By Justin Burning – Editor

Read More: Steve Nash (G – PHO), Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers

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Apr 6, 2011 - Welcome to the second-to-last edition of the NBA Power Rankings, which will also serve as the official “Adios, playoffs!” Phoenix Suns Edition. With their loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Steve Nash and the Suns are out of the postseason picture (even though Nash didn’t play that game, and that likely contributed heavily to the outcome). It would be great to say this was a memorable season for Phoenix, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was pretty miserable overall outside of the acquisition of Marcin Gortat, the development of Channing Frye, and that’s about it. There are only five players left from last year’s Western Conference Finals roster. Insert sadness here.

As a result of Phoenix’s disappointing play (including losing five of their last six games), the Suns have slid down most of the Power Rankings, generally into the bottom halves with the rest of the lottery teams. Another fun Suns stat: Phoenix has only been to the lottery four times since 1988. That’s a lot of successful that serves to emphasize just how unsuccessful this season has been. They’re also entering the lottery in a consensus weak draft. Anyway, that’s probably enough purple-and-orange pessimism for this edition of the Power Rankings.

In a somewhat shocking turn of events, the San Antonio Spurs’ once-insurmountable lead in the Western Conference standings is dwindling, thanks to the Spurs losing half of their games in March and the Los Angeles Lakers winning all but one of theirs. The Lakers are unlikely to actually pass the Spurs, but it just illustrates how swiftly a team’s fortunes can change heading into the postseason. While the Spurs’ big men have struggled, Lakers center Andrew Bynum has been playing relatively inspired basketball. If he can stay on the court, this may be the year he finally has a huge impact in the playoffs.

Perhaps the biggest post-All Star Break shocker, however, is how well the Denver Nuggets are playing without Carmelo Anthony. They were left for dead after the trade, but they decided not to cooperate and are 15-4 since. The Nuggets, the fifth seed with a clinched playoff berth, are hovering in the top five in most rankings thanks to their hot streak.

Sorry, back to the woes of the Phoenix Suns: departed free agent All-Star Amare Stoudemire helped the New York Knicks get back into the playoffs (oddly enough, in spite of the Anthony acquisition), though the team is hardly considered a powerhouse, currently sitting at .500 and having their recent three-game winning streak preceded by an embarrassing six-game losing streak.

On to the rankings:

SBNation.com | NBA Power Rankings: Bulls Lead, Heat And Lakers Chase
The Chicago Bulls maintain their reign over SBNation.com’s NBA Power Rankings as we move into the final week of the regular season. The Spurs recovered with a win Sunday to snap a six-game losing streak, but the Bulls, Heat, Lakers and Celtics have got to be feeling as if the NBA Championship is within reach. Can the Nuggets join the party? Are the Mavericks toast? Let’s sort it all out.

NBA.com | Nuggets earn a spot in the top five
At this point last year, the Chicago Bulls trailed the Toronto Raptors by a game for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Right now, things are a little different. The Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets are technically still alive, but the 16 teams making the playoffs are very close to being set.

ESPN.com | Power Rankings: Lakers still have top spot
There is no change at the top in the season’s second-to-last batch of weekly NBA Power Rankings at ESPN.com. The rest of the top 10, though, has been given a good shuffle.

SI.com | NBA Power Rankings: ‘Melo-less Nuggets surge to No. 4
The Nuggets’ resurgence is the best story in the NBA, and there is the tantalizing prospect that it is going to get much, much better in the weeks ahead.

CBSSports.com | Power Rankings: Celebrating season’s biggest disappointments
So as we embark on the first full week of April, it’s appropriate that we celebrate … the losers. Yep, it’s time to identify the NBA’s 2010-11 Most Disappointing Team. Here are the candidates.

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CHICAGO – Discussions regarding the Suns in recent weeks often revolved around comparisons with New Orleans and Memphis. Now they are more in the same conversation with teams such as Cleveland, Minnesota and Washington.

