Sports run in cycles. For most franchises, tasting victory consistently is a hard fought process, that takes years of great drafting, deft trades, and savvy personnel at the top. It takes luck, skill, vision, facilities, and an owner committed to some kind of winning.

You don’t just luck into a championship. Titles don’t fall from the sky. They are not a right. They are not promised. They are exclusive moments earned by the few lucky ones who squeeze through the tightly guarded gates.

That’s sports in a nutshell. For every Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Red Wings, there’s a bunch of other teams constantly trying to get over the hump, or to the hump, or close enough to see the light gleaming off the hump.

On Tuesday, the Phoenix Suns ran into that hump. Coming into the night as the 9 seed in a Western Conference only willing to admit 8, the Suns had to beat Utah in Salt Lake City to keep alive their playoff hopes. They lost.

But this was more than one team beating another. This was the sad, somewhat unremarkable end of an era.

The Suns don’t play their final game of this forgettable 2011-12 season until Wednesday, when they run into the fountain of youth Spurs, who keep trucking along as they reinvent their team slowly through a wheel of familiar faces and new youthful talent. Phoenix knows the Spurs well. If it wasn’t for the Alamo, Phoenix might’ve had a few championship parades in the first decade of the 2000’s.

Back then, the Suns had speed, effortless passing, a big man that could dominate, three point shooters that could stretch the court almost poetically, a once in a generation pass-first point guard who made everyone better, and a team that raced down the court sometimes in seven seconds or less, reviving a new type of basketball that got everyone’s attention.

Phoenix nonchalantly led the league in points way back when (usually hovering around 110), free throw percentage, and three point percentage. They were the most interesting, dynamic, well balanced unit in the sport. They were something else.

And now, they’ve been reduced to rubbish. An owner who has run the team into the bowels of mediocrity, Phoenix is in the worst place a team could be. They’re nowhere.  Phoenix’s favorite Sun is a free agent, despite his uncanny ability to still perform at career high levels, and after a nice, little run at the final playoff spot, its hard to think he comes back next year to do this dog and pony show all over again.

And why should he?

A once proud dominant franchise, which was the hottest ticket in the valley, was unable to sellout a single home game this season, and make all the excuses you want, that’s just a bit sad.

Sad because where they were, how they played, and what could have been.

Like life really. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

What if they had kept Rajon Rondo and not traded him? What if they signed Joe Johnson to the big deal Atlanta was willing to give him? What if they hadn’t traded Quentin Richardson? Or half of their first round picks for empty cash to fill their banker of an owner’s wallet. What if they hadn’t brought in Terry Porter? Or Shaq?

What if things had ended differently?

In sports you don’t get do-overs on the past, but you can re-load for the future. What Suns fans are ruing is what they had: all those 50+ wins seasons, games where 7 guys would get in double figures, threes falling from the sky, Amar’e rocking the rim, and Planet Orange going ballistic.

The Suns used to be a treat to watch. It was like watching a track meet. Nash would pick and roll with Stoudemire who would either go to the hole for a ferocious dunk or one of the wingmen would get a wide open three, swing it around the perimeter, before burying a jumper from long distance. It looked so seamless at times. So video-game-esque.

There was nothing like it in sports.

Slowly the players changed, the bench was broken, a coach was fired, wing-men shipped out, draft picks dealt for nothing, and the one constant was one, Steve Nash. The beautiful Ferrari that was running like a well oiled machine, resembled something closer to the car that Cameron kicked in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was perfect, it was beloved, and then it was beaten to the ground.

And that quote: “You killed the car,” said Ferris to a shell-shocked Cameron.

The Suns had the prettiest, shiniest, most fun car to drive. And now, it’s a mess. It needs all kinds of fixes both inside and out. It’s old and worn down in some areas, new and un-broken in others. It looks weird, runs funny, and no longer stands proud in the driveway. People no longer admire it. It’s no longer a show-piece. It’s just another dingy automobile that used to be great.

The Suns used to be great. They were in many ways, special. But they never scaled Everest (aka: the Spurs), and then father-time caught up to them. They had to make decisions and they put their jewel in the wrong hands. Over the years what once was practically perfect turned nearly unrecognizable.

All that hope, that promise. Gone. A memoir of yester-year and the times where just getting to the Western Conference Finals was one stop short of the goal. Now, it’s been two years of no playoffs, and 3 in 4. The Suns, championship-less, yet far more successful than the majority of sports franchises since their inception 44 years ago, will likely be facing a makeover. One that could take years to perform. Screw up, and a decade could be lost. No one knows for sure.

They have no rising stars, just a host of broken toys revved up once more and a lot of quality bench guys who aren’t good enough to anchor a winner. They’re not bad enough to be broke, but not good enough to have a chance. They’re locked in nothingness.

Assuming Nash leaves for one last chance at a ring, they will have no stars. Mind-blowing given how loaded PHX was not too long ago. Talk about a fleeting memory.

