I hate to say it, but a lot of people are giving the Spurs too much credit in this series based on history. What made the Spurs historically such a tough matchup for Phoenix was Duncan - i.e., the Spurs had comparable athleticism on the perimeter (Parker/Manu) to match the Suns' speed, but with an eraser inside that Phoenix lacked. It's painfully obvious, watching Duncan try to guard Amare 1 on 1 and watching him try to help in the P&R against Nash, that he doesn't have anywhere near the lateral quickness on defense he used to. The Suns are exposing that big time. It's no shame, because Phoenix does that to most big men. The difference is that in the old days, they couldn't do it to Duncan - but they can now. I wouldn't at all be surprised if SA wins the next two at home, but Duncan's going to have to come up with a truly special game to beat them in Phoenix.
Channing Frye was the difference... Spurs are not getting anything from Bonner. Bruce Bowen would hit those corner threes. Well hopefully Roger Mason might give them something...
Homers? What the hell are you talking about? I'm a ROCKETS fan, not a Spurs fan. Maybe I've been a little bias, but some of those calls that weren't called against the Suns really changed the momentum of the game...
Difference really is, Richard Jefferson. If Ginobili had his normal numbers and Jefferson had contributed, I would think the Spurs would have had a good shot in winning this game. RJ doesn't step behind that 3pt line in the corner, so it's easier to rotate (I think Doug Collins mentioned it in game 1). Either Bonner or Mason is going to have to hit 3's along with Hill for the Spurs in order for them to match the Suns.
Well, you go to UTSA so you tend to be partial towards the Spurs in this series. Either way, there were bad calls and missed calls on both ends of the court. There was nothing Donaghy or Eddie F. Rush-esque about it, and Joey Crawford did a reasonable job officiating a non-Laker game.
The fact that I go to UTSA has NOTHING to do with it. I'm not saying there weren't missed calls on both sides, I'm saying the Suns ended up getting away with MORE... like I said, I usually never complain about the refs unless it's blatant.
I think Pop will change it up next game. Maybe Roger Mason will finally see some action on the floor.
In general I agree with you, but Jefferson made up for his long-range shortcomings in tonight's game with his movement without the ball. The bigger issue, at least for me, is that when the chips are down - the Spurs simply can't defend Phoenix without either a) rotating off a wide open shooter or b) fouling Amare. And unlike, say, LA - they don't rebound well enough to overcome their lack of lateral quickness. Without elite Bowen and with Duncan a step slow, I'm just not sure how they make up for that. Hope I'm wrong.
Cat, Although Duncan is slower than before, I do not think defense is the main culprit here. Duncan has never really stopped Amare. Amare has always had very big games against him. In fact, Amare isnt the same explosive finisher he was before the surgery. There were couple of misses he had today in the fourth quarter which would have been AND1 if this was pre-surgery Amare. 1) I think the biggest difference for the Suns so far has been that third scorer. The previous Suns team relied heavily on Barbosa and Marion to be that third option. Unfortunately neither players were effective in that role against the Spurs. Barbosa has always struggled against the Spurs. Richardson has been the answer for the Suns this playoffs and as long as he continues to show up along with Nash and Amare, they are going to be very hard to beat. When players like Dudley are performing the way they did tonight, that's just a fantastic bonus. 2) Another overlooked factor is the play of Suns backup PG Drajic (sp?). He has really looked great at making plays, controlling the tempo and, he is not turning the ball over too much. Previously Suns relied on Barbosa to backup Nash at the point, which always proved fatal because he has never been a natural PG. He would end up with a lot of turnovers. Drajic, playing the way he is, enables Nash to rest and be more efficient when he is in the game.
Yeah, the quickness for the Spurs is definitely not there. But, I mean... they played pretty damn good defense in the first half holding the Suns to 34% shooting yet it was a tie game and the Suns had 51 pts.... which is really hard to believe. Those offensive rebounds killed them, and you could probably point that to the Suns out hustling the Spurs.
Agree that Richardon and Dragic are factors, but it's not just Duncan 1 on 1 against Amare. Watch him in the P&R against Nash. In the biggest possession of tonight's game - Suns up 6 with 1:42 left - Nash ended up with a relatively uncontested lefty layup because Duncan simply couldn't make that quick switch from preventing the Amare dunk to contesting Nash's shot. That's the exact type of play the old Duncan would make Nash take a fallaway or try a tough pass at the last second. Also, I know Duncan has never "stopped" Amare before, but in the past, he's much better at contesting without fouling. In this series, Amare can force his way to the line when need be. That's a big problem. All that said, I give the Suns a lot of credit. You're exactly right - this is a more well-rounded Phoenix team than previous versions. The Spurs have played pretty well in both games, and never had a realistic chance down the stretch in either game. Even in Phoenix, that's a hell of an accomplishment. It just kills me because I feel like an Odom/Gasol combo at the 4/5 is the absolute matchup nightmare for this particular Phoenix team.
I know this guy man! he always tries to come around UTSA eating my pizzas when I tell him to gtfo and then he says whateva dude I'm cool I'm just messin with you lets go grab a soda, except one time he grabbed mah butt! dude wtf... gay?
i dont think the spurs can win now... the suns have NEVER been able to get up 2-0 on the spurs before and i really dont think they will allow SA to win 4 or 5 now to take this series.
SA has played well in both games... I don't think Phoenix will play that well on the road. Dudley and Frye are not as good on the road. SA will win next 2 at home (Game 3 and Game 4) and put pressure back on suns to win game 5. If they lose either of the games at home... then they are gone Bucks did the same thing.. They actually won game 5 too.
Winning @ SA is not a easy thing , but i think it seems more evident that the suns will probably end up winning this series.
