Destination Phoenix - Die hard fans from down under unite!
The suns are a classy organization from management right down to the players and support staff. So its no wonder that so many international fans with no ties to any NBA cities, choose to support the mighty Suns. In some cases these fans are even more die hard than some locals, having to take days off just to watch big games, getting up at 3 am for live playoff matches, watching grainy stop start low quality streams on 15 inch monitors just to see the suns somehow, and even travelling the 30 thousand plus km's just to catch a regular season game live.
That last scenario is about to take place, with 4 die hard suns fans from Australia and New Zealand (only 2 of which have met each other before) getting together in January to make the trip to the USA with the sole purpose of cheering on the suns and seeing some games live!
Myself from Adelaide, South Australia, as well as 3 other members of Planet Orange ("Tastic" from New Zealand, "Nevetsov" from Brisbane Australia, and "NF33IH" also from Adelaide South Australia) will be leaving from Sydney on January 12th, 2009 and after brief stops in Berlin and London will be landing in Toronto on the 18th of January ready to catch the suns first game of a season long 6 game road trip.
We have hired a car, and will be following the suns through all 6 stops on the trip, Toronto, Boston, New York, Charlotte, Atlanta and Washington, before flying from Washington to Phoenix (WOO HOO!) to catch games against the spurs (BOO), bulls and kings, hoping to enjoy a superbowl party somewhere and then leaving the great state of Arizona on the 3rd of February heading back to australia via New Zealand (ending a complete trip around the globe just to watch the suns)
Were going to be blogging all the way, right from the start to the finish, with details on planning, things that go wrong, things that go right, posting videos, reviews of each game, city, stadium, photos etc, we all hope that it gives the international suns fans (of which there are many) an insight on what its like for die hard suns fans to finally get to see them in person!
Keep an eye out for part 2 of the Desitnation Phoenix Blog. All we have done now is booked flights and car hire, hopefully by part 2 we will have started finding accommodation, game tickets, and our itinery for travel and what to do on days off in all the cities.
If you have any advice, comments, are we mad to try and drive that road trip (6 cities in 8 days?) or anything, we love to hear any input anyone might have.....
Since our last update via TASTIC, not all that much has happened in terms of confirmed activities. The last two members of the group, KPCB34 & nevetsov have now fully paid up on their flights. Further concreting our itinerary, leaving only accommodation, car hire and most importantly (as far as 5 Suns fans are concerned) game tickets to be purchased.
Once the above has been completed the wait will seem like forever and an eternity, as well as excruciating, with nothing left to do other than such. Having said that, for me, the wait will seem miniscule in comparison to what I have personally endured as a Grant Hill fan.
With that in mind I thought it’d be time to give you an insight into The Man, The Myth, The Mav-e-rick (Mighty Boosh fans will relate) that is Never Fear 33 Is Here (NF33IH).
Rewind to a time where everything in the world seemed to be so much larger than to what it actually was in reality (with perhaps the exception of Shaq). You see, growing up in a less than middle class family in Australia, my chances of seeing the rest, or for that matter any other part of the world and to a larger extent (for me) the NBA was extremely low.
Fast forward to the year 2000. Grant Hill was to wear #15 for the team formerly known as the Dream Team. A group of friends, myself included, were set to travel the 800 plus km’s to witness an exhibition match, prior to the Sydney Olympics, between Team USA and Australia. Whilst the trip went ahead and it was an unbelievable experience for everyone, I was left with a bit of an empty feeling as the ankle injuries that were to take away Grant Hill’s prime had just begun to surface.
Once again fast forwarding, this time through the six seasons of the “Ankle” and various other injuries/infections. My support never waning in the hope that Grant Hill would one day run the floor pain free as he once did. A couple of failed attempts to make the journey to the U.S. with my wife followed. Then came “THE BLESSING”, my wife (the beautiful person that she is), never one for the travel bug said to me, “If you can find someone to go with, then go for it”.
That was all I needed. Almost immediately I was on the blower (phone) to SDU (sunsdownunder) to put the feelers out. Nope, no go there (He had just enjoyed the birth of his first born, so it was completely understandable). Back to the drawing board I went. With no other Suns fan in my immediate circle of friends that could afford to go I dropped an e-mail to nevetsov.
Keep in mind that to this day the only members of this entourage that have actually met in person are sunsdownunder, KPCB34, rodrizzle and myself (KPCB34 & rodrizzle have never met, if you can follow that, you get an A ;-) ). With that being declared, nevetsov and I (having never met, in case you missed that point) began serious talks to make the trip over for last seasons’ playoffs. At the end of the day, we were lucky we pulled the pin due to the fact that our beloved Suns were bundled out in the first round and we had in actual fact planned to get over for the second round.
Well that brings us to now, the dream is now getting closer and there are only 119 days until “The Journey” begins. But who is counting……….right? Tee Hee.