In a town with 4 pro teams, their stock went up, soared into the clouds, and then crashed in a blaze of sadness smack dab in the middle of what could have been and what the hell do we do now.

The Suns are the college student who just graduated and stayed in their college town, clinging to all those great times. Locked into the nostalgia. Wishing they could get another crack at a time now passed. If they go home, they have to start over.How many people truly enjoy starting anew?

Sometimes it’s just safer to stay where you are. Phoenix infact, tried that for a few years, holding onto their iconic do everything point guard, Nash and Grant Hill, but with another season of middling mediocrity, the Suns find themselves smack dab in a horrible identity process. They can try to patch up a flawed car with some nicer parts or they can move on, count the memories, stick them in their back-pocket, and prepare for an unknown and hopefully eventually bright future.

Like the job market, the Suns have been rendered as nothing more than another face. They’re there, but so are a bunch of other suitors. It’s a crowded field, and a competitive market and it’s a scary thought when you don’t know what you want or who you want to be.

But that’s where they are.

Sometimes you have to face the music and admit to the reality. Other times you can try to get by with what you have.

The Suns tried to keep what little left that they had going. The music stopped.

There’s no more chairs.

An era is over.

That’s life. That’s sports.

That’s the vicious churning of the cycle.

SCOTT JACOBS

He was larger than life.  Literally.  Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal  was the biggest, and still continues to be, the biggest person I have ever encountered in my life.  I had the good fortune of meeting and interviewing him briefly back in 2006 when the Miami Heat were holding a charity event for Thanksgiving in Overtown Miami.

Shaq was different.  In every way.  He was a big clumsy kid growing up who was teased mercilessly for his big feet, and big hands.  He was an army brat, raised by a family that believed strongly in education.  He was a bright guy who sported athleticism that was pretty much unfathomable for his size and a smile that a nation fell in love with.

He could show up out of shape and still show up entire teams.  He was the peanut butter to Kobe Bryant’s jealousy.  The ultimate fall guy when L.A.’s Four Peat attempt was unraveled by the pesky Pistons, unraveling one of sports’ great twenty first century dynasties with it.

Shaq brought down rims and he brought down teams.

His brute force made him a beloved icon in Orlando, after he was drafted first overall by the Magic in the 1992 Draft.  The LSU star took the league by storm his first season running away with the 1993 Rookie of the Year award and leading a previously nameless team into national prominence. In three years the Magic went from worst to almost first behind the Daddy, advancing all the way to the NBA Finals.  It seemed like a marriage that would last forever.

But just two years later Shaq took his massive numbers and his massive frame and switched coasts, stunning the hoops world by bolting to the Lakers via free agency.  His defection crushed Orlando, who behind Penny Hardaway stayed relevent, but was never a true title contender.  It wasn’t until another league worst record, that the Magic recouped the league’s top center, this time a man by the name of Dwight Howard.

Once in Los Angeles, Shaq fit right in with the oversized ego of the city.  He used his star to inexplicably get put into movies, such as two trainwrecks that immediately come to mind (Kazaam in ‘96 and Steel in ‘97).  He made rap albums.  And music videos.  He was even a director.  Tell me if you’ve heard of this one: Cousin Skeeter in 1998?  It was a TV series. Whatever.

People remember his Laker times fondly, but Superman didn’t win a ring until year four of his Hollywood extravaganza.  In fact, it wasn’t until Phil Jackson came to coach the team that Shaq got his first ring.  From there the Lakers and Shaq were as much a part of pop culture as Hollywood itself, reeling off three straight championships, Shaq netting three straight Finals MVPs.

He was too good for his own good.  Shaq finishes his career with just one regular season MVP.  But he was so unique that they had to rewrite the rule book.  Hack-A-Shaq emerged while he was with the Lakers, an infamous ploy utilized by desperate western conference teams in the playoffs to try to slow him down, while taking advantage of his putrid foul shooting.  That was one thing Shaq never quite got the hang of (his best year at the line ironically came in 2002-03 when he shot 66%.  Ironic because it was the last time he was the focal point of a championship team).

Shaq was a monster on the offensive end, attracting double teams everywhere he went.  In his first fourteen years in the league he never averaged less than 21 points a game.  How good was Shaq?  His rookie year with Orlando he averaged 23.4 ppg, nearly 14 rebounds a game, and 3.5 blocks a contest.  Interestingly enough though, he never averaged 30 points in a season.  Given the great talents he’s been compared to such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it’s an interesting point of emphasis considering Chamberlain once averaged not 30, but 50 points in a season! (That coming in 1961-62, long before Shaq was even alive).

But Shaq had his lion’s share as well. He shot 50% from the field in every season.  Including whatever you want to call his last few in the league with Cleveland and Boston.

He was the scapegoat.