The Suns are just playing out the string, like any other team eliminated from playoff contention. The Suns have six game dates remaining, starting with Tuesday night at Chicago, but their next relevant date is the May 17 draft lottery for a long-shot hope of getting help toward a Chicago-like turnaround.

The Bulls have gone from .500 last season to the top of the East at 56-20 this season, but the Suns would have to win four of their final six games just to finish at .500. They have gone 6-12 in March and April but do expect to have Steve Nash Tuesday night after Nash missed the past two games due to illness. Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he would alter the playing rotation in light of the Suns’ playoff elimination Sunday at San Antonio.

“We’ll change a little bit because I want to see guys play with the starters some in those situations early in the game,” said Gentry, who had a video session with the team Monday instead of practice. “We’re not going to play Grant (Hill) and those guys for long stretches of minutes.”

But as he showed with a fiery halftime speech after a dismal first-half performance Sunday, Gentry will not tolerate half-hearted effort, either. Gentry called two timeouts in the first three minutes of the second quarter to try to stem the tide, a move that proved fruitless as the Spurs outscored the Suns by 30 over the middle 12 minutes of the first half.

“We have to have all our guys playing hard,” Gentry said. “It can’t be just a selective few. The only thing I am obligated to do is to have the team prepared to play, and the only thing they are obligated to do is compete hard. They owe that to (Suns Managing Partner) Robert (Sarver), to every fan that has come to our games. We owe that to Phoenix, and we owe it to everyone in the locker room. That has to be our goal right now, to compete hard and do the best we can.”

Center Marcin Gortat questioned the Suns’ toughness, but forward Channing Frye said the team’s issues have more to do with repeated mental lapses. He pledged that effort and desire to play won’t be an issue.

“Y’all pay me 82 games to play this game,” Frye said. “I’ve been on the bench for no reason, so I’m taking advantage of every chance I got here. I may not play good every night, but I’m going to give it all I have until that final horn is done. Whether we’re in the playoffs or not, we’ve got to come out and take some pride in this uniform. If you don’t want to, then sit your butt on the bench.”

Like Gentry, Gortat said all of the Suns did not play hard Sunday in the 114-97 loss that included the Spurs taking a 31-point lead before the Suns’ 12-0 third-quarter run and 20-5 fourth-quarter run made the score more respectable.

“We need to try to prove we’re a good basketball team and try to get better for next year,” Gortat said. “Every guy has to prove he’s good enough to be in this league and on this team. Just because we’re out doesn’t mean I’m going to show up on the floor and let anybody punk me under the basket. I’m going to be tough and play hard and do what’s necessary to win the game. If Coach lets me play 10 minutes or 30 minutes, I’m going to play hard.”

SAN ANTONIO – Once what seemed impossible was eliminated, the truth about the Phoenix Suns shone for all to see.

Photos from the game | Box score | Game chat

They are not a playoff team and they can be awful without Steve Nash.

The Suns gave into the idea of not making the postseason after a miserable March but their first-half play made it official Sunday, giving into the idea of being even competitive to set the path for a 114-97 loss Sunday to San Antonio at AT&T Center.

The Suns did ABC no favors this season with Nash missing both network appearances and the team getting routed each time. Orlando beat them by 23 in the other ABC game, but this one meant getting embarrassed for playoff elimination, leaving Phoenix out of the postseason for the second time in three years and 14th time in the club’s 43-year history.

The Suns dug their worst halftime deficit of the season at 70-46 by allowing a 44-14 Spurs run over the middle 12 minutes of the half. The 70 points for the Spurs were the most the Suns had surrendered in a first half all season. The Spurs’ bench came within a point of matching all of the Suns’ scoring because backup point guard George Hill was blistering the Suns, starting with drives and moving to the perimeter for 24 first-half points.

