thirty-five and eight

16 straight! New Suns record created last night as the Suns took on the Bucks and won again. The Suns did not play great ball, but they pulled out the win by 8 points after letting the Bucks get within 3 points in the last two minutes. Raja Bell had 27 points, Marion had 23 rebounds, and Nash hit a key 2-pointer near the end of the game to spread the lead a little with less than two minutes. Bell hit a 3 to put the Suns up by 6 and take the gusto out of the Bucks. The Suns won, 98 - 90. Marion had a double-double (11 points, 23 rebounds), as well as Nash (18 points, 16 assists). Stat was only one rebound away from a double-double himself (21 points, 9 rebounds). The Suns will go on to win number 17 as they take on the Cavaliers (25 - 18) in Cleveland on Sunday at 11am on ABC. Go national coverage. GO SUNS!

no suns voted starters

2007 EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS STARTERS

NO., PLAYER (TEAM), POS., HT., WT., BIRTHDATE, FROM
0 Gilbert Arenas (Washington), G, 6-4, 210, 01/06/82, Arizona
4, Chris Bosh (Toronto), F, 6-10, 235, 03/24/84, Georgia Tech
23, LeBron James (Cleveland), F, 6-8, 245, 12/30/85, St. Vincent/St. Mary HS
32, Shaquille O'Neal (Miami), C, 7-1, 325, 03/06/72, LSU
3, *Dwyane Wade (Miami), G, 6-4, 212, 01/17/82, Marquette

2007 WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS STARTERS

NO., PLAYER (TEAM), POS., HT., WT., BIRTHDATE, FROM
24, Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), G, 6-6, 220, 08/23/78, Lower Merion HS
21, Tim Duncan (San Antonio), F, 7-0, 260, 04/25/76, Wake Forest
21, Kevin Garnett (Minnesota), F, 6-11, 220, 05/19/76, Farragut Academy (HS)
1, Tracy McGrady (Houston), G, 6-8, 210, 05/24/79, Mt. Zion Academy (HS)
11, Yao Ming (Houston), C, 7-6, 310, 09/12/80, China
Head Coach: Mike D'Antoni (Phoenix)

Original NBA source: 2006 NBA All-Star Rosters

It was hard to believe that no Suns got voted in. With the way the Suns are playing and how much production individual players have accomplished, I do not understand why Shawn Marion or, more interestingly, Steve Nash did not make the starting West roster. I believe that Yao Ming is injured and, therefore, can't start, so Stat will take his place as a starter, but that won't be announced until next week.

janitor

There's the incredible man that works at Deer Valley. He is the janitor who takes care of the 100 hall. He's always friendly, and we seem to get along great. We don't even know each other's names. Point-in-case: I was leaving one day (since I walk home, I leave through the 100 hall on my way) and I simply said to him, "You're a beautiful man, you know." He came right back and said, "When I look at you, it's like looking in a mirror"! It was hilarious. The man is funny, what can I say. He's got such a wit. It is a pleasure to serve at the same school that he does.

nba west all-star predictions

WEST STARTERS
G - Kobe Bryant, Lakers
G - Steve Nash, Suns (WOOHOO!)
C - Amare Stoudemire, Suns (WOOHOO!)
F - Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs
F - Josh Howard, Mavs

WEST RESERVES
F - Shawn Marion, Suns (WOOHOO!)
F - Carlos Boozer, Jazz
F/C - Tim Duncan, Spurs
F - Kevin Garnett, Wolves
G - Tracy McGrady, Rockets
C - Yao Ming, Rockets
G - Allen Iverson, Nuggets

Original ESPN post: Arenas edges Carter for starting nod; LeBron is top pick.

dallas mavericks #2

Snapping an 8-game winning streak, the Bulls (25 - 19) beat the Mavericks (35 - 9) last night, 96 - 85. Because of this loss, the Suns are now ranked number 1 in the NBA! The Suns will take on the Bucks tonight, and if we win we will keep that ranking, at least for the next couple days. We'll see what happens. GO SUNS!

record wins

The Suns became the fifth team in NBA history to record two separate 15-game winning streaks in the same season, joining the 1999-2000 Lakers, 1996-97 Jazz, 1970-71 Bucks and 1946-47 Washington Capitals. Not included is the record 33-game winning streak notched by the 1971-72 Lakers.

