Role Reversal: Up 2-0, Phoenix Suns Simply Better Than San Antonio Spurs

You can sense it from the commentators' tones. You can see it in the Spurs' faces. You can probably feel it whether you're going for Phoenix or San Antonio.

Surprise.

No matter how improved the Suns are, nobody expected them to take a 2-0 lead against their black-and-silver poison.

Suns fans can profess all they want how they knew this year was different. But seriously, did they really think, before the series started, Phoenix would seem so invulnerable to their former kryptonite?

Everything is completely backwards from the way it's always been.

• In Game Two, the Suns were the ones hanging around through the first three quarters, then pulling away in the fourth with execution and defense.
• Jason Richardson has become Manu against the Spurs, who seem unable to find an answer for him.
• Amar'e Stoudemire is turning in quiet double-doubles—quiet because his supporting cast is doing the job. Meanwhile Tim Duncan turned in an impressive and publicly lauded 29 and 10 that wasn't enough.
• The Spurs are the ones getting tired at the end of games, because Phoenix's depth wears them down with hustle and timely plays.
• Phoenix is killing San Antonio on the glass.

Looking over all those points, doesn't it seem totally out of character for this to be happening?

In fact, when you take all that in, all those factors add up to what people would say about the Spurs —the Suns are simply better right now.

Maybe that's why Greg Popovich has been as short with reporters as he's been with his team.

The telling point for this basketball fan was when Pop was asked about the Suns' bench during post-game interviews. He said Channing Frye, when on, made the Suns "very difficult to guard." He mentioned how Jared Dudley's "infectious" play "changed the whole game."

If you watched/listened/read, you could tell Popovich is looking for answers, instead of already having formulated them as the problems arose. That never happens.

That's not to say it won't happen. As TNT's Kenny Smith said Wednesday night, a series doesn't start until a team loses a home game.

Popovich is resourceful, and even if he doesn't come up with an adequate defensive adjustment by Game Three, the home crowd (and lack thereof for Suns like Channing Frye) could be the difference.

Nobody expects the Spurs to drop Game Three and go down 0-3.

But that's the same number of people who expected Phoenix to be up 2-0 in the first place.