Published: February 25, 2008
The Phoenix Suns showed how far they have to go with their new lineup, one that includes Shaquille O’Neal. The Detroit Pistons absolutely waxed the Suns 116-86 yesterday afternoon. Chauncey Billups shut down Steve Nash on one end of the floor and made him play defense on the other end. Rasheed Wallace abused Amare Stoudemire. The Phoenix forward refused to venture out toward the three-point line leaving Wallace free to shoot long-range jumpers. On the block Wallace simply turned and shot over Stoudemire.
Shaq, aka the Big Statue, looked as old as Dikembe Mutombo. He was constantly late getting down the floor and had no lift on his shots. This does not bode well come playoff time when he might be forced to play three games in a row against the NBA’s best competition with only one day rest between each game.
In the meantime, Leandro Barbosa continues to prove that if he plays in an offense that requires any thought, he is as lost as a canary in a coal mine.
The only bright spot for the Suns was Boris Diaw. The versatile forward continues to show that he is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. He can outrun most power forwards, is too big for small forwards, and has the game to take advantage of either in a half court set.
Since Shaq hit the desert the Suns are 1-2 against three of the best teams in the NBA – LA, Boston and Detroit. LA and Detroit each routed the Suns, while Phoenix exposed the Cees’ weaknesses, especially those of point guard Rajon Rondo.