“No energy, no toughness, no focus, no intensity at all,” Suns center Marcin Gortat said. “Missing shots is one thing but not playing hard is thoroughly different story. We just didn’t look today like a basketball team. It was really frustrating.”

Suns center Channing Frye said the lacking toughness was only mentally because of Phoenix’s lapses, particularly when a 14-13 lead gave way to a 22-6 Spurs close to the first quarter.

“We weren’t focused,” Frye said. “That’s not acceptable. They jumped on us and we need consistent aggressiveness from everyone. With a team like this, we needed to communicate and talk on ‘D’ and they got too many easy baskets and the hoop was big from there. We need to continue to play with a chip on our shoulder. We need to not get on our heels so quickly.”

The Suns’ defense showed none of the 2011 progress against a Spurs team that had lost six games in a row, giving up another six-minute, 22-point stretch to trail 57-28 midway through the second quarter.

The Spurs’ lead grew to as much as 31 when San Antonio led 83-52 with 8:22 remaining in the third quarter after an 11-for-12 shooting stretch that bridged halftime. At that point, the Spurs’ league-leading 3-point shooting team had made 10 of 14 3-pointers. San Antonio made 15 3-pointers, the most against Phoenix since New York hit 17 on Jan. 7.

“They played smarter than us,” Suns forward Jared Dudley said. “They were hungry. They needed this win and they showed it.”

The Spurs fended off the Lakers’ charge for the West’s top seed by having its three top scorers come off the bench – Hill’s 29, Matt Bonner’s 16 and Gary Neal’s 15. Suns coach Alvin Gentry said “just a selective few” of the Suns played hard and that Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver and Suns fans are owed that.

“We just weren’t playing smart basketball,” Suns guard Aaron Brooks said. “On top of making every shot, they outhustled us. On top of that, every time the ball bounced, it seemed to go their way but that’s what happens when you’re playing hard.”

After having their season ended with a Suns playoff sweep last year, the Spurs are a season finale at Phoenix away from sweeping this season’s Suns-Spurs series.

SUNS REPORT

Key player: Spurs reserve guard George Hill scored 24 of his 29 points in 13 first-half minutes. The Spurs outscored the Suns by 27 in those 13 minutes.

Key moment: After collapsing to trail 35-20 after the first quarter, the Suns gave up a putback basket and an open 3-pointer to start the second quarter and trail 40-20.

Key number: 24 – The Suns’ season-worst, first-half deficit.

Phoenix Suns update:

Suns (37-38) at Spurs (57-19) … 10 a.m. Phoenix time tip-off

 

C: Marcin Gortat … Tim Duncan

PF: Channing Frye … Antonio McDyess

SF: Grant Hill … Richard Jefferson

SG: Jared Dudley … Manu Ginobili

PG: Aaron Brooks … Tony Parker

 

Key Spurs subs: Matt Bonner, George Hill, Gary Neal, Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair.

 

This morning’s Orange Slices . . .

 

* The Suns are in the national spotlight in the least desirable of appearances.

 

The Suns don’t have Steve Nash, who is home ill with flulike symptoms for a second consecutive game.

 

The Suns are on the brink of elimination today, whether they lose or New Orleans wins at home against Indiana.

 

The Suns are playing the motivated Spurs, whose six-game skid is the longest since Tim Duncan has been on the team and has cut their West lead on the Lakers to 1 ½ games.

 

ABC can’t be happy with their Suns timing this season. They cautiously picked only two games to show the Suns after putting them on the maximum five times several years and have wound up with Nash out for both occasions. Nash sat out the March 13 home game against the Orlando and the Suns lost 111-88 and shot 38.8 percent with Nash hurt.

 

* Wouldn’t it be something if this Suns season ended with the Spurs sweeping them after the Suns eliminated the Spurs with a playoff sweep last year? San Antonio won the teams’ first two games by a combined 10 games with Richard Jefferson averaging 22.5 points. They close the season by playing again April 13 at Phoenix.

