Have the Suns ever been scarier? Preview/ predictions.

[DespЏrado]

The Suns seem to finally play on both sides of the floor, and that fact makes them more dangerous than they ever have been. Grant Hill sets the tone on the defensive side of the court for the Suns, playing the role of a more athletic Bruce Bowen while Jason Richardson, Steve Nash, and Amare Stoudemire guarantee a potent offense.

The Suns can rely on three point shooting from Dudley 45.8%, Hill 43.8%, Nash 42.6%, Richardson 39.3%, and Dragic 39.4%. For the season they ranked a league high 41.2% on the long ball. The Suns have five players who average over ten points a game, a testament to Nash's superlative ball handling skills. Amare Stoudemire plays better against the Spurs than he does against any other team by about 4 pts for 32.7 pts.

All of that makes the Suns' challenge as formidable as any team in the league, and the Spurs still don't get the luxury of home court advantage.

That said the Spurs still have a huge mental advantage over the Suns. No Steve Nash lead team has ever beaten the Spurs in a playoff series. With the emergence of Hill, the Spurs have more fresh legs to absolutely remove Nash from being a factor in this series, and that is the first crucial step to beating the Suns. Remove Nash from the game, and his havoc style offense that can deliver points at will against any team will be neutralized. Remove Nash and you remove the Suns fast break.

Jason Richardson is absolutely a playoff stud, but he isn't a franchise player. Playing the Guard Forward position he is the barometer to the Suns offense. If he gets going the Suns are almost always going to win. Any player that can erupt for 42 points in the playoffs is someone that has to be neutralized. Manu, Jefferson, Hill, and Bogans will probably all get a crack at locking him up and the Spurs success hinges on how well they do. Stopping his break away points is the most crucial part when you play J.Rich. There is probably not a faster person down the court than Richardson. In one play against the Trailblazers he corralled a rebound and passed the ball out just so he could take off full speed down the court to receive the alley-oop he knew would be there. It was a play more reminiscent of a football player receiving a touchdown pass than basketball. If the Spurs let that happen more than once in a quarter; the Spurs will lose that game.

With Amare, no longer do the Spurs have to let him get his. The addition of Dice is going to play huge dividends again for the Spurs, if he can make Amare work for every point, the fans will again be singing Dice's praise. Not to mention the fact that Dice will be able to take advantage of Amare's inability to stay focused on defense.

The Spurs meanwhile have more x factors and more unknowns going into this series than ever before. Tim Duncan and Manu already appear to be fatiguing as the intensity they played with in games 1, 2, and 3 against Dallas has been dropping off alarmingly fast. They both played a "good enough" game to eek out the win against Dallas, but their reserves have never seemed more depleted than they have this playoff run. The Duncan and Manu of yesteryear would normally make this a guaranteed series win against a team that lacks so much in the interior defense department. At this point just seeing 20+ points out of either of them is a blessing.

Jefferson, Hill, Tony, and Dice are again going to have to carry the team for large stretches, especially if Tim and Manu aren't able to play at their former MVP levels, but given their play in the first round each has proven themselves to be more than capable.

Prediction: (attempts to channel a little timvp mojo) spurs in 5. Spurs win the first one in a tight game, the second one is a blow out loss as Amare or Richardson blows up for a huge game and the spurs lose track of the suns three point shooters. Spurs take games 3, 4, and 5 in their usual business like manor, managing to eek out the series finale in Phoenix.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

You're being too harsh on TD and Manu. They will get 3 days off before the series starts on Monday. There is no Haywood or Dampier to wear TD down, and the Suns have never had an answer for Manu. Plus with George Hill rounding into form that only makes us better.

The biggest question for me is how well the Spurs can keep the 3 point differential respectable. The Suns kill it from 3 point land, yet the Spurs are one of the best at guarding the 3.

However, the Spurs have no one who can consistently drain it from outside. Their best outside shooters are all very very streaky. Mason is finished, and relying on Bonner is just a joke at this point. I also hope neither Mason or Bogans get any playing time but that isn't going to happen.

[Flux451]

Dallas was scarier. If Spurs keep winning you will need a thread like this after every series win.

[DespЏrado]

You're being too harsh on TD and Manu. They will get 3 days off before the series starts on Monday. There is no Haywood or Dampier to wear TD down, and the Suns have never had an answer for Manu. Plus with George Hill rounding into form that only makes us better.

