Suns just need a home split

I don't disagree with that. But to make a post like Dream did after this game, in which Manu hardly flopped at all, along with making 2 huge baskets with a minute to play, is a bit much. Also, it's not like Manu is throwing up runners and getting bailed out in crunchtime like we saw from Dirk. Unlike Dirk, he can actually create, and make, shots for himself. Sure, sometimes he draws some annoying offensive fouls by falling down when someone swings an elbow at him, but he gets fouled hard as much as anybody in the league. Fortson was fouling him with closed fists in the Sonics series and he hardly batted an eye.

I love his game, and until Manu starts punching people in the kidneys or bearhugging defenders in crucial games without getting called, then he won't be in Malone and Stockton's class as far as dirty play and flopping.

 

Suns Suck

 

This just proves defense still wins championships-- the Finals will probably be San Antonio vs Detroit.

All the prissy all-offense/ no defense teams like the Suns, and the Mavs can only go so far...

 

It may not be the most exciting (like Suns/Mavs), and it may not bring up the NBA ratings...but it'll be damn good basketball. As a true basketball fan you have to appreciate the level of intesnity these teams play at, especially defensively, and their poise on the court. San Antonio vs Detroit will be a dogfigt...Pheonix vs Detroit would be over in five.

 

Ginobili's already in the Stockton/Malone tier of flopping. He's not dirty like those guys, but flopping is a pathetic disgrace to the sport of basketball and guys like Ginobili advance it and game the system to gain unfair advantages. It's weak and he's a master.

Ginobili did have a couple of flops in tonight's game and obviously he's earned that reputation for a reason. I'm sure you can pick out individual games from the 90's where Stockton and Malone didn't flop 20 times, but that doesn't mean on balance they weren't egregious floppers.

How bout that play where Ginobili swung his off arm and clocked Jim Jackson in the face, then Jackson hit him and Manu acts like he's been shot. That play exemplified what Ginobili is all about. You breathe on him and his head snaps back like he's been a head-on car collision. Jackson took the same type of contact inititated by Manu and didn't have the gyrations to overexaggerate and draw attention.

On the play the Spurs were up 3 with 37 secs left he also had a blatant and critical flop when Marion handchecked him (I guess only Bowen can get away with that). Manu again snapped back like he'd been shot. It's just lame, sorryass basketball and I agree with the previous poster: Stockton and Malone were unbelievable basketball players but many will only remember them as floppers. Ginobili's in the same boat. His flopping is not restricted to the offensive end; he takes dives routinely defensively to draw charges when there's no contact but he sells it to the ref. He does this consistently.

Also, the reason he gets fouled hard is that everyone gets sick of his antics. I remember after Hakeem's religiously inspired reform, he never got into skirmishes with anyone but I remember a few times when Stockton was setting those vintage moving picks of his Hakeem would just deck him; ditto for Barkley in the 97 WCF. If you want to make a career of flopping, then learn to live without respect from other players and coaches.

 

Emphasizing contact is a part of the game. Kobe drives hard, jumps into the defender, throws the ball up and yells 'Hey!' in order to get to the line. Tonight, Q locked arms with Duncan, got the rebound, and promptly fell to the floor to get Duncan his crucial third foul. Both Amare and Duncan get their shots blocked and still get free throws inexplicably.

Manu got hit in the face, and ensured that the refs saw it. On the handcheck foul, would you rather him fall down and absolutely force the ref to call it, which has become a common practice with many other players?

As far as respect, I'm sure any coach in the league would love to have the guy, especially at only 7 million per year for 6 or 7 years. And Manu obviously doesn't care about hard fouls because thats just more freethrows for him.

 

i agree with keepkenny, players like manu, josh howard, bruce bowen are players that do all the little things one would like them if they were on your team but hate them while they were not.
If Manu was available for the rockets to sign, will you sign him? Hell yes!!!
Honestly i dont hate players who flop but for sure i hate players that are dirty (like Malone, Bruce Bowen etc.) and cocky (like Q and Amare)

 

yes, only to the western conference finals before they meet a more talented team. boy, that style just won't work.

 

yeah, and flopping isn't. don't even try to lump manu in with everyone else as just "emphasizing contact." that's ridiculous. somehow i don't think there's a league wide conspiracy to get him labeled as a flopper even though he just does what everyone else does. even the announcers make repeated mentions of it. he flops, plain and simple. doesn't mean he's not really really good outside of that, but he flops and it's hard for a lot of fans to respect anyone who plays like a b**** like that.

 

Its not a coincidence that the teams who play better DEFENSE are the ones winning championships....who cares if they get to the WC Finals if that's as far as they get.

Mavs are already gone fishin' , and the Suns will be joining them soon

 

Ugh. This really sucks. I couldn't get too mad because Horry, our former Rocket hero, was making some big shots and I really do like Duncan's game. But damn does the rest of their team blow...

 

Manu is the MVP on the Spurs team so far against the Suns. He made and created shots for his teammates including TD.

Nash deserved the MVP trophy. Suns won't be half as good without him.

Amare owned TD with the help of Nash.

If Suns had a healthy JJ, they would at least have won one game.

 

I guess you've never heard the saying that goes something like.

"Offense wins games but defense wins championships"

seems to have held true over the last few years at least.

 

Flopping is like banging a supermodel...you only get mad when somebody ELSE is doing it...

Most Rockets fans would wet their pants if McGrady and Yao learned how to flop on par with Ginobili or Stockton and drew 3 charge calls per night...

 

Go Eastern Conference!

 

I'm not claiming that Manu doesn't flop. After reading Dream Sequence's post and (probably incorrectly) interpreting it to mean that he had lost respect for Manu because of that game, I thought that was wrong, and responded. He flops, but I guess I have just become desensitized to it over the years. Like A-Train noted, no one was complaining when Mo was flopping and taking all kinds of questionable charges last year.

 

"Don't hate the playas, hate the game."

All players try to do are to win games, and they will always maximize all the advantages the current NBA rules can give them.

 

I'm surprised you guys are blaming the floppers. They are just playing the game. It's the refs that make those stupid calls, giving people like Dirt the free throws for basically doing nothing.