Suns Provide Some Very Timely Answers

The media session with Suns Coach Mike D’Antoni had reached a lull.

Steve Nash’s shooting slump had been covered. Eddie House’s shrinking role had been talked about. Even the health of forward Kurt Thomas, sidelined since February, had been discussed during the generous 30 or so minutes D’Antoni grants reporters before games.

A Phoenix reporter looked up from the sofa in D’Antoni’s office. “We’re running out of questions,” he said.

Said D’Antoni: “I’m running out of answers.”

The aftermath of Game 4 had left the Suns in that mode for two days, and then came Game 5.

Finally, some answers.

Shawn Marion was as active as ever, scoring with ease, rebounding with abandon and even returning to make a key basket after tweaking his ankle with 3:11 left in the second overtime.

Raja Bell again proved to be more than a defensive stopper, scoring 22 points and sinking a game-saving three-point basket from the corner with 1.1 seconds left in the first overtime.

Nash still wasn’t quite himself, committing more turnovers than usual (five) and enduring another poor shooting night, but the Suns were the ones that could exhale after their 125-118 double overtime victory Tuesday.

Marion was the key in a milieu that hasn’t always been kind to him -- the playoffs.

He was criticized for his poor showing in last season’s Western Conference finals and was again critiqued this season for poor play early in the first round against the Lakers.

On Tuesday, he had 36 points and 20 rebounds, and returned only 48 seconds after coming down awkwardly on Cuttino Mobley’s foot in the second overtime.

He then converted a feed from Nash with 1:05 left in the second overtime, making a seven-footer and pushing the Suns toward a slightly more comfortable 121-118 cushion.

“There’s nobody like him,” D’Antoni said. “Underappreciated? Over-appreciated? I don’t know. He’s in a different category by himself. To come back on a gimpy ankle and just gut it out ... there’s probably no one else like him.”

At the very least, it ended a worrisome two days for the Suns.

Before the game, D’Antoni debunked a report that the Suns would be accepting trade offers for Marion during the off-season.

“That’s nuts,” he said.

D’Antoni also defended Nash defense beforehand, playing down media observations of Nash’s slump.

“I think it’s a little overblown,” D’Antoni said. “It’s not always easy to shoot 60%, 70% when you’re getting double-teamed.”

At the same time, D’Antoni said he hoped Nash would “be more aggressive tonight.”

Nash tried to prove that talk of tired legs and a balky back was premature. He was only partly successful.

He changed hands on a nimble layup with 5:34 left in the second quarter. He spun around Vladimir Radmanovic for an off-balance layup with 5:31 left in regulation.

But with 54 seconds left in the first overtime, he threw the ball away. He atoned by making a layup with 31.5 seconds left but then committed another turnover, throwing a poor pass at Marion’s feet with 3.6 seconds left in the overtime.

Nash had 17 points on seven-for-17 shooting. He had 13 assists and missed all five of his three-point attempts. He has not scored from behind the arc since the series opener, missing all 13 of his shots from long range.

The Suns did, however, get a boost from Tim Thomas, who regained his shooting touch and had 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting before fouling out in the first overtime.

Thomas, who missed seven consecutive three-point attempts in Game 4, made five of eight from long range in Game 5.