BRILLIANT SHINE: NASH KEEPS SUNS IN SPOTLIGHT.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

Amare Stoudemire arrived at Staples Center on Wednesday wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a gray, corduroy sport coat and a bright green scarf.

Offseason knee surgery has reduced the Phoenix Suns star to a spectator so far this year, but he still provides comic relief for teammates with his wardrobe. At least it passes NBA's dress code.

Still, Stoudemire has a lot to smile about these days despite his injury. His recovery from surgery is going well, and he's now pointing to a March return. If so, he'll have plenty of time to get into shape for the playoffs.

More importantly, the Suns have remained atop the Pacific Division without him. They lead the Pacific Division by two games and are on target for a top-three playoff seed in the Western Conference.

``It would be a lot more frustrating not playing if we weren't winning,'' Stoudemire said Wednesday, munching on some chicken strips after the Suns routed the Clippers.

Stoudemire glanced over to point guard Steve Nash and nodded.

``But the guys are hanging in there doing a great job,'' he said.

Nash, especially.

The reigning league MVP has pushed his way back into contention for another award by keeping the Suns in first place without Stoudemire. Nash ran circles around the Clippers with 20 points and 18 assists and answered every Clippers' run with a key basket or assist.

``It's hard to rest him and it's hard to get him off the court,'' Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. ``I just hope his lungs don't explode before we get back some help in Amare. We can't live without him.''

Nash didn't approach this season any differently than his previous nine, although he says he was motivated by the gloom and doom predictions once Stoudemire was lost to knee surgery just before training camp.

``I think most people didn't think we'd even make the playoffs without Amare,'' Nash said.

It wasn't just the loss of Stoudemire. The Suns also traded away Quentin Richardson and lost valuable forward Joe Johnson to a sign-and-trade deal with Atlanta.

To the Suns credit, they compensated by bringing in Raja Bell (a free agent to replace Richardson) Kurt Thomas, James Jones and Boris Diaw.

And they still have Shawn Marion, who had 30 points and 17 rebounds against the Clippers.

The result is a more complete team and one better suited to Nash's ability to distribute the ball. Bell and Jones are terrific spot-up shooters, Thomas provides interior defense and a nice mid-range game and Diaw is a versatile swingman.

Of course, it helps when the point guard is the best in the league.

``We've done a pretty good job of surrounding (Nash) with players who can accentuate what he does, especially when Amare comes back'' D'Antoni said. ``We've made it so it's almost impossible for other teams to guard us when you've got Amare rolling to the basket and shooters spotting up. And Steve reads that probably the best in the game right now.''

The life of Riley: Pat Riley's return to the sideline wasn't a surprise to NBA observers familiar with his competitive fire.

Riley took over for Stan Van Gundy last month in Miami, but already is dropping hints he might return to his president's office at the end of the season.

He told some old friends in L.A. this week that this turn on the sideline is quite a bit different from his glory run with the Lakers through the 1980s, when he guided the Showtime Lakers to four championships.

Riley still gets a kick out of games and running a practice, but the hours getting ready seem to already be wearing on him.

``It's that feeling to prepare, the pressure to prepare every single night with all the volumes of information we have and all the tapes we have to watch,'' Riley said. ``That gets tedious.''

Just don't expect Riley to cut any corners.

``If you don't do it, then you have that feeling that you may have cost your team a game some night because you didn't do it,'' Riley said. ``You can do all of it and still blow the game as a coach with a bad call or a bad decision. But at least you know you've covered all your bases.''

--Misguided suspension: Antonio Davis has Ron Artest to thank for the five-game suspension he got for going into the stands to aid his wife in Chicago on Wednesday.

Artest, if you remember, rushed into the stands in Detroit last year after a fan doused him with beer, starting a wild melee that resulted in major suspensions for three Indiana Pacers and a hard-line stance by the league when it comes to players venturing into the stands.

The league is 100-percent correct in trying to stop players from going after paying customers, but the Davis suspension seems a bit excessive, considering he was protecting his wife and that he peacefully went into the stands to step between her and a fan.

The league had to do something, but maybe a fine and/or community service was more in line for a guy protecting a loved one.

--Let's just move on: Kobe Bryant is relieved the beef between him and Shaquille O'Neal was put to rest when O'Neal reached out to Bryant before the Lakers played the Heat on Monday.

It's the first time O'Neal has publicly acknowledged his former teammate since leaving Los Angeles for Miami in the summer of 2004.

Bryant just hopes everyone else moves on, too.

``I swear to you I think it's a much bigger deal to you guys,'' Bryant told reporters Wednesday. I didn't have anybody calling me about saying `wow that was great.' It's really not that big a deal.''

--The world view: Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said he won't stand in Ronny Turiaf's way if he's selected to play for France in the 2006 World Championships this summer in Japan.

``We encourage our players to play during the offseason,'' Kupchak said.

If Turiaf plays, he'll likely be reunited with former French national teammates Tony Parker (San Antonio), Mickael Pietrus (Golden State) and Boris Diaw (Phoenix) as part of one of the more intriguing teams in the tournament.

The foursome have played together in previous international competitions, with Parker and Turiaf capturing the 2000 Under-18 European Championship.

Incidentally, France opens the 2006 World Championships against Argentina, pitting Parker and San Antonio teammate Manu Ginobili against one another in the first round of pool play.

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH RAJA BELL

Nothing ever comes easy for Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell when it comes to his NBA career. Undrafted out of Florida International in 1999, Bell played in Spain, Sioux Falls of the International Basketball League and Yakama (Wash.) of the CBA before catching on with Philadelphia in April 2001. A defensive stopper with an impressive jump shot, he has played with Dallas and Utah since then. Bell finally hit the big time, signing with the Suns last summer to a five-year, $24 million dollar contract. He is averaging 13 points and shooting close to 40 percent on 3-pointers. He sat down this week to answer five pertinent questions.

Q: What was your first car?

A: A 1993 Buick Regal. I was 17 years old.

Q: Did you buy it yourself?

A: My pops bought for me, and it cost him quite a stack - $1,000. He was sick and tired of me always asking him to use his car, so he was all for getting it for me. I kept it through high school.

Q: What's the first TV show you latched on to?

A: ``The Cosby Show.'' It was family thing in my house. Everybody got together to watch it so I just sort of grew up with it.

Q: What was the first movie that did it for you?

A: I gotta go with ``What About Bob.'' I'm a huge Bill Murray fan and we went to see it on a field trip when I was in the seventh grade. It was just hilarious to me. It was probably the first really good movie experience I ever had. I was falling out laughing.

Q: You're stranded on a desert island and you have three people to hang with. Who would they be?

A: Wow, just three? That's tough. My wife, definitely. Man I also have my mom and dad and sister, so it's tough. I'll go with my sister second. And for my third, hmmmmmm, let me go with Halle Berry. I've heard she's a great conversationalist.

- Vincent Bonsignore

CAPTION(S):

photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

no caption (Raja Bell)

Getty Images

Box:

(1) OFF THE GLASS

- Vincent Bonsignore

(2) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Ross Siler

(3) FIVE QUESTIONS WITH RAJA BELL (see text)