2006 Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Suns

yeah, apparently making it to the wcf in back to back years really shows the downside of the system. they lost amare, his replacement thomas, and now bell. and they're still barely losing to the mavs, a team who has much more talent on paper. granted, the suns offensive talent is better than people think and they barely beat two inferior teams and a lot of the team has been playing well above their heads to get here, but there style has had them in control of almost every game in these playoffs. even the games they lose it seems like they're just one 3 here or there from breaking through and winning it and the pressure is constantly on the other team to stop them. their style affects every part of the games they play in. i'd say their style has done them a world of good in even getting to this point.

 

Yea... but their "style" doesn't stay that effective if they don't have Nash. He's the one guy they can't just "replace", and get similiar results (at least not over 82 games + playoffs).

Also, much like Sacramento in the early 00's, Phoenix's window won't last much longer once Nash's best days do eventually go beyond him. Also, Amare will be expected to be the same player he was before the injury... and that's assuming a lot.

 

For some reason, I don't care who advances. Either way - I believe that the Pistons will win it all. I don't have a deep hatred like many of you guys have for the Dallas Mavericks.

 

From what? I've been a Rox fan since the mid-eighties and I don't remember there being any sort of Mavs hatred until they beat us in the playoffs last year...

 

Yeah, the Mavs were never good enough to be our rival until Cuban took over. By then, the Rockets were pretty crappy. Last year was the first when a "rivalry" could be called.

 

Nope, and I've never even lived in the city. Maybe that's why I don't know about it, because it was before the internet age and I couldn't talk Rox with fellow fans very easily. The only rivalry I remember is against the Spurs, and I still hate those bastards with every ounce of my being.

 

i hate the Spurs too. Especially when all their dellusional fans thought Robinson was better than Dream!
remember when the Rockets got robbed in San Antonio, when David Robinson hit a shot, like 5 minutes after the clock expired and they counted it?
remember that Vernon had his best games against the Spurs because they sold him to the rockets for chump change?
Remember how crappy the Alamodome was?

 

Maybe I've partied too much in my day, but I'm not really remembering an I-45 rivalry either.

 

am i the only one who thinks it's exactly the opposite?

maybe i came along a few years too late (born in '81), but i was born and raised here and remember the mavs as nothing but laughingstocks of the nba. i missed the time when they were good in the 80s but it's not like they were bringing home titles. hakeem vs robinson, the '95 wcf, the I-10 rivarly shirt i still have, the spurs winning all these titles recently. that's what i remember and why i hate the spurs probably more than any team in the league. utah from the 90s was worse but they're a shell of their former selves. i barely even noticed the mavs existed until they started winning and didn't even care about them still until they beat us last year. one team can't take a decade off from the league and really still be a rival. it's gotta start all over again, imo.

 

Raja Flop
and
Offensive Goaltending

Rocket River

 

Say what you may about him, but Raja is HUGE for this team...he gives them an emotional edge and a certain feistiness they otherwise lack. He's a man's man, he's been THE difference tonight, IMO, he's been wrecking havoc on the Mavs all night long and providing his teammates with the emotional/psychological left they needed.

He's earned my respect, much like the Phoenix Suns have done throughout these playoffs.

 

I know the game isn't over yet, but the Mavs are losing to the Suns by 18! This is why I don't see them beating the Heat. You can analyze matchups all you want but this team is missing something. They beat the Spurs because the Spurs weren't as good as last year. They will beat the Suns because the Suns are shorthanded and the Mavs are just better. They will lose to the Heat because they should be good enough and disciplined enough to punish this Suns team. The Mavs don't look like championship material to me. If Raja Bell hadn't missed game 2, the Mavs probably would have gone down 0-2.

 

I have never seen so much flopping in my life
and they getting all the calls too . . this is pathetic

Stern will make sure this series goes 7

Rocket River

 

I'm no Mav's Fan
but
d*mn they getting hacked to hell without a call

Rocket River

 

Gotta agree that I don't recall any I-45 rivalry, but then again I've only been a fan for around 30 years.


I was irked when they held out Robinson to get Duncan, but other than that the Spurs never bothered me much. This mavs team does bother me. Either punks or floppers, not much else.

 

Cool. Maybe the refs have tired of dirk's flops?

 

Yes!!! Suns finally played at their own pace. I'm really happy to see that happen. First of all, I hate the mavs, but I'm also a fan of the Phoenix (yes.. i'll admit it...). Even though they squeaked out the first game, it just seemed like the whole series was that the suns dominated the first half and completely fell apart in the second. I found it hard to beleive steve nash can continually carry his team like game 1. Hopefully this game 4 will contine for the rest of the playoffs!