The Revolution is Dead? Really? Who Killed It? By Jason Kelly
02.8.2008 - Updated on 02.8.2008
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J.A. Adande says the “small ball” revolution – the one in which the Phoenix Suns brought fun back to the game – back to the fun of the game is dead. Perhaps he is right. The question, though, is who killed it? Did the Suns surrender or did they give way to the inevitable forces of nature?
Like I said a while ago, “Good Big beats Good Little.”
You want fun? You want scoring? You want a wide-open offense?
No you don’t!
Otherwise, you (the NBA Fans) would have fired Stern long ago. How can you otherwise explain the fact that games are called differently in the playoffs and in the regular season? YOU cannot.
Consistency? You want consistency? During the regular season, hand-checking and arm-hacking is illegal. That is what let the Suns win 60-plus regular season games over the last three year. However, the refs refuse to make those calls in the playoffs.
Why?
The rationalization is that this would force refs to call a lot more fouls and a lot of players would foul out. B.S.!! What happened to “zero tolerance”? Yeah, that’s right. If the refs made consistent calls, the defenders would adapt their games. That simple logic has evaded the NBA higher-ups, but they claim to want to enforce other “bright line” rules. Yeah, really? The only thing consistent is that the NBA brass has endorsed and approved of thuggery – not basketball.
If that’s what the public wants, then that’s fine. Go for it.
However, many Suns fans are now turning against the Suns for “buying into” the slow, plodding greatness of The Big Saguaro.
I don’t care. As a Suns fan, I want a ring at all costs. I’m a back-stabbing Machiavellian like that – that’s why I’m a good lawyer.
The angst in the community, though. Is that a message to the NBA? Don’t the average fans want to see a free-wheeling, high-scoring, playing-for-fun team make a legitimate run?
Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Just don’t get off the bench or we’ll make sure you have no chance.