Stay tuned for the next instalment and don’t forget to check out our profiles should you want to know more about us as crazy individuals.
Preparing to go around the world in search
of the Valley of the Sun.
A sextet of international basketball fans
with intent to bask in the collective glory that is the Phoenix Suns, and
follow them like an ice cream truck follows a fat fighter’s convention.
Have to admit I thought this day would
come, but not so soon, or with random internet buddies who go by the names SDU,
Never Fear 33 is Here, KPCB34, rodrizzle and nevetsov. At least there’s no
‘funboy12’, ‘Kobe#1’
or ‘han_solo_is_my_dad’ type nutjobs in for the ride (Lakers, Mavericks and
Spurs fans need not apply). We might even meet up with a German on the way, Moe
– JustMoe - just for schneetz and geegles.
Apologies in advance to all those who have
to read the spiel that will undoubtedly spew out every orifice of the lone Heat
supporter on the trip, rodrizzle. And all things considered, 83% ain’t bad!
Many an arm and a leg are tied up in
Destination Phoenix, some would say an excessive amount. I wouldn’t, and as the
old proverb goes, ‘the poor man’s budget is full of schemes’. This isn’t a
scheme per se, moreso a dream that is finally being realised, and something
that can’t have a price tag put on it. None of us are millionaires, and to
spend so much money and time away from family, friends and the comforts of
home, I think, shows how much the team means to us.
Our Motley Crue will be assembled on
January 12 th 2009 in Sydney, Australia,
ready to board a plane and partake in a beverage or four to take the edge off
the early start to the morning.
As sunsdownunder mentioned in the previous
blog entry, there are a couple of stopovers on the way, in Germany and the UK, so any people wanting to meet
up for a chat can get hold of us through this website.
Rodrizzle will meet us in Toronto, as we follow the Suns on their
season long six game road trip starting against the Raptors.
We’ll be covering the many miles in a
people mover, equipped with slide door, cup holders, and perhaps some poker and
sing-a-longs, as well as the countless recollections of Suns moments both past
and present. Leg space will be at a premium, as will support for myself as the
only non-Australian on the trip!
Thankfully, the great people at Planet
Orange and suns.com answered when we came calling asking for any suggestions
and/or assistance, even having the courage to splat sunsdownunder’s mug onto
their frontpage. Hopefully you, the readers, are not turned away from the pasty
spectre greeting you (I know, a pale Australian, I’m as perplexed as you are).
Bookmark the page, tell your friends, your
gardener and your hairdresser, and come have a look-in from our viewpoint as
international Suns fans, and most of all enjoy the ride ‘cos we sure will!
To all our beloved Planet Orange readers... (All 7 of you who continue to read the updates - cheers!)
The time is almost here. We have but 6 days until the Destination Phoenix Crew hit the road for the Suns adventure of a lifetime. Much has changed since we first planned this epic trip back in August, including roster changes - for the Suns and NF33IH - as well as exchange rates fluctuating more than the Warriors' rotation. It's made it a pinch for all of us, though some of us purchased currency way back when the rates were a healthy green, and not like the oozing, dull brown that they are now!
The Suns have clicked as of late, winning 4 of 5..the only L being against that retirement home known as the Spurs. The less we say about that the better, as far as I know we haven't faired too successful against them since before Adam.
As I sit here with the laptop on my desk, I plead to you local Phoenicians to come and meet us, greet us, enjoy a drink or five, and help us experience PHOENIX! It's going to be an amazing adventure, and somewhat like a Suns Brady Brunch, we have matching tees to wear out and about, with our nicknames/usernames on the back so you can pick us out of a crowd. If you see us at the games, and hear us chanting with a downunder twang, join in! Or clap...depending on whether we're doing well or not!
Anyway, this is just a quick update to keep you all up to date with our progress. Remember to watch out for us in Toronto, Boston, New York, Charlotte, Atlanta and Washington, where we'll be doing all we can to cheer the Suns to victory and represent Planet Orange to the best of our ability.
So that's that. The last blog before we hit the skies and road.
The next lot will be shorter but more frequent, and should have the odd photo/video so you can put a picture to the scrawl...
Literally clockwatching down to the second, every day at work, in the car, at home, on the John, waiting in line at the bank, heck even while I type this my mind has little cogs in it trying to work out how long till the home stretch. Tom Petty had it right, the waiting is most certainly the hardest part.
There’s been a couple of emails that have been forwarded out and around…well more than a couple, no joke – closer to 1000 than it is to 100! They’ve done the rounds in the past three months, getting forwarded around more than those “Fat Emo” or “FAIL” emails, and probably providing each of us more laughs than those now cliché pictures.
