2006 Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Suns

They got to the WCF when many people didn't even expect them to make the playoffs. They lost Kurt Thomas for the playoffs, who played a big role in their early season success. And one of their key players, Raja Bell, was hobbled for most of the WCF (much like Joe Johnson last year).

And you're going to dog their style of play as the reason they didn't advance to the Finals? To me, their season was proof positive of how effective their style of play is.

 

So making the Eastern Conference Finals without one of your two superstars this year, and losing to the NBA champions last years shows the style doesn't work?

Much easier said than done. I could similarly say "keep (pick a team) from scoring, and they pretty much fall apart". Doesn't mean most teams can do it.

He averaged 20 and 10 these playoffs, which is almost identical to his regular season numbers.

 

Man, its really unfortunate to see Phoenix go down like that on their own home court. Especially when they were up by a good deal during the game. They did better than anyone though they would, so I guess it was a decent season for them. Wonder how Amare will fit into the team next season, how can the squad get better than it is now. Will be interesting to see his effect on the team's style of play and chemistry.

 

I agree, incredible that they got to the WCF without Amare. If they can hang on to Tim Thomas and Amare and Kurt Thomas come back from their injuries, this will be a team to reckoned with next year.

 

Sure the Suns battled their way to the WCF, but who, exactly, did they beat to get there? It took them SEVEN games to beat the Lakers--a team that had Kobe "and the rest". Then it took them another SEVEN games to barely beat a Clipper team that, minus Sam Cassell, did not have any playoff experiene whatsoever. Lets not also forget Raja Bell's 3 pointer that basically gave Phoenix all the momentum they needed to close out the series. So, this season, was it a testament of how well they played or how lucky they really were?

I think it IS much easier than you think it is. Case in point: The Clipper/Sun series. When they trapped Nash and forced him baseline, he proved to be less effective than playing him one on one. If you've watched the series against the Clippers and then the Mavs, you can see that Nash got rattled when there's a taller/longer defender on him and a defense that collapses on him from both the front and behind gets him more rattled.

That must have been the quietest 20/10 I've ever witness then. He was practically a non-factor in the series.

 

Pretty much what I saw, even in the 1st half. Mavs getting lots of and 1's, then the Suns going into the paint, putting the ball up and never drawing any contact the refs would call. Thru the series 10% more fouls called on the Suns than on the Mavs. I loved Dirk's little "jerk" on Tim Thomas's arm what was it in the 1st or 2nd, and they called the foul on TT. TT was livid but he gets no love whatsoever from any ref in this league from what I can see - he would fit right in with Tmac and Yao and the Rockets

I was sitting in a bar in St Louis watching the game with a Mav fan - he saw Terry's 3rd foul on Marion I think and Terry was pushing real hard on Marion's waist on the side with both hands - and he had the audacity to say it was no foul - I pointed out he should watch some Dirk ticky tacky fouls and then let me know if Terry interfering with Marion's forward progress wasn't a foul. Gawd all Rafer had to do was run his fingers across some guys shoulder lightly and it was called every time....

Terry had 3 fouls in the 1st then not another until the 4th - when the Mavs were clamping down defensively the 3rd and 4th -? It seems sometimes that the refs screw a team, make sure the game is in the bag for the other team, then call some useless fouls at the end of the game to make the stats seem a little more even. The "Cuban" effect? The refs make it real tough to watch NBA games.

Dirk is becoming much more subtle with his flopping. Practice makes perfect.

The Suns lacked Amare and Kurt Thomas - which means they were always behind on OR and total rebounds. They seemed to play a 6 man rotation much too heavily - everyone got tired. Dallas had the deeper bench.

But I still hate them and Cuban. Go Heat.

 

So your argument is that they managed to beat 4 playoff teams the last two years by luck? They managed to have the 2nd best record in the west last year and the 3rd best this year by luck? You talk about "Kobe and the rest" for the Lakers - had you even heard of Barbosa or Diaw before this year? Raja Bell? Really? And none of those guys had any more playoff experience than the Clippers. And now big shots are just testaments to luck? When Elie and Horry's shots went in in 1995, did it just mean the Rockets' championships were pure luck?

And yet the Clippers couldn't win and couldn't shut down the Phoenix offense. In the last 3 games in that series, when the Clippers presumably would have the best idea how to shut down the Phoenix offense, Phoenix scored 125, 106, and 127. So perhaps it's *not* quite so easy. And the Clippers roster is more talented overall than Phoenix. If anything, the system is what kept Phoenix in it and helped them win.

Is there a person in the league that's not less effective when you surround him with taller/longer defenders and collapse on him from all directions?

In the Clippers series, he had 4 games over 30 pts, and 3 15+ rebound games. He was instrumental to them winning that series. Not all players are going be equally effective in every game. If you only look at the bad games, then just about every player in the league "disappears" in the playoffs, except for the guys on the championship team.

 

basically
In the Clipper series and the Laker series
Phoenix got all the calls
then
in the Dallas series. . they got them only on some games

As I stated. .
this year more than anything. . . .
Refs decide games
I'm not saying intentionally but 'HOW' the call it

If they call it tight .. or if they let the guys play. . .
that would decide who wins

Rocket River