Link to the original NBA post: Suns Win 15th Straight for Second Time This Season.

The Suns are the first team in NBA history to have two separate win streaks of at least 14 games before the All-Star break. Only two other teams had multiple 13-game win streaks before the break.

Link to the original ESPN post: Suns top Knicks for 15th straight win.

thirty-four and eight

15 games again! The Suns didn't blow 'em out for this win, but it was still a solid effort and the Suns pulled out another one. The Suns (34 - 8) took on the New York Knicks (18 - 26) in New York, and the Knicks stayed in it for most of the game. The Knicks were even leading for a good bit of the first half. Stat did some great work tonight, getting 30 points and 11 rebounds. Four other Suns were in double figures scoring, and Shawn Marion (the Matrix) added in his own double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds along with Steve Nash's 22 points and 14 assists. So, five Suns in double figures, and three of them with double-doubles. Not bad. For a little tid-bit of trivia, the only other two teams that have had two 13+ winning streaks before the halfway mark in the season [1991-92 Bulls (14 games, 13 games); 1995-96 Bulls (13 games, 18 games) - won NBA record 72 games] have gone on to win the NBA title that same season. The Suns now look forward to win 16 in a row as they take on the Bucks (17 - 24) in Milwaukee. GO SUNS!

bethany's goodbye

Below is the post that my sister, Bethany, left on her blog about our Great Grandma Mildred Marcetta (Charles) Van Liew. Here is the link to the original post on Beth's blog: Great Grandma Van.

Last week we were informed that my Great Grandmother was very possibly on deaths door. Our family members were encouraged to say their good-byes. Since she is in Phoenix, my good-bye had to be done over the phone. I have never enjoyed talking on the phone about important things, I would much rather be face to face or write it all down. So, Joseph and I prayed and I made the phone call. I told her I loved her and that I was so thankful for the godly heritage she has passed down. That was about all I could get out and I was very disappointed. So I determined to write her a letter, whether or not she lived to receive it, I would feel better about writing all the things about her that were so important to me. This is what I said...

Dearest Grandma Van, I am so very thankful that God chose to give me a great grandmother like you. Mom and I were talking about you the other night and I realized it was you who first introduced me to sharing my faith. When we lived in Grandpa George's old green house down the street from you when I was in fifth grade, I went to Backyard Bible Clubs with you and Mrs. Singer. Thank you for watering that desire in my heart. The desire to see the lost come to know Christ is still very strong in my life and in the life of my husband, Joseph as well. So I really meant it when I said I am thankful for the godly heritage you have given your children and their children and their children, so we can in turn pass it on to our children.

I wanted you to know that Jonathan David has been dedicated to the Lord and we pray first for his salvation and second that he will be a godly man of integrity who does great things for the Lord. Selfishly, I wish that I could introduce you to Jonathan in February, but the better thing is to go to meet the Lord. What a glorious homecoming that will be! A long life, well lived! The Lord God will definitely say to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Your life has produced many ripples, like a rock thrown into water, you may never know how many other lives your 100 years of service have touched, but I am eternally grateful that I am counted among those lives. The godly counsel and wisdom you have gained you never kept to yourself and I thank God, that He prompted you to share it with others.

I love you so very much; I pray that it was evident in my life. Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God (and will continue to for all my days) upon every remembrance of you."

