The only chance we got to beat the Suns with this group is to start TMac at the 4 and have him birddog Marion the whole game. TMac's minutes duplicate Marion. Marion goes out....TMac gets a break. Then start Bogans at the 3 on Jones, Wesley at 2 on Bell and Rafer on Nash. Everybody bodies up their man and Rafer lays back off Nash with the dribble, enticing Nash to put up the jumpers and making it as tough as possible for Nash to drive or dish. I agree with the philosophy of letting Nash score 60, as long as we shut everybody else down. The only current player on our entire squad that has a chance to stop Marion is McGrady. Pick up Nash and make it tough for them to inbound the ball to him. If they get it to him, get back as fast as possible and deny the penetration as much as possible. If Nash does get loose, don't collapse the paint, just let Yao provide a deterant as much as possible but stay glued to the other guys...........especially Marion. Offensively, with that lineup, you can put TMac at the knuckle and Yao on the block and go to town. We proved early that they can't stop us. If they double Yao, our perimeter guys should be rotating so that somebody(hopefully Bogans) is free to cut to the bucket. Take it to the rack on them time after time after time. Make them have to play the full 94 feet. Move the ball quickly, and chew through the shot clock until they turn us loose for the easy bucket. Don't settle for a guarded jumper. Force the ball into the interior with the pass or the dribble penetration. Rotate Luther in and play with the 3 little guys on the perimeter at the same time on occasion with the intention of everybody pushing and driving the paint. Force everything to the bucket until their defense collapses and we can get off easy 18 footers that are wide open. TMac has to stay on Marion even on offense and box him out. We want one Sun rebounding on the defensive end. They typically only have 2 rebounders. The other 3 are heading to the other end. If Tmac keeps Marion off the defensive glass, Yao will eat up Diaw on the offensive glass. We should get a ton of 2nd chance points. Yeah, we'll give up some easy 3 on 2s, whatever. They're gonna get some easy buckets anyways. But we should keep Marion off the boards. The only chance we have to beat these guys with our current squad is with McGrady playing the 4 and 3 smalls out there with Yao.
I like DaAlecks' thoughts. We can let Nash do his scoring damage. Just don't let those three pointers get their shots. We need to do what we did to the Mavs in the playoffs last year. We need to go quick. It would also help if we had a dog of a defender like Sura back. We need someone who would be willing to push and shove Nash around. Yes it is rough but hey every team has had their share of rough makevelians. If it means stomping on Nash's foot so be it. We aren't going to outrun them. So break one of their legs until they are down to our speed. Slow them down. Our big guy in the middle is going to have an easier time to hurt them that way. We don't need to double team nash. We just need to make sure the outside shooters don't get their shots. The guy on nash just needs to dog him. Rafer needs to piss him off and hold him down so hard that he cries. If he needs to shove an elbow or two and maybe a leg inbetween his crotch so be it. Be agressive at him and run into him a few times in the beginning.
No, they will shoot us to death with their 3s. They average what? like 130ppg?? whatever. Just send one man on Nash and only has Yao helps to defense the hoop around the post. Anyone else stay with their own assignment, zone or man on man. Nash's penetration created too much open shots every game against the Rockets. Maybe not a direct assist from Nash, but there is always a open shot within 2 or 3 passes once the ball left Nash's hand. Marion, well, without Nash's pass, he's just a very good PF. Don't double team Nash, just cut off all his passing options. Although it is very hard, but if you give him an open man on the court, he can pass rock out from any angle, through quardraple team. He's that good!