There has been countless varying opinions, sledging, name calling, grasps of the English language, and acceptable emails for work email accounts, but to be fair we’ve been eating them up like Homer when he went to Hell in that classic Halloween Special…season 5 I think? Needless to say cartoon quotes, Suns statistical anomalies, movie scenes and random sing-a-longs will make the time pass in the truck we’re driving around in…but that all seems oh so far away!!
Apologies to all the peeps at my work at the NZ Transport Agency, if I’ve bored you with rants about the voyage to the Valley of the Sun, it’s only because I care….about the Suns…haha. Month end won’t be the same without my moaning I’m sure…or the two pregnant lasses leaving around the same time, Chrystal and Julie (I only tease you two cos I care).
We’ve purchased a mascot, a Monkey, aptly named ‘Sunny’ by sunsdownunder, along with the odd group trinket to take along for the ride. If you see a small pack of Suns supporters carrying a purple monkey, odds are it will be us, so make sure you yell out and say g’day, we won’t bite and would love to meet some local Phoenicians. On that point, we’ll be in a sort of uniform, armed to the teeth in Suns gear and baying for opposition blood and/or rebounds. We’ll be the devilishly good looking foreign gentleman yelling louder than an old woman at a Tom Jones gig, minus throwing the underwear – though we do have a couple of Suns garters that will be used as punishment and/or when a good photo op raises itself.
The seating process has been fun…and hectic! Spreadsheets aplenty, prices from all over the economic spectrum floating around, and plans to get as close to the action as possible.
I think Never Fear will be bringing a bottle to the game to get some sweat from Mr Hill, while the rest of us will be screaming our butts off and trying to get as much out of every game as we can.
A highlight for all of us all will be against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, arguably the most famous sports venue in the world. We’re all hoping it turns out better than last year’s visit to the Garden, and with Coach D’Antoni in charge it’ll be an eye opener for sure! Will be weird seeing DA, Q and Marbury on the Knicks…but who knows who’ll be there in a week’s time let alone three months!
The Hawks game in particular will be special, as we have (drum roll please) COURTSIDE SEATS! I’m not sure who nevetsov kidnapped/took incriminating photos of/blackmailed to get them, but I’ll take the same approach I take to eating burgers – I don’t care how it got on my plate, I’m going to eat that bad boy if I’m hungry. In this case, my eyes will be feasting on the Suns and their smorgasbord of offense and entertaining plays.
After the big six game road trip we have the three game homestand, which will be epic and just being in the Suns stomping ground will be an experience I know I’ll never forget. A Mecca-like trip for us all, it promises to be one of the most memorable moments of our collective lives.
The pickup game between the International Suns Fans and the locals will be a doozy, and we’ll hopefully get some photos/video to see the C grade movie impressions of our Suns boys!
After what seemed like a long 5 hour flight from Washington to Phoenix we had finally arrived! The whole crew was pumped upon landing despite how tired we should be, something about finally being in Phoenix rejuvenated the entire group and we were ready to paint the town red.
We headed to our rental house down in south west phoenix only to find out other people were staying there…. This was the first spanner in the works and we stressed majorly about where we were going to stay.After phoning the agent for the house we discovered we were given the wrong contract by their incompetent office and eventually we ended up at our 4 bedroom house, unpacked, and as it was already midnight we got some zzzz’s in readiness for the day ahead.
January 29th – day of Suns vs Spurs
After speaking to Jeramie McPeek (Suns_Webmaster) we arranged to meet him down at the arena at 1 pm. We got there quite early and as a hoop was set up outside the arena we decided to buy a ball from the suns store and shoot some hoops outside the US Airways centre.During this time, a number of people actually stopped and asked if we were the crazy suns fans from down under and gave us their thoughts on our trip, that was pretty cool, and at 1pm Jeramie came down and whilst chatting out the front we were lucky enough to be introduced to Dave Griffin, Josh Hall, Steven Koek (SKJOEK) and Brad Faye, who was the camera man for the day, and we chatted about our trip for a while. It was great the way everyone was so interested in our trip and took the time to talk to us etc.Dave Griffin asked if we liked Pizza, which was like asking if we liked the Suns!!He suggested we try Pizzeria Bianco just east of the building, which usually has a 3-4 hour wait for anyone, celebrities included. But as the owner was a HUGE suns fan, Dave called him and arranged for us to get the VIP treatment and skip the queues and we had a booking arranged for 6:30 before the game!!Something about having the VP of the best franchise in the NBA booking tea for us seemed so surreal, but then again, surreal seems to be the key theme of this trip.After this we were introduced to the voice of the suns Al McCoy, that’s a voice that I’ve heard maybe more than my wife’s over the last 10 years , and then headed on into the arena for a tour.Along the way we were introduced to Mark West who is now the VP of Player Progams with the team. We walked past suns great Alvan Adams but didn’t want to interrupt him as he seemed busy, and Jeramie took us through the stadium and gave us some great insight on various sections of the arena.We headed over to Stoudemire’s for lunch, on the way we bumped into and had a quick chat withRick Welts, the team president, and we even saw the Princess of Planet Orange (Amy is the name she uses to hide from the crowds – she was tiara-less at this time). Once again it was becoming such a common theme of the day for everyone we met to just be so approachable and genuinely showing an interest in our trip, it really just added to our already glowing opinions of the suns and their staff. Stoudemire’s was great, we don’t have sports bars like that in Australia. Three of us had the Stat Burger and the other ordered a Diesel Dog – both came highly recommended.It was great to just sit with Jeramie and talk suns, for two reasons – one he knows more than us, and two: finally, after almost a month, we had a new suns fan to talk to other than each other!!Woo hoo!