After the Lakers lost to Detroit in ‘04, Los Angeles decided they were ready to move on, not wanting to give an aging Shaq the exorbitant contract he craved.  It started a bidding war — with the Miami Heat winning his services in a swap that only cost them Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and Caron Butler. All quality players — none close to Shaq.  Shaq’s dismissal — this time his fault or not, buried L.A. in a few years of rebuilding mode, until Memphis decided to hand L.A. the services to one, Pau Gasol.

Miami threw Shaq one hell of a party upon his arrival (sound familiar?), and he was bestowed the key to the city — an honor he was given in just about every city he arrived in.  With water guns a squirting and a jubilant Mickey Arison, Shaq proclaimed that the Heat would win a championship under his watch.  They did.  Only it was Dwyane Wade who carried Miami to their first title two years after Shaq’s arrival.  While Shaq had some good games with the Heat, and was second in MVP voting his first year with the team, his arrival in South Beach, brought the slow painful decline for Shaq Diesel.  People tend to forget that an aging Alonzo Mourning was much more effective against the Mavericks in the ‘06 Finals than Shaq was.

But Shaq’s presence completely revitalized the Heat and their national appeal.  His arrival helped convince veterans like Gary Payton to come aboard for one last go at it, and the Glove was a key piece in helping the Heat win the title they so desperately craved.  Shaq helped get Flash on the map.  Shortly, Flash wanted no part of his new popular nickname, choosing to be his own man.

Which brings us full circle to my first and only encounter with Shaq Daddy.  I’ll never forget the day: November 16, 2006 in a crammed gym in a bad area of Miami.  Media members were everywhere.  The Heat were attempting to repeat with almost the same roster as the year before (a fatal mistake given how old that team was).  A greatful Pat Riley, when asked what he was most greatful for, said something that always stuck with me: “I thank the good lord on Thanksgiving or around Thanksgiving. I actually have 15 healthy players.”  Two days later Shaq got hurt, leading to a snowball of misfortune or misery for a Miami team that would be bounced by the Bulls in a pathetic first round sweep.  Talk about one of the all-time kiss of death statements.

The wheels fell off after that.  Shaq was great when he cared.  Shaq was great when he was the Kingpen or at the very least, a big part of the spotlight on a big-time team.  But when things got bad, he bolted.  Miami brought him back in just the second year of a 5 year $100 million contract in 2007-08, but he couldn’t avoid a slew of injuries and began to miss games.  When he played he looked indifferent to the game.  When Wade was lost for the year that was the final straw for Shaq’s Miami tenure.

He brought hope everywhere he went.  Including a belaguered Suns franchise, that has been as consistently good as any team in the sport, but has still to this day never won a championship.  Shaq’s trade to Phoenix — still one of the most dumbfounding and shocking trades in sports history, made the Suns the talk of the league.  But talk is cheap.  Upon his arrival Shaq pointed to his ring finger comforting Suns fans that he would win them a ring.  He didn’t.  In fact, he never got the Suns out of the first round.  The Seven Seconds or Less Suns were killed by Shaq’s arrival, and in the end it cost Mike D’Antoni his job.

But Shaq rejuvenated his sagging career in the desert, where he found new life with Phoenix’s trainers.  All of a sudden Shaq was able to stay healthy, something Heat fans will forever question.  Did Shaq not care if he didn’t have a chance to win?  Many people came to believe as much.

Still, Shaq’s career in Phoenix was defined by a whole lot of hype and a few memorable plays, like the one time he jumped full speed ahead into the crowd in a game versus the hated Spurs in an attempt to corral a loose ball.

Fans loved him for his goofy antics, like when he would sprint down the court after nailing a second foul shot.  But late into his career Shaq became more of a gimmick than a savior.

Cleveland brought him on board to pair with LeBron James, but the duo never worked from the get-go.  The cost of acquiring Shaq?  Two players who would be bought out and a draft pick.  The Cavs threw O’Neal a hero’s welcome, but once again he was all glitz and no ring.  The Cavs were one of the NBA’s best teams that year, but Shaq couldn’t stay healthy, and when he was, he was rendered ineffective.  His 12 ppg his lowest average until…

He ended up in Boston for one last go around.  Rather than retiring years earlier when he was still relevent, Shaq choose to hang around about four years too long.  He loved his name in the headlines.  It often was.  But in Boston Shaq was once again a side show.  He was hope that couldn’t stay healthy.  The difference maker so many analysts proclaimed against Miami, that could barely get off the bench.

Through it all Shaq was charismatic, charming, funny, obnoxious, rude, lazy, reborn, and a master at selling people promises — falsely or not.  He was the NBA’s golden god.  People worshipped at the altar of Shaq.

I remember that day at the gym, when I met him.  He extended his enormous hand to shake mine, and I was afraid he was going to crush me into dust.  But it was the gentlest handshake I’ve ever had.  Almost as soft spoken as his voice.

Shaq was different.  In a day and age of athletes who were afraid to be themselves, he was outgoing, personable, fun, someone you really wanted to like.  But he was far from perfect and could be a real jerk.

He loved to burn bridges.

