The Barkley Curse; Phoenix Suns Lose 17 in a Row on TNT

by Courtside Post Staff Writer

Charles Barkley is always brutally honest when analyzing the 7 seconds or less style that the Phoenix Suns play.  He believes that their lackadaisical defensive style gives them no chance when going up against the Lakers and the Spurs come playoff time.  Almost always, he is right about the Suns.  But does Barkley, a Scottsdale resident, have a curse over Phoenix when they play on TNT?

The Phoenix Suns have lost 17 Games in a row on TNT.

This past Thursday night (December 17) the Phoenix Suns lost to the Trail Blazers in Portland.  The Suns were up by 11 entering the fourth quarter, and up 83-70 after Jared Dudley made a shot to open up the final quarter.  Midway through the fourth quarter, the blazers made it close, but Dudley hit another tough jumper to put them up by six, and most people watching the game thought that Phoenix would probably hold off the young Blazers.  So much for that. Portland immediately went on a 10-0 run and wound up winning 105-102.   The most unusual statistic  however, was when the Ernie Johnson lead off the post game show - Inside the NBA- by saying that Suns have lost 17 straight games on TNT.  Let me repeat that.  The Suns have lost 17 straight on TNT!

How can this bizarre losing streak possibly be explained? According to Suns GM Steve Kerr “It’s bizarre,” Kerr said. “What are the chances of losing 16 in a row? I know the competition’s tougher but it’s not like we don’t beat good teams on ESPN. There’s no explanation. “Let’s pin it on Charles (Barkley). He brings that negative vibe all the time.”

As mentioned before, it is no secret that Charles Barkley- a co-host of Inside the NBA on TNT and former MVP winner with Suns – is very critical of  their style of play and how they have virtually no chance of winning a title playing the Seven Seconds or Less offense.  According to Kenny Smith, Barkley’s partner in crime on the show, “That’s the funniest, most interesting fact I’ve heard,” Smith said. “We get a lot of flack, especially Charles, about badgering the Suns. Now, I understand why people would think that because we’re always seeing them lose.”

During the losing streak, the Suns are an amazing 73-39 (.658 %) in all other games not on the network.

Most of the games on TNT haven’t been close, with the Suns losing by an average of more than 11 points per game. They had two close calls during the streak including a game last January against the Nuggets when Grant Hill was tripped in the game’s final moments with no fouls called, and in one of the team’s preseason games where rookie Earl Clark missed a 3 point attempt at the buzzer. Most of the losses have been downright ugly with 3 of the losses coming at the hands of the Lakers (losses by 26, 19, and 13 points) and one game last season where they allowed Portland’s Brandon Roy to score 52 points.

Only four Suns remain from the start of the streak – Nash, Hill, Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa feels the TNT curse most, averaging 8.0 points and shooting 32.8 percent in those games. The streak started in the 2008 playoffs when Hill battled a sports hernia. The first loss came when they blew a 14-point lead to San Antonio by not scoring for the first six minutes of the second half in the series’ Game 2.