We headed back to the stadium to finish the tour, we were taken down to centre court for some photos, it was amazing to see how many people were in the stadium hard at work, over 6 hours before the game was due to start.From there we went to the practice court and were able to shoot some hoops (more like airballs and bricks!), take some photos, once again the only word I can find to describe it is surreal (amazing would be a close second though), and then we went up to the offices section where we met the suns.com hardworking team, I didn’t see any putters, or twitter or anything I swear!
We then headed to Jeramie’s office to upload some photos onto his computer to be used for Planet Orange and whilst waiting for the photos to be uploaded, Alvan Adams stopped by and took the time to have a good chat about his career, current work with the suns, our trip etc. He was a fantastic guy and we even took a trip up to level 4 where his massive commemorative wall with all his achievements are listed and took some once in a lifetime photos with the suns great.
At this point we finished the tour after spending hours behind the scenes of our favourite team, it was almost time to check out Pizzeria Bianco. As we headed there, people were outside waiting, in fact for those who haven’t been there, they actually have a bar next door which is used as a waiting room! As we walked in, decked out in our suns gear, the waitress said there was a 3 hour wait minimum, but as the chef saw us he told her we were “Griff’s Boys” and we were taken care of.Dave Griffin did say the owner was a huge suns fan and would take care of us, but to just walk in and be served straight away whilst others waited for hours gave us almost a celebrity feel The meal itself was fantastic! We have eaten probably way too many pizza’s on this trip, but this one was far too good to pass up!In the space of 15 minutes, 3 whole pizzas were gone (cough steve cough and we were heading back to the arena to meet Jeramie again and get ready for the big game…
Yet again we were given treatment that we really didn’t feel worthy of as we went down onto the suns court and met / took photos with Steve Kerr, Dave Griffin, Craig Sager etc, etc. This time was also used to answer some questions on camera about our trip which was a fun experience and I’m sure the fans who were watching us on court being interviewed were scratching their heads as to who we were lol. As the suns players came out to begin their pregame warm-ups we were allowed to sit on the suns bench to watch, just standing on the same court metres from all our favourite players was such a fantastic experience – the size, speed and skill of these guys becomes more and more obvious the closer you get. We even had the pleasure of meeting our trips cult hero Lou Amundson as he came over for a photo with our group. As the pregame introductions were about to start and some more important people required the seats on the bench we headed back to our actual seats, meeting Tom Chambers along the way and got ready for the big game against the team I hate more than any other in the NBA (lakers a very close second) The crowd was by far the loudest crowd we have been a part of on this trip, and the start of the game was played at a frenetic pace with the first 10 field goals all being successful, as the half drew to an end, Steve Nash nailed a 3 pointer that tied the game, the crowd rose as one and the noise was unlike anything I’ve ever heard at a basketball game before….