The biggest question for me is how well the Spurs can keep the 3 point differential respectable. The Suns kill it from 3 point land, yet the Spurs are one of the best at guarding the 3.

However, the Spurs have no one who can consistently drain it from outside. Their best outside shooters are all very very streaky. Mason is finished, and relying on Bonner is just a joke at this point. I also hope neither Mason or Bogans get any playing time but that isn't going to happen.

I am being hard on Duncan and Manu. How they respond as the playoffs get deeper is probably the biggest obstacle between making this a trophy year or just a deep run. But at this point it is hard to avoid the fact that their ability to step on the gas is the biggest question mark going forward.

I agree about the three point shooting.

[Ignignokt]

not if they don't have a person on their team who can fade and draw fouls over nate robinson or miley cyrus.

[Buddy Holly]

Grant Hill sets the tone on the defensive side of the court for the Suns, playing the role of a more athletic Bruce Bowen

Whatcha smokin'?

[Xylus]

The Suns are playing better defensively right now than they have in many, many years. Unfortunately, they're not quite as clutch as they were back in '06-'07, which I think was the Suns' most dangerous team this decade. In particular, Nash is half the player he was in that series.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

It is fundamentally impossible for a team to play good defense and run the constant attack transition game.


(I'm copying this sentence to my browser because it looks like I will need it constantly)

[JustinJDW]

Fuck the Suns.

Nah seriously though, I think the Mavs are better than the Suns and are harder to beat. I think we can win this Series in 6.

[DespЏrado]

Grant Hill: 2 blocked shots 12 rebounds and a plus/minus of +26 in his last game against Portland.

The Suns switched Hill to Andre Miller after he scored 31 in the first game and Miller average 12.6 pts in the 5 games that followed for 12, 11, 15, 21 and 4, and his FG% dipped to the mid 30s. He is their Bruce Bowen.

[Xylus]

It is fundamentally impossible for a team to play good defense and run the constant attack transition game.


(I'm copying this sentence to my browser because it looks like I will need it constantly)

Good thing the Suns don't constantly attack in transition. They just won a series that featured a whole helluvalot of half-court sets.

The Blazers scored more than 90 points only twice in 6 games.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Grant Hill is a stud defensively. Out of anyone on PHX, he can give Parker the most problems with his length. The only issue with Hill is his consistency, but he's one of those players who obviously does a lot more than what the box score records.

[slayermin]

From what I recall, the Spurs usually stay home on Suns three point shooters and let Amare get his points. It's worked before and I think it will work again. But not having Bruce Bowen is a big loss. Though I think Pop has enough options to slow down Nash.

Offensively, the Spurs showed that they can make clutch shots down the stretch. Our top six or seven players made crucial 4th quarter shots against the Mavs. The Mavs aren't a great defensive team but it seemed like they did give the Spurs problems with their zone and physical play.

The Suns are no way near as physical. That should mean softer lanes to the basket for our slashers. I really don't see the Suns slowing down our offense. We will score at will. Especially since the Mavs threw everything at us in the first round, our guys will already have seen it.

I didn't realize how good the Dallas Mavericks were until tonight. We might have just beaten the best team in basketball.

[Xylus]

I didn't realize how good the Dallas Mavericks were until tonight. We might have just beaten the best team in basketball.

Give me a fucking break. :rolleyes

[DespЏrado]

From what I recall, the Spurs usually stay home on Suns three point shooters and let Amare get his points. It's worked before and I think it will work again. But not having Bruce Bowen is a big loss. Though I think Pop has enough options to slow down Nash.

Offensively, the Spurs showed that they can make clutch shots down the stretch. Our top six or seven players made crucial 4th quarter shots against the Mavs. The Mavs aren't a great defensive team but it seemed like they did give the Spurs problems with their zone and physical play.

The Suns are no way near as physical. That should mean softer lanes to the basket for our slashers. I really don't see the Suns slowing down our offense. We will score at will. Especially since the Mavs threw everything at us in the first round, our guys will already have seen it.

I didn't realize how good the Dallas Mavericks were until tonight. We might have just beaten the best team in basketball.

One thing the Spurs can not be faulted for this year, and it is a huge improvement over every Spurs team since we had SJax is the clutch play. The Spurs have shown they have about 7 players who can all deliver a dagger to close out a game.

Not sure the Mavs were the best, I think every series is going to get harder.

