48MoH: Phoenix Suns 112, San Antonio Spurs 101

[Blackjack]

Phoenix Suns 112, San Antonio Spurs 101: Tony Parker, Spurs look slow in defeat
by Timothy Varner

The San Antonio Spurs have never really feared the Phoenix Suns. The sentiment amongst the Spurs’ fan base is that the Suns are championship pretenders–something like a postseason punching bag. But that sentiment is borne of different times, and this Suns team should be taken seriously. These Phoenix Suns (http://valleyofthesuns.com/2010/04/07/phoenix-suns-112-san-antonio-spurs-101-clutch-d-suffocates-spurs/), for example, play a slightly grittier style of defense than past incarnations, thanks to players such as Louis Amundson.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2010/04/08/san-antonio-spurs-tony-parker-lose-to-suns/#more-7427)

[duncan228]

Nash outshines Parker as Suns burn Spurs (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/14787/nash-outshines-parker-as-suns-burn-spurs)
By John Hollinger

PHOENIX -- The underlying story of the upcoming Western Conference playoffs was plain to see tonight: health. With six of the eight participants having banged-up key players whose status is in doubt for the first round, the question amongst these mostly evenly matched teams may not be who’s better but rather who’s in uniform.

Tonight laid the story bare for all to see, as Phoenix’s 112-101 win over San Antonio came about largely because Steve Nash’s back was feeling a whole lot better than Tony Parker’s foot.

How those two guards maintain their faculties during the next few weeks will go a long way to determining whether either of these perennial powers can make a deep run in the upcoming Western Conference playoffs. Certainly both have earned the right to be taken seriously – San Antonio by knocking off four of the league’s best teams in a matter of a week, and Phoenix by posting the league’s best record since the All-Star break at 20-5.

Tonight, Nash owned the match-up, and it didn’t stop there. With backup George Hill also sidelined due to an ankle sprain while Phoenix sub Goran Dragic submitted a stellar fourth quarter, the Spurs had too great a deficit to overcome with the other four positions.

Parker came off the bench in his second game back since returning from a finger injury but it was his legs – and in particular a left foot that’s been plague by plantar fasciitis -- that seemed to betray him. His inability to turn the corner on drives to the basket stood in marked contrast to the way he normally plays at full strength; in a related story the Spurs had only seven fast-break points. While Parker finished with a decent box score line (10 points and five assists in 23 minutes), he only had one shot at the rim against an opponent he normally shreds like confetti.

Nash, meanwhile, had struggled with a bad back since the All-Star break but reassured the Phoenix faithful by dominating the first half with 16 points and nine assists. He finished with 18 and 12 despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter, as Alvin Gentry opted to stick with a productive Dragic to ride out a ten-point lead. (Both Nash and Gentry said Nash was fine physically and could have come returned).

“If we lose I probably get fired,” joked Gentry, “with a two-time MVP sitting on the bench.”

“Alvin’s been doing that lately” said Nash. “If we have a lead, not panic and put me back in, let the guys play it out as long as they can. Treat a 10-point lead like a 10-point lead, instead of in the past we’d treat a 10-point lead like a three-point lead and put me back in. It’s been really good for our young guys, and I think it’s probably going to help me come playoff time.”

Nash said he’d begun feeling better physically on the Suns’ last road trip, and it showed in his brilliant play in the first half. In particular, his five-point run in the final 30 seconds of the half gave Phoenix an upper hand that they never relinquished.

With 31.6 seconds left and Phoenix inbounding under its own basket, Nash “walked the dog” – letting the ball roll up the court next to him without picking it up to avoid starting the clock – nearly all the way to the San Antonio 3-point line, and then took one dribble and pulled up for a 3-pointer over Parker that drew all net. The clock still showed 27.3 when the ball went through, meaning Nash had forged a 2-for-1 opportunity with his quick shot.

He made it count, too, as he followed a San Antonio turnover with a full-court drive that led to a foul on Richard Jefferson just before halftime. After Nash hit both free throws the Suns went into the locker room leading by nine, after the game had been tied 90 seconds earlier.