If I told you that we gave up our second row seats and missed the entire 3rd quarter you would probably think we were crazy, but just as the 3rd quarter started Jeramie arranged for us to go into the suns locker room, weight room etc.Having visited sunslockerroom.com many many times I felt like I had already been there, just seeing all the lockers and players gear in them, all the notes on the whiteboard about the night’s game plan, it was interesting to note that nash, shaq, and amare all have empty lockers next to theirs, this was explained as being for them to have extra room for their items but also due to the amount of media that surrounds their lockers after games.Having watched all of the suns.com behind the scenes videos where this happens, I can now picture it better and can see how all that media in this room would make it very cramped after a game.We headed towards the weight room and took a look inside the video room where the game was playing on a big screen, we took a quick look and a voice said to us “come on in guys”… the voice belonged to Steve Kerr (who had his knee iced after recent surgery) who was sitting with Dave Griffin watching the game…. For the next few minutes we just took in the game with the suns General Manager and Sr VP of basketball operations which was completely unbelievable. I even offered my services for a 10 day contract if they were looking for someone to dish some flagrant fouls out.My offer was declined but who knows, they might call next week?From there we headed to the weight room and the biggest machine in there was one shaq actually had brought with him and back to the practice court where we did some more quick interviews about the trip and then headed back to our seats for the 4th quarter.As per usual with these two teams, the game was great and came down to the wire, unfortunately - also as usual - the spurs executed better down the stretch and the suns fell again to become 3-4 on our trip so far. We went back behind the scenes after the game and had the pleasure of meeting up with Robin Lopez, Jared Dudley, we got an autograph from Amare Stoudemire who was with his mother. Alvan Adams chatted to us about the game and Dave Griffin stopped by and continued to give us more of his time than we felt worthy of, even offering to help Steve (nevetsov) arrange a ride with the suns car service to an exam in Mesa the next day. (As it turned out Dave Griffin ended up picking Steve up himself the next day and personally took him to his exam – what a surreal experience??) We did have passes to check out the post game media events, but as the players would have been bitterly disappointed to lose to the Spurs it was suggested that we save this part of the trip until after a suns win, hopefully against the Bulls on Saturday night. All that was left was to head out to the foyer at the front of the arena and film a few more quick interview questions and then our day was complete. To be a die hard fan and watch this team day in day out from thousands of miles away and then to finally be in phoenix and get to all this behind the scenes access, meet players both past and present, suns staff members and see a great game of basketball (with a disappointing ending) and basically fulfil a combined lifelong dream made this simply one of the most amazing days we have ever experienced!
This blog would not be complete without just reiterating how fantastic every single suns employee we met was today.Every single person without fail took the time and interest to talk to us and show an interest in the trip.Right from the team president, GM and VP through to the players, and support staff throughout the arena.Jeramie has our eternal gratitude for all of his hardwork today to help make this day a true once in a lifetime experience.Thanks SUNS!!
When it comes to fan appreciation and the warmest of welcomes to ''The Valley of The Suns'', no one could have done it better than the Phoenix Suns Organization, and Suns Vice President of Interactive Services: Mr. Jeramie McPeek. You are a true ambassador to our city and state. You have represented our Suns and the Suns fans, second to none --- Thank you!
The Destination Phoenix gang, traveled the globe to follow our beloved home team as well as their favorite home team: OUR Phoenix Suns. As a lifelong Suns fan, I'm extremely proud of how Phoenix and the Phoenix Suns Organization represented our city, our state, and how
fantastically the Aussie gang was received and well-treated. Not only did the Suns Organization represent our Suns with first-class treatment and enthusiasm, but the Destination Phoenix gang, represented OUR Phoenix Suns with GREAT dignity and with utmost sportsmanship, as well.
While the Suns are struggling to find themselves, and the message boards are abuzz
with chants of "FIRE PORTER!!!, TRADE AMARÈ!", as is Phoenix itself, the Aussie gang NEVER
wavered for a moment. Many might argue that the International fans don't really know or understand Suns Basketball, or that they don't care whether the Suns win or lose. Well, Suns fans, it's more than apparent that the Aussie Gang, cares GREATLY about our home team and they exemplify the true meaning of, HOPE. If traveling around the world to see their favorite team play in every major city isn't a display of devotion and passion for the Suns, nothing is! These young men have showed more class, appreciation, and enthusiasm than many home fans, who merely take our Phoenix Suns for granted. It's quite humbling to see firsthand, how these guys
have plodded across this country of ours, only to witness the Suns playing scattered, lethargic, and careless basketball. Whether it's a coaching dilemma or a total team funk,
the Aussie Gang, plus one Kiwi, rose above it all, with more faith, excitement, and awe, to not only realize their own dreams,
but to get behind OUR SUNS, and cheer them with all their might, regardless of the overwhelming negativity surrounding this team.
I applaud you, Destination Phoenix Gang, with a loud and long standing ovation!
I applaud each and every one who have welcomed you with open arms and with utmost
hospitality all the way from your home to ours!
If I had the power to hand you the key to OUR beloved city of Phoenix, I would graciously do so.
My only regret is that I was unable to meet you personally in Phoenix ---"CRIKEY!" I'm sorry that NF33IH, had to cut his trip short, but thrilled that he returned home to welcome his newborn twins.
I smile just thinking of the stories they will soon enough hear.
May your experience of a lifetime never end. I hope to see you ALL back in Phoenix in two years. Thank you for sharing your dream of a lifetime with all of us. Thank you for
making our world a little smaller and much friendlier. Thank you for humbling NBA fans EVERYWHERE.
Thank you for daring us all to realize OUR dreams.
As we say in the Southwest: "Mi casa es su casa." -- My house is your house.
So the countdown has begun – 32 days until Destination: Phoenix 09.
As a 27 year old Aussie male who has never been out of his native waters, this trip promises to be something I will remember the rest of my life.