“I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys,” O’Neal infamously told the Boston Globe back in 2008, just days after being dealt from a Heat team that was killed by injuries and had sunk to the bottom of the standings. “We have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I’m actually on a team again.”

You won’t hear anyone bring that up today.  No, this is Shaq’s day.  Of all the days that he could announce his retirement, Shaq picked the day after that same Miami Heat team moved within 3 wins of another championship, something he has coveted but never again won since departing South Beach.  Anyone else find that a little odd?  Or arrogant for that matter?

But he was great with the media and he did everything he possibly could to build a brand.  From Icy Hot commercials (which became comical in his twilight days as the computer would alter his generic team’s jersey because he kept moving around) to his Shaq Versus show, Shaq was a big kid.  He owned nice cars and bought big mansions.  On Star Island in South Florida he once coughed up $20 million for a house.

He had nicknames, so many nicknames.  Some were clever, some downright nasty.  He was a cop, a student in a Sports broadcasting class, a conductor for a day, and soon he says, he’ll have his Ph.D to go along with a Masters.  The man was no dumby.

He did things his way.  His official press conference to formally announce his retirement will be held Friday at where else — but his house.  Like a good politician he knows how to stroke egos, and he knows the media will give him more leeway for doing so.

He was one of sports’ most fascinating figures and a sure fire First Ballot Hall of Famer. He was the epitome of power and a master marketer.  Shaq took advantage of every opportunity that came his way and then some during his 19 year career.  He also was a great guy in the community and loved putting smiles on people’s faces whenever he could.  Who could forget Shaq-A-Claus?

Some people still love him, some despise him: but you can’t ignore the fact that throughout his 19 year career and 15 All Star appearances he truly was larger than life.  Shaq the player retired today, but Shaq the character isn’t going away anytime soon.

Photo: Reuters

JOSH MASER
Special Contributor

The Orlando Magic have decided to completely overhaul their roster, with news coming in this past Saturday that they made two blockbuster trades with the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards.

Orlando sent Guard Vince Carter, Guard Michael Pietrus, Center Marcin Gortat, a 2011 first round pick and cash considerations to the Suns for F Hedo Turkoglu, G Jason Richardson and F Earl Clark. In a separate deal the Magic sent Forward Rashard Lewis to Washington for the troubled Gilbert Arenas.

I’ll begin by saying that this deal was a no brainer for both the Wizards and Suns. Phoenix has accepted that they need to get some pieces in place to begin a rebuilding process in the post Amare era (might Steve Nash be the next to go?) and did a great job of that, acquiring Gortat, widely considered to be one of the best backup centers in the league, Pietrus, who is an extremely underated perimeter defender (he guarded Kobe in the Finals two years ago) and $17.5 million expiring contract of Vince Carter along with a First Rounder for pieces in Turkoglu and Richardson that are either past their prime (or not close enough to their prime) to be a part of future plans.

As for the Wizards, they did what they’ve been wanting to do for a long time: namely, get Gilbert Arenas the heck out of that locker room and away from John Wall. Arenas has been nothing but a problem for them in the past few years and that problem has not come with many wins. They got rid of him and can now officially usher in the new era of their stud point guard. Along the way they got an interesting piece. Rashard Lewis did not deserve the $120 million contract the Orlando gave him but he is a combo forward that is a tough matchup defensively for either the 3 or the 4, he can help space the floor for John Wall’s penetration and can knock down the 3 ball on a kick out.

Now let’s get to the team making all the moves happen. Vince Carter needed to go. He has been a huge disappointment in Orlando, disappearing in playoff games and playing terrible defense. He looked like a shell of the player he was in Toronto and even New Jersey; Magic fans are saying good riddance.

The Magic get back their Turkish superhero in Hedo Turkoglu, who was a vital part of their 2009 Finals team as well as Jason Richardson (Earl Clark will not see the rotation). Richardson will be an upgrade offensively over Carter and Hedo is a matchup nightmare at the 3 spot with very good ball handling abilities and has proven that he can hit big shots in the past.

At first sight, it looks like the Magic have loaded up on talent and are as deep as any team in the league. But if you look deeper into it you begin to see some mistakes they made in these trades. But what the Magic gave up might not equal what they received. Not only did they give up the best back-up center in the league (what are they going to do when Howard isn’t in the game?) but they gave up, in my opinion, the most underrated perimeter defender in the league. Michael Pietrus was the guy they went to when they needed to stop the opposing team’s best player, he guarded Kobe in the Finals and he’s the one that would have guarded Dwayne Wade and Paul Pierce in the Playoffs. Not only that but he has proven that he can shoot 3’s with consistency and can even give the opposing team trouble in isolation. Dwight Howard was already complaining earlier this week that he was being relied on too much to block shots and that his perimeter defenders needed to stay with their men more, and now you have replaced your best perimeter defender with a guy (with all respect to Jason Richardson) who isn’t going to slow down anybody.

