Just before halftime ended in the Suns-Mavs game on Sunday night, Dan Majerle stood at halfcourt, with his back to the basket, and heaved a ball over his head. One shot. Nothing but net. It brought down the house. It also completely psyched out the middle-aged fan whose turn it was to shoot from halfcourt to win a new car. He airballed. Then he was booed.

Of course, Suns fans have been practicing that refrain all season. The team is under .500 and out of the playoff picture, which is why, earlier that day, Scott Skiles had been been "forced out or resigned or whatever they call it," said Majerle.

At four o’clock, Skiles assistant Frank Johnson had been introduced at a press conference as Skiles' replacement, voicing a promise to change the team’s attitude. At 6 he was given a standing O when he was announced as the head coach before the game. And by 7 the Suns had blown a 16-point, first-quarter lead, were on the wrong end of a 30-5 Mavericks run, and the fans in the upper deck were begging Johnson to take a T.O. His honeymoon in Phoenix lasted all of three hours.

"It would have been nice to have a couple of days to let it sink in," he said. "Maybe I should have resigned after the first quarter."

Give the Suns credit for having a sense of humor. Or for not caring. Forty-five minutes after Skiles had left the building, Majerle was sitting in Jake Tsakalidis’ lap telling him how funny he is, Shawn Marion mockingly asked Majerle, in a serious reporter tone, "how do you feel?" And Alton Ford sang a song called My Oh My Life Has Changed.

After the Suns lost 105-92, Johnson walked into the media room, let out a deep breath, smiled, and then asked, "How do we start this?" He was talking about his first post-game press conference as head coach. But he might as well have been talking about pumping some life into his team.

Chad Millman is a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine. E-mail chad.x.millman@espnmag.com.