I’m privileged to have the opportunity to be travelling with a bunch of guys who share both my enthusiasm for life and my love for the Phoenix Suns, and it’s a testament to the suns franchise that they have such great fans spanning all parts of the globe.
Without wanting to get into specifics, let me just say that the amount of preparation and organisation required for a trip of this magnitude has been astronomical, but to the guys credit we’ve managed to get it all together and finally, after much deliberation, come up with a pretty sweet itinerary that allows us to not only see a total of nine consecutive Phoenix Suns games, but also enjoy time taking in the diverse cultural and social attractions along the way.
So in order of conquest, here’s a list of some of the things I’m looking forward to the most:
1) Germany, not just for the sights, not even for the beer, but to see how much “Dirk chokes” smack talk I can get away with before I get into a pub brawl with the locals ;)
2) London; John Lennon and the Beatles have been a talking point in the household of late, prompted by my housemates’ recent trip to the Kanye West concert. About halfway through the concert, Kanye proclaimed, “you’re witnessing the next Michael Jackson, the next Madonna, the next Prince, the next John Lennon.” This didn’t go down too well at all it seems. Hey Kanye, I’m pretty sure Liam Gallagher once proclaimed something similar, and they’re.. well.. what ever happened to Oasis?
3) Toronto, home of fellow Aussie Nathan Jawai. Sure, he may not have seen any court time yet this season but I’ll be damned if we won’t be hollering his name. Should be a packed house as Nash heads back over the border, eh?
4) Boston, a city rich in both historical heritage and NBA championships. I plan on swiping a few of those banners on my way out the door, that way no one can say Phoenix doesn’t own a championship banner ;) I might even try to fit that Rondo guy in my luggage as well, if I have room..
5) New York City, a city with so much to see I don’t know where to begin. I guess I am most looking forward to seeing D’Antoni’s run and gun Knicks team get out to a 20 point lead.. only to blow it in the 4th quarter and lose by 30.It’s funny ‘cos you know it's going to happen.
6) Durham/ Charlotte, where we get to invade DUKE for a day and pay homage to the illustrious career of the great Grant Hill.This will be a lot less painful than paying for Duke-Maryland tickets, which I may have to sell my first born to acquire. Help us out, Grant?
7) PHOENIX! The Mecca of all things good and pure.Circle January 29 Ginobili, that’s the day i’m going to knock you square on your ass ;) I’d break that doorstop nose of yours but that would be doing you a favour.On a lighter note, i’d love to meet Ced Ceballos while in town, he’s one of my heroes. Can’t wait to walk into US Airways for the first time, I’m going to have goosebumps!Feel the cheese!
8) LA, and the perfect end to the perfect trip. Headlines all over the country read “Kobe mauled in a freak accident involving a kangaroo and a ‘Barbie”.. haha. Just kidding, the suns are going to win it all anyway!
What: The Phoenix Suns will be looking to beat only their second +.500 team for the season in what looms as a statement game for Phoenix. The Rockets will be well rested having not played since the 9th in a game where most starters were rested late in the game due to the Lakers handing their heads to them early. The suns on the other hand are coming off of a heart stopping win against the grizzlies that went down to the wire.
SDU's 3 Keys of the game
1 - Avoid frontcourt fouls. The Suns will be facing unquestionably their most formiddable frontcourt opponent of the season so far. Phoenix, who lead the NBA in points in the paint will need to continue the trend of scoring inside, which will already be tough enough, but if Shaq and and Amare pick up early fouls against the Rockets attacking front court, then we could see our biggest strength sitting on the bench for stretches througout the game.
* Remember, the rockets have an Argentinian on their team..... BEWARE OF THE FLOP!
2- Score from outside - Basically an extension of the above point - the suns probably wont be able to rely on such a huge contribution from our big men as what we have had so far this season. Their hands will be full on both ends, and as such to counter that we will to make up some extra points from the perimeter. Bell Barbs Barnes Nash and Hill will need to hit their shots and perhaps be prepared to take a few more than usual as the inside shuts down.
Ill go as far as to say that if the suns dont get at least 50 points from that group of players, then i dont believe we will win the game.
3 -Defensive Rebounds- The Rockets have some strong rebounding options on their team, from ming and scola to artest and landry. They attack the offensive glass with a passion and if we dont box, then they will make us pay with offensive boards and second chance points. If we are going to keep turning the ball over like we are currently, we need to keep efficient on offense and not give them 2 cracks at it every second time down the floor.
Matchup of the game
Shaq vs Ming - Old vs New, USA vs China, Power vs Finesse - the Shaq Yao matchup will be fun to watch because you just know that Shaq will feel like he has a point to prove and would dearly love to outplay Yao to show that he isnt past it yet. And Yao on the other hand is ready to show the league and the world that he is indeed, the best C in the game and to be the best - you have to go through the best..... This one will be worth the price of admission
Other than that, the amare scola, bell tmac, artest and anyone matchups make a worthy sub card to the main event :-)
Overall Prediction
I think right now, the suns are still learning, adjusting and finding their identity and i think the rockets are a team that knows where they are and what they want to do. I hate to say it but i think the Rockets will be too strong for the suns in this game and take the suns 103 to 97.
