This man is Pat Burke. Though he looks slightly ghoulish – sort of like an evil character in a superhero movie – he is in fact a Phoenix Suns reserve frontcourt player about to be thrust into the national spotlight. With Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw suspended for tonight’s game five, Burke is probably going to be called upon to play 20-30 minutes against Tim Duncan. In the half a dozen years he spent in Greek and Spanish leagues after graduating Auburn, he surely never faced a situation like this.

Total 2007 playoff minutes: four.
Total double-digit scoring games this season: one.

Or you can look at Burke this way: he’s going in to play the rabble-rousing role – a John Chaney-hired goon entering the game with sole purpose of pissing off Tim Duncan and perhaps goading him into doing something silly or foolish. According to sources, Burke was on the phone last night with Ron Artest polishing his trash-talk game.

Suns fans are remaining hopeful and optimistic, but that’s the fanboy in them speaking. The Suns legitimately have about a 10 percent chance of winning this game, and that’s only because they’re playing at home. They’ll need a Golden State Warriors-like shooting performance, because Phoenix won’t be getting any points in the paint.

How’s this for irony: the Suns complain about the Spurs playing dirty, and how they’re overly physical, yet when San Antonio actually does something legitimately sinister, it’s Phoenix who gets the brunt of the punishment.

Suns must turn to bench (Arizona Republic)
Suns Are Crying Foul in Wake of Suspensions (NY Times)