To anyone on the east coast who may have headed to bed after three quarters of Wednesday night’s Suns/Mavericks game with the Mavs holding a 91-76 lead and all the momentum, Yogi Berra would like to speak with you. He’ll be in touch. I imagine it’ll go something like, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over . . . “

Wow, what a game. Suns win 129-127 in two overtimes. Where do I start? Oftentimes, as we all know, big matchups that are anticipated in sports don’t measure up to the hype. Occasionally though, they do. The temptation to borrow Sports Illustrated’s cover title “The Epic Battle,” which they used after the third Ali-Frazier fight, a.k.a. the “Thrilla in Manila,” was overwhelming. But then I realized that this was not an epic battle. It sure seemed like one, but in reality it was just a regular season game. And the best one I’ve seen in quite some time, perhaps ever. And the similarities to Ali-Frazier III are uncanny. Like Ali in that bout, the Suns dominated early, racing out to 32-18 end of first quarter lead. Like Smokin' Joe, the Mavs punched back in a big way, whittling the deficit to 60-53 by halftime, and then blitzed the Suns with 38-16 third quarter. And like Ali, the Suns, with one foot in the grave, somehow summoned whatever it is that separates the truly great professional athletes from the unsavory ones we hear too much about, responded, outscoring Dallas 35-20 in the final period, capped off by Steve Nash’s three pointer to tie it with just under three seconds left. Nash had ten points in the final minute of regulation, which began with Dallas holding a seven point lead. The two overtimes were as good and tense as competition can get. The only negative o####ame like this is that the longer it goes on, the more that significant plays during the game get overlooked, such as Shawn Marion flying into the picture to rebound Nash’s initial attempt to tie the game and dishing it back to Nash for the biggie. But I suppose the fact that significant plays get pushed to the back of one’s memory is a by-product of an epic battle. Oops, there I go using that phrase again.

 A few observations that I didn’t overlook:

-Heading into tonight, Dirk Nowitzki would’ve been my choice for MVP. After tonight, I’m not sure. One thing I am pretty sure of, though; it’s a two-horse race between he and Nash. (Not to take anything away from Nowitzki, but was I the only one watching who thought he got an inordinate amount of calls from the officials? I won’t elaborate on specific ones here, so as not to take away from a stellar game, but I almost fainted when he got a “T” called on him late in the game. Hard to imagine how a guy that gets that many calls can complain to the refs.)

-All of the critics who keep re-iterating the stereotypical “Steve Nash plays no defense” can now officially cease and desist. In the overtime periods, Nash took a big charge and later had a huge deflection of a pass and subsequently knocked the ball of Jason Terry and out of bounds--a couple of the afore-mentioned plays that may be overlooked considering of the enormity of the outcome. Steve Nash is not a defensive stopper. Never has been, never will be. But enough already.

-Dirk and Steve can fight over the MVP this year, and perhaps next. But soon, very soon, Amare Stoudemire will be mentioned in the same breath. Forty-one points, ten rebounds. Sixteen of nineteen from the field, nine of twelve from the line. If there were any doubts about his health after missing all but three games last season following microfracture surgery, they have just been erased.

-One telling sign; Immediately following the game, before they even broke for a commercial, the local radio broadcast tandem for the Suns, Al McCoy and Tim Kempton, had Amare on for a few minutes. He was noticeably calm and composed, which surprised me after such a big victory. A few minutes later, the local TV station covering the game had Suns assistant coach Alvin Gentry on for an interview. He, too, was subdued--obviously pleased with the victory but saying a couple times that he wouldn’t overstate the importance of the win. There was no celebration, even minor, from the Suns. Though the folks at home no doubt bordered on cardiac arrest on more than one occasion.

-One would think in a double-overtime game between two of the best teams in the league would have been at least fairly close all the way through. The quarter scores I mentioned above show anything but. Which made this game all the more remarkable.

-I keep hearing about each team’s “Big Three.” It doesn’t appear this game did much to discern any significant difference between either team’s three main players. Just one more reason why we are all anxiously awaiting and hopeful for a Suns/Mavericks showdown in the western conference finals. Thankfully, though, there are enough games left in the regular season to allow my heartbeat to return to normal after tonight’s epic battle. (Dang! I’ll try to stop that.)

