fan) and I were talking about what we thought of the Suns going into the season. I told her- 50 wins and a 6 seed. Cami said 34 wins, "I guarantee it." She thought that either Stoudemire or Nash would go down with an injury, tanking the season. With 24 games to go, 50 wins are definitely within reach, and the Suns are now the 5 seed. More importantly, tonight's win is number 35. You know what that means, right? My wife has been proven wrong, and that is always something sweet. Thanks, Suns, for your victory and mine.