The Blazers did their best Suns impression – complete with a 129 point performance – easily heeding the words head coach Nate McMillan shared with the team prior to tipoff.

"I told the guys before the game that we were either going to play our way into the playoffs or our way out," McMillan said.

"And I thought they responded to show that they were ready to take control."

On a night when LaMarcus Aldridge turned in a season-high 29 points and Rudy Fernandez shot his way into a career-best five three pointers, the Suns simply showed their age. They are now 0-10 on TNT this season. Actually, 0-11 if you count the preseason. The old legs couldn't keep up, leaving Phoenix no other choice but to applaud a young Blazers team on the rise towards the postseason.

"I like their team a lot," Suns point guard Steve Nash admitted. "They've got youth, depth, a lot of big guys and obviously they have Brandon (Roy, who is especially tough."

Even Shaq couldn't help but be impressed.

"The good thing about this team is they are young and can grow together."

However, minutes earlier, Shaq shot straight from the cuff. Always good for a great quote, Shaq commented about his exchange with Blazers center Joel Przybilla – with both drawing double-technical fouls in the second quarter after Przybilla confronted Shaq about throwing a ball in his face during a foul call- and of course, Greg Oden:

"No," Shaq said when asked if he could share about his conversation with Przybilla that landed them both T's.

"He said I threw the ball at him and I said, yeah. That's what I did. So what? Do something about it. I'm not much of a talker."

When asked if he could receive a fine for admitting he "threw the ball" at Przybilla, Shaq quickly corrected himself.

"I didn't throw it. I dropped it. Hey, it doesn't matter to me - whatever they do. It's been done before. You move on. I just dropped it. He was in the way. If he wouldn't have flopped and been on the floor, he wouldn't have been down there."

You don't like the floppers do you, asked one reporter.

"No. It just shows you are giving in. The referees are probably going to go for that every time. You've got to now (flop). It's the only way you can stop a person. It's kind of crazy the refs go for that."

So what did Shaq think of Oden?

"I don't. I'm a Shogun. You can't ask me about a low level ninja. I still have to worry about Yao Ming, Dwight Howard."

Hard to beat a good Shaq quote.

Even after a loss in Portland's dojo. Shudder to think what the big fella would have come up had Phoenix won their seventh-straight. Instead, it's back to the fountain of youth with a prayer to stay alive out West.

Yet a good hour before Portland hosted Phoenix – on national television nonetheless – there was the big fella yucking it up with Brandon Roy, as Roy was received some fine tuning before perhaps one of the Blazers most important games in their remaining contests at the Rose Garden.

Either way, this game won't disappoint, especially with the way Phoenix –winners of six-straight – is playing and the Blazers trying to bounce back from a tough loss to Philadelphia.

Portland is busy trying to stay healthy. Nicolas Batum (shoulder/ankle) will start tonight minus being a bit gimpy, while Travis Outlaw will wear a splint to protect the right pinky finger he dislocated against the Sixers on Monday.

Aside from the Suns fighting for the final playoff spot out West, expect to see Shaq pull out the stops during pregame introductions.

Sounds like a little running rivalry with Cleveland's LeBron James – trying to outclass on well rehearsed intros.

The mantra from Shaq: "We're not gonna let LeBron win this one."