[newacc]

Grant Hill is a stud defensively. Out of anyone on PHX, he can give Parker the most problems with his length. The only issue with Hill is his consistency, but he's one of those players who obviously does a lot more than what the box score records.

If Grant Hill is guarding Tony Parker, he's going to go off.

The Suns are quietly rolling right now. They look extremely tough because they're so good offensively - and it's in the half court, not just transition.

Manu is the PHX killer and he and Tony are going to have to come up with 22-25 points to stymie PHX.

I had the Spurs in 6 against the Mavs so I have 1 round. Unfortunately, I think the Suns are actually going to take this series in 7. They're just so damn good from outside.

The past is no reason to think they won't win this time. Ditching Shawn Marion may be one reason why they advance.

[slayermin]

Give me a fucking break. :rolleyes

Hey, that Beauboux kid was killing us. If he got a few more minutes in this series, it might have all turned out differently. Also, Dirk is unstoppable. You just have to pray he misses. Really. I used to laugh at people comparing him to Bird. Well he still isn't Larry Bird. But his shooting reminds me of Bird.

I really don't want to give props to the Mavs because I really dislike their owner and fanbase. But Dirk Nowitzki is one bad mofo.

[Xylus]

If Grant Hill is guarding Tony Parker, he's going to go off.

The Suns are quietly rolling right now. They look extremely tough because they're so good offensively - and it's in the half court, not just transition.

Manu is the PHX killer and he and Tony are going to have to come up with 22-25 points to stymie PHX.

I had the Spurs in 6 against the Mavs so I have 1 round. Unfortunately, I think the Suns are actually going to take this series in 7. They're just so damn good from outside.

The past is no reason to think they won't win this time. Ditching Shawn Marion may be one reason why they advance.

This is a myth. I love Ginobili. He's my favorite non-Suns player in the entire NBA. But Ginobili hasn't been a Suns killer for years. The last 3 times the Suns have played the Spurs in the playoffs, it's always been Parker and Duncan, Parker and Duncan, Parker and Duncan.

I'm not saying Ginobili is going to have a bad series, I'm just saying that in recent history, that hasn't been the case...

[Cane]

Imo the Suns are going to have growing pains trying to reintegrate Lopez (if they do) which might throw off their chemistry. Gotta wonder if Tony Parker will start also especially if he can exploit Steve Nash.

I also think the Mavs are better than the Suns...Spurs seem to have a lot of confidence when they play against PHX as well.

This is definitely one of the better if not best Suns team in a while simply because they play defense and a healthy and conditioned Lopez helps solve a lot of their weaknesses.

[DespЏrado]

Unfortunately, I think the Suns are actually going to take this series in 7. They're just so damn good from outside.

The past is no reason to think they won't win this time. Ditching Shawn Marion may be one reason why they advance.

The spurs have always been able to take the three point shot from every team not named the Lakers in the Pop era. I don't see that changing this series. I don't think three point shooting is going to threaten the Spurs chances of winning this series.

Pops greatest coaching strengths namely defending the three and the transition break have made the Suns our bitches. It's going to take Nash, Hill, and Richardson lead dribble penetration to break down our defense and Amare's interior scoring to give the Suns a chance.

[spurs10]

This will not be easy, of course, but if all the Spurs are healthy, we'll win.

[kace]

This is a myth. I love Ginobili. He's my favorite non-Suns player in the entire NBA. But Ginobili hasn't been a Suns killer for years. The last 3 times the Suns have played the Spurs in the playoffs, it's always been Parker and Duncan, Parker and Duncan, Parker and Duncan.

I'm not saying Ginobili is going to have a bad series, I'm just saying that in recent history, that hasn't been the case...

you should get used to it. as great as manu really is, you always have fans who fan to create false myth about him. and the most they reapeat it, the most some people will take it as a real thing.

you look at the last serie against phoenix, and TP was the suns killer, with a very good Tim and Manu who faded at the end of the serie after good first games.

anyway, like always, we will need a lot of players contributing to beat the suns, who are very good right now.

[rascal]

Spurs in 6. The spurs will get as far as the lakers and thats the season.

[DespЏrado]

One small addition Frye shot 43.9 percent. so the Suns have 6 players that average about 40% from three point land. And Bonner or Jefferson will probably get the majority minutes guarding him. Gives Popovich another excuse to play small ball and or Bonner.

[Rummpd]

Spurs in 6 in what will be a fabulous series and it might take 7. Suns > Mavs.


