That’s right, folks. The Nuggets attempted 47 freebies last night. The Suns? Just 26.

Denver made it a point throughout the game to penetrate and get shots from the paint so a high free throw count isn’t all that surprising, but a difference of 21 is pretty staggering.

Look no further than Iverson and Carmelo. Iverson threw himself into defenders all night and was rewarded with 6 trips to the line. Carmelo is bigger, stronger, faster, etc and used it to his advantage, taking 19 total free throws.

Again, part of the discrepancy in attempts was Denver’s plan of getting into the lane and not settling for the outside jumper, but it had at least a little to do with the officials losing control of this game at times.

The ridiculous number of technical fouls called is exhibit A. Anytime players get T’d up 6 different times, you know the officials have let things get away from them.

Yes, it was a physical game but for the most part Denver was the team exerting themselves and instigating physical contact both necessary and over the line. Instead of Carmelo Anthony getting a technical for elbowing, pushing, shoving and bumping every Suns player assigned to guard him at one point or another, Raja and Giricek were both slapped with technicals.

Now, having said all that, the Suns have to do a better job of keeping their heads on straight and just playing the game. It was clear home-cooking was adding to the challenge of beating the Nuggets, but showing up the refs, no matter how poor of a job they’re doing, does nothing to help the cause of getting the victory.

Furthermore, to quote Vincent Vega, Raja Bell should’ve fuckin’ known fuckin’ better. If you’re going to elbow someone to send a message, do it when fighting for a rebound so you can really stick it to him. If you’re dumb enough to do it right in front of an official who seemingly already has it out for you, don’t stare at him and laugh maniacally. That’s just plain stupid and hurts your team.

Enough whining for one day. When it comes down to it, the Suns missed a couple of big shots down the stretch, missed a ton of the free throws they actually attempted, and Marcus Camby nailed an 18-footer.

Other thoughts on the game:

-I would have liked to see DJ get a shot at Iverson, even for just a couple of minutes. You know the kid would make him work for every (carried) dribble.

The strange thing is, and I’m probably nuts for saying this, Nash does a halfway decent job of staying in front of Iverson.

-Boris ended up just 4-14 but it’s good to see him shoot without hesitation. Keep chucking, Boris. And for God’s sake, dunk those putbacks.

-Najera hit two wide-open threes last night. Say, is that paint thinner in your garage? Mind if I take a pull or two?

-LB logged a whopping 40 minutes last night and looked good throughout. His turnovers when Nash was on the bench were kept to a minimum and he was once again a scoring machine. Last night, the LB we all know and love was on display. There aren’t many players in the league more fun to watch when he’s on.

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