Special prediction for this one - Scola will do something to make us all despise the way he plays :-)
I HOPE MY PREDICTION IS WRONG, ILL BE CHEERING MY LUNGS OUT, LETS GO YOU MIGHTY SUNS!
i hope at the end of this season we look at this photo and realise it was the first introduction of the first game in our championship season!
me on the left, NF33IH on the right
Calling all for the finale of Destination Phoenix ’09.
As you are all aware by now, a group of 5 of us from Down Under are making a trip of gigantic proportions half way around the world to follow the Suns on their season long, 6 game East Coast road trip, culminating in a 3 game home stand. During our trip down the East Coast we have and are still arranging to meet and greet as many of you fans on here as humanly possible, this of course leaves the “local” fans in Arizona out of the loop.
But wait…….there is great news on the horizon. The 3 game home stand are games between the Spurs, Bulls and Kings, which will take place on January 29th, January 31st and February 2nd respectively. With this being said, we are planning one big last hurrah.
As the title states on Feb 2nd 2009, the Suns and Kings will face off @ 7:00pm and we WILL be there, cheering louder than ever before. We have been in talks with the Suns.com sales team and they are offering a group booking for anyone that is interested in joining in the festivities that will be the end of this magical mystery tour. This will not be an expensive venture as by this time of the trip we will be just about entirely out of cash. Tickets should only be roughly $40.00 and we are calling for as many die hard, crazy, Suns fans as possible to join us and get together one of the biggest, LOUDEST and most passionate groups that the US Airways Center has ever seen. This would be the perfect ending for our journey to Phoenix and we would love to share it with other Suns fans who share our support for the best team in the NBA.
If you have any interest or know someone that may be interested in joining this group for the game please send me an e-mail at drmeyer@adam.com.au. In this e-mail we can discuss the venture more at length and also give you an e-mail address to contact Jay from the Suns.com sales teamto register and pay for your tickets.
We left New York very unhappy with the loss to the knicks as im sure the team was too, after an extremely tiring drive through manhattan, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Baltimore we eventually landed in our next stop - Durham.
We were staying there with our fantastic hosts, Tabby and Justin who were friends of Steves (Nevetsov). We got there at about 4am and had a powersleep before getting up at about 10 and beginning the 2.5 hour drive into Charlotte.
Charlotte was very quiet, but we did have the pleasure of meeting up with Rick (Frank Lee) from the realgm.com message boards and sank some local brews before heading into the stadium, which we were allowed to do half an hour before the main public as we used the season ticket holders entrance.
Once in, most of the suns were shooting around, so we raced down to the tunnell to try and get some autographs. I was lucky enough to get my jersey signed by (in order) Amundson, Dudley, Tucker, Sims, Barnes, Amare, Nash, Scott Williams (who i told needs to bring back majerles meatloaf into the commetary!) and also Majerle himself.
After that we took our seats only to be approached by Kathleen Hessert who is the president of "Sports Media Challenge" which is a company that looks after sports players and teams brands etc - the marketing, promotion and the like. Id been liasing with her via twitter, and It just so happens that Shaq is one of her clients, and she asked if we could record some video for a new Shaq widget coming out (possibly called Interactive Shaq?) - we were just asked some questions on camera about the trip, the suns etc, and it was a great experience, something new for all of us, so im looking forward to seeing the finished product which im told might be around the allstar break. (Photo with Dan, Bradford, Kathleen, Brad and myself)
On our way back to our seats I stopped and had a chat with Scott Williams and Tom Leander, both were a pleasure to meet and said they knew about our trip and had even commented on it during the knicks game, not wanting to bother them too much when they had work to do we headed back to our second row seats on the baseline and got ready for the game.
Our seats were fantastic, watching the players from so close was great, the bobcats mascot kept playing jokes on us, one was on the bigscreen too, i think we might have been cheering too loudly and thats why we were getting picked on (all in good fun). Unfortunately our cheering didnt help the suns as we suffered our 3rd loss in a row, this time to the bobcats who we had never lost to before, so to say our spirits were down was an understatement.
