Phoenix finally joins the series in a spirited game 3 win.  That’s Amar’e!

SCOTT JACOBS

En route to Phoenix I almost anticipated a breaking news story, reporting that the Lakers had changed their flight plans and were heading back to Tinseltown.  Afterall, the media had conceded them the series.  It wasn’t that they were up 2-0 heading back to the Valley of the Sun, it was the way they were up 2-0.  Idiot sports writers started started asking if players such as gimpy Andrew Bynum should shut it down so he’d be ready for the NBA Finals.

Uh, hello?

What happened to the old addage a series hasn’t truly begun until one team loses on their home floor?  Anybody?  Bueller?  Bueller?

The Lakers still lead the Western Conference Finals 2-1, and still should be considered the favorite to make the NBA Finals for an annoying third year in a row (Thanks for nothing, Memphis)!  But last time I checked, L.A. is only up because they’ve had more home games than the Suns, and until they beat Phoenix on the road, this is going to be a series.

You hear that Bill Platchke?

The media will give the Suns their due for winning a really good game 3, but inevitably the answers that Phoenix finally had for the Lakers game 1 and game 2 fourth quarter onslaughts, will turn once again into questions.

The media will ask if Amar’e can have another monster game?  Can Robin Lopez dominate the lane like he did in game 3?  Can the Suns get to the line as many times as they did in game 3, basically taking L.A. out of their rhythm?  And so forth, and so forth.

And to all those questions, I counter with these questions.

Will Channing Frye really put up an 0-fer for the rest of this series?  Will Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic, and Leandro Barbosa combine for just 12 points in game 3?  Will the Suns shoot a paltry 25% from the three point line like they did last night?

All these so called experts called out Phoenix before game 3, claiming the Suns had to play a perfect game, in order to keep this series afloat.

Guess what?

They didn’t.  And they still won by 9.

Instead they were aggressive.  They were hard-nosed.  They got the loose balls.  They played with the heart of a team that wasn’t just satisfied to get this far.

The Suns were too good to get swept, and they’re a much better team than they showed in game 1.  They’re a much scrappier team than they exhibited in game 2.  In game 3, they finally found some mojo.

Yes, the Lakers missed shots.  Shots that Kenny Smith proclaimed, usually go in.  But guess what?  They didn’t on this night.  And another thing: if Phoenix had made those same open looks in games 1 and 2, maybe, just maybe they’d be up 2-1.  Who knows.  But ifs are stupid, and annoying and fools gold.  Let’s look at the facts: when the Suns compete and play “big” they can hang with the Lakers.  Game 1 was an abberation, and game 2 was a fourth quarter self destruction.

The Suns bench wasn’t great.  They held their own.

Amar’e still had a few bad offensive fouls and missed a good number of easy tip ins.  Steve Nash even missed an open layup.

So if you’re the Suns you live with giving the Lakers role guys open 3’s on the road.  Kobe got his and so did Pau.  That’s going to happen.  But Lamar Odom was a non-factor and so was Ron Artest.

You know what we call that?

A homecourt advantage.

Everyone was so quick to hand over this series to the Lakers after a brutal game 1 loss and closer than the final score indicated game 2.  But I got news for ya.

Unlike Orlando, the Suns have come too far to quit. Their city has suffered too much heartbreak to watch their team lay down and die.

The Lakers are really good, don’t get me wrong.  But the Suns didn’t get here by luck.  Their post-All Star break record was not a typo.  They are pretty good too.

And when they play their style of basketball and get some stops, they can beat anyone in the league.

Including the mighty Lakers.

Photo: Getty

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