“I just tried to see what they gave us,” said Nash of his unusually lengthy poodle stroll. “I didn’t have to pick the ball up until almost the 3-point line, and then I just thought let me see if I can get him on his heels and I did, and shot it.”

The win was a huge one for Phoenix, who is striving to get into one of the top four positions in the conference to have home-court advantage in the first round. Denver’s win at Oklahoma City did them few favors in that regard, as the Nuggets – whom the Suns can get a one-game advantage plus a tie-break against with a win at home next Tuesday – are the team they have the best odds of passing. For the moment they’re a half game ahead of Utah too, but the Suns visit Salt Lake City on the last day of the season in the opposite situation – with a loss giving the Jazz a tie-breaker edge.

As for San Antonio, Parker’s unimpressive return might have dampened spirits but the loss was hardly damaging otherwise. The Spurs basically lost any hope of winning the division, but are still in the No. 7 position in the West since Oklahoma City also lost; given that the Thunder and Blazers play each other next week they should be able to avoid the dreaded No. 8 position. (Although L.A. is struggling at the moment, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich used his pre-game talk to once again mention that every coach in the West should be terrified of falling to 8th and drawing the Lakers).

Moreover, the Spurs can take away several positives. They got any shot they wanted but just couldn’t convert them; San Antonio shot 6-for-25 on 3s and 17-of-28 at the free-throw line. The one exception, ironically, was Roger Mason, who had been mired in a horrific slump but made four 3-pointers and scored a team-high 18 points. Richard Jefferson was also extremely active, finishing with 17 points and six boards and drawing three basket-and-ones in the first quarter alone.

Unfortunately, the Spurs were done in by 19 turnovers and the Nash-fueled run at the end of the first half.

“That was definitely one of the keys,” said Mason. “They made a turn and turned the intensity up and we didn’t respond very well. That’s not what’s had us rolling lately.”

“We weren’t very sharp and they took advantage,” says Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, “but we played hard and that’s important.”

Playing hard will help, but playing healthy may be more crucial. While tonight wasn’t a great omen for the Spurs, as we heading into the final week of the season it’s still anyone’s guess whose roster will be closest to full strength come playoff time.

[kjhip1]

Hollinger hit it on the head...That's exactly right..What killed us was pick and roll and FTs...The team looked tired and uninspired. It was nice to see RMJ hit some shots..I wouldnt say anything until we get to full strength. (if that even happens) I wouldnt mind keeping the 7 spot..I like the idea of the Spurs starting out on the road...I would even enjoy pplaying Phoenix first ...They really dont scare me..They play that same style and rely on their outside shooting..Granted the Spurs win many games when they have the 3pt strok going also but they rely on defense first...

[Bartleby]

What's interesting to me about the losses to NJ and now Phoenix is the huge drop in ft percentage, especially when compared to their recent wins:

Against

Suns - 60.7%
NJ - 55%

Kings - 88%
Lakers - 79%
Magic - 76.9%
Cleveland - 81.5%
Boston 83%

[boutons_deux]

When the Spurs suck, they usually all suck, and across the stat chart.

the TOs and FTs made think of the 02/03 Spurs, where TO/FT cost us several games in a championship season

[TampaDude]

Spurs: B2B on the road

Suns: 3 days rest at home

No B2Bs in the playoffs. I hope we get the chance to play the Suns in the playoffs and crush their title dreams once again. :lol

[EmptyMan]

TP is not even awake yet.

[duncan228]

Game Notes: Spurs at Suns (http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/04/game-notes-spurs-at-suns/)
Phoenix puts the cool on.
by Dennis Tarwood
SLAM

Suns fans banished one of the jackals on their spirit walk to the Playoffs with a 112-101 win from their Suns in Phoenix Wednesday that left the Spurs chasing the Suns around the Amar’e maypole unsuccessfully on the rear end of a back-to-back for the Texas team.

The Spurs also struggled without Grade A Tony Parker; his 25 minutes were moderately effective on offense (5-10 FG, 5 AST, 2 TO, no visits to the line), but he was practically leaning on Goran Dragic at halfcourt in the fourth quarter to stay propped up.

