Rockets still got fuel - Suns burning out?

So the Rockets beat the Nuggets to go 15 straight. Maybe those of us who saw Houston falling out of the playoffs were too quick to judge? They exposed the Nuggets as punks, and keep them on the outside looking in.

So I've been thinking that the top teams in the west will be hard to beat, except if a team on the bottom pulls a matchup with the struggling Suns. But is that true for the Rockets? Would big Shaq actually help the Suns beat a Yao-less Rockets if they were to match up? Dikembe vs. Shaq, Shaq wins an old school matchup that would last 10 minutes before they both had to sit down.

That scenario is looking less and less likely though, as the Suns have gone 2-4 since Shaq arrived...and they've already fallen out of the top 4. The chances of them regaining their berth as a top seed are slim to none. With the West so tight, doesn't it suddenly seem possible Phoenix could fall all the way out?