Speaking of players that don’t play defense, where do I begin with the acquisition of Gilbert Arenas. Saying he has been cancerous to the Washington locker room is a severe understatement. He was the reason that Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler were traded away for 50 cents on the dollar. He brought guns into an NBA locker room. Not to mention the fact he’s had his last 3 NBA season cut short either by injuries or suspension.

I understand that the Magic felt Rashard Lewis wasn’t working out and that they needed to get rid of his enormous contract, but Arenas’ remaining contract is nearly identical. If you take the money away the Magic traded a matchup problem combo forward that is one of the best shooters in the league (who has also been a model citizen) for a highly troubled shot happy injury prone combo guard that will most likely come off the bench. I will admit it is possible for Stan Van Gundy to get Arenas’ mind right and to get him to buy into the team concept, but it’s not a risk a championship contender should have taken.

Photo: AP

PAUL NARDIZZI

Kobe and the Lakers are now tied 2-2 with the Suns.  The Lakers, a team most NBA losers thought would roll to the Finals, are now in a dogfight that could go the distance.  The Lakers biggest problem has been solving…., are you ready for this…, the Suns defense.

The Suns have never been known for their defense, in fact the Suns up to this point in their sordid history have never played defense.  The only reason the Suns place a man in the paint is so he can retrieve the ball after it comes through the netting and then quickly get it inbounds to a guard.  The Suns have gone through centers like most teams go through tubes of jock itch.  But they deserve credit in this series.

The Suns have packed it in during these Finals and showcased a 2-3 zone which has given the Lakers fits.  The old adage in life  is stay in school, and the Lakers, whose roster is littered with players who never attended a full four years of college, or in some cases a solitary high school class,  are now looking like the uneducated dropouts they truly are.  In college, for those of you who are not following, zones are the norm. The best way to attack a zone is to use skip passes and drive to the hoop, however the Lakers have chosen to bomb away from outside and are doing major damage to the rim.

At one point in Game 4,  Laker guard and non college educated Kobe Bryant called a timeout so he could head to the bench and ask Coach Phil Jackson what his recommendations were.

Jackson peered at his blackboard and said, “That’s a 2-3 zone?  Really, oh well, I don’t have the slightest clue how to attack it, I just know how to sit here on my padded folding chair, pick crud out of my horrendous looking schnozz and sub in some of the game’s greatest players.  Been doing it for years, to the tune of 10 titles and a s*%# load of credit I don’t deserve.  Take away my rings, stick me in a place like Philly and I’m no better than Dick Motta.  Does anyone know Lebron’s number, I may follow his ass to the next city.  Lebron is going to get me a toe ring.”

The World Cup starts soon, and it’s become readily apparent that we’re going to have to sit through another solid month of listening to overweight radio jocks ripping the sport from pillar to post.  I have no problem with sports fans stating that hockey, basketball, and football are more exciting to watch.  But when these overweight turds spend hours talking baseball and then take a time out to bash soccer, I lose it.  Baseball?  Is that even a sport?

Last time I saw a baseball player sweat, he was sitting in front of a Congressional Hearing on steroids.  That’s when baseball completely lost it for me.  Five players go to Congress to address the steroid issue and they all lie.  Congress should have placed needles on the seats just before they all sat down.  Then we could have seen how many players said, “Ouch,” and how many said, “Darn, we have a game today?”

Baseball games last four hours and you have players like David Ortiz, the man titted Dominican lard ass, sitting on his derriere for 3 hours and 55 minutes of that 4 hour period.  That’s not playing a sport, that’s taking a siesta.  Ortiz burns more calories sprinting to the post game buffet than he does playing this desultory game.

He’s on his ass so often, I’m surprised he doesn’t work an additional part time job while he’s in the dugout.  He could bat his turn, haul his corpulent butt back to the dugout, quickly set up a workstation and sell Amway on the side.   “David, you’re up!” “Hold on, I got a woman on line who wants to buy a bucket of tampons!”

I think the best thing about soccer is you can play it at almost any age.  I am over 40 and I still play.  I feel bad for people who wrestled in high school.  That’s a bad choice, most people don’t continue wrestling after they leave middle school.  You’ll never hear of a 50 year old guy calling up his old wrestling teammate, “Hey Frank, Bob here.  Listen, why don’t you grab your singlet and meet me down at the park, I’m going to wrap my thighs around your greasy skull for a couple of hours.  That way your adam’s apple can get reacquainted with my scrotum!  Why don’t we say 3 o’clockish, you get down on all fours and I will approach you from the rear.  I’ll be coming out of the woods wearing a cape and a ski mask.  Bring you’re A game bitch because I will be greased up and rearin’ to go.

Photo: AP

SCOTT JACOBS

The Phoenix Suns waited three grueling games to see their much ballyhooed bench finally produce.

On Tuesday, their bench did more than that.  They outplayed the Lakers… starters, and set a rambunxious, title-starved Suns fan base into pure delirium, after another 9 point victory.  And just like that this series has shifted from a finger food for the LA-Boston finals series that everyone had already confirmed was inevitable to a good ol’ western shootout.

