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The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz., Suns Notebook Column: Suns Hoping to Keep Rolling

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Jerry Brown, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Feb. 22--No NBA team is going to turn down a weekend off, but the Suns weren't as happy as most to stop playing last week.

After back-to-back blowouts over Denver and Houston, Phoenix was playing some of its best basketball of the season and can only hope it didn't lose that mojo during the long layoff.

"If you could put your finger on what we were doing, you'd bottle it," Suns guard Steve Nash said. "But I have a feeling we'll keep it going."

The Suns ease back into play with a pair of home games against sub-.500 teams from the Eastern Conference, tonight against Boston and Saturday against Charlotte. Next week, the Suns travel to Houston, a team they annihilated in Phoenix last week, and return home to play Milwaukee and Orlando before a March 5 showdown in Dallas against the Mavericks.

"Our play has felt good for the last 10 games, and I see us getting better and better," Suns coach Mike D"Antoni said. "We had some time off for people to rest bumps and bruises (James Jones' wrist, Leandro Barbosa's thigh) so we're going to take the time off as a positive and try to come back with the same energy and ball movement we had last week."

ANOTHER MRI

Saying he already feels he is 70-75 percent, Amare Stoudemire underwent yet another MRI exam late Tuesday. If, as expected, nothing remarkable is revealed, he will begin one-on-one basketball as soon as today, the first contact drills he's been involved in since his microfracture knee surgery on Oct. 11.

Stoudemire was so confident that he took part in some workouts Tuesday before heading to the examination.

"We're talking about oneon-one, then five-on-five (a full practice) and then it's show time," said Stoudemire, who is believed to be within a month of playing. "I'm not setting any time, right now it's more about making sure I'm healthy and getting over any mental hurdles. I want to play, everyone wants me to play, but we're going to do this the right way."

JONES READY

Wearing a brace on the wrist of his right (shooting) hand, James Jones took part in practice Tuesday and said he'll be ready to play tonight -- "although not at full strength.''

"I guess I'll be about 60 percent. The (All-Star break) came at a perfect time for me because I wouldn't have been able to play on the weekend," said Jones, who missed last Thursday's win over Houston after falling on the wrist just before Wednesday's game in Denver. "When it first happened, I was sure it was broken because I couldn't move it. My whole arm went numb. Since it's my shooting hand, it's probably going to be quite a while before it's 100 percent again."

BONUS SHOTS

Raja Bell was back at practice Tuesday and says the "family illness" that forced him to miss the 3-point shooting contest at the NBA All-Star game was much improved, although he refused to elaborate.

"I had just finished my interview session (Friday in Houston) and was going to throw myself down for a nap when I got a phone call and there was no question what I needed to do," he said. "I was on a plane. . . ."

Tonight is Steve Nash Bobblehead Night, with the first 10,000 fans receiving vouchers they can use to redeem at any The Sports Authority outlet. . . .

The game will also feature the Suns wearing their "throwback jerseys" to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1976 NBA Finals against the Celtics. The game will also feature "retro" music from the 1970s and '80s, including a halftime performance by the dance band Midnight Star. Fans are encouraged to dress accordingly.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Tribune

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