Xylus
02-18-2009, 04:44 AM
http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-090217
http://a.espncdn.com//photo/2009/0217/nba_g_sunsbench_576.jpg
The Run-And-Gun Suns Have Returned
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
PHOENIX -- The Suns said they'd need an adjustment period before they could reinstate their former "Seven Seconds or Less" playing style.
It lasted one possession.
After running a halfcourt set for Shaquille O'Neal off the opening tip, the Suns scored in seven seconds or less on their second trip ... and the third ... and the fourth ...and then, after a turnover, the sixth. As they did, a sensation started sweeping over the crowd:
Holy &@#!$ ... we're back!
Four times in five trips the Suns went down and scored in under seven seconds -- their previous pastime under former coach Mike D'Antoni -- and they didn't stop there. With new coach Alvin Gentry reinstating the team's old system, Phoenix ran after makes, ran after misses, and ran past the hapless Clippers for a torrent of layups en route to a 140-100 rout. Only four teams have scored more points in regulation in the past 10 years.
Their routine under Terry Porter of milking all 24 seconds to get post-ups for Shaq? Forget it. Those first four transition scores tonight took them 21 seconds ... combined.
By the end of the first quarter, they had a season-high 41 points. In the second, they had four straight trips in which they scored in under five seconds, highlighted by a spectacular Nash-to-Louis Amundson alley-oop. After that sequence the home crowd broke out in a delirious ovation -- half shock that this was really happening, half ecstasy that their old team was back. The players' reactions were similar, with the entire bench running out to halfcourt during timeouts to share elated high fives.
"We just ran and played free" said Amare Stoudemire. "It felt totally different."
And your halftime score: Suns 81, Clippers 49. Phoenix shot 75.9 percent in the first half, had 27 fast-break points, had 21 assists on 31 field goals (seven by Steve Nash), and had more points in the paint (50) than their opponent had altogether (49).
It was the first time in nearly a year that a team had consecutive 40-point quarters, and the two 40-point quarters matched the Suns' previous season total.
Wait, it gets better. They didn't have Jason Richardson, only had Stoudemire for nine of those first-half minutes due to fouls, and gave Nash a nice, long six minute rest. But even when Goran Dragic, Alando Tucker and Jared Dudley were running the show, the run-and-gun Suns got whatever shot they wanted, and got it with shocking speed.
Remind me again why they didn't want to play this way?
"Alvin wanted us to play loose and up-tempo, and I think that was contagious," said Nash, who a day earlier said his team had "the weight of the world on its shoulders."
"We got out and ran more. You could see guys enjoyed it a little more."
OK, now for the caveats. It was only the Clippers, at home, without Marcus Camby (home in L.A. with an inner ear infection). L.A. clearly had no interest in playing this game, although it did show some interest in boxing. Zach Randolph was ejected in the first quarter when he knocked down Amundson underneath, kneed him, taunted him, and then punched him in the face -- a quartet of infractions that likely will result in a multigame suspension. Conveniently for Phoenix, the two teams play again Wednesday.
"I don't know what he was trying to do," said Amundson.
"Zach's crazy," added Matt Barnes. "At least we don't have to deal with him tomorrow."
And while the Suns were running the Clips off the court, some scuttlebutt remained that Stoudemire could be had for the right price. Of course, that was before the game. After this explosion, they might want to stand pat no matter what offers they get.
Moreover the offense wasn't the only thing that stood out on this night. Phoenix actually seemed more stoked about defending than they've looked in some time -- Stoudemire included. The Suns held the Clips to 100 points -- a feat given the game's torrid pace -- and limited L.A. to just three offensive rebounds and 43.4 percent shooting.
"We did a good job in our rotations tonight," said Gentry. "We battled in the inside and tried to keep the ball out of their hands."
Yes, there will be sterner tests for Gentry's Suns than this back-to-back set against the Clips, and Phoenix ended the night still in ninth place in the Western Conference. And for all the Suns accomplished Tuesday, they said to a man that they still had plenty of work to do on their spacing and conditioning if they were going to re-hash the glory days of the D'Antoni Era for more than 48 minutes.
"It's one game and we still have a lot of work to do," said Gentry. "We're not ready to crown ourselves NBA champs yet, OK?"
