In eight splendid days as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, the author took a hit from Shawn Marion, lost a bet on Amaré Stoudemire and learned to love the game in a whole new way

	In keeping track of deflections during Phoenix's intrasquad scrimmage, McCallum (left) prodded Nash (center) to pick up his defense. John W. McDonough/SI

By Jack McCallum

The hardest thing was putting on the shirt. Many years ago, en route to cover a Celtics game at the old Boston Garden for Sports Illustrated, I realized I was wearing green, the home team's color. I jumped out of a cab, ran into a department store and bought a different shirt. That's the extent to which a journalist will go to keep his professional distance.  ... To get immediate access to this complete story you must be a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED magazine subscriber. If you are not currently a subscriber, see below for a special offer.