His support staff, spot starter Garrett Temple (with George Hill out) and Roger Mason Jr, played the part of the elephant cleanup crew in the parade of Steve Nash and Goran Dragic loops around the pick ‘n roll circuit. Nash particularly benefited by posting an 18/4/12 with one turnover and the ability to take the whole fourth quarter off.

“Pick and rolls are generally our bread and butter,” Nash noted again after the game. “We expect them to be good for us most nights.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich declined to target any one person’s efforts. “As a team, we did a pretty poor job on pick-and-roll D. It wasn’t (one man’s) fault.”

Popovich claimed fear of the Lakers as a Playoff opponent before the game. “All of us (Western Conference teams) are beating each other up and trying our ass off to hide from the Lakers as best we can if everyone’s being honest.”

But his biggest enemy has to be fatigue: Parker’s lax conditioning due to his recent return from injury and the 34+ minutes posted by Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in their second concurrent night. If any doubt exists about the localized bout of exhaustion, consider the Spurs shot 17-28 from the free-throw line, including a seven-of-18 first half.

Between the 19 long misses from three and the 18 turnovers for the Spurs, the Suns were able to weather the San Antonio storm inside for much of the first half and used the last 90 seconds of the half as practice for the imposition of the Suns Way onto the Spurs in the second half.

Pop spoke about the naysayers who point out the flaws in the Suns and how the Suns flat-out ignore them. “(The Suns) do what they do and they do it well. (Gentry’s) done well with that philosophy.”

Jared Dudley, newfound podcast star after a turn on Bill Simmons’ ESPN audio joint, had no issues reaching out to his new media friends on Twitter to ask how to tackle Manu Ginobili (http://twitter.com/JaredDudley619/status/11783102993). “So what I’m getting from y’all is make him go right, be physical with him, and keep him out the lane. Ok ok I’ll let my teammates know. Thanks.”

After the Suns let go of the entire advance scouting team, Dudley applied his advice on the Argentinean and quieted him to a dull spot in the second half. Ginobili made only one shot in the whole second half to the pleasure of the fairly vindictive Phoenix crowd. (This is the same crowd that took delight in Tim Duncan receiving an accidental elbow to the head from Manu in the second quarter.)

The Suns extended their lead to 17 in the fourth before Popovich emptied the bench and the Spurs pulled back within nine to make matters presentable.

The Suns, in a three-way tie for second in the West, travel Friday to Oklahoma City to play one of the three teams tied for sixth. One of the other teams knotted up at the six spot, San Antonio, take on the Grizzlies at home Friday.

OTHER NOTES

– Pop held court before the game to the delight of the assembled unwashed media masses, his tongue firmly in cheek on most every comment. Opinions on Tony Parker’s status (”he’s still cute, still got all that Hollywood bullshit”), rumors about Manu’s contract extension curiously leaked to ESPN just before they got on site for the game (”Do you believe them?”), and Republican political strategy (”You don’t want to paint yourself in a corner. It’s like saying the health care plan’s going to be Armageddon. It’s hard to come back from that.”).

He only paused long enough to respond to Nash running by the crowd to the practice court when Steve dropped a playful expletive on Coach. “Go practice your jumper! Maybe you’ll make a shot tonight if you go shoot a few. We’re going under on every pick-and-roll!”

– Once the game started, Richard Jefferson blew by Grant Hill for the and one soon after tip. Hill immediately bent over and retied his shoes. Problem solved.

– Later in the first, Nash airballed a long two. Amar’e Stoudemire assumed it was tipped and lobbied for Suns ball. Nash tossed a no-look “never mind; I pooched it” hand motion to Amar’e, who dropped the matter.

– Lute OIson stopped by after the game to see Channing Frye, much to both men’s delight. Though not spotted, it might be assumed he also dropped by to see Richard Jefferson.

– Lou Amundson and Matt Bonner earned matching techs at the end of the first quarter for bumping one another. Depending on your point of view, you can call it Playoff intensity or Playoff clumsiness.