Yet you could tell by the mood in the locker room that something had changed very much for the better. The standings may say they're 29-23 and ninth in the West. Tuesday said something very different -- the Suns are back, baby, and they're going to be hell on wheels from here on out.
http://a.espncdn.com//photo/2009/0217/nba_g_sunsbench_576.jpg
The Run-And-Gun Suns Have Returned
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
PHOENIX -- The Suns said they'd need an adjustment period before they could reinstate their former "Seven Seconds or Less" playing style.
It lasted one possession.
After running a halfcourt set for Shaquille O'Neal off the opening tip, the Suns scored in seven seconds or less on their second trip ... and the third ... and the fourth ...and then, after a turnover, the sixth. As they did, a sensation started sweeping over the crowd:
Holy &@#!$ ... we're back!
Four times in five trips the Suns went down and scored in under seven seconds -- their previous pastime under former coach Mike D'Antoni -- and they didn't stop there. With new coach Alvin Gentry reinstating the team's old system, Phoenix ran after makes, ran after misses, and ran past the hapless Clippers for a torrent of layups en route to a 140-100 rout. Only four teams have scored more points in regulation in the past 10 years.
Their routine under Terry Porter of milking all 24 seconds to get post-ups for Shaq? Forget it. Those first four transition scores tonight took them 21 seconds ... combined.
By the end of the first quarter, they had a season-high 41 points. In the second, they had four straight trips in which they scored in under five seconds, highlighted by a spectacular Nash-to-Louis Amundson alley-oop. After that sequence the home crowd broke out in a delirious ovation -- half shock that this was really happening, half ecstasy that their old team was back. The players' reactions were similar, with the entire bench running out to halfcourt during timeouts to share elated high fives.
"We just ran and played free" said Amare Stoudemire. "It felt totally different."
And your halftime score: Suns 81, Clippers 49. Phoenix shot 75.9 percent in the first half, had 27 fast-break points, had 21 assists on 31 field goals (seven by Steve Nash), and had more points in the paint (50) than their opponent had altogether (49).
It was the first time in nearly a year that a team had consecutive 40-point quarters, and the two 40-point quarters matched the Suns' previous season total.
Wait, it gets better. They didn't have Jason Richardson, only had Stoudemire for nine of those first-half minutes due to fouls, and gave Nash a nice, long six minute rest. But even when Goran Dragic, Alando Tucker and Jared Dudley were running the show, the run-and-gun Suns got whatever shot they wanted, and got it with shocking speed.
Remind me again why they didn't want to play this way?
"Alvin wanted us to play loose and up-tempo, and I think that was contagious," said Nash, who a day earlier said his team had "the weight of the world on its shoulders."
"We got out and ran more. You could see guys enjoyed it a little more."
OK, now for the caveats. It was only the Clippers, at home, without Marcus Camby (home in L.A. with an inner ear infection). L.A. clearly had no interest in playing this game, although it did show some interest in boxing. Zach Randolph was ejected in the first quarter when he knocked down Amundson underneath, kneed him, taunted him, and then punched him in the face -- a quartet of infractions that likely will result in a multigame suspension. Conveniently for Phoenix, the two teams play again Wednesday.
"I don't know what he was trying to do," said Amundson.
"Zach's crazy," added Matt Barnes. "At least we don't have to deal with him tomorrow."
And while the Suns were running the Clips off the court, some scuttlebutt remained that Stoudemire could be had for the right price. Of course, that was before the game. After this explosion, they might want to stand pat no matter what offers they get.
Moreover the offense wasn't the only thing that stood out on this night. Phoenix actually seemed more stoked about defending than they've looked in some time -- Stoudemire included. The Suns held the Clips to 100 points -- a feat given the game's torrid pace -- and limited L.A. to just three offensive rebounds and 43.4 percent shooting.
"We did a good job in our rotations tonight," said Gentry. "We battled in the inside and tried to keep the ball out of their hands."
Yes, there will be sterner tests for Gentry's Suns than this back-to-back set against the Clips, and Phoenix ended the night still in ninth place in the Western Conference. And for all the Suns accomplished Tuesday, they said to a man that they still had plenty of work to do on their spacing and conditioning if they were going to re-hash the glory days of the D'Antoni Era for more than 48 minutes.
"It's one game and we still have a lot of work to do," said Gentry. "We're not ready to crown ourselves NBA champs yet, OK?"
Yet you could tell by the mood in the locker room that something had changed very much for the better. The standings may say they're 29-23 and ninth in the West. Tuesday said something very different -- the Suns are back, baby, and they're going to be hell on wheels from here on out.