Suns 2.  Lakers 2.

The party’s just getting started people.

Written off for dead heading back to Phoenix, the Suns head back to Los Angeles with a plane full of confidence, and the belief that not only can they compete with the purple and gold, but that they can win this series.

It’s almost comical that defense, in particular the Suns zone defense could become the story of a series that has seen the winner rack up 110+ points in every game, but Phoenix’s defense in the fourth quarter of a raucous game four was the story.  The Suns stifled the Lakers usually fluid triangle offense, forcing the Lakers into long threes from guys who simply were not making them.

The bench which played exceptional was the catalyst, but it was Channing Frye who gets the game ball.

Frye, teetering on the edge of playoff infamy, was well on his way to the worst shooting dry-spell in post-season history when he finally hit a three in the second quarter.  The crowd went ballistic.  It got the Suns potent offense flying off the handle en route to a 41 point quarter.  A 9 point half time lead.

Frye tacked on a few more huge threes, finishing with 14 points, but the emotional lift he gave the Suns was enormous.  With no hesitation Frye kept chucking ‘em up, and finally they started falling.  With the Suns second nine point win in three days, maybe the analysts that supposedly had this series pegged will shut up too.

It’s not that the Suns beat the ‘mighty’ defending champs back to back.  It’s the way they did it.  On Sunday it was through a superhero-esque performance from Amare Stoudemire and a phenomenol game from Steve Nash.  On Tuesday it was all about the reserves, as the stars of Phoenix’s unexpected playoff ride took a backseat to the men usually taking a seat as the game wanes into the final minutes.

But there they were, Nash and Stoudemire, getting pulled from the scorer’s table as Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbos, Louis Amundson, Jarded Dudley, and Frye shot L.A. out of the game.  A closely contested game that was tied going into the fourth.

The moral to the story?

It’s not just the zone defense which totally took the Lakers out of their offense.  It’s not just the bench play and the resurgence of Frye.  It’s not just Stoudemire finally going right at Pau Gasol and proving to the world, you cannot stop me.  It was all of it.  The Suns still missed a lot of threes, but once again they wanted it more.  Richardson jumped into the crowd going after a loose ball.  Stoudemire wrestled the Lakers bigs for a ball underneath the basket.  Nash even took another shot to the face.

And afterwards the Suns hardly looked like the shell-shocked unit that was ‘too small’ to play with the tall trees from Tinsel Town.  Instead they looked like the defending champs, hitting clutch shots all over the floor.

The Suns have waited 42 years to bring a title to Phoenix.

Turning this series into a best of three is one heck of a start.

There won’t be any L.A.-Boston columns today.  The Lakers are no longer a sure bet.

The Suns made sure of that on Tuesday night.

Photo: Reuters

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

SCOTT JACOBS

Today he’s the big Savior, the man with a microphone, and shoulders big enough to hoist the city of Cleveland on his back, and take the long suffering sports city to a long overdue championship.  But later on, when the hype settles down, and the Big Cactus tranforms into the Big Freeze  or the Big Snowball, or whatever he elects to name himself, where will the Cavs and O’Neal really be?  Hoisting an NBA Championship?  Or bickering about what could have been?

You see, the Big Tweet is as brilliant a salesman (of himself) as we’ve ever had in the NBA.  If Shaq was a stock, and people bought the hype surrounding his trade from the Suns to the Cavs, his stock would be  otherworldly.  Shaq brings excitement, and hope wherever he goes.  And when he leaves he leaves ashes and broken relationships in his wake.  Shaq’s entrances and his exits, are almost always equally dramatic.  They start with a parade, or some kind of lovefest, and they usually end with bitterness and resentment.

So Cleveland, Shaq’s newest home for the Big Traveler (five teams now and counting…) is banking on Shaq’s 300 lbs of muscle and post presence to push the Cavaliers over the top and onto the NBA’s grandest stage.  Shaq is ecstatic to be back in the mix, no longer  a forgotten star after a horrible trade gone wrong for the Suns (even though O’Neal in the process revived what seemed to be a fading career).  Shaq is thrilled to be back in the spotlight.  LeBron may be the engine, but Shaq is Cleveland’s newest mojo.  And Cleveland is banking on the hope that Shaq didn’t leave his mojo back in 2006, the last time he won a title (though this writer would argue Shaq was merely the backdrop that year for the D-Wade show, but that’s irrelevent now).

People love this story.  Shaq and LeBron teaming up.  But I loved the idea of Stoudemire and O’Neal, and uh, look where that got Phoenix?  (In case you were waiting for the answer, we were looking for Nowhere.  What is nowhere).  Shaq revived his career with the Suns, because Phoenix has an unbelievable training staff that seems to work miracles (See Hill, Grant), but if you step aside the box score, you’ll see that Shaq (despite his nice numbers last year) was really a shell of his former self.