– Stoudemire nearly halved the number of redheads in the L by accident. Matt Bonner hit a running hook from nine feet at the end of the third quarter. Amar’e Stoudemire blindly lashed out with his fist in anger at this, not realizing Bonner’s head was near the air Amar’e tried to abuse. Only Bonner’s quick reflexes saved his life. (Stop giggling.)

– Steve Nash stopped on his run to the locker room for the half to spend 15 seconds pampering a 3-year-old with his jersey on being held by his father. The kid slowly realized the guy from TV had just ruffled his hair and pointed the fellow out to his father. Dad put the kid down as Nash sprinted away and the kid chased Nash down the hall quite unsuccessfully. This also describes Garrett Temple’s night fairly well.

– We’ve been pushing all season for Tim Duncan’s nickname to be The Merlin Wall. Duncan’s thought on the moniker? “Probably better than The Big Fundamental. I’d run with it.” He may have been sincere, too; he almost smiled. Consider it done, MW.

[spurtech09]

spurs were tired and coming off a b2b on the road.....suns like 2 days off and playing at home....r u kidding me a major advantage for the suns.....spurs beat the lakers,cavs,orlando,boston.....spurs can destroy the suns....

[kaji157]

Hope we meet them in the first round.

[hunterxaz]

Hope we meet them in the first round.
Why would you want that, to lose? You guys are too old, too slow, and not as sharp defensively. Pops also doesn't have the mental lock on Gentry like he did on D'Antoni. You guys are through, 1 and done, and hopefully by the hand of the Suns.

[Xylus]

Why would you want that, to lose? You guys are too old, too slow, and not as sharp defensively. Pops also doesn't have the mental lock on Gentry like he did on D'Antoni. You guys are through, 1 and done, and hopefully by the hand of the Suns.

I hope you don't take too much stock in this one game. You're an idiot if you think the Suns would have an easy time with the Spurs in the playoffs.

[anakha]

I hope you don't take too much stock in this one game. You're an idiot if you think the Suns would have an easy time with the Spurs in the playoffs.

Hunter's such a rabid Suns fan he managed to piss off the sports goon mods on on the SomethingAwful forums into banning him for a month.

Frankly, I'm shocked he hasn't shown up here sooner. :lol

[Xylus]

Hunter's such a rabid Suns fan he managed to piss off the sports goon mods on on the SomethingAwful forums into banning him for a month.

Frankly, I'm shocked he hasn't shown up here sooner. :lol

So he's just a fucking troll, basically. Noted. :lol

[hunterxaz]

I'm not a troll, I believe every word I say. I don't say things to upset people, just stating my opinion.

The Suns wouldn't have an EASY time, nobody in the playoffs will have an EASY time. The Suns are indeed a better team than the Spurs though, and would win the series in 5 games.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

the spurs put the brakes on the suns last time and the suns paid back this time.

[ohmwrecker]

I'm not a troll, I believe every word I say. I don't say things to upset people, just stating my opinion.

The Suns wouldn't have an EASY time, nobody in the playoffs will have an EASY time. The Suns are indeed a better team than the Spurs though, and would win the series in 5 games.

OK, maybe you're not a troll. You are, however, very delusional. The Suns should've blown us out by 20 last night. You don't stand a chance against a healthy, rested Spurs team and you know it.

[pjjrfan]

Manu, Tim and for obvious reasons Tony didn't play well. The positives, McDyess continuing to hit his jumper and getting big rebounds, Jefferson running the court and Mason finally getting out of a slump. the bad news, Bonner looks lost out there, he has been going to that little runner the past few games, and the last two it hasn't been there and he can't hit the side of a barn from dowtown. I still like our chances come playoffs.

[spursrocks]

i say start george when comes back, retain the starting line up that destroyed teams like cleveland, boston, orlando, thunder, houston and lakers. then tony leading the bench 2nd unit.

[The Truth #6]

The Merlin Wall is good.

[duncan228]

The Merlin Wall is good.

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