 

* The Suns were awful offensively the last time they were on ABC without Nash, even though Aaron Brooks had 19 points and 10 assists without a turnover. Zabian Dowdell had six points, three assists and four turnovers with two-for-eight shooting in that game off the bench but has progressed.

 

On Friday night, it was Dowdell’s second-quarter play that broke the game open for the Suns to stay comfortably ahead for the remainder of the game. Brooks and Dowdell alternated quarters at the point with these results: 

• Brooks, first quarter: plus-2, two points, three assists, two turnovers, 1-1 FG.
• Dowdell, second quarter: plus-11, 10 points, three assists, one turnovers, 4-7 FG.
• Brooks, third quarter: 10 points, three assists, no turnovers, 4-7 FG.
• Dowdell, fourth quarter: four points, two assists, four turnovers, 1-3 FG.

“Behind the scenes I’ve been working and it paid off,” Dowdell said. “That’s something I always try to do, bring energy to the game and be aggressive at both ends.”

 

Dowdell said his shooting has been his larges area of improvement since joining the Suns, who clearly trust and enjoy playing with him on the court.

 

“Those guys love playing with me,” Dowdell said. “As a point guard and a player period, that’s a big compliment. I’m very grateful for that.”

 

Gentry said, “Obviously, you’re not going to replace Steve. But I thought they did a pretty good job running the team and being aggressive offensively and then making plays.”

 

* Dudley is averaging 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in eight starts this season.

 

* Assist race update: Without playing last game, Nash maintained the league assist lead at 11.4 per game. He actually got a bigger cushion on Boston guard Rajon Rondo, whose average dropped to 11.2 with only five assists Friday against Atlanta. Rondo has been playing with a sore right pinky finger. It would be Nash’s fifth assist title in seven years.

 

* Free throw chase update: Without playing last game, Nash still needs four consecutive free throw makes to retake the career free throw percentage record from Mark Price.

 

Tweetin’ at www.twitter.com/paulcoro

When: 10 a.m. | Where: San Antonio, Texas
TV: Ch. 15 | Radio: KTAR-AM (620)

Spurs update: San Antonio (57-19) is on its first six-game losing streak since 1997 after a 119-114 overtime loss to Houston. It was the Spurs’ second defeat since the return of Tim Duncan from an ankle injury. The Spurs’ lead atop the West is now 1 1/2 games on the Lakers. In his first two games back, Duncan has posted consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound games for the first time since Games 1 and 2 of last year’s season’s Suns-Spurs playoff series.

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SAN ANTONIO (AP)—The San Antonio Spurs looked like they have all season, happy with yet another victory as the NBA’s winningest team.

The Phoenix Suns won’t look like this again. That made them happy, too.

Tim Duncan(notes) had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and the Spurs won their won their ninth in a row, 118-110 over the Suns, who played undermanned again Monday night following their blockbuster trade with Orlando over the weekend.

The Suns are expected to debut Vince Carter(notes), Martin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus(notes) on Thursday back home against Miami. In the meantime, coach Alvin Gentry used just eight players against the Spurs, a night after a draining upset at Oklahoma City.

“Grant (Hill), being the guy he is, said to me, ‘I’m really sorry. I just got tired,” Gentry said. “I mean, I felt like an idiot with him saying that.”

Gary Neal(notes) scored 22 off the bench for the Spurs, who improved the NBA’s best record to 24-3 and are one victory from their second double-digit winning streak already this season.

The Spurs are again cruising after putting together 12 consecutive victories earlier this season. It has put the surprising Spurs atop the NBA in the midst of a historic franchise start for the four-time champions.

“We feel pretty good about ourselves right now. But I think we still have a lot to build on, honestly,” Duncan said. “Our record is really good, and that’s a great situation to be in, but we got a lot of things we can clean up.”