That great field goal percentage he had always seemed to overshadow the fact that he blew so many opportunities by turning over the ball.  Shaq may be a “great passer for a bigman” but he’s not the man he once was.  Once in a while he has a nice spin move in him, or an electric throwdown.  But more times than not, it seems like Shaq is the Big Blob nowadays, taking up space, but not scaring anyone.

Yes, he’s still a huge guy, and he still has plenty of strength in those massive guns, but the truth of the matter is, Shaq played on a team whose main objective was to score.  Push, push, push, and when a team is putting up 120 points some nights, some stats are bound to get a little out of whack.  Sure, Shaq averaged over 17 a game last year with the Suns, but unless you watched a few select games, he was really just a man who got lost in the shuffle.

People want him to be relevent (at least the media and Cleveland do), but the fact of the matter is this: Shaq is just jumping on LeBron’s bandwagon to help push him to a title, and even that might not stop The King from taking his crown to New York come 2010.  Shaq helped the Heat, no one denies that, but with the exception of a sensational 30 point, 20 rebound effort in their close out win over the Bulls back in 2006, Shaq was just drapery to Wade’s creative genius.

Shaq’s only relevent now, because he longs to stay in the public eye.  Truthfully, he’s very much the Big Thug.  His wity press conferences aside, Shaq is well, kind of a jerk.  He alienates team-mates, and coaches, and then always gets sent packing to another team desperate for his “name,” and “the unstoppable force that once manned center for the Lakers.”  He practically spit on everyone left from a broken down Heat team that wasn’t built to last, and you all remember his exit from L.A. (It was a quiet one, wink, wink).

Shaq is as big of an entertainer as he is as a basketball player.  People either love him or they hate him.  The NBA loves him, because he doesn’t shut up, and always keeps things interesting.  Every time his star fades, another team searching for some attention and that missing piece, looks in his direction.  Cleveland, you’re that team right now.

Shaq is no sure thing either.  Not anymore.  Yes, they pulled miracles out of the cactus with him in Phoenix, but who’s to say he’ll be so lucky in Cleveland?  I’d argue he’s the third option as of now, with James and even Mo Williams more viable and reliable options.  As for guarding the pick and roll, Orlando’s staple play, well Shaq is just downright slow.  One of the reasons the Suns had so much trouble with Shaq, was because he and Nash are terrible pick and roll defenders.

So today, Shaq had his fun, got his wet shoes, and the fans adored him like that adorable little puppy in the puppy chow commercials.

But come this season, when the hype dies down, and the games finally get played, what will they think then?

Will their new big toy help Cleveland Rock?  Or will he be just another past his prime former superstar making his way through town, Cleveland willing to throw all their eggs in his basket that this is all the Cavs needed.

Well, that and Rasheed Wallace I guess.

But the Big Bald Spot isn’t nearly as catchy as whatever Shaq is soon to come up with.  Even if he’s fighting off becoming the Big Irrelevent.

Photo: Reuters

Today was a sad day as former Pacer great Wayman Tisdale was announced dead. Tisdale was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma, played twelve seasons in the NBA, and  after retirement even found success as a famous jazz musician.

He died Friday morning at the St. John Medical Center in Tulsa.  Tisdale was just 44 years old.

After three stellar years at Oklahoma, the 6′9″ forward went on to play twelve seasons in the NBA with the Pacers, Kings, and Suns. He had a big smile, soft hands, and a decent NBA career, in which he averaged 15.3 points per game. Tisdale also played on the 1984 U.S. Basketball Team that went on to win the gold medal.

After playing basketball, Tisdale ventured into jazz, where he became a very popular, award winning musician. Several of his albums even climbed to Billboard’s Top Ten.

“I don’t know of any athlete at Oklahoma or any place else who was more loved by the fans who knew him than Wayman Tisdale,” said Billy Tubbs, who coached Tisdale with the Sooners. “He was obviously, a great, great player, but Wayman as a person overshadowed that. He just lit up a room and was so positive.”

Current Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said that Tisdale, “had an incredible gift of making the people who came in contact with him feel incredibly special.”

His death was announced at the Oklahoma Senate floor on Friday.

“Whether you’re a Cowboy or a Sooner, Oklahoma has lost a great ambassador,” Oklahoma Senate Majority Leader Todd Lamb said.  “He was a gifted musician, a gifted athlete and he just wore that well wherever he went.”

Tisdale battled hard in his two-year bout with cancer, but he just couldn’t get through it.

Oklahoma retired Tisdale’s number 23 in 1997, making him the first Oklahoma Sooner in any sport to have that distinction.  He was inducted into the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame just last month, and is survived by his wife and four children.

A great athlete, Tisdale was an even better person.  He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

SCOTT JACOBS

Don’t tell Shaquille O’Neal he’s done.

He isn’t.

After a pair of 30 plus point games, and two resoundig wins over Toronto, and more importantly his former team, the Lakers, Shaq not only looks fresh, he looks good.  Damn good.

