Since I didn't post in the New Year's thread,... To All my fellow Clutchfans, as well as to the Rockets, I wish you all Good fortune happy lucky big time for you and family.
I see a hopefully advantage in the fact that The Sun's played last night and we were resting. Pray for tired legs...
Anyone say Amare, not Nash, be MVP of Suns just don't use, or can't use his/her brain. Amare is Amare, very special, but Nash is Nash, just unique in this league.
The Suns are tough, the score last night was not indicative of how badly the Wolves lost. All the Suns can shoot the ball, I can't remember a team that had so many guys that were capable of knocking down the three, they are so effortless in the offensive flow and have great rhythm on that end. Its going to make it very hard for the Rox to not to have their defense spread. The Suns are also not bad defenders, if you look at all their past scores they really look like a terrible defensive team because so many of their opponents score 100+ points but they're not. They play good defense in spots and a turning point of the game was when the D caused a couple of Wolves turnovers when the game was close. The Rox and Yao have matched up well against teams that don't have a legitimate center, think Toronto and Yao's 40 point performance, he wasn't doubled in that game and got deep post position, hopefully that happens tonight. I think it will be a miracle if the Rox win but the Rox have nothing to lose, nobody expects them to win. Rox 105 Suns 97
5 pages in the game thread prior to the game. A highly anticipated game. Just hope Yao can step up and school Amare.
Unless Nash has the flu a 20 point win is not only unreasonable, that's just fantasy. Yes, back to back games for them , but when a team is as hot as Phoenix that energy makes up for all the jet lag in the world. Yao HAS TOO step up or he will be eaten alive. he key seems to be back court D IMO> i.e. Nash....Can Sura meet the challenge ? I will give bobbie this, since his body seems to be closer to 100% this is guy we traded for and he's a very good fit for the runnin gunnin rockets..lol...T Mac is just sick and it is possible we slip by these guys and the team uses this game as a self esteem booster at just the right time...can we produce in the fast break while b ringing thier score below, say 95 ? Maybe....ther is nothing must win about this...but I sure don't want a blow out
p.s. Isn't great to FINALLY be excited about the Roxs actually ATTEMPTING to match up with an elite team? Seriiously, in no way was the francis/cato/cuttino model gonna ever get this team as far as sura/wesley/Mac/barry additions are going to do. Give them another two months and you may not even recognize this team chemistry and dynamics. Every player in this league has talent, chemistry, now that's a whole different story. I see REAL chemistry happening, and just in the last week.... No more damn skippin around at half court you little fool !
Bitter loss ? A bitter loss is game 6 or 7 of the finals my friend..this is just another game in an endless schedule actually..
I am psyched about tonights game. The Rockets have been showing some strides and they get to face a team that has been rolling. I really hope Yao has a huge game tonight. If we can make it a close game and play well, I will be happy.
A couple of things I noticed from the Minny game last nite that may help the Roxs tonite. Tempo. The Wolves tried in the first have to play at the Suns tempo and they played well but they were still down by 10 at the half. Roxs can’t try to beat the Suns in a shoot out; if they do they will lose. I told my wife the same thing after the first quarter of the game last nite. In the second half, the Wolves slowed the game down and, if you watched the start of the 3rd, had a very good opportunity to get back in the game and even take the lead, however their shots didn’t go down and then the Sun’s shot starting to drop again. Another thing I noticed, was that the Suns allowed the Wolves to get a ton of offensive boards. The Roxs need to take advantage of this and get as many second chance shots as possible. Finally, I think the Roxs need to close out on shooters a lot fast than Minny did last nite. I think the Roxs can totally accomplish this with a strong defensive effort, which we all know they can do. Roxs win! Roxs: 98 Suns: 87 Roxs hold the Suns to under 38% shooting.
Now if the Roxs, get behind by a large amount. JVG needs to put in Reece Gaines and tell him to grab to big handfuls of Steve Nash’s chest hair and just pull as hard as he can. This should get Nash out of the game and let us get back in the game.
It is an ESPN game tonight. I'm pretty sure it will be televised in China. Either Yao punks or get punked live in front of an audience of a billion.
Yao should back off Amare and make him shoot those 15 foot jump shots. Get the ball out of Nash's hands and turn Amare into a jump shooter and cover the 3ball and we win going away. DD
We can win this, its the 2nd of a back 2 back for the Suns. Juwan will get dunked on, but I think Yao and Tmac will go off.
The Suns shots were dropping all night. The problem is, they have 3 great shooters (Nash, JJ, Marion) and 2 good shooters (Q, Amare) on the court at the same time. These guys can consistently knock down open jumpers......
Deke KOs Amare with his right elbow and Nash with his left. Rox win! OK maybe not but should be a good game to watch and see how we do against someone not in the lottery.
There was a good 3 minute stretch that neither team scored at the start of the 3rd, now if Minny had hit a couple of shot they would have made up ground on that 10pt lead and change the game going forward. They didn't capitalize on that got down by 20pt. That's my point, you need to take advantage of every opportunity the Suns give you.
Amare Stoudamire is going to get jungle karma. Yao better call into the Jim Rome show or else Yao's going to be on a dunk poster tonight.