Suns a scary and deep team but when Shaq (albeit older and not in his prime) joined them they finally had a true defensive answer to Duncan at the end of games and a true inside force defensively, and I am not sure they are really any better now except perhaps better coached. Spurs match up very well and Amare is a stud but he does not have the range of Dirk. Parker, Hill and Manu are going to drive with impunity on the Suns the whole series.

[Manu-of-steel]

This is a different suns team. They are better defensively, because they have players who are committed on defense- Amundson, Dudley, sometimes, even Jrich and nash are hustling now. These would be a tight series, but the spurs should win this.

[spursrocks]

i think mavs are better than the suns, so i think we have a chance to win the series against suns. spurs in 6

[ceperez]

Mavs were definitely a more difficult matchup.

The Sun's defense isn't going to be as stiffling as the Mavs.

It's going to be an easy series relative to what the Spurs just went through.

I agree, Spurs in 5 with one game thrown away to rest.

[Loose Cannon]

The fact that they run and shoot well from the perimeter scares you?

Amare's gonna get 35 a game, Nash will get his 20, and we'll still win about 110-95 every game.

Spurs in 5. We drop game 2.

[hsxvvd]

Still haven't quite figured out how the heck we beat the Mavs.

Let me enjoy the day, and I'll think about the Suns tomorrow.

[Capt Bringdown]

I think the Suns are a much better team than the Mavs, who essentially are Dirk + a bunch of guys you can't depend on.

And we don't have guys like Horry or Bowen, who were really good at getting under the Sun's skin.

Let's face it, every time we play the Suns it comes down to a few plays. Spurs in 6, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we lost this series. You can bet that there's tons of extra motivation in the Sun's camp.

[milkyway21]

This Spurs/Suns match-up will top in the tv ratings again just like game 5

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/100429_spurs_broadcast_tops_ratings.html

[Supergirl]

Richardson can't get going if someone doesn't feed him the ball. He doesn't really create his own shots. So while yes, someone needs to defend him well, the key is to lock down Nash and Dragic to keep the Suns from running. They defend better, but they're still a team that likes to play fast and loose.

Amare will have some big games, but he usually does even in Suns losses. Duncan and Dice will take their turns making his life difficult.

Spurs are the best in the league at guarding 3 pt shooters, and that will also be key. Suns have no answer for TP and Manu and Hill. Raja Bell used to be the one guy who could guard one of them, and he's gone.

[Supergirl]

I think the Suns are a much better team than the Mavs, who essentially are Dirk + a bunch of guys you can't depend on.

And we don't have guys like Horry or Bowen, who were really good at getting under the Sun's skin.

Let's face it, every time we play the Suns it comes down to a few plays. Spurs in 6, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we lost this series. You can bet that there's tons of extra motivation in the Sun's camp.

I disagree. Mavs are a much, much better team than the Suns. They play better defense and they're deeper.

[EricB]

:lol people really underestimate how good Dallas is defensively. Alot of the spurs points came on the perimiter due to the mavericks taking away all interior shots. Manu especially. Who's gonna keep Manu Parker hill out of the lane?

[ManuTastic]

Actually, Spurs beat _allas by NOT settling for outside shots, but instead attacking the rim. That's the best strategy for beating Phx as well: since Tim demands so much attention from any team's biggest defender, the paint is open for SA if they stay aggressive. And remember, Nash plays no D, and Amare commits dumb fouls. I agree that Hill's ability to slow down Nash will be a huge advantage. Spurs in 6.

[sa_butta]

Im a little worried about the pick and roll with Nash and Stoudemire, I think he will get a lot of dunks. I think Soudemire is very tough for us to defend because he is so quick. He has really stepped up his game as well. I do think that we are deeper off the bench and I think that is where we can win this series. We should win the battle of points off the bench.

[polandprzem]

Mavs IMO are tougher team. Not just because they are but they do have a nasty bad matchups for the spurs.
With Suns team we can explore their weaknesses and we have got more areas to score.

every series is different but I think Spurs can make Phoenix worse on treys and also I do think that one Grant Hill it's not enough for Suns D. They are the best Suns on D we faced but still not good enough, and now with George we got new weapon to aim at the basket.

[romsho]

The Suns can rely on three point shooting from Dudley 45.8%, Hill 43.8%, Nash 42.6%, Richardson 39.3%, and Dragic 39.4%. For the season they ranked a league high 41.2% on the long ball.