Tony Parker(notes) scored 19 points, Richard Jefferson(notes) had 17 and Manu Ginobili(notes) had 15 as every starter for the Spurs was in double figures. DeJuan Blair(notes) had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Jared Dudley(notes) had 27 points for the Suns, whose halftime lead dissolved into a near-blowout. The Spurs outscored the Suns 40-24 in the third quarter, as Phoenix scored on just two of its first 14 possessions of the half.

In a span of just six minutes, a one-point lead evaporated into a 19-point deficit.

“They had nobody to stop Timmy,” Parker said. “He was getting easy baskets and getting baskets for everybody.”

Steve Nash(notes) added 17 points and 10 assists for the Suns. Hill, who had 30 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes on Sunday against the Thunder, scored 19 points in 39 minutes.

The 38-year-old entered the game averaging around 30 minutes. But he didn’t make excuses afterward.

“It wasn’t so much tired. I think I was frustrated that we weren’t getting to the free throw line,” Hill said. “I think I was trying to prove a point to the officials driving and we weren’t getting calls. I allowed that to get me frustrated and not read the situation.”

Phoenix returned to San Antonio for the first time since its stunning sweep in the West semifinals last May, but after the latest Suns shake-up, it wasn’t exactly a rematch.

Phoenix on Sunday completed a six-player trade with Orlando, sending Jason Richardson(notes), Hedo Turkoglu(notes) and Earl Clark(notes) to the Magic. Carter and Gortat arrived in Phoenix on Monday while their new team was still in Texas.

Gentry—who joked before the game that he came back to San Antonio with the same team except for “that Amare guy”—said he’s already thought about how he’ll use his newcomers.

For a few stretches against San Antonio, the short-handed Suns didn’t look desperate for their new trio just yet. Phoenix took a 54-53 halftime lead after finishing the second quarter on a 21-7 burst, holding the Spurs to just three field goals in the final seven minutes.

Josh Childress(notes) scored 15 points and Robin Lopez(notes) had 14 for the Suns. Channing Frye(notes) had just three points for the Suns on 1-of-10 shooting.

“We should be optimistic,” Nash said. “We got a lot of guys coming in that give us size, depth and scoring, and defense. We should be a better team.”

Notes: Spurs G George Hill(notes) is expected to miss several more games while recovering from a sore right big toe. Hill, the top scorer for the Spurs off the bench, is wearing a boot on the foot. …The Suns have already used seven different starting lineups after using eight all of last season.

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs looked like they have all season, happy with yet another victory as the NBA’s winningest team.

The Phoenix Suns won’t look like this again. That made them happy, too.

Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and the Spurs won their won their ninth in a row, 118-110 over the Suns, who played undermanned again Monday night following their blockbuster trade with Orlando over the weekend.

The Suns are expected to debut Vince Carter, Martin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus on Thursday back home against Miami. In the meantime, coach Alvin Gentry used just eight players against the Spurs, a night after a draining upset at Oklahoma City.

“Grant [Hill], being the guy he is, said to me, ‘I’m really sorry. I just got tired,” Gentry said. “I mean, I felt like an idiot with him saying that.”

Gary Neal scored 22 off the bench for the Spurs, who improved the NBA’s best record to 24-3 and are one victory from their second double-digit winning streak already this season.

The Spurs are again cruising after putting together 12 consecutive victories earlier this season. It has put the surprising Spurs atop the NBA in the midst of a historic franchise start for the four-time champions.

“We feel pretty good about ourselves right now. But I think we still have a lot to build on, honestly,” Duncan said. “Our record is really good, and that’s a great situation to be in, but we got a lot of things we can clean up.”

Tony Parker scored 19 points, Richard Jefferson had 17 and Manu Ginobili had 15 as every starter for the Spurs was in double figures. DeJuan Blair had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Jared Dudley had 27 points for the Suns, whose halftime lead dissolved into a near-blowout. The Spurs outscored the Suns 40-24 in the third quarter, as Phoenix scored on just two of its first 14 possessions of the half.

