Suns vs. Pacers

SUNS: 102 <<<

PACERS: 94

FINAL

   

     This was the Pacers' 2nd loss of the season at home, 10th loss overall. The Suns swept the Pacers 2-0 this season and I believe this is a NBA Finals preview.

Leandro Barbosa

     The Phoenix Suns have officially signed Guard Leandro Barbosa for the rest of the 2013-2014 season. I do not see why the Suns wouldn't sign him. He has been a major contributor during Eric Bledsoe's absence. Not only is he a 10-year NBA veteran but he was part of the Suns power team with Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, Grant Hill, Jason Richardson, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, etc. In the time he has played for the Suns this season after returning from Brazil, he has scored an average of 8.5 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game. Below is a shot chart from NBA.com showing Leandro Barbosa in his 2006-2007 season with the Suns:

PICTURE FROM: http://stats.nba.com/playerShotchart.html?PlayerID=2571&zone-mode=zone&viewShots=true&Season=2006-07&display-mode=performance

Coyotes Name Change

     The Phoenix Coyotes will officially change their name to the Arizona Coyotes for the 2014-2015 season.

Canucks 5, Coyotes 4

   "Kevin Bieksa scored his second goal of the game at 2:15 of overtime, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday night" abcnews.go.com states.

     Kevin Bieksa shot his fourth goal of the season past Phoenix goalie Mike Smith while a power play was expiring.
     Antoine Vermette had a hat trick (3 goals) for Phoenix, and captain Shane Doan had a goal and an assist. Goalie Mike Smith ended the night with 20 saves.

Image from Google

Information Courtesy of:

abcnews.go.com

Suns 99, Cavaliers 90

     Despite Friday's loss against the Wizards, the Suns pulled off a comeback win on Sunday in Cleveland. The Suns lead scorer was Markieff Morris with 27 points. The Suns were down 43 to 61 at Halftime. In the second half, the Suns outscored the Cavs 56 to 29... winning the game 99 to 90. Over the past few seasons, the Suns have led the NBA with comeback wins. Many of these comebacks were from over a 20 point deficit. The Suns now head to Philadelphia to take on the 13th place, 14 - 30, 76ers.

Spurs 101, Heat 113

     The San Antonio Spurs fall to the Miami Heat 101 to 113. This game was the first time the two teams have met since game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Lead scorer: Chris Bosh with 24 points.
MIAMI HEAT= 113
SAN ANTONIO SPURS= 101
FINAL SCORE 1/26/2014

#6 Lebron James on the Heat goes up for a layup over #5 Cory Joseph on the Spurs

Information courtesy of:

http://scores.espn.go.com/

http://bleacherreport.com/

Masahiro Tanaka

     The Arizona Diamondbacks nearly missed receiving who is called the best pitcher of all-time Masahiro Tanaka and Matt Garza. Masahiro Tanaka came from Japan to play in the MLB. The Arizona Diamondbacks made it very clear from the beginning that they planned on being in the hunt for Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka. The news finally came Wednesday that Tanaka was headed to the New York Yankees. Tanaka signed a $155 million with the Yankees. The D-Backs simply could not afford such a player.

Masahiro Tanaka in action playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic 

Information courtesy of:

http://bleacherreport.com

Eric Bledsoe Injury Update

     According to the Arizona Republic, Suns combo guard Eric Bledose had a piece of his meniscus removed. He is expected to return in approximately 3 weeks. His absence is crucial as he and Goran Dragic led the Suns to a 19 - 11 (.579) record prior to his injury. Since his exit, the Suns have been 9 - 7. The Suns currently stand at a 29 - 18 record. The Suns' average points per game has also decreased since his injury. In an effort to temporarily replace Bledsoe, the Suns signed Leandro Barbosa for the rest of the season.

#2 Eric Bledsoe dribbles ball up the court versus the Clippers

Information courtesy of:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Suns 101 - 95 Loss to Wizards

     The Washington Wizards entered Phoenix with a 20 - 21 record. Their surprising win over the Suns moved them to .500 record of 21 - 21. Today, the Wizards played the Utah Jazz (8th in West, 15 - 29) and lost. This being said, the Wizards were worn out after playing the Run n' Gun Suns. The Wizards now go on to play the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. Knowing past statistics with these two teams, I predict the Warriors to win. Now back to the Suns.

Wizards center Marcin Gortat points at team mate after making a shot

     Former Suns center, Marcin Gortat makes his homecoming in Phoenix. In this game he scored 14 points. While the Suns' center, Miles Plumlee also scored 14 points. This is a great match between the two centers. Goran Dragic played another great game scoring 19 points. The Suns' absence of Eric Bledsoe is crucial, before his knee injury, him and Dragic led the Suns to a 19 - 11 (.579) record. Since his exit, the Suns have been 5 - 7. The Suns currently stand at a 24 - 18 (.750) record. The Suns are now headed to Cleveland to take on the 10th place 16 - 27 Cavaliers.

Information Courtesy of:
http://sunngun.com/2014/01/25/morning-sunshine-phoenix-suns-news-around-web-january-25/