He looks so good I’m gonna go bet online

Widely criticized for being over-the-hill and ‘now guardable with one man’ Shaq has proved in this whacky 2009 season that he’s still go it.  Maybe his first step isn’t as fast, and maybe his team isn’t as good, but one thing Shaq has shown since Amar’e Stoudemire’s season ending injury is that he is ready to carry this Suns team.

A Suns team that has suffered through a tumultous season, a failed head coach, a trade that completely reshaped the team, and an almost trade that would have rendered Shaq’s renaissance moot, is just two games out of a playoff spot, and about 3 1/2 from the fifth seed.  Phoenix has been a playoff mainstay the last few years, so for them to find themselves still on the outside looking in, even after a 6-2 start under Alvin Gentry is a message that Phoenix will have to win more games like this one, against quality opponents if they want to make the playoffs.

It’s kind of odd really.  Shaq’s better than he has been in years, but his team is not.  The Suns are still a series of puzzle pieces that kind of fit, but kind of don’t.  Once a lightning fast team with deadly three point shooters, and phenomenal spacing, and lest us forget terrific free throw shooting, the Suns are now a team searching for past glory.  But the deadly three point shooting has slowly lef the building, and the spacing is still a work in progress.  With Shaq in the fold the foul shooting is no longer top notch.

But Phoenix refuses to say die. Even with Amar’e’s eye sidelining him the rest of this regular season, the Suns refuse to go down without a fight.  Old Yeller believes they have one more run left in their veteran legs.  Steve Nash still thinks this team can be something.  Grant Hill signed with the Suns because he wanted a championship, and felt Phoenix gave him his best shot.  Leandro Barbosa has seen what the Suns can be when they are clicking on all cylinders.  Jason Richardson is longing for a sustained run deep into the playoffs.  Add a few relentless hard working journeyman and those are your Phoenix Suns.

Once the envy of the league, the Suns are now a curiosity.  The team that has been smitten with the idea of glory, but slowly dismantled under the unbelievably strange luck that has met them along the way.  Something won’t allign to give the Suns that fair opportunity to win with all their best guys.  So 2009 is more of a final chapter.  One last go.

They probably won’t win a championship, the odds are currently against them making the playoffs.  But make no mistake, Shaq is out to prove something.  he still feels he can be the face of a franchise.  He still believes he can be the star that takes his team to the promised land.

Steve Nash has enjoyed remarkable success in Phoenix.  This could be his last shot to win a title with the team that has made him a household name.

Will the Suns make something off this scrap heap of mismatched pieces and veteran stars who are almost past their prime?  That is the question.

If you ask Shaq, it ain’t over till the 325 power monster sings.  Or raps.

SCOTT JACOBS

Amare Stoudemire is staying put.  So is Shaq, who the Cavs were apparently in hot pursuit of.  And with those two big names staying in the Valley of the Sun, and the over-hyped Vince Carter staying in Jersey, this trading deadline was about as memorable as Paul Blart’s Mall Cop (aka: very much forgettable).

The biggest trade?  Don’t laugh: Rafer Alston going from Houston to Orlando.  The Magic were in dire need of a point guard after Jameer Nelson got hurt, and for a first round pick and essentially Brian Cook, were able to pry the oft-traveling Alston (this will be his sixth team) from the Rockets.  Alston should do a decent job, but to say he puts the Magic back into contender status seems alittle much.

The Knicks made so many trades that I don’t feel any of them are worth mentioning.  But Nate Robinson may be dealt to the Kings.  Why?  Take a wild guess.  Yeah, the 2010 free agency pool is approaching, and the Knicks want the best view, so they can’t keep Robinson and David Lee.  Both are set to become free agents after this year, and Mike D’Antoni has already professed his man crush on Lee.

The biggest story though comes out of Phoenix, where the Suns were the talk of the league all week.  After scoring 282 points in their last two games (the first two of the Alvin Gentry Era), the Suns decided that it was worth a shot to see if the re-emergence of running and gunning could make them a contender again.  But it was close.  If the Cavs threw in Wally Sczerbiak’s expiring contract into a deal for Shaq, the Suns would be taking a ton of heat for making a major salary dump when things finally started to look good again.

But they’re holding onto both for the rest of the year.  As of press time, the Suns were sitting in 9th place, but just a handful of games from the fourth seed.  Lots of basketball to be played, and apparently Shaq thinks the Suns will finish their final 31 games, 22-9 at worst.  That would leave the 30-23 Suns with 52 wins, which would get them into the NBA’ s second season.

The bigger question remains though: if the Suns make the playoffs (I think they will), can they be an elite team again?  At least we’ll find out, after they decided to keep everybody together.

It’s safe to say 2009 was no 2008 when it came to trades.  Shaq, Kidd, Gasol all were dealt last year.  This year’s biggest name besides Billups and A.I. (which was super early in the season) was probably Shaun Marion and Jermaine O’Neal, whose new respective teams lost yesterday.