In a span of just six minutes, a one-point lead evaporated into a 19-point deficit.

“They had nobody to stop Timmy,” Parker said. “He was getting easy baskets and getting baskets for everybody.”

Steve Nash added 17 points and 10 assists for the Suns. Hill, who had 30 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes on Sunday against the Thunder, scored 19 points in 39 minutes.

The 38-year-old entered the game averaging around 30 minutes. But he didn’t make excuses afterward.

“It wasn’t so much tired. I think I was frustrated that we weren’t getting to the free throw line,” Hill said. “I think I was trying to prove a point to the officials driving and we weren’t getting calls. I allowed that to get me frustrated and not read the situation.”

Phoenix returned to San Antonio for the first time since its stunning sweep in the West semifinals last May, but after the latest Suns shake-up, it wasn’t exactly a rematch.

Phoenix on Sunday completed a six-player trade with Orlando, sending Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark to the Magic. Carter and Gortat arrived in Phoenix on Monday while their new team was still in Texas.

Gentry — who joked before the game that he came back to San Antonio with the same team except for “that Amare guy” — said he’s already thought about how he’ll use his newcomers.

For a few stretches against San Antonio, the short-handed Suns didn’t look desperate for their new trio just yet. Phoenix took a 54-53 halftime lead after finishing the second quarter on a 21-7 burst, holding the Spurs to just three field goals in the final seven minutes.

Josh Childress scored 15 points and Robin Lopez had 14 for the Suns. Channing Frye had just three points for the Suns on 1-of-10 shooting.

“We should be optimistic,” Nash said. “We got a lot of guys coming in that give us size, depth and scoring, and defense. We should be a better team.”

Notes

• Spurs G George Hill is expected to miss several more games while recovering from a sore right big toe. Hill, the top scorer for the Spurs off the bench, is wearing a boot on the foot.
• The Suns have already used seven different starting lineups after using eight all of last season.

The short-handed Phoenix Suns managed to pull out one surprising road win over a division leader Sunday night, and it’s doubtful the reinforcements from their blockbuster trade will arrive in time to play Monday.

They could use all the help they can get against the league’s hottest club.

The NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs seek their ninth straight win and 22nd in 24 games when they host the Suns in a series recently defined by Phoenix’s close losses.

The Suns (13-13) made a move Saturday designed to keep them competitive this season while providing some long-term salary relief, but they certainly figured to miss the departed trio of Hedo Turkoglu(notes), Jason Richardson(notes) and Earl Clark’s(notes) on Sunday in Oklahoma City.

New acquisitions Vince Carter(notes), Mickael Pietrus(notes) and Marcin Gortat(notes) weren’t available after the previous day’s blockbuster trade with Orlando, but Phoenix’s remaining roster made sure it wouldn’t matter. Steve Nash(notes) returned with 20 points and 10 assists after suffering a neck stinger in his previous game, while Grant Hill(notes) had 30 points and 11 rebounds in a 113-110 win over the Northwest Division-leading Thunder.

“I think guys are going to come out and play, obviously, anytime that happens,” said Hill, who’s scored more than 20 points in seven of his last 15 games after doing so once in his first 11. “Sometimes when you’re on the other side and you see that a team’s not at full strength, there’s a little bit of a letdown.”

The Suns likely won’t be able to sneak up on the Spurs (23-3) the same way, and it again appears unlikely they’ll have any of their three additions. Carter, Pietrus and Gortat are set to take their physicals in Phoenix on Monday afternoon, likely delaying their debuts until Thursday against Miami.

That’s good news for San Antonio, which has won five of seven in the series – four of which have been decided by five points or fewer. Richard Jefferson(notes) had 28 points and Tim Duncan(notes) added 25 with 17 rebounds in a 112-110 win at Phoenix on Nov. 3.

