The toughest post to post.

There was the "weird science" from Nellie. There was the mysterious absence of bearditude down the stretch. There was Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni's steadfast refusal to show any quarter, riding Nasty Nash and the starters for extended minutes. And in the end, there was the eighth defeat in nine tries for the Dubs in the Valley of the Sun. The crucial difference being that this one ended their quest for the eighth seed and a playoff birth.