I have a feeling the Suns may be shooting alot more two's in spots they aren't quite comfortable with. Pop isn't really down with lots of open threes.

[dbestpro]

I think what makes the Suns scary is this is their last hooray. I think it is about 90% that Amare plays elsewhere next year. The deeper they go in the playoffs the more likelihood that he will get a max contract from another team like the Knicks. This is their last chance probably even be a playoff team with Steve Nash at the PG. Without Amare they are not a very good team.

[lefty]

Blablablablabla

Enough with reverse jinx BS


I don't see how they can beat us in a 7 game series

(Unless we have injuries :D)

[Agloco]

The Suns can rely on three point shooting from Dudley 45.8%, Hill 43.8%, Nash 42.6%, Richardson 39.3%, and Dragic 39.4%. For the season they ranked a league high 41.2% on the long ball. The Suns have five players who average over ten points a game, a testament to Nash's superlative ball handling skills. Amare Stoudemire plays better against the Spurs than he does against any other team by about 4 pts for 32.7 pts.



That's because the Spurs always play him straight up and deny the three ball against Phoenix. I don't expect anything to change, except the shooting percentages of the Suns perimeter players. We will stick to them like glue.

[Agloco]

:lol people really underestimate how good Dallas is defensively. Alot of the spurs points came on the perimiter due to the mavericks taking away all interior shots. Manu especially. Who's gonna keep Manu Parker hill out of the lane?

+1. There's only one Grant Hill.......

[Agloco]

I think the Suns are a much better team than the Mavs, who essentially are Dirk + a bunch of guys you can't depend on.

Let's face it, every time we play the Suns it comes down to a few plays. Spurs in 6, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we lost this series. You can bet that there's tons of extra motivation in the Sun's camp.

:lmao:lmao

Same could be said for our games vs the Mavs.

lol Suns > Mavs

[TDMVPDPOY]

this is the sort of game RJ should be excelling in....

[lefty]

Still haven't quite figured out how the heck we beat the Mavs.

Let me enjoy the day, and I'll think about the Suns tomorrow.
Exactly

That's some sweet revenge

[wildbill2u]

I am being hard on Duncan and Manu. How they respond as the playoffs get deeper is probably the biggest obstacle between making this a trophy year or just a deep run. But at this point it is hard to avoid the fact that their ability to step on the gas is the biggest question mark going forward.

I agree about the three point shooting.

Just wanted to say I love your username. Well done. Wish I'd of thunk it.

[Darkwaters]

Something that I think is getting underscored in this series is DeJuan Blair. He was not a very good matchup against the Mavs and therefore was used very little. A lot of people have written this off as "Pop just not playing rookies" but I think matchups were crucial to his limited court time. Against the Suns, Blair will be a considerable asset. He should be better able to not only put up stats but also spell Duncan and keep him fresh. This is a huge advantage from the Dallas series. Even if it only buys us 5 more minutes a game.

[Mr. Body]

Im a little worried about the pick and roll with Nash and Stoudemire, I think he will get a lot of dunks. I think Soudemire is very tough for us to defend because he is so quick. He has really stepped up his game as well. I do think that we are deeper off the bench and I think that is where we can win this series. We should win the battle of points off the bench.

Stoudemire might get 35-40 ppg. He'll be annointed as an all-conquering, all-world player again, which hasn't happened since the last time he faces the Spurs in the playoffs. And the result may as well be the same.

The strategy involves Stoudemire scoring at a lot of opportunities.

[DPG21920]

I really hope people aren't sleeping on the Suns. They have been playing the best basketball for over a month going into the playoffs. They just dismantled the Blazers and are so much more balanced on both ends.

[sa_butta]

I really hope people aren't sleeping on the Suns. They have been playing the best basketball for over a month going into the playoffs. They just dismantled the Blazers and are so much more balanced on both ends.
last think you can do is sleep on any team in the playoffs, dont forget how much better the Spurs have been playing as well. Most of us didnt think we were getting past the Mavs in the first round the way we were playing toward the end of the season... I think we have found another gear and this should be a battle.

[TDMVPDPOY]

+1. There's only one Grant Hill.......

he only has one ankle, cant wait...

[GSH]

he only has one ankle, cant wait...

I don't know how to break this news, but Hill is playing like he never had an injury in his career. It's his 14th year in the league, so he obviously isn't the player he was 10 years ago. But he isn't playing like a guy with one ankle at all. He averaged 30 minutes per game, through 81 games in the regular season.

