2010-2011 Game 28 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Phoenix; The Short-Handed Suns

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Records: The Oklahoma City Thunder (18-8) vs. The Phoenix Suns (12-13)

Time: 6:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The New Myriad, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Net Oklahoma, My45 KUTP

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1), 620 AM KTAR

Enemy Blog(s): Bright Side Of The Sun, Suns Stufft, Valley of the Suns

Previous Meeting(s): None.

The Phoenix Suns have traded Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson. As such, they will be without them tonight. It is still unknown as to whether the Suns will play without Steve Nash today, but if he can't (which is a good possibility), the Suns will be left with a lineup of Dragic at PG and Jared Dudley or Josh Childress at SG. It leaves the Suns with Grant Hill as their main scorer with 14.2 points and Goran Dragic as their main assist man with 3.6.

It's easy for me to say that the Suns will take a mulligan on this one and mail it in, but never underestimate a short-handed team. Guys like Earl Barron and Garrett Siler will get their chance to prove themselves, and the other players will see their roles adjust for this one-time event. So, while the chances of them winning are slim, they can still be a force to be reckoned with. Hill and Dragic will likely be the main scorers.

But, in the end, there's no denying that this team is pretty terrible without Steve Nash. And when Dragic goes out and the Suns are without a third point guard, Things Will Fall Apart. The centre will not be able to hold. The falcon won't hear the falconer. And obscure poems by W.B. Yeats will be referenced.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 105, Phoenix 88.