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Hakim Warrick battles for a loose ball against Gilbert Arenas. DE-FENSE! (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)

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In the midst of a third quarter run that effectively killed the Wizards' hopes at a win, Eddie Johnson said, "And here I thought this was going to be a game decided in the fourth quarter." I thought the same thing, especially after a nearly-defense lacking first half that had the Suns leading 64-61. However, to start the second half, the Suns, would have none of that.

Orchestrated by the near-perfect Steve Nash, the Suns came out firing. Two lob feeds for dunks within the first two minutes of the quarter indicated that we may have been in store for a track meet. However, on the defensive end, the Suns tightened up. Players rotated defensively. They got their hands in the passing lanes. They contested every shot from the Wizards, and the defensive intensity led to a 27-13 run that allowed Nash to leave the game.

It wasn't until a stretch of sloppy play by the Suns reserves that prompted Alvin Gentry to call a time out and put the starters back in. Once that happened, it was game over. Adios. Sayonara, Washington. This was a quality win over a team the Suns should have beaten.

And there was this...

The Suns are finally looking like the team we know they could be. An unconventional, yet efficient team defensively, and a well oiled machine on the offensive end. Things aren't perfect. In fact, they're far from perfect. But improvement is improvement, and this is the first time the Suns have really taken a slumping team out back and given them an old fashioned beating.

Things That Impressed Me

• Two words: Steve Nash. I'll let his stats do some of the talking, which I'll post below. But even more than the gaudy and near-perfect stats, he was every bit of the leader we know him to be. He made perfect pass after perfect pass to set up the second half run. He stepped in front of players. Defended. Gave a pep talk to Dragic in between quarters. There are times when you see someone play and simply appreciate everything that they do. This was one of those games for me. Aside from the two turnovers, it doesn't get any better than that.

• Hakim Warrick's overall play. Yeah, I know he had the amazing dunk. I know he scored 26 points in 27 minutes off the bench. But aside from all the offense, it was the way Warrick conducted himself on the court. The lack of playing time given in the previous two games must have rung true with him. He came out energized, crashed the boards (he picked up 6 tonight) and looked more committed on the defensive end.
• Beating handily a team we should have beaten handily. The Wizards are slumping and John Wall is rusty since returning from an injured knee. Prior to the injection of defense, that wouldn't have meant anything to the Suns. The fact that this game ended like it did showed me that the team is stepping it up when they need to. They're developing that killer instinct. They're beginning to play as if the games mean something.

Let's keep the momentum rolling! (and moar Hakim dunks, plz. kthxbai)

More photos » Christian Petersen - Getty Images

You dunk that ball, Earl! Yeah! (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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After what many considered to be one of the worst stretches of defensive basketball ever played by the Phoenix Suns, Alvin Gentry had had enough. He was "pissed off" at the team's lack of effort and concentration on defense, and it was time for a change. The team held consecutive practices for the first time in around three weeks, and there were two words were tossed around more than a Magikarp card at a Pokémon convention in 1997. These two words were, of course, defense and rebounding.

With the first game back from their duo of grueling practices, the Suns faced a team that would challenge both of those areas: the Golden State Warriors. With Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis being two capable dribble pentration slashers and Andris Biedrins and David Lee known for their rebounding prowess, the Suns had quite the progress test ahead of them. What did the Suns do? They went and outrebounded the Warriors en route to a much needed victory. On the road. Monta Ellis still went off, but the defensive pressure was there.

The very next night, the Suns returned home and faced a Pacers team with multiple quality wins in the early season. The Suns went on to fight their tired legs and put away the Pacers in a fourth quarter push that put them on top. Oh, and they held Danny Granger to 2-13 shooting and held Granger and Roy Hibbert to a combined 16 points. Not bad, considering where they had come from.

Tonight, the Suns will face yet another challenge, this time in the form of a potential Rookie of the Year candidate: John Wall.

