POP TRUMPS SHAQ!

A couple of days ago, Shaq went on record saying the Spurs were "cowards" for employing the Hack-A-Shaq even when they were leading. The Hack-A-Shaq is when players foul Shaq and force him to shoot freethrows, banking on the fact that Shaq hits only about half of them (and sometimes less than that).

How did the Spurs react? Well, 5 seconds into the first game of the season, Pop showed Shaq what his...humor...tastes like.

PS There's a poll on my blog sportsfandom.blogspot.com. Do vote! Thanks!

WILL THE SUNS WIN GAME 5?

We've all heard it.

Shaq doesn't fit the Suns' truly effective run-and-gun game. (true)

Amare is a selfish, bigheaded, childish pseudo-star (again, true)

Steve Nash is getting old (correct again)

Grant Hill is gimpy (yep)

Raja Bell is nothing but a younger Bruce Bowen (weirdly so)

Diaw is a hard foul away from a disappearing act (check)

Barbosa has no defense and, as of this week, little offense (oh why do we even go on?!)

So should we just show the Spurs the door to the second round and spare everyone the sweat and agony?

Now wait just a cotton-pickin minute.

I think the old, gimpy, ill fitting Suns might just give good old TD, Manu and Mr. Longoria quite a scare before fading off into the...well...the sunset.

Why? Coz the Suns got themselves a win. They proved that it could be done. They saw a Spurs team that they could beat. And, just like Atlanta beating up on Boston for the second game in a row, the Suns are just itching to do it again.

So don't write off the Suns yet. I think Shaq might actually come back to life in Game 5. Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire could be logging in double doubles yet. And Mike D'Antoni might actually have a job for a few more days.

Now Game 6 is an entirely different proposition altogether.