[sportsfan2006]

By Marty Gitlin
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Several teams boast superior records. But none appears stronger than Phoenix.

A healthy Amare Stoudemire, who is shooting 63 percent from the field, gives the Suns arguably the premier rotation in the NBA. And it’s showing. They own the longest current winning streak in the league at seven and have won nine of 10 since a 1-5 start.

How powerful is Phoenix? Well, Leandro Barbosa and his 18.9 points a game are coming off the bench.

The scariest offensive team in basketball is averaging 110.3 points in its last 10 games. The Suns lead the NBA in assist differential at plus-6.56 and free-throw percentage (.814) and are second in scoring (108.8), field goal percentage (.483) and 3-point shooting percentage (.390). Unparalleled point guard Steve Nash is blowing everyone away at 11.4 assists a game.

A starting lineup consisting of Stoudemire, Nash, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw is supplemented by the depth provided by Barbosa and Kurt Thomas.

The Suns remain 1.5 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Lakers in the rugged Pacific Division, but were a preseason favorite to win the division, according to WagerWeb.com.

The Suns will shoot for eight wins in a row at New Jersey on Thursday night. WagerWeb.com lists them as 2.5-point favorites.

INCONSISTENT CAVS: Is LeBron James unselfish to a fault?

That is the question being asked by some in Cleveland. The superstar small forward is so intent on involving his teammates that he is sacrificing his own opportunities.

If the Cavaliers boasted an array of talent surrounding him, that would be fine. But that talent is limited and inconsistent. Power forward Drew Gooden is particularly undependable on a nightly basis, and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has yet to flourish in Coach Mike Brown’s motion offense.

Cleveland is tied with Detroit atop the Central Division at 11-7 and might benefit as early as this weekend from the return of off-guard Larry Hughes, who has been sidelined for 10 games with a high ankle sprain.

The emergence of rookie point guard Daniel Gibson also provides optimism. The second-round pick out of the University of Texas has performed quite well. Brown handed him his first start Wednesday night because he matched up well against Toronto waterbug T.J. Ford. Gibson not only held Ford to eight points, but he scored a career-high 18 of his own, including two critical foul shots that clinched the 95-91 victory.

DRIBBLES: One reason Atlanta (8-9) must be considered the league’s most improved team, particularly after its win in Denver on Wednesday night, is Zaza Pachulia. He has emerged as one of the better centers in the NBA, averaging nearly 14 points and eight rebounds a game. … The Bulls reached .500 Wednesday night with their sixth consecutive victory, a blowout of hapless Philadelphia. Ben Gordon scored 17 points in his first six minutes on the court against the 76ers. … Houston All-Star center Yao Ming had a rare off-game in Minnesota on Wednesday night with 14 points and eight rebounds. He hit just 5 of 19 from the field. … The Boston Celtics (5-12) are a mess. With Wally Szczerbiak sidelined by injury, their only available player averaging more than 11 points a game is Paul Pierce.



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