Welcome back fans
February 21st, 2008, 7:27 am · Post a Comment · posted by jerrybrown
It was nice to see them finally show up Wednesday at US Airways Center.
Not the Lakers. With Pau Gasol on board and Andrew Bynum waiting in the wings to help out Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are a legitmate championship threat — although Bynum’s return might cause more problems than he solves chemistry-wise.
Not the Suns. Even with Shaquille O’Neal looking like a guy who didn’t study for a test and was winging it, the Suns put up 124 points — with Raja Bell going scoreless, Boris Diaw struggling and Leandro Barbosa going 7-for-16. They showed that a trip to the basket won’t be as easy as it has been in the past.
The Lakers won, they looked good doing it. But be sure of this: They took note that the Suns will be there waiting in May.
I’m talking about the crowd, which has been there in body all season (101 straight sellouts) but often without spirit — unless you count booing at Diaw or the odd cat-call at coach Mike D’Antoni for not running more plays for Amare Stoudemire.
Not Wednesday night. Shaquille O’Neal was plugged in, and the building was playoff electric. Kobe Bryant noticed. Steve Nash, who has been critical of the malaise from Day 1 this season, applauded. And although we could all do without the fistfights in the stands — including one particularly ugly one in the lower bowl during the second half — the crowd brought the energy and the passion for the first time during a 37-17 season.
Whether that lasts more than one game remains to be seen. After 50 games, the fans were heard: The Suns had grown stale, winning 50-60 games wasn’t enough anymore and watching the other teams perform a layup drill wasn’t good enough anymore.
It was hard to find all the fans who slammed the Shaquille O’Neal trade Wednesday night. The expected pregame frenzy stayed strong all night. Every rebound, assist and defensive effort was received with a roar. Every basket raised the vocal roof, while the dunks had 1-2 punch on the building — Shaq’s impact on the baskets followed by the foundation-shaking response.
The Suns lost a game, but they gained some mojo.
