Suns Hope Amare's So-Called 'Gorilla Game' Was His Last

After the Suns' afternoon victory in Toronto on Sunday, Amare Stoudemire was feeling pretty good about himself. And why not? STAT was the game high scorer with 31 points, on 12-of-20 shooting, and even helped out by grabbing six rebounds.

Based on this dominating performance, it's not surprising that Amare would use it as a springboard of sorts to warn the rest of the league of the damage he was ready to inflict in the games to come. STAT said that he was about to get his "gorilla game on," one that was predicated on striking fear into the hearts of his opponents.

I've never heard the term "gorilla game" before, but if it's one used to describe Amare's follow-up performance Monday night against the Celtics, then I'm pretty sure it's not something that Suns' fans ever want to hear about again.

The Suns as a team were a complete no-show against the Celtics, as they fell behind by double digits early and never made so much as a whimper while Boston trounced them from wire to wire. (It was ugly, trust me: I watched the whole thing.) But many of the fingers afterward were pointed at Stoudemire, and rightfully so.

Amare played 30 minutes, and went 0-for-7 from the field, while finishing with just three points, one rebound, four turnovers, and four personal fouls.

Let me say that again: Amare Stoudemire, one of the most athletic players in the game, only grabbed one more rebound than I did in 30 minutes of NBA action.

STAT claimed that he was triple-teamed, and the Celtics game-planned to take him completely out of the Suns' offense. That could explain the lack of scoring I suppose, but one freaking rebound? That's where Amare is drawing the ire of his team's fans.

Rebounding is about effort more than anything else, so if one of the tallest players on the floor ends up with only one, it means he just wasn't that into it on a given night. Which is fine I suppose, especially in a game where his entire team seemed a step behind from the opening tip.

But for a player that has repeatedly expressed his desire to be "the man," and for someone who shamelessly (yet hilariously) promoted his All-Star campaign, the effort against Boston was a huge disappointment. If that's what Amare's "gorilla game" looks like, I think it's something that everyone rooting for the Suns -- and probably his teammates -- would rather do without.