San Antonio extended its current winning streak to eight with Saturday’s 112-106 overtime win against Memphis. The past three victories have come by a total of nine points, but Tony Parker(notes) – who had 37 against the Grizzlies – doesn’t mind having to sweat it out.

“As long as we’re winning I’m okay with it,” he said.

Parker played 41 minutes Saturday and might be heavily worked again Monday. Backup point guard George Hill(notes) will likely miss a second straight game with a sprained right big toe.

Parker hasn’t looked fatigued very often when Phoenix visits. He’s averaging 24.8 points in his last nine regular-season home games against the Suns, and is looking forward to facing Nash and a Suns team that allows 109.9 points per game – tied for the most in the league.

“Everyone knows I love to play against Nash,” Parker said. “He’s one of the best point guards in the NBA and it’s been like that for a long time. I’ve always had some success against them and hopefully that continues.”

Nash has averaged 15.2 points and 11.0 assists in his last five visits to San Antonio – three of which were Phoenix victories.

Tim Duncan has averaged 25.8 points in those games, but the Spurs are 0-3 this season when he scores 23 or more.

Several factors clicked as the Suns ended a three-game losing streak, and they hope they can use the win over Minnesota as a springboard for a three-game trip that starts Friday in Dallas.

In their 128-122 victory Thursday, they won the battle on the boards against the NBA’s best rebounding team. They got solid contributions from Robin Lopez, who returned to the lineup after missing four weeks with a knee injury, and Jason Richardson, who busted out of slump with 29 points.

All that should bode well for the trip that also includes stops in Oklahoma City and San Antonio, where the Suns could benefit with Lopez and Channing Frye at the core of a bigger lineup.

“Anything’s possible if we carry over some of the things we did well, but more than anything I think we just need to have a good spirit and a good energy, be positive, go out and try to attack and give ourselves a chance to win because of our attitude, then anything’s possible,” Steve Nash said.

Attitude – plus rebounding and good defense – will be in the forefront as the Suns take on the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan over the next four days.

The Suns’ season has been an up-and-down ride, and Frye said that even though they are putting in a lot of effort, there is more to give.

“I know everybody’s giving 110 percent, but if we could just give another 4 percent, 114 percent, that would be awesome, and I think we can do that,” he said. “We’ve just got to cut back on our mistakes and turnovers. That’s all coming from learning and new lineups and guys getting in there.

“I know we’re going to get better because you got nine or 10 working in there working out right now in the weight room, and today (Thursday) was kind of our day off, so it shows that people really want to win, they really care.”

Note

Nash was fourth among Western Conference guards in the first release of All-Star Game balloting.

Nash’s 190,226 votes trail the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who leads all players with 722,682; the Hornets’ Chris Paul (386,649); and the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili (230,137).

No other Suns on the ballot were among the top 10 at their position.

After Steve Nash had his nose busted open in Game 1, the teams battled fiercely and the Spurs entered Game 4 with a 2-1 series edge.

They appeared on the brink of taking a commanding 3-1 lead as they led 97-92 with 2:32 left.

It was then that Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire led a furious comeback that gave the Suns a lead in the closing seconds.  However, the Spurs, who never met a cheap shot they didn’t like, were not going to take a loss quietly.

With 18 seconds left, Spurs forward Robert Horry cemented his place as the biggest villain in Suns history.

Nash took possession and dribbled along the sidelines when Horry threw a hard, and exceedingly cheap, hockey style check that propelled Nash into the scorer’s table.

The Suns bench erupted in warranted anger, with Stoudemire and Boris Diaw each taking a few steps onto the court.  Despite doing nothing provocative, the NBA to suspend Stoudemire and Diaw for the crucial Game 5, which the shorthanded Suns lost.  The decision by the NBA was highly controversial, prompting ESPN’s Chris Sheridan to label it “utterly, profoundly, alarmingly, unreasonably ridiculous.”

The Suns correctly pointed out that the NBA had failed to take similar action earlier in the series against Tim Duncan, but to no avail.