Some more notes from Monday night that felt the sting of the editor’s knife: 

 *Remember last year when then-Sacramento coach Eric Musselman was peeved at some late 3-balls by Pat Burke in a rout over the Kings? Well Monday, the Nuggets didn’t appreciate the two long bombs by Eric Piatkowski and Marcus Banks in the last 40 seconds and were already talking about the rematch between the two teams on Mar. 3 in Denver.

  “My whole thing is, if we get the opportunity, we won’t try to show them up or anything like that,” guard Allen Iverson deadpanned.

 Coach George Karl understood the Suns were in need of a pick-me-up after a timultuous few days, but also griped about the Suns “flaunting the 3-ball.”

 It was a bit curious that Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t call off the dogs sooner, given how he exploded in the direction of Los Angeles coac Phil Jackson in November when the Lakers extended a timeout in the fourth quarter of a blowout. But let’s hope they don’t stop all the ranting because it makes for good news copy.

 Other tidbits:

 *In a battle of the teams that rank 1-2 in the NBA in blocked shots, the second-place Suns (7.18 a game) had 13 on Monday (Shawn Marion had six and Amare Stoudemire three) while the league-leading Nuggets (7.35) had four.

 *Stoudemire had his 14^th double-double of the season (20 points, 10 rebounds) and the Suns remain undefeated at 13-0 when he records a 20-10 game.

 *Denver’s Carmelo Anthony scored in double figures for the 164^th straight game, the longest active streak in the NBA. It began in
Phoenix on Dec. 2, 2005, when he scored 22 points in a loss to the Suns.

 *The Suns first quarter (46 points) and first half (78) were the second-best of the season in both departments. Phoenix put up 47 in the first quarter and 80 in the first half against Sacramento here on Nov. 21.

 Marcus Banks isn’t just hitting his shot right now (10-for-12 from 3-point range in the last two games, including 7-for-8 against Denver Monday night), he’s hitting all the right notes with his public comments.

 The last time Banks hit a few shots and earned some time on the floor in late November, he tooted his own horn and even related a privated conversation between he and coach Mike D’Antoni where he said they shook on the idea that he’d contribute if D’Antoni gave him steady minutes. “I don’t know where it’s going to go, but at least it was good to talk to him again,” Banks said.

 This time, Banks is making the right moves everywhere. Not only has he scored 11 or more points in three of his last four games (dating back to Dec. 27 against the Clippers), not only does he have only two turnovers in his last three appearances, he’s keeping his comments on the bland side — talking about the talent on the team and how he just wants to do anything he can to help.

 ”I hope to build from this game, not so much scoring wise but in other areas on the floor,” Banks said after scoring 23 points in 20 minutes and pestering Denver’s Allen Iverson defensively.

 In the postgame press conference, D’Antoni was overrun by Banks questions. For a team searching for spark or something different, could Banks provide it? D’Antoni did he best to praise Banks while tempering expectations at the same time.

 ”What he needs to do and, he’s doing it, is learn how not to foul in crucial times (Banks made a silly backcourt foul on Allen Iverson with six seconds left in the third quarter when the Nuggets were rallying), how not turn it over, how not to jack one up, how to be a real good team guy,” D’Antoni said. “He’s trying.

“It takes a lot for opinions to change too. It’s not like the first day I saw him. Every move, there’s a counter move. Raja Bell played 24 minutes, go see if he’s OK with that. It’s just not as easy as you play and you don’t. You can’t just come in and do that to people.

 ”I do want to keep playing him. It might be five minutes here, 10 minutes here, depending on how the game goes. But I have to be able to count on him no matter what and I think right now I can.”

 The message: For the long-term health of the Suns, it’s more important to get Raja Bell going than Marcus Banks. But it might not hurt to have both of them.

Along with answering questions about Amare Stoudemire absence on Sunday, Suns general manager Steve Kerr said he wasn’t worried about “a little bit of adversity” hitting the team and its par for the course for a team that has contended for several years without breaking through.

 Kerr said the Suns are “clumped together with about 10 other teams in the Western Conference – two of which won’t even make the playoffs – and what used to be decided advantages have been eliminated.

 “In many ways, the league has adapted to us and our style,” Kerr said. “We don’t shock teams any more. They are ready for our speed and a lot of teams are emulating what we do. So it’s gotten tougher and that’s what it’s about – competition

 Kerr said the Suns need to and are in the process of adapting their style.

 “We’ve changed a little. We’re not as good of a 3-point shooting team, maybe there’s a little bit of an adjustment that needs to be made there. We’re going to have to make some adaptations in terms of our personnel and I think we’re doing that. I feel comfortable with that.”

 Here’s some more of Kerr’s thoughts:

  ”We can get better. I’m actually encouraged because we’re in first place and we’ve only scratched the surface of what we can become. Part of that improvement we need to make is internal and geting better as a group. It’s a natural progression of any team, you make progress as the year goes on and we’re no different than any team in that regard. I know we can get better and sitting in first place in our division and that makes me fell pretty good.
 About the frustrations of the club, cluminated by Saturday’s loss to New Orleans:
 ”In a lot of ways this is pretty natural. A team knocks on the door several years in a row. It gets close and it gets close and you want to break through that door. The expecations change and there are frustrations … it happens on every team I’ve ever been on. This is part of the process part of what makes this business fun because it doesn’t come easy. And in the end when you’re successful you think back to all the struggles that you went through and it makes it that much more statisfying.

