2008's First Truly Dominating Performance Is Amare's: LeBron, Parker Answer

How many games have the Suns won over the past few years when Steve Nash scores seven points while only dishing out only five assists, while turning the ball over three times? Not many.

But when Amare Stoudemire had a monster game, even by his standards, it didn't matter.

There have been some good stats put up by several NBA players already this young season. For examples, Dwight Howard (in consecutive games) had these box score fillers: 29 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks on Nov. 1, and 22-15-5 on Nov. 3.

But no one had come close to Amare's astonishing line from last night's game against the Indiana Pacers (a 113-103 win):

49 Points (game and season-high: 17/21 FG, 15/15 FT)

A scoring error took away a dunk that had previously been credited to Amare, taking away what would have been a career-high in points (which currently still stands at 50), as well as confusing everyone who followed the game and then watched SportsCenter.

11 Rebounds (game-high)

Six Assists (game-high, tied with Nash)

Five Steals (game-high, as many as entire Pacers starting lineup combined)

Two Blocks (Pacers team had three total)

Stoudemire eclipsed the combined point totals of Indiana's two leading scorers combined (Danny Granger and T.J. Ford each had 23), as the Suns erased an eleven-point deficit after the first quarter.

With the dramatic decline of the Warriors, the Suns look to be the only significant challenge to the Lakers in the Pacific this year.  If Phoenix wants to maximize its results with an aging but still-effective Steve Nash, Amare will once again be key in battles with West's big men.

While Amare was single-handedly destroying the Pacer's defense, Dwyane Wade was starting work on a 29-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, five-steal, three-block performance.

Wade's stats were especially impressive, considering the fact that he played only 34 minutes in the 23-point win over Philadelphia. By comparison, Amare played 44 minutes.

Could LeBron sit back and watch Amare and DWade steal the spotlight? Of course not.

Despite not recording a double-double, James dominated the Bulls with 41 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in 36 minutes.

Next it was Chris Paul's turn. Just another game from Paul: 22 points and 11 dishes, with five rebounds and three steals thrown in. It would've likely been the performance of the night on some occasions—but not last night.

In Milwaukee, new Buck Richard Jefferson had his best night since he was acquired, amassing 32 points as well as an impressive nine assists.

Richard, however, was not even the best Jefferson playing on Wendnesday. Al willed the T-Wolves to overtime with the Spurs with 30 points and 14 rebounds, as well as two blocks.

Why did the Wolves lose the game, then, against a Spurs team enduring one of its worst post-Duncan starts?

Tony Parker's 10 assists, seven rebounds, and 55 points might have helped San Antonio get its first win of the season.

Yes, they were playing the T-Wolves—albeit on the road.  Yes, the game went into double-OT. Yes, even Roger Mason torched Minnesota's defense (9-16 shooting, 26 points off the bench).

But you can't argue with a near triple-double to go with all those points.

There were some other excellent individual efforts on Wednesday:

Kevin Martin's second 30-point scoring binge in two games.

Tim Duncan's 30 points and 16 rebounds, which were overshadowed by Parker's attention-grabbing stats.

Andrew Bynum's 17 rebounds and four blocks in his first 30-minute game this season.

But there is no doubt that Amare, LeBron, and Tony Parker stole the show, giving an early-season slate of games a late-season flavor.