I thought he was finished back when Phoenix signed him, but he's still going strong. He plays hard, and he plays smart. If he were wearing silver and black, we would all be carrying on about how he fits in here.

[CGD]

Amare Stoudemire plays better against the Spurs than he does against any other team by about 4 pts for 32.7 pts.


This is usually by design to limit the Suns' other weapons. It's like the way the Spurs played Dirk this past series in order to limit Terry and Kidd. I don't expect this to change.

[SpuronyourFace]

Nash and Amare have never played defense.

And they won't start now.

[ajh18]

I think it might come down to how much the Spurs have to play Bogans to cover Nash. If we can live with basically a 3-guard rotation of Manu, Hill, and Parker, Nash will not be able to rest like he once could on defense against bowen.

However, if that tandem can't guard Nash effectively, Bogans will be less effective against Nash than Bowen was, while still letting him rest on the defensive end. That can't happen if we want to be successful.

Tim needs to dominate the post, especially with no Shaq there. Play Dice man-to-man on Amare on D, and take what he gets. I'm less worried about him than I was Dirk anyway.

[Ishta]

Spurs in 6 GO SPURS GO bring on the suns

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

As a Spurs fan I do have a few concerns about the Suns in this series. Gentry is a much better coach than D'Antoni. He's good at making in-game and game-to-game adjustments. I liked his coaching job in the Portland series. Amare has become a mature player and a force. He's adopted at least a shred of humility in his game. Perhaps all his years of watching Duncan have paid dividends somewhat. Richardson is a great player and hard to stop. Grant Hill is a leader and provides a lot of those small intangibles that don't often hit the boxscore. Nash is Nash and can make any team a tough team to stop.

That being said, I'm feeling like the Spurs are coming together as a team. Our Hill is maturing, Jefferson is playing like he belongs, Playoff McDyess looks tough, the Big 3 are fairly healthy, and Pop has a good playoff rotation going.

Spurs in 6...should be fun.

[vicphoenix13]

Steve Nash is playing with a wrenched back. He might not be much of a factor in this series.

[pad300]

We have matchup issues with the Mavs, obviously starting with Dirk... The Suns on the other hand, particularly with Lopez out, have matchup issues with us. They have 1 player, Grant Hill (Maybe), who can defend penetration from our top 3 guards (Parker, Manu, Hill) and then they have no bigs who can provide good help defense. Nor can their bigs defend TD, or even Blair I suspect, in the post. We should spend this entire series shooting from 6ft or less away from the Basket...At that point, I like our odds.

[Galileo]

The Suns have no defense and will be eaten alive.

[Spurtacus]

Steve Nash is playing with a wrenched back. He might not be much of a factor in this series.

Steve Nash will always be a factor. Don't kid yourself.

[NFGIII]

That said the Spurs still have a huge mental advantage over the Suns. No Steve Nash lead team has ever beaten the Spurs in a playoff series. With the emergence of Hill, the Spurs have more fresh legs to absolutely remove Nash from being a factor in this series, and that is the first crucial step to beating the Suns. Remove Nash from the game, and his havoc style offense that can deliver points at will against any team will be neutralized. Remove Nash and you remove the Suns fast break.

I hope the Spurs employ the same defensive scheme against him as they did against Kidd. Hound Nash and disrupt his game. As I said about Kidd I say about Nash - he is the head of the snake and the Spurs need to cut it off. Limit his playmaking ability and you will see a good but not great team. Play Nash the same way we have in the past and they can take this series.



Jason Richardson is absolutely a playoff stud, but he isn't a franchise player. Playing the Guard Forward position he is the barometer to the Suns offense. If he gets going the Suns are almost always going to win. Any player that can erupt for 42 points in the playoffs is someone that has to be neutralized. Manu, Jefferson, Hill, and Bogans will probably all get a crack at locking him up and the Spurs success hinges on how well they do. Stopping his break away points is the most crucial part when you play J.Rich. There is probably not a faster person down the court than Richardson. In one play against the Trailblazers he corralled a rebound and passed the ball out just so he could take off full speed down the court to receive the alley-oop he knew would be there. It was a play more reminiscent of a football player receiving a touchdown pass than basketball. If the Spurs let that happen more than once in a quarter; the Spurs will lose that game.

