Phoenix travels to San Antonio tonight for the first time since their ouster at the hands of the Spurs in last year’s Western Conference semi’s, and the veteran at the center of the series’ most contentious play is anything but repentant, writes the Express-News’ Jeff “Notes & Chords Mean Nothing To Me” McDonald.

“I’m from the old school,” an unrepentant Horry said Sunday. “When I came into the league, it was no blood, no flagrant foul. That (on Nash) was just a hard foul.”

For many fans nationwide, Horry’s hit on Nash became the enduring snapshot of last year’s playoffs. The foul ” and the fallout ” at once transformed Horry into a black-hatted NBA villain, and nudged the Spurs-Suns rivalry from friendly toward cantankerous.

“Lots of people think lots of different things, depending on who you are rooting for,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “All of us wish there were no suspensions, that’s for sure. It has to have an effect on a team.”

“I’m tired of these people who don’t play basketball saying if (the hit) wouldn’t have happened, the outcome would have been different,” Horry said. “If they were so smart and knew what the outcome was going to be, they’d all be in (Las) Vegas betting and be millionaires.”

Translation: No, Horry is not sorry for his fateful hip check.

The closest he came Sunday to offering a Nash-related mea culpa was this: “Tell Steve I’m sorry I missed his charity event this summer.”

To which Nash replied, tongue firmly in cheek: “Well, now I am mad at him.”