Experts weren't particularly impressed by the Suns moves, noting that the lack of a quality player in the middle and defensive stoppers on the perimeter would keep Phoenix from making any noise in the playoffs if they even got there. Do D'Antoni and company care what the experts thought? Obviously they don't. The Suns started a conventional lineup with rookie Jackson Vroman in the middle for precisely one game, their second in the season, and have since then unapologetically gone up-tempo. Their 109.4 points per game are the most the NBA has seen since the 1970s. (No, not seriously, it just seems that way - actually Orlando in 1994-95 at 110.9 points per game was the last team to hit the 110 mark, which the Suns are flirting with.)

That the Suns are good on offense is no surprise. Nash has led several of the best offenses in NBA history while with the Mavericks, while Richardson, Joe Johnson and Shawn Marion provide several three-point threats for when Nash draws the defense on a drive or when opposing teams have to double-team Amaré Stoudemire, who is fourth in the league in scoring at nearly 26 points per game. What was really underestimated was how well the Suns could use their quickness on defense to keep opponents from getting good looks and taking advantage of their smallish size. The Suns are eighth in the league in Defensive Rating, allowing 98.9 points per 100 possessions.

FACTOR Sonics Suns Offense eFG% 3 1 TO% 11 1 OR% 1 21 FTM/FGA 1 20 Defense eFG% 22 4 TO% 14 24 DR% 17 30 FTM/FGA 24 1

What's truly interesting is how the Suns have done it. Breaking the game down into Sonics consultant Dean Oliver's Four Factors of Basketball Success - shooting (measured by effective field goal percentage), taking care of the ball (measured by percentage of possessions that end in turnovers), rebounding (rebound percentage) and getting to the free-throw line (free throws divided by field goals attempted) - the Suns are either great or terrible at everything on defense (see chart at right, which ranks the Sonics and the Suns in these categories on both offense and defense).

You'd expect a small, quick team like the Suns to force a lot of turnovers and commit a lot of fouls. Neither has been the case, as Phoenix is actually the best team in the NBA at keeping opponents off the free-throw line (which presents an interesting matchup with the Sonics, who are the best at getting to the free-throw line and converting). In part because of the presence of two shot-blockers in the starting five (Marion and Stoudemire) and a third good one (Steven Hunter) off the bench, the Suns have also held down opponent shooting percentages. But they're the worst rebounding team in the NBA and especially awful on the defensive glass, rebounding just 65.9% of opponent misses. If there's a place where the Sonics can take advantage of Phoenix, it is on the offensive glass, as they're first in the league on offensive rebounding percentage (32.4%). Look for the Sonics to get lots of extra possessions tonight.

The other key battle is when the Suns have the ball. While the Sonics are a much-improved defensive team, they still allow opponents to shoot a high percentage, and nobody shoots a higher percentage (or turns the ball over less) than the Suns. While the Sonics should have success crashing the offensive boards, that also makes it more difficult to get back on defense, and the Suns are easily the NBA's best fast-breaking team, with four players capable of leading the break and all five more than capable of finishing.