It wasnt all negative though as Kathleen and her friends Brad and Bradford came came through and said if we waited we might get to see shaq if he came out. There was about 100 people waiting in that same spot, but when the big man came out in his jeans, waistcoat and shirt everyone rushed the front - we were lucky enough to tag along behind kathleen and actually get onto floor level with him when the others were in the stands and she introduced us as the suns fans from down under and Shaq shook everyones hands and thanked us for the support - we said we would see him in atlanta and that was that, our night was capped of beautifully after a bad loss - nothing like a bit of diesel to pick you up :-) (photo below of us waiting to meet him)
We made the 2.5 hour drive back to Durham where the next day the guys attended the Duke vs Maryland game, and that night we all watched the miami vs orlando match with a few beers each before getting up at 7am the next day to begin the drive to Atlanta in readyness for the hawks game, who had just stomped the bucks by 30 and we were coming off of losses to the celtics knicks and bobcats - so the mood was anxious to say the least.........
I'm still giddy over the Suns signing the perpetually under-appreciated Matt Barnes. And while he hasn't been around long enough to be considered perpetually under-appreciated, something tells me Louis Amundson is going to be looked on as an under-appreciated pickup before it's all over.
All of this, naturally, has gotten this Suns history geek thinking about who I think are the most under-appreciated players in the franchise’s history.
Curtis Perry : True, he's a legend among longtime Suns fans for simply being a part of the fabled 1975-76 team that stretched the Celtics to six games in the NBA Finals. But I contend that Curtis was the most under-appreciated of any key player on that roster. Think about it: Everyone had a signature aspect or moment but CP. Alvan Adams was the Rookie of the Year. Paul Westphal was the budding superstar guard. Ricky Sobers was the gritty, brawling, rookie, replacement point guard. Dick Van Arsdale was the veteran personification of stability. Keith Erickson doomed the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Gar Heard hit the Heard Shot 'Round the World, of course. And Dennis Awtrey had the perm. But Curtis was a rock at power forward all season long, averaging thirteen points and ten rebounds. And he was a mentor to younger players (and to me: One summer, when I was attending then-Coach JohnMacLeod's basketball camp, we were doing a simple rebounding drill, and I managed to throw the ball over the backboard. Curtis patted me on the head and said, “You’ll play guard.”). He had his best years as a Sun, and was even named the team’s most outstanding player for the 1974-75 season.
Alvin Scott: His stats never overwhelmed you, to say the least, with career averages of about five points and three rebounds per game. But this forward was a seventh round draft pick out of a teeny-tiny school (Oral Roberts University) who went on to play for eight years in the NBA. And what’s more, he was a rotation player for the Suns for all of those years. MacLeod never had any trouble throwing Scott into a game under any circumstances. He was the definition of a role player, doing whatever dirty work was needed – rebounding, playing defense (the man could guard four positions), and running the floor. As a side note, he was entertaining for years on the break, as you never knew exactly where his dunk attempts were going to land – in the hoop, or somewhere on McDowell outside the old Coliseum, bouncing toward Grand Avenue. Plus, he wore these socks that made his legs look nine feet long.
Eddie Johnson: In the Suns’ magical late-1980s revival, EJ has become the Forgotten Man when compared with more famous names, like Tom Chambers (about whom more later) and Kevin Johnson. But what people forget is that the whole revival thing started with Eddie. He got to Phoenix before TC and KJ, and helped make it the popular free-agent destination it is today. Further, Eddie went on to be the first Sun to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, for the 1988-89 season, and that was in an era of pretty good Sixth Men, like Ricky Pierce and Detlef Schrempf (And here’s some trivia for you: Did you know the Suns are the only franchise to have four different players with the award? In addition to EJ, Danny Manning, Rodney Rogers and Leandro Barbosa have all taken home the trophy). Teams couldn’t rest when the Suns’ second unit took the floor, and that’s because of Eddie Johnson.
Tom Chambers: “Hold on, Beechen,” I hear you cry (“Just a second,” I shout back, “I’m finishing lunch! Okay, all done.”). “How can a guy who’s in the team’s Ring of Honor be under -appreciated?!” And it’s a fair point. The guy was second-team All-NBA twice and made four All-Star teams as a Sun. Overcoming an early-career label as selfish and teaming with Kevin Johnson, he formed half of one of the greatest pick and roll teams in league history. Tom blazed a trail for unrestricted free agents coming to the Suns, and there’s no question that, without him, that gigantic late-80s turnaround would not have happened. But consider this: In 1992-93, while TC was still an extremely productive player, the Suns acquired force of nature Charles Barkley – to play Chambers’ position. And Chambers fell almost completely off Suns fans’ radar after that. But, coming off the bench to spell Barkley and occasionally augment him at the unfamiliar position of center, Tom accepted his reserve role beautifully and became a key sub on the second Suns team to reach the NBA Finals. It can be argued that, without Chambers providing bench strength, the Suns wouldn’t have made the Finals at all. And this from a guy who was supposed to be considered selfish? This superstar’s graceful acceptance of his changed role alone qualifies him, in my eyes, as All-Under-Appreciated.
So there’s my list. Guys, if you’re out there, please know that you are, indeed, appreciated for what you did for the Suns.