John Wall. Two words that have been on everyone's tongues for years. Wall has been one of the most highly touted prospects entering the draft since LeBron James, and for good reason. The dougie-dancing player has already put up some incredible highlights in his young NBA career. Fortunately for the Suns, Wall is just shaking the rust off a couple injuries that kept him sidelined for 6 of the past 10 games.

Wall started and played 40 minutes in a win over the Blazers a few nights ago, but shot only 3-13 from the field with 4 rebounds and a season-low 2 assists. While the 40 minutes were an encouraging sign for the Wizards, the Suns need to look to take advantage of the possibly-ailing youngster. The Wizards are another team like Golden State. John Wall can drive and dish (or finish) better than most. Nick Young, while inconsistent, is an explosive athlete who can go off for 20 on any given night...or give you a complete dud. Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee are athletic rebounders with a hard nose for the ball - the type of players that usually give the Suns fits.

However, with the Suns needing to shake off their early season struggles and the Wizards wanting to try and forget about last year's drama, these are both teams that will be hungry for a win. Hold on to your seats, folks; we could be in for a wild ride.

Starting Lineups and Matchups

PG: Steve Nash / John Wall

SG: Jason Richardson / Kirk Hinrich

SF: Grant Hill / Al Thornton

PF: Earl Barron / Andray Blatche

C: Channing Frye / JaVale McGee

The matchups I'm looking forward to most are between the big men. Channing Frye is hot off his highest scoring output of the season against the Pacers, and Earl Barron is making the case for himself with his hustle, rebounding and overall aggressive play. Meanwhile, on the Washington side of things, Andray Blatche is coming off one of his better performances of the season and JaVale McGee is battling a back injury.

Neither of the Suns players are really going to punish the Wizards bigs on offense. Channing might get hot with the semi-hobbled (but still productive) McGee covering him, but what I'm looking at is playing big on the defensive end. Frye has been quietly solid on the defensive/rebounding side of things and Barron, well, that's the whole reason he's in the starting lineup. Both McGee and Blatche have the possibility of exploding if left unguarded, so it will be up to the Suns big men to stay out of foul trouble and do work defensively.

What To Expect

• The Wizards have lost 4 of their last 5 games and the Suns, while making steps of improvement, are still not a great defensive team. Both teams are struggling but both teams want this game. Expect tonight's game to be rough one.
• Expect Earl Clark to get a few minutes as some of the matchups (Al Thornton, Cartier Martin, Yi Jianlian) are favorable for him. Plus, after a head scratching entrance to the game against Indiana, he put together a few solid possessions in the middle of the Suns game-winning second half run.
• Expect Frye to get looks early to see if he can continue his hot streak. If he's unable to get a few early baskets, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill will likely be the favored targets from Nash.

Overall, I'm looking for the Suns to continue their solid defensive effort. If the trend can continue, the Suns should be able to continue winning. The Wizards, though they have talent, are still a sub-.500 team that should be beaten by a veteran team like the Suns. Then again, we've seen what taking a slumping team not seriously can do. Anyone remember the Bobcats game?

Game Links

Wizards vs Suns coverage

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Bullets Forever

Phoenix Suns Welcome John Wall's Washington Wizards , 6:00 P.M. AZT - SB Nation Arizona
The Suns could opt to play Goran Dragic more in tandem with Steve Nash to counter the Wizards two-point guard line up when Arenas and Wall are on the floor together, but Gentry didn't seem inclined to do that

Phoenix Suns 12-Man Rotation Testing The Limits Of Gentry's Creativity - Desert Dirt - SB Nation Arizona
In the NBA it is normal for most teams to play with an eight-man rotation. Some teams play with nine or ten but it is very unusual to see a situation like the Phoenix Suns have with 11 or even 12 guys who the coach feels like he can and should be playing on a regular basis. This was a potential challenge for the Suns going into the season but has only gotten more confusing with the addition of Earl Barron to the starting lineup.