Brad Cesmat
IF the Suns don’t win the NBA title in the next eight weeks, it will go down as the biggest belly flop in Valley sports history. Put the pom-poms and your purple and orange shaded glasses off to the side and you know that I am right on this one.
Take the Sun Devils’ last-minute loss in the 97 Rose Bowl to Ohio State off the board. The same can be said for the Cardinals’ Super Bowl loss in 2009, falling in the waning moments to Pittsburgh. Both of those Valley teams weren’t expected to be playing for titles at the start of their given season. The Suns have been the wire-to-wire favorites. They brought back the same cast from last year’s title-contending team. They have the NBA Coach of the Year. An MVP Candidate. A future Hall of Famer running the point. Depth, size, experience. They have everything, and they are seasoned for postseason play after coming up short against Milwaukee last July. 
Now, what we don’t know as the playoffs start against the Pelicans on Sunday night, will an injury or suspension happen? Remember Chris Paul getting nicked up last year? Fights and suspensions take place in the playoffs. That’s just the way it is. Could protocols come into play as we saw on Friday night with Paul George being held out of the Clippers’ win or go home game against New Orleans? So I’m giving myself room for the inevitable postseason variables.
Pounding away on all of the virtues of this Suns team has already been done. Now comes postseason reality. Put up or shut up as some would like to say…
This and that…
Mark Brand has been at Arizona State in the role of football publicity and other duties for almost 40 years. His current position of Senior Associate Athletic Director is a long way from his 1978 title as an intern at Purdue. Next Saturday afternoon, the National Football Foundation Valley of the Sun Chapter will honor Brand with a Distinguished Arizonan Award at their sold-out scholar-athlete event at Wildhorse Pass Showroom. Mark has protected the ASU brand better than anyone on campus outside of his assistant Doug Tammaro. He will be honored again in June as part of the C0SIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2022…
I’ve been enjoying chopping it up on the radio a couple of times a week with the dynamic duo of Bruce Jacobs and Dale Hellestrae, Drop-in Monday and Thursday mornings at 7:20am on 1580am The Fanatic…
Hearing that the asking price of NIL money from one Valley high school player is north of 6-million dollars…
Brophy vs St. Mary’s football is on the 2022 schedule!
Have the Cardinals had an inspiring offseason? It sure looks and feels like the postseason meetings the week after the Rams eliminated them were filled with, “let’s not do anything too big to upset what we have here”. Problem is, who is Chandler Jones replacement? I understand letting Chase Edmonds and Christian Kirk go after bigger dollars, that is the business of the NFL. I don’t quite understand what they are doing to compete with a Super Bowl champion. What am I missing?
Chris Garagiola sounds fine doing the road gams play-by-play of the Diamondbacks on the radio. Give him time and a team that can consistently hit and he will sound even better. Even though they aren’t hitting, I find myself watching or listening to most every game because of the kids that they are sending out. Seth Beer has been really good through the first week and change of games…
NBA playoff basketball is like dining at a five-star restaurant, while regular-season games are eating truck stop pizza…