-The Suns are now 2 ½ games behind Dallas for the #1 seed in the west. I would normally say that it doesn’t matter much. These are the two best teams and the seeding will have little to do with the outcome if and when they meet in the conference finals. However, it appears that the #2 seed will more than likely have to face San Antonio in the second round. I think either team will get by the Spurs, but the matchup could sap a team of some of its remaining energy. Or this could be pure speculation and nothing more, as there is a good bit of the regular season to go yet, and anything can happen in the playoffs as well. Who knows.

This game could have easily filled up one of those half-hour “NFL Films” highlight shows that we have become accustomed to seeing during Super Bowl week. They have one regular season meeting left, a matinee on Sunday, April 1 in Phoenix. Wishing for a repeat of tonight’s festivities would be asking too much, to be sure. But obviously I’m not alone when I expect another go-round in about two and a half months.

For now though, Phoenix is 2-0 in its “Barometer Week,” with Detroit coming up Friday and a game at Denver Saturday. So far, so good.

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The gritty little team from Phoenix finally ran out of gas versus the more talented, deeper Mavericks last night in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. What they accomplished was actually giving their fans hope that maybe it was finally their time, although preseason predictions for this team ranged from sub-.500 to barely squeaking into the playoffs before making a quick exit. These outlooks were based on their roster turnover and a significant injury, things that I and others have already gotten into and brought up numerous times so I won't bother doing it again. The negative feeling after seeing the Suns fall stems from the old debate concerning which is worse-getting to the doorstep and narrowly missing or getting blown out. Most of the time, getting blown is easier to deal with because you accept it early. Getting so close and then losing only makes one think about all the little things that could have gone the other way and changed the outcome. It also allows one to feel that a title is almost in your grasp, so having it slip away hurts even more. Very few fans left Game 6 early, staying to pay their respects and show their gratitude as the season wound to a close.

At any rate, the Phoenix Suns overcame a lot of odds and unfortuante events to show that, at least in effort and heart, they belonged with the league's elite. I believe they also showed that their style is conducive to winning a championship. Their style is not the reason they lost. Their lack of depth and minutes played by their main cogs ultimately led to their demise. Certainly their backup point guard situation will be addressed in the coming months, along with a few players whose contracts need attention. Some will be back, some won't. But for now, I would just like to commend the organization, especially the players and coaching staff, for giving us Suns fans one hell of a ride, one way more exciting than I dreamed it would be. Yes, I know, if the seeding process was different regarding best records, division winners, etc., the Suns may not have had the same path of opponents in the playoffs. The fact that they didn't is not their fault. That's something that the NBA will have to address, and probably will in the off-season. It's something that's happened many times before, and not just in the NBA but other sports as well. That is a discussion for another time.

Well done, Suns. Best of luck to Mavs in Finals. I'd rather lose to the eventual champs if it has to come to that. And now, as Mike D'Antoni said when getting choked up and abruptly ending his post game news conference after the reality of his season being over set in, "Okay, we're done."

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Even though I wrote here after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals that the Suns weren't done until they were actually, well, done, I have to admit I didn't like their chances going into Game 4. But while watching them destroy Dallas in the second half last night, a feeling I haven't had in quite awhile came over me-what if this in fact the year the Suns win it all? The Suns have been to the Finals twice before, losing in six games to the Celtics in '76 and in six to the Bulls in '93. They have been as far as the WCF on a few other occasions. They have had a very successful franchise, for the most part, since their inception in 1969. But no titles.

That's not to say this is their best team ever. It isn't. At least talent-wise, that is. But top to bottom, this may be the toughest they've had. Rebellious, almost. From the pre-season, they've been cast aside as an also-ran due to injuries and roster changes. (Speaking of roster changes, would anyone trade Boris Diaw straight up for Joe Johnson right now? Don't even consider the draft picks the Suns also received. That's an even bigger bonus). The temptation here to go into specific players and their contributions is overwhelming, but that's not what these Suns are all about. The classic phrase about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts certainly applies to this team.