 ”We have great guys on our team. We probably feel like we can be better and we should feel that way because we can be. But we need to remind ourselves and our fans that we are in first place and there is a long way to go and we’re making strides. I’m pleased with where we are and that there is room to grow.

 The Suns told guard Raja Bell to stay home from Sunday’s practice as he continues to suffer from the flu.  

 But Amare Stoudemire was an unexpected no-show, calling trainer Aaron Nelson before the 11 a.m. workout to say he wouldn’t be at work due to what Suns coach Mike D’Antoni would only say were “personal reasons.” 

 Sunday afternoon, Suns general manager Steve Kerr said from San Diego that he plans to return to the Valley Monday morning to speak with Stoudemire about the circumstances surrounding his absence. He would not comment on whether disciplinary action in the form of a fine or suspension was under consideration

 ”Amare didn’t come to practice. He did have an excuse. From there, the matter will be handled internally,” Kerr said.

 For the second time since Christmas, Stoudemire – who was named one of the team captains before the season began — followed a Phoenix loss by showing his frustration in postgame interview after Saturday’s 118-113 loss to New Orleans.  

 Stoudemire, who had averaged 30.8 points and almost 18 shots a game during Phoenix’s four-game winning streak, took only 11 shots Saturday and produced 17 points – his fewest since taking 11 in a Christmas Day loss to the Lakers, where he called out his teammates in a postgame rant.

 Saturday, Stoudemire didn’t attempt a field goal in the third quarter against the Hornets (two free throws) and had only two shots in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter – including a meaningless 3-pointer with three seconds left. Stoudemire’s comments were more reserved this time, but addressed the same issues – that in his mind, the Suns strayed from their winning formula and it cost them a win. 

 “We have to get it together. We’re a veteran team,” he said. “We should know our strategies; we should know what we’re doing and do it. Sometimes you mess up, but overall we should execute the majority of the time. If we do that and play hard, we can win almost every game. 

 “But if we don’t get smart about the game of basketball, then we can’t win.”  

 After Sunday’s workout, guard Steve Nash said he didn’t know the reason for Stoudemire’s absence or what to say about it. But on the generic subject of team chemistry, Nash said that inner squabbles can take down a team. “I don’t know if guys are pointing fingers, maybe sometimes I’m oblivious to that to some of that stuff to a fault,” he said. “But if that stuff is going on it needs to be stopped or else we can kiss it goodbye.

  “You can’t win at this level if you don’t have great chemistry and you don’t pull for each other and if you’re worried about your shots or worried about yourself or making excuses or pointing fingers at other players. That’s for losers. We’ve been a winning ballclub here and if we want to take that next step that has to be a big part of our character.”

 Late games and early deadlines make for plenty of leftovers… enjoy.

  Steve Nash repeated for TNT what he’s said many times during this 23-9 start for
Phoenix. When the Suns play with energy and resolve, they are a handful for any team, anywhere they play. But when the energy is gone and the Suns try to get away on talent alone, any team in the league is capable of running up a 20-point lead on them — which the Sonics proved in just 12 minutes Thursday.

 Never has a first-quarter stat sheet told a story better. The Suns were outrebouned 22-10, gave up eight offensive rebounds and allowed 12 second-chance points. On the other end, Phoenix shot 4-for-20 from the field, failed to convert a handful of chippies under the basket, had no ball movement (zero assists) and went through nine players looking for any semblence of a spark. Coach Mike D’Antoni quipped that the Suns used their 40th anniversary night to play a first quarter that set the franchise back two decades. Nash didn’t go for the punch line. ”We didn’t come out and play hard and we weren’t really tuned in. We’ve talked about that a lot and that was a classic example,” Nash said. “We embarrassed ourselves sufficiently into playing well and harder and being more competitive. We made up for it for the next 2 1/2 quarters (before slipping again in the fourth), but we just weren’t playing hard enough (to start out).” 

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo was keeping his fingers crossed on the other end of the bench, but knew the Suns couldn’t play three more quarters like they had the first. “They’re a heck of a team in their own building and they’re not going to keep missing shots,” he said. “We also fouled them too much.” That might be becoming a strategy for the opposition soon. The Suns went to the line 35 times Thursday — almost double Seattle’s total of 18 — but missed 11 of them. And in the fourth quarter, where games are often decided at the line, a
Phoenix team that shot 81 percent from the line in 2006-07 is now under 60 percent in the final 12 minutes this year. 

 The good news for the Suns? First, they broke out of things with a strong, 30-point second quarter, held the Sonics to 6-for-25 shooting, kept getting to the line and made up all but two points of their daunting deficit by halftime. And Amare Stoudemire continues to make the most of a soft spot in the schedule by averaging 31 points and 13 rebounds during
Phoenix’s four-game winning streak.

  “Personally, I just want to get better and grow as a player. I want to get to my full potential,” Stoudemire said after the game. “Due to the injuries and minor setbacks, at the start of the season I started off a little slow. I missed preseason and wasn’t quite as healthy as I wanted to be for the first 15 or 20 games. But now I’m starting to feel better, my legs are back, my conditioning level is where it should be and I should go higher from there.” 

If you haven’t been to US Airways Center or had a chance to check out Suns.com, here is the Christmas carol skit that had everyone rolling:

http://phxsuns.wmod.llnwd.n…