Paul Jones

Paul Jones is the voice of the Raptors on the FAN 590 and writes regularly for Sportsnet.ca.

There was Steve Nash post game, following the Phoenix Suns 101-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, in the coach's office of the visiting locker room chatting with Jay Triano. Nash has his twin daughters in there with him and it was like the girls were playing with an uncle they hadn't seen in a while. Such is the relationship between "Captain Canada" and the Raptors coach.

With Triano knowing Nash the way he does, not to mention Raptors assistant coach Mark Iavaroni being a former assistant on the Suns bench, the Raptors devised a great game plan and executed it well, almost pulling off a win. The strategy of making Nash a scorer just about got it done for Toronto. The two-time MVP had to work for his points. Yes, he scored 23 but he had to take 21 shots which was more field goal attempts than any other Phoenix player.

The Raptors were able to limit some of the "collateral damage" that usually happens when Nash, the NBA's assist leader, is finding his mates and making them look good. But Grant Hill and Jason Richardson had only six and eight points respectively. The Suns bench was not a big factor in the scoring column as they were limited to 4-of-16 shooting, contributing only 14 points. The problem for Toronto was Channing Frye who scored 20 points with all of his made field goals coming from beyond the arc.

Bottom line was the Raptors picked their poison and it was not allowing Nash to run his regular screen-roll sequence that normally picks opponents apart. For the most part, they switched all screens and tried to limit the Suns options to Nash or Amare Stoudemire and it worked well enough to give them a legitimate chance at winning the game.

Toronto also received solid play from its bench as Amir Johnson provided energy and made hustle plays, while Marco Belinelli and Sonny Weems made solid contributions. Unfortunately the Raptors lost their 11th straight game to the Suns and have not beaten Phoenix since Nash rejoined them.

To answer all the e-mails at one time about the final possession, I have no issues with Hedo Turkoglu having the ball and making the decision. I would’ve liked to have seen something going to the hoop but you can never be sure of getting a call on the road against the home side.

As it was, Toronto only went to the line 14 times in the game which is well below their average of 29 attempts per contest which is third best in the NBA. Hedo got a good look at the hoop and it's a shot that he probably makes 50 per cent of the time.

There is no column in the standings for moral victories so it is a loss for Toronto. But, they do have something to build on as they did not get behind early and had the pace of the game right where they wanted it.

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The Clippers won at Oklahoma City and you wonder how long Mike Dunleavy can hold on as head man in Clipperland. It's not pretty right now with regard to Los Angeles' other team and you wonder if the front office is thinking of making a move and trying to turn the team’s fortunes while the season is still young.

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It was nice to catch up with John Shumate, a Suns assistant, in Phoenix during the pre-game. "Shoe" was an assistant coach in the Raptors inaugural season with Brendan Malone and tells the story of how he came back to Phoenix after his stint in Toronto and was working as a substitute teacher before he was asked to be a part of the Suns community relations department. From there, as a former NBA assistant and scout, he was offered a job on the bench and he now sits as part of the Suns brain trust. Shumate is most-famously remembered, for those of you that are of my vintage, as a key member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish squad that ended UCLA's 88-game winning streak.

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Antoine Wright sat out as he was nursing an ankle injury and there is still no Reggie Evans. There have been a lot of questions about Pops Mensah-Bonsu possibly rejoining the Raptors to fill a bench spot and while it may not be totally out of the question, word is that the one-time Raptor has a deal in Europe. He has to clear waivers first and if things aren't as attractive as they look across the pond, who knows. Pops could sure bring some energy off the bench in a very similar role to what he played at the tail-end of last season.

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Alright, so the Raptors are flying to Denver from Phoenix and the flight takes a bit longer because of a special treat. The pilot gets clearance to fly over the Grand Canyon and the bonus is it's a clear day and the view is spectacular. I'm talking about a simply breath-taking sight. In truth, it makes a human feel like a small part of the world staring into one of the earth's natural wonders. Then you shake your head again as the airplane lands in Denver and you get a look at the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. Simply fantastic!