Agreed to a point. Richardson has really played well so far but I wouldn't call him a playoff stud just yet. This is the first time he has been in this situation and the Spurs D is better now than it has been all season. And I would ge do far as to say it's better than the Trailblazers. Much better but we'll see wont we.

But point taken as to he being one of the keys to victory. As with Nash the Spurs need to have a player shadowing him at all times.


You're being too harsh on TD and Manu. They will get 3 days off before the series starts on Monday. There is no Haywood or Dampier to wear TD down, and the Suns have never had an answer for Manu. Plus with George Hill rounding into form that only makes us better.

The biggest question for me is how well the Spurs can keep the 3 point differential respectable. The Suns kill it from 3 point land, yet the Spurs are one of the best at guarding the 3.

Concerning TD that is a very good point. Amare really doesn't play D and when he does it isn't that physical so I can see TD not getting banged around as much and therefore be more of a force.

As for the 3 pt differential the Spurs are one of the best perimeter D teams in the league and their rotations against the Mavs suggest that this issue will be less of a factor in the series. But it will be a huge concern if they don't rotate.


Good thing the Suns don't constantly attack in transition. They just won a series that featured a whole helluvalot of half-court sets.

The Blazers scored more than 90 points only twice in 6 games.

Yep this Suns team is a different breed than the previous ones. They play half court much better than in the past so that will make this series a little more dicey for the Spurs. And their D is much better, too.

And it took an ex-Spur to get you to the point of playing better D! :D


If Grant Hill is guarding Tony Parker, he's going to go off.

TP is coming on at exactly the right time. He is way too fast for HIll and will toast him regularly. And with the lane wide open I can see a layup drill happening consistently. Definitely TP, Hill and Manu all participating regularly.



The Suns are quietly rolling right now. They look extremely tough because they're so good offensively - and it's in the half court, not just transition.

They are and it's the half court issue that is a concern since this was never one in past series. And as already stated their D has improved so much.



The past is no reason to think they won't win this time. Ditching Shawn Marion may be one reason why they advance.

+1000

Though Marion is an exciting player he just doesn't produce in a half court situation which is what the POs are mostly about, especially when playing the Spurs. All you have to do is just go back and review what he did against the Spurs in past POs series. He lacked any kind of consistency which was detrimetal to his team. Same went for him in the Mavs series. Great move by the Suns to move him and his millstone contract. Now the Mavs are saddled with his $40 M bonehead deal.


Something that I think is getting underscored in this series is DeJuan Blair. He was not a very good matchup against the Mavs and therefore was used very little. A lot of people have written this off as "Pop just not playing rookies" but I think matchups were crucial to his limited court time. Against the Suns, Blair will be a considerable asset. He should be better able to not only put up stats but also spell Duncan and keep him fresh. This is a huge advantage from the Dallas series. Even if it only buys us 5 more minutes a game.

:tu

I expect for him to get more time since the Suns bigs aren't in the same category as those of the Mavs. Another X factor and his nose for the ball I think will be huge in this series. Carlisle pointed that out as a key to the Spurs victory in game 4. He just gets to them more than others. It's those 50-50 balls that he gets that gives the Spurs extra possessions and second chance points.

I also think he will get more than 5 minutes and I think you do too. And the rest he will give TD will be another significant advantage the Spurs will have and could possibily put hem over the top in this series. A rested and fresh TD come the 4th Q isn't a good sight for the Suns. IMHO


As a Spurs fan I do have a few concerns about the Suns in this series. Gentry is a much better coach than D'Antoni. He's good at making in-game and game-to-game adjustments. I liked his coaching job in the Portland series.

That being said, I'm feeling like the Spurs are coming together as a team. Our Hill is maturing, Jefferson is playing like he belongs, Playoff McDyess looks tough, the Big 3 are fairly healthy, and Pop has a good playoff rotation going.

Spurs in 6...should be fun.

Agreed. They needed a does of Spurs corporate knowledge to get to the level of D that they are currently playing. :D

Anyway Mike D's scheme for BB is very exciting to watch and racks up a lot of Ws in the regular season (especially when you have enough talented players that is) but unravels come PO time. The POs are about a slowed down half court type of play and Gentry, knowing that, has made the Suns play accordingly.

This team is finally coming together and that doesn't bode well for the Suns. But this series is going to be a tough one and most likely will go 6 or 7. I don't think the Spurs are going to take it in 5 as others have said and it wouldn't surprise me to see them lose it. This is not the Suns of old and Pop will have to be on top of the rotations just as the players will have to be able to exploit any mismatches that happen on the court.

