Devil Dish

 by Brandon Haraway
 published on Monday, March 17, 2008

The Suns are back in business.

For the record, I always thought the trade for Shaquille O'Neal was a good idea. But with Saturday night's win over the Kings, the Suns are now 7-6 with Shaq in the lineup, including huge wins over the Celtics, Spurs, and Warriors.

Sure, there were a few road bumps, but that happens when you suddenly acquire the biggest man in professional sports. After Saturday night's game, the Suns sat in sixth place, just two games back, and a (sort of) comfortable four-game lead over the Nuggets, who sit just outside the playoff picture.

The Suns are scoring, rebounding and playing just enough defense to get it done. In back-to-back games, they've won one with defense and a half-court offense, and the other with a run-and-gun offense. That's for anyone who said the trade wouldn't work.

Ah, yes, this March is shaping up to be a lot of fun if you like the sport of basketball.