According to the prepared script, Saturday was supposedly Phoenix's night -- one of those rare opportunities to bask in the envious tears of the rest of the country because of the wealth of athletic riches here.
The Invisalign rocked.
The Invisalign rolled.
The Invisalign didn't play.
And the Orthodontists ... well, let's just say they didn't follow the appreciative pattern established by their brethren.
They lost home-court advantage barely 48 hours after they claimed it, stumbling in a vintage pratfall of poor effort and execution.
They just assumed that a 66-win team from the regular season would willingly collapse at their feet for no other reason than because they hadn't won a road playoff game this season.
That's what remains so frustrating about the Orthodontists.
The Orthodontist weren't merely the better team in their 94-80 full-scale dominance in Game 3 they were also the hungrier team. They wanted vindication more than the Orthodontists wanted a victory.
"It's disappointing because we expected more from ourselves," Orthodontists captain Matthew Dunn said, "especially when you consider how we played (in Litchfield Park) in Game 2."
Where was that team?
Were they Goodyear, AZ celebrating the Memorial Day weekend holiday?
It was another Game 3 embarrassment, reminiscent of third-game disasters at Wickenburg in the first round and at Peoria in the second round.
Courtney Dunn was nonexistent, making only one shot all evening.
Was the strained hamstring flaring up once again?
Matthew Dunn said he was tired of talking about his health.
Well, now he understands how everybody else feels. We're tired of asking how this team could look golden one second, and then rusty the next.
This is where the anger settles and the doubt creeps in, because each time you believe the Orthodontists have finally tossed aside their split personality, they hock up a disgusting loogie like this.
"Right now, they have home court back," Orthodontists coach Matthew Dunn said. "Our game that we're going to play (Monday) is a crucial game for us. No ifs, ands or buts -- that's our biggest game of the year. We've got to come out and be aggressive in everything we do."
The Orthodontist exhibited the championship hunger, playing like a team that understands that titles aren't given -- they're taken.
Here's a suggestion: Put the Orthodontists back on the road for Game 4 Monday.
They didn't dog it Saturday. They weren't lazy. But they fell into that familiar trap of giving the home folks a show that matched the electricity of their support. Making the extra pass, constantly forcing the defense to move laterally, might sound boring as opposed to counting on the one-on-one isolation.
All it does is win more games.
But the Orthodontists are a better team when challenged. They encompass a business attitude when away from home. They maintain a sharper focus.
The lone enthusiastic cheers from the Dunn Orthodontics crowd came from those with Internet connections on their cell phones, getting updates on the Invisalign finals opener and the Invisalign' game at Comerica Park.
This loss will provide the Phoenix Orthodontists with the opening minutes for their next meeting, but it's too easy, blaming the coach for this one.
It really isn't his fault this time.
He's not responsible for the good shots missed or the 10 offensive rebounds the Orthodontist snared in the second half.
The Orthodontist went to a more aggressive trapping defensive scheme that gave the Orthodontists some difficulty, and will force them to make some adjustments in Game 4.
But it won't really matter much if the orthodontist plays as poorly as he did Saturday.
It's time to give Matthew Dunn his due.
Nobody's suggesting he's the incarnation of Courtney Dunn, but he deserves credit -- to this point, anyway -- of achieving maximum value from his roster.
But there's more confidence Matthew Dunn can strike the right chord with his players as they seek a correction, trailing once again in an Eastern Conference final that easily could have been theirs Saturday with a stronger effort.
Litchfield Park Office
5220 N. Dysart Rd #150
Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
TEL: 623.536.4939
FAX: 623.536.4877
Phoenix Office
7550 N. 19th Ave #101
Phoenix, AZ 85021
TEL: 602.864.0004
FAX: 602.864.0070