As rotations go we will need to get more contributions out of Bonner, Blair, Bogans and Mason. As the POs go forward this will have to increase. We can't get to the Finals depending on 6 guys. But my gut feeling is that it will - Blair specifically. This will be his type of series IMHO.

[vander]

don't double team, don't let the role players get open looks, force Nash to be a scorer, chase him around the screens, tire him out...

If Richardson and Stoudemire have to create all their own shots, instead of getting spoon fed by Nash, Phoenix becomes very defendable

[Martin R]

I am being hard on Duncan and Manu. How they respond as the playoffs get deeper is probably the biggest obstacle between making this a trophy year or just a deep run. But at this point it is hard to avoid the fact that their ability to step on the gas is the biggest question mark going forward.

I agree about the three point shooting.


maybe it is a mistyping, but.......are we seriously putting in doubt the outcome of Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan in play-off competition????

[NFGIII]

don't double team, don't let the role players get open looks, force Nash to be a scorer, chase him around the screens, tire him out...

If Richardson and Stoudemire have to create all their own shots, instead of getting spoon fed by Nash, Phoenix becomes very defendable

+1

I agree that Nash is the key -that's what I think you were saying. Get in his jersey and never leave. Make him work like they made Kidd work and see what happens. The Suns ball movement is a thing to watch but when disrupted then they are very defendable as you said.

As for the double temas I think they need to be thrown in there from time to time. Keep the Suns guessing as to when and where they will come. Just like Dirk was kept off balance the Suns should be treated likewise.

Both JR and Amare don't create their shots very well. They need Nash to be the type of players they have been so far.

[Man In Black]

Them having Robin Lopez or not will loom large toward's PHX's defensive capabilities. The Spurs cannot guard Nash the same way in 07 because the weapon of choice is now wearing a bow-tie and speaking on national TV for the 4-letter.

The Spurs have to contend with a team that is better at half-court than ever. However, there is only 1 ball and for as well as Phoenix shared the ball against Portland, there is a huge chasm in defensive intensity between Portland and San Antonio.

I think, if you've got to bring a Blair to the game, let him go Grizzly! Physicality will rule the series, and the Spurs have that.

Our AZ peeps beg to differ though.
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f7/time-to-smack-the-bully-in-the-nose-151749.html
http://phxsuns.net/showthread.php?t=2107

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Grant Hill: 2 blocked shots 12 rebounds and a plus/minus of +26 in his last game against Portland. .

Portland was the dented shell of their former selves.

One Bruce Bowen (wanna be) ain't going to stop Tony, Manu and George. We just have too many options in the 1/2 court set.

If the Spurs take care of the ball, they'll control the tempo.

Spurs in 5.

[Spurs Brazil]

Somebody have to step up and guard Nash well, probably Hill

Remember there's no Bruce to kill Nash this time nut at the other end Nash can't rest on D like he did in the past years

[Brazil]

As a Spurs fan I do have a few concerns about the Suns in this series. Gentry is a much better coach than D'Antoni. He's good at making in-game and game-to-game adjustments. I liked his coaching job in the Portland series. Amare has become a mature player and a force. He's adopted at least a shred of humility in his game. Perhaps all his years of watching Duncan have paid dividends somewhat. Richardson is a great player and hard to stop. Grant Hill is a leader and provides a lot of those small intangibles that don't often hit the boxscore. Nash is Nash and can make any team a tough team to stop.

That being said, I'm feeling like the Spurs are coming together as a team. Our Hill is maturing, Jefferson is playing like he belongs, Playoff McDyess looks tough, the Big 3 are fairly healthy, and Pop has a good playoff rotation going.

Spurs in 6...should be fun.

Great post.


For me one of the biggest threat during this serie will be the 3 pts defense, if we don't contest enough their 3 pts shooting, we will be in trouble no matter what.

BTW on our side if on one hand the lack of 3 pts shooting can be seen like a blessing in disguise: Spurs cannot count anymore on the 3s therefore maybe it forced a litle the team to go inside which is good. On another hand, for this serie we will have to make some 3s.

But Matt B is check & Matt, mason is dead, RJ is shooting the 3 lately only when he is wiiiiidddeeee open, Hill is more a corner 3 specialist ala bruce, TP can't shoot it, our hope is on Manu.