Back to my earlier mention of an NBA title. Suppose for a minute that the Suns get past Dallas and move on to the Finals, which is certainly a possibility. Detroit suddenly looks very beatable, much more so than they appeared to be at the onset of the playoffs. Admittedly, the Pistons are not a good matchup for the Suns. Too many big, athletic bodies. But the way they have faltered lately raises questions. How about the Miami Heat? A better matchup for the Suns. Phoenix has had decent success against the Heat the last couple seasons. If a regular season game means anything at this point, and it's debatable if it does, the Suns dropped 47 points on Miami in a single quarter earlier this season. Yes, Shaq would be a major factor down low against the Suns, but for how long? He would more than likely be significantly winded after a few stop and goes up and down the court, and it's been proven that you can practice for the Suns, but you can't re-create the tempo they bring.

As I've stated before, I have considered anything the Phoenix Suns do in the postseason gravy, as they say, based on what the experts predicted (and are still predicting). And if the Suns don't shoot well, they can lose in a big way. But I don't ever remember enjoying watching a team as much, or seeing a team so easy to embrace, as the Suns. For those of you in other parts of the country who have not had the opportunity to really follow this team, do yourself a favor and make it a point to see the rest of their games, however long this run lasts. And who knows, maybe it will turn into something you'll never forget. What a memorable, fantastic story that would be . . .

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The preseason prognostications for this team hovered around .500. With three starters from last year's 62-20 team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals gone, and roughly half their roster changed, the Phoenix Suns appeared headed for a low playoff seed at best. Lottery-ville was certainly a possibility. But head coach Mike D'Antoni boldly, perhaps defiantly, predicted his team would win 50 games. Little did we know he was establishing the mentality of his team by saying that.

A Pacific Division title and two playoff series victories later, the Suns took an early upper hand Wednesday night in Dallas. Late in the fourth quarter, with Shawn Marion hobbling on a re-injured left ankle and Raja Bell having been carted off with a leg injury, the Suns found themselves trailing the Mavs by nine points and on the ropes. And I allowed the thought to creep into my mind. The one that said the Suns had achieved far more than anyone thought they would this season. And I was okay with that. I'm a realist. They have had a great ride and it was a pleasure to watch. Bell's injury looked serious, Marion's looked like it would hinder him until he could get a week or so off, which woudn't be any time soon. Kurt Thomas was back in uniform, (he didn't play), but it appeared that would be too little, too late to help the Suns.

 Well, a funny thing happened on the way to what looked like a certain Mavs victory. Steve Nash hit a lay-up from what seemed like an impossible location, then drained two threes. Marion then took a perfect feed from Nash and jammed it home. But that's not the unusual part-the Suns played some timely defense, got the rebounds they needed, forced a couple turnovers, and went up by one on Boris Diaw's short jumper with less than a second to play. After another Dallas turnover and two Tim Thomas free throws, the Suns had game one of the series, 121-118. Diaw, a player the Hawks looked at as a throw-in in the Joe Johnson deal, but whom D'Antoni and then-Suns GM Brian Colangelo wanted, finished with 34 points and made 8 of 10 free throws. Marion, an electrifying lunch-pail guy if ever there was one, finished with 24 on 10-15 shooting and 13 rebounds. He was also 4-4 from the line. And Nash? 27 points and 16 assists, as well as the aforementioned three point daggers.

In the lone pre-series scouting report I read, the coaching edge went to Dallas. I guess we'll see now. Avery Johnson has a huge task ahead of him, with Phoenix snatching a perceived certain victory from the Mavericks. Admittedly, if Bell and Marion are less than full speed the rest of the way, D'Antoni will have his work cut for him as well. But he gets large kudos here. He has proven time and time again that his team will play their rears off for him, and that is certainly no small feat in today's NBA. This season, Johnson wrested coach of the year honors away from D'Antoni, last year's winner. I have a question regarding that-If the Suns win the series, will Scottie Pippen call for Johnson to give the award back?

I mentioned in an earlier story that the Suns were playing with house money, and realistically, they probably still are. But considering they were down 3-1 to the Lakers, were on the brink of being sent home by the Clippers on more than one occasion, and in the Western Conference Finals opener put a roadblock on Dallas' momentum in the fourth quarter to pull out a win, I won't admit that they're dead until '0:00' shows on the clock in an elimination game and the Suns have less points. Game one was an amazing finish by an amazing team, the amazing Suns.

Thanks for taking the time to read.