I sent it out the very next day and God has chosen to sustain her life thus far. So I know she will be able to read the words of my heart. I still have mixed feelings wanting to see her and wanting her to go ahead and be with the Lord. I am glad I don't have that decision to make, it is so good to be able to put all our trust in the Lord.

thirty-three and eight

The Suns dominate. That's about all I can say. The team that snapped the last Suns' winning streak of 15 games was the team to be played last night, the Washington (DC) Wizards (24 - 17). The Wizards were looking to be the first team in NBA history to snap three double figure winning streaks in one season. The Wizards snapped the Suns' 15 game winning streak, as well as the Dallas Mavericks' 12 game winning streak earlier in the season. The Wizards had their own streak to worry about losing, though: a 10 game winning streak at home. The Suns came to play, and they did just that. In the first quarter, the Suns score an incredible 41 points. The Suns continued to simply dominate the court (some referred to it as a Suns' shooting clinic) during the second quarter and ended the half with 76 points to the Wizards' 51. The Suns continued the push in the third, lifting the lead to over 30 points for awhile. The Suns had 100 points at the end of the third. The Wizards had gained 6 more points during the third, but they were still down by 19. The Wizards kept trying, even getting the lead down to only 12 points, but the Suns kept fighting and won this battle, 127 - 105. One of the most impressive things about the game was that Stat wasn't even a factor for most of the game, having earned himself too many early fouls. There were six players that scored in double digits, and Nash and Barbosa both earned double-doubles, as well. The Suns are playing superb team basketball. The Suns now have a 14 game winning streak to extend as they move on to play the Knickerbockers (18 - 25) in New York. This will be game 2 in the Suns' five-game road trip. GO SUNS!

new apple products

Now, I am a fan of the Mac, but some of these are pretty funny. I mean, if you can't have a sense of humor about yourself, then how can you about anything else? Some of the originals from the page I got these from were not totally appropriate, so I am not linking to it, just so you know.

thirty-two and eight

The Suns (32 - 8, 2nd in the NBA) had a close game going for the first quarter or so with the depleted Timberwolves (20 - 19), but the Suns then, in the third, got themselves up by over 30 points. The starters didn't come in again as the bench was able to keep the lead at the high 20's or low 30's the rest of the fourth quarter. The Suns won 131 - 102, up by 29 at the end. Nash had a double-double: 11 assists and 16 points. Marion had 20 rebounds and 17 points. Stat lead with 25 points; Barbosa had 20. That makes three games in a row that Barbosa has at least 20 points. The Suns now have a 13 game winning streak which they will extend to 14 games as soon as the play and beat the Washington Wizzards (24 - 16) in DC. The Wizzards were the team that snapped our last winning streak, though, and it might just be a pretty good game. GO SUNS!

bears vs colts

The Colts were down 18 points to the Patriots, but came back to win the AFC 38 - 34 in the last minute. It was a great, close game for the entire second half. Both teams were playing very well, but the Colts (whom I was rooting for) pulled it out. They will now move on to lose to the Bears in SuperBowl XLI in two weeks in Miami. GO BEARS!

da bears

I've been a Bears' fan since I was five. Jason Procknow introduced me to Chicago teams, and I still like the Cubs and Bears. I used to like the Bulls, too, but then I switched to the Suns in the 92-93 season when the Suns and the Bulls played each other in the finals. The Bulls won, but I've been a Suns fan ever since (if you can't tell by my other posts). The Bears beat the New Orleans Saints today at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. The final score was 39 - 14. The Bears are in the Superbowl! This is the first time in a long time that I've even cared about who was in the Superbowl, but this time I totally do. The Bears will either take on the Colts or the Patriots, whomever wins the AFC Championship game that is underway right now, Patriots up 21 - 3. The Superbowl will be played in Miami this year. Superbowl XLI is February 4th, and the Bears will win! GO BEARS!

first B average

My second hour, regular Algebra 1/2 class, had a B average (82%) on the first test of the semester. This is exciting for me. The second semester is at least 2x harder than first, and they needed to take this first, easiest unit seriously so they could up their individual averages to weather the storm of the next two units coming. Nothing but encouragement and a push for them to keep up their commitment to doing well tomorrow. I have a few students that I have concerns about, but I will be seeking them out one on one.