The Phoenix Suns kept their playoff hopes alive last night with a 114-106 victory over the terrible Toronto Raptors.
For awhile, it looked like the Suns were going to let another home game against a lousy team slip away.
Planet Orange played tired for much of the contest, no doubt worn out from last night's epic triple overtime disappointment against the Los Angeles Lakers. The bench won this game for the Suns, who seemed on the verge of defeat until midway through the third quarter when Aaron Brooks decided to make his best impression of a great basketball player and carry the team.
Brooks scored 25 in the game, including a score-tying layup at the end of the third quarter. The Suns almost gave the game away halfway through the fourth quarter, however, when the Raptors took a sudden 103-97 lead. But the Suns managed to kick it into overdrive and get the win.
Still, it's hard to imagine that the Suns would've beat many other teams in the league with their effort last night. The Suns conceded too many open shots to the Raptors and missed a lot of easy shots, badly. Several players were undershooting the hoop, probably from exhaustion.
Coach Alvin Gentry called it the "best win of the year," adding, "After last night and the emotional drain, then coming away with nothing really tangible to show for the effort that we gave, I just thought it was great to come back and put in that kind of effort and be able to win the game. "
The Suns are three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the last spot in the NBA playoffs, but as the Fox Sports Arizona commentators pointed out on the air, it's actually a four game deficit, as the Grizzlies hold a tiebreaker over the Suns. They'll face the New Orleans Hornets at 7 on FSAZ in a must-win game that won't be easy. The Hornets are one of the better teams in the league, and unlike the Suns, a legitimate contender.
