"As The Heat Index was settling in for Game 3 of the NBA's Western Conference finals to see if the Suns could overcome the Los Angeles Lakers, it got us thinking about another local sports

story about climbing back from the dead.

And it's happening near US Airways Center, right around the corner at Chase Field.

Remember the colossal fall of Chris Young a year ago?

The Diamondbacks center fielder hit such a low point last season - a year after signing a five-year, $28 million contract extension - that he was booed lustily by the Chase Field crowd nearly every time he came to the plate.

The heckling got even louder every time he sulked while returning to the dugout without a hit.

General Manager Josh Byrnes and manager A.J. Hinch stuck with him, though, continuing to let Young try to fight his way out of the slump. It didn't happen, and on Aug. 10, saddled with a .194 batting average, he was demoted to Triple-A Reno.

It got so bad that Young had to wonder if the Diamondbacks would just cut bait and turn him loose, as they have done with so many other players before him.

But he was only 25 and just two years removed from becoming the first major-league rookie with 30 home runs and 25 steals in a season.

Still, he was written off and labeled a major bust.

"The whole season was pretty low," Young said. "Nobody likes struggling, especially me. I'm a competitor, so if you're not getting it done, you're taking it personally. You want to go out there and you want to help your team and when you aren't doing your part it sucks.

"It's not fun at all. The more you want to work to get out of it, it seems like the more you struggle, so I had to find a way to sit back and relax and not put so much pressure on myself and just go out and play the game that I know."

Look at him now.

The Diamondbacks still are struggling to rebound from a poor start to the season, but Young has been one of their more-productive players.

Not only is he playing stellar defense, he is batting .298, and leads the team with 48 hits. And after driving in two runs in Sunday's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, he is tied for the club lead with 36 RBIs."