Oh, the Miami Heat. I will forever remember this team as the organization that started the beginning of the end for the mid-2000’s Phoenix Suns…
You see, once upon a time, the Phoenix Suns were a revolutionary offensive force in the NBA. Steve Nash led a run and gun style of play that kept defenses scrambling and unsure who to defend. The Mike D’Antoni scheme was something no one had seen since the Paul Westhead Loyola Marymount University Lions squad of the late ‘80’s. “Seven seconds or less” was the mantra of that team, and all the pieces fit into place. One of the most valuable of those pieces was a small forward from UNLV, Shawn Marion. “The Matrix” was the ideal complimentary player to a fast-paced slashing offense. He did not need plays drawn up for him, rather, he would cut to the basket and jam or take spot up (awkward) jumpers. Shawn Marion was my favorite Sun because he was a Swiss army knife…he did everything.
Steve Kerr, former 1988 2nd round pick of the Suns and five-time NBA champion as a player, became the General Manager of the Phoenix Suns in June of 2007. One of his first moves was to acquire free agent Grant Hill, a move I initially didn’t agree with, but as time went on (and the trainers took platinum level care of him) I learned to love. Kerr’s destruction of the Phoenix Suns offense began shortly thereafter, as he traded Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks mid-season to the Miami Heat for a 35-year-old Shaquille O’Neal. The life blood, the heartbeat, and the soul of the Phoenix Suns would now don the black, red, and yellow of Miami. And Kerr’s mission of adding two All-Stars form the 1995-96 Eastern Conference All-Star team was complete. Phoenix would never be the same.
It is now 2019, over a decade since the greatest WTF trade in Suns history and I see a player who reminds me of Shawn. Tsunami Papi, Kelly Oubre, Jr. carries many similar traits as The Matrix. He is not the focal point of this offense. He does not have many plays drawn up specifically to compliment his unique skill set. He is a slasher, a rebounder, and (most importantly) a passionate player. He screams when he throws down a savage jam, he playfully dances in the huddle, he does the dirty hustle work. His enthusiasm spreads into the stands and gets the crowd going. He is exciting to watch. Remind you of anyone?
Bringing it back to Thursday evening with the team the stole The Matrix in town, the Miami Heat, the Suns faced an early deficit. Throughout the beginning of this season, wide open shooters have not been knocking down shots with consistency. That changed in the 1st again the Heat, where the defense faced their first true test early in a game. Kelly “Matrix Jr.” Oubre came out with high energy as well and the team followed suit. A block of Jimmy Butler amidst an 11-0 run showcased Oubre’s flexibility as a defender as well as sparked resiliency this team possesses. Miami came out firing, the Suns took the initial blow, and fought back to trail by just one after one.
The Heat emulated their name as they came out en fuego to start the second. Rookie Tyler Herro dropped introduced himself to the Suns by nothing-but-netting two from downtown. Once Dragic popped a three as well, it was timeout time. A cold start equated to a 10 point deficit in the blink of an eye. Tonight would be a night of constant fighting, battling, and digging out of a hole. Who would stop the bleeding? Why, Kelly of course! A put back dunk, an assist to Saric for 3, creating contact and getting to the line, pestering Jimmy Butler, popping long range shots…Tsunami Papi put his mark on the second quarter every chance he could. The Suns clawed their way back into the game once again, tying the game at 1:38 left.
Jimmy Buckets ended the half on a 7-0 run and with 30 total points. 30! He matched the Suns physicality pound for pound and scored however and whenever he wanted. No other Heat player had double digits. Booker had 15, Baynes and Saric combined for 19, and in a half of runs, the Suns trailed by 7, Heat 64, Suns 57.
The flow of the game continued into the second half, as offensive runs were the name of the game. The Suns were sluggishly flatfooted on offense compared to Miami throughout the third. Cutting and movement have been the keys to success early on this year, and tonight the team was watching each other on offense more than I have seen. Assists totals were down as a result of this. After all of the scratching and clawing in the third, the Suns still trailed by 6, as Scorin’ Goran Dragic hit a buzzer beating three-pointer to close the quarter.
The fourth mirrored the start of every other quarter tonight: the Heat came out guns a-blazing, and the Suns were back on their heels, fighting to catch up. If Jimmy was the star of the first half, Dragic was the star of the second. And on this night, only two stars were needed to put the Suns away. The Suns continued to fight in the fourth, but lazy passes and defense eventually did them in. They did not match the intensity of Miami, and they gave up 124 to prove it. Butler ended with 34, Dragic had 25, and Herro contributed 15.
Final Score: Miami Heat 124, Phoenix Suns 108.
Solar Flare of the Game:
Aron Baynes
Baynes continued to display a fierce desire to dominate his opponent. He is a soul crusher and a physical presence in the lane. On a night in which Phoenix could not maintain constant pressure, Baynes was the exception. The mighty Red Beard once again played with fire and passion. His final line: 23 points on 10-17 shooting and 4 rebounds (3 of which were offensive boards).
Solar Synopsis
This game had a weird vibe right from the start. The intense defense the Suns have been known for this season was present, but not consistent. The Heat took advantage of this by being a steady offensive force throughout the game. The effort wasn’t there from the Suns, and in the final minutes, the Suns looked like the last year: lazy passes, not closing out on shooters, and allowed offensive rebounds.
Tyler Herro, the 6’5” rookie from Kentucky, looks to mirror his game after fellow Wildcat Devin Booker, and tonight the rookie outplayed him. Perhaps Devin got caught up in the fact that he has moved into the next phase of his career: a phase in which young players look to mimic his game. This game is a learning moment. Don’t do that. Don’t care if they love you. Kill them with your game. Make them remember the time they played you. Crush them.
Miami was scrappy tonight and played the part of spoiler to a home crowd that was excited on a Thursday night to see a win. Goran Dragic loves coming back to Phoenix and throwing daggers at the Suns, and tonight, he obliged. The Suns fall to 5-3 and have to prepare for Kyrie and the Nets.