G U A R D S
	With both players playing well and their teams extremely successful, it's inevitable that tonight's matchup has brought another round of comparisons between Nash and Sonics point guard Luke Ridnour. When the two met head-to-head last April at KeyArena in one of just six starts Ridnour made last season, it was the rookie who dropped 16 points on 8-for-11 shooting and a career-high 13 assists as the Sonics crushed Dallas 119-99. Nash had seven assists, but just four points on 2-for-10 shooting. However, that was before he found a fountain of youth in Phoenix that has allowed him to lead the league with 11.0 assists per game, a mark that hasn't been hit over a full season since Mark Jackson in 1996-97. Nash is also shooting a cool 53.0% from the field and 39.7% from downtown.
	Kobe Bryant may have outscored Ray Allen 35-26 in Tuesday's clash of the NBA's top shooting guards, but Allen got the more important result - a 108-93 Sonics victory. Allen refutes the notion, and he brings it every night, but he has a tendency to shine when the spotlight is on, and tonight's game, matching the NBA's top two teams and nationally televised on ESPN, fits that criteria. Think Johnson has enjoyed playing with Nash? While Johnson's per-game averages aren't as impressive as last year, when he put up 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists as the Suns go-to perimeter player post-Marbury trade, he's shooting 54.5% from three-point range, which is a little better than his previous career high of 36.6%. That sizzling mark is unlikely to last, but Johnson has developed into a dangerous threat with or without the ball in his hands.
F O R W A R D S
	Richardson was the only Suns starter not on fire from the field during the month of November, as he shot just 34.5% from the field. Richardson has gotten with the program during December, knocking down 28 treys in eight games, including 8-for-12 from downtown and 37 points at Portland on Dec. 5. One of the streakiest players in the league, Richardson has 20+ five times in December, but has been held to single-digits twice, including three points against Utah on Wednesday. Rashard Lewis used to be nearly as inconsistent, but he's displayed newfound reliability as the Sonics second option this season. Lewis has 20+ points 14 times in 22 games and has led the Sonics in scoring 12 times.
	Considered one of the league's rising stars two years ago when he made his first All-Star appearance and the Suns made the playoffs, Marion's star was tarnished last season when he struggled to create his own shots after the Marbury trade. Marion isn't well-suited as a go-to player, but he's perfect for his current role and has successfully slid down to power forward this season. One of the league's better jumpers, the Matrix is third in the league with 11.9 rebounds per game. He's also a couple of steals away from ranking in the NBA's top ten in both blocks and steals, demonstrating his defensive versatility. Reggie Evans did a fine job frustrating Lamar Odom on Tuesday, but Marion presents another tough matchup as a natural small forward.
C E N T E R
	The comparisons to former Sonics forward Shawn Kemp have followed Stoudemire throughout his NBA career, but even Kemp's most devout fans in the Emerald City have to wonder if Stoudemire might not have surpassed him this season. The best scoring average of Kemp's career was 20.5 points per game after he left the Sonics for Cleveland; right now, Stoudemire is at 25.8 ppg and shooting 57.5% from the field (a mark bettered by only Shaquille O'Neal) to boot. Stoudemire has been at his best in the Suns transition game, but is also the team's best half-court option. He's tied with O'Neal for the most dunks in the NBA at 70 - more than three per game (only Orlando's Dwight Howard has more than half as many as Stoudemire and O'Neal). Jerome James is coming off a season-high 12 points (including three dunks) against the Lakers. He's been successful against smaller players defensively this season, but Stoudemire might be the most athletic guy he's faced so far.
B E N C H
	While the Suns success has been predicated on a number of factors this season, the bench hasn't really been amongst them; the Phoenix starting five accounts for a remarkable 83.6% of the team's scoring this season. Second-year point man Leandro Barbosa (right), who started after Marbury was traded, has been the most effective reserve, keeping the tempo going when Nash is getting a break. Casey Jacobsen provides another shooter off the bench, though he's hitting just 30.4% of his threes in the early going after hitting 41.7% last year. Hunter's athletic potential made him a first-round pick, but he never found success in Orlando. He's been better in Phoenix, averaging a league-high 5.7 blocks per 48 minutes and shooting 62.5% from the field. The typically productive Sonics bench didn't have a great game against the Lakers (and didn't need to with the starters rolling). Vladimir Radmanovic (left) led the way with 10 points and seven rebounds. Antonio Daniels added eight points and seven assists without a turnover in 26 minutes, and Danny Fortson had seven points and five rebounds.

TEAM LEADERS ALLEN STOUDEMIRE Allen 23.9 PPG Stoudemire 25.8 Evans 8.3 RPG Marion 11.9 Ridnour 6.0 APG Nash 11.0 Ridnour 1.5 SPG Marion 1.6 James/Lewis 1.2 BPG Marion 2.2 Allen 40.4 MPG Marion 39.2