TOP-CHERRY
05-28-2005, 11:12 AM
Face it: Spurs will be around awhile
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2005 12:00 AM
Story Link (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0528bickley0528.html)
SAN ANTONIO
The Spurs are more than a really good team.
They could be a nemesis.
They could forever loom over this basketball revival in Phoenix.
It's an ugly thought, but with the Suns down 0-2 and facing a Memorial Day weekend fraught with embarrassment, there seems to be an even bigger number in the air.
It's the Spurs' 10 consecutive wins over the Suns when Tim Duncan is on the floor.
It's the notion that the Spurs may be burrowing their way inside the Suns' heads, becoming the giant that just can't be beaten, now and in the near future.
It's the fear that the Suns could end up like those really good teams in Sacramento and Portland, hopelessly lost in the Lakers' shadow.
"Gauging the guys, I would say that isn't the case right now," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Our guys really believe that at full strength, we can play with them and we can beat them. But obviously, if it keeps going like it has, I think that plays into the equation to a certain degree."
Clearly, these two organizations offer a great contrast in approach, and the differences are best reflected in leadership. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a military man, and his team is all business, discipline and very little emotion. D'Antoni is always loose, always smiling, and his team is a crazy kaleidoscope of personalities.
The Spurs are cast as defensive specialists, which is only close to the truth. The Suns are all about offense, which is definitely (and sometimes painfully) true.
Yet these teams are amazingly similar. Both have put a heavy premium on international scouting. Both have shined in drafting and acquiring relatively obscure players. These days, it's hard to imagine that the Spurs plucked Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick overall in the 1999 draft, then selected Tony Parker with the 28th pick in the 2001 draft.
Then there's this: Duncan came to the Spurs before the 1997-98 season, won Rookie of the Year honors and helped San Antonio author the best turnaround in league history. The Spurs went from 20-62 to 56-26 overnight, eventually winning NBA titles in 1999 and 2003.
The Suns drafted Amaré Stoudemire, who also won Rookie of the Year, while the addition of Steve Nash made it all click. Just like the Spurs, the Suns became a contender in the blink of an eye, improving from 29-53 to 62-20 in one season.
Yet while the future may be bountiful and bright for the Suns, it's not exactly cloudy in San Antonio. So this quest for a title will eventually require winning a tug-of-war with the Spurs.
"I lost to San Antonio in the conference finals when I was in Portland," Jim Jackson said. "And now, I'm struggling with them again."
At the moment, the Suns won't concede a thing. Most of them scoff at the notion of San Antonio as a perennial roadblock. Most believe this 0-2 deficit is largely of their own making, and all that's needed is a really big eraser.
Before leaving town, Shawn Marion even took a playful swipe at the on-court antics of Ginobili, a player often accused of exaggerating body contact to draw calls from the officials.
"We were working on our flopping in practice," said Marion, laughing. "We were working on our acting today. Guess we're going to see who can be the biggest actors and get the calls near the end."
Fighting words? Hardly. It's simply too early in this budding rivalry. But this weekend seems to be another defining moment.
The Suns will gain Joe Johnson and lose their alibi. They are playing a Spurs team that has won 43 of its past 47 home games. If the Suns get barbecued over the weekend, it would be a powerful statement of order in the Western Conference. A sweep would live forever in the record books, and it could affect the dynamics of this rivalry.
Or, the Suns can win a game and give themselves a puncher's chance in this series.
"San Antonio is a very good basketball team, and right now, our guys, being a significant man short, are still winging it, trying to learn what playoff basketball is all about," said former star Rex Chapman, Suns director of basketball operations. "But I told Joe (Johnson) that if he does what I expect him to do (tonight), we win Game 3 and you can forget everything that's already happened."
The Spurs are in the midst of a wonderful reign of basketball. The Suns are just getting started, and no one said it would be easy. For reference, see how Michael Jordan and the Bulls needed to hit the brick wall a few times before finally toppling the Bad Boys in Detroit.
But at some point, the dragon in San Antonio must be confronted and conquered. Now would be a good time to get started, before this budding rivalry becomes too one-sided.
Reach Bickley at [email protected] or (602) 444-8253.
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2005 12:00 AM
Story Link (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0528bickley0528.html)
SAN ANTONIO
The Spurs are more than a really good team.
They could be a nemesis.
They could forever loom over this basketball revival in Phoenix.
It's an ugly thought, but with the Suns down 0-2 and facing a Memorial Day weekend fraught with embarrassment, there seems to be an even bigger number in the air.
It's the Spurs' 10 consecutive wins over the Suns when Tim Duncan is on the floor.
It's the notion that the Spurs may be burrowing their way inside the Suns' heads, becoming the giant that just can't be beaten, now and in the near future.
It's the fear that the Suns could end up like those really good teams in Sacramento and Portland, hopelessly lost in the Lakers' shadow.
"Gauging the guys, I would say that isn't the case right now," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Our guys really believe that at full strength, we can play with them and we can beat them. But obviously, if it keeps going like it has, I think that plays into the equation to a certain degree."
Clearly, these two organizations offer a great contrast in approach, and the differences are best reflected in leadership. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is a military man, and his team is all business, discipline and very little emotion. D'Antoni is always loose, always smiling, and his team is a crazy kaleidoscope of personalities.
The Spurs are cast as defensive specialists, which is only close to the truth. The Suns are all about offense, which is definitely (and sometimes painfully) true.
Yet these teams are amazingly similar. Both have put a heavy premium on international scouting. Both have shined in drafting and acquiring relatively obscure players. These days, it's hard to imagine that the Spurs plucked Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick overall in the 1999 draft, then selected Tony Parker with the 28th pick in the 2001 draft.
Then there's this: Duncan came to the Spurs before the 1997-98 season, won Rookie of the Year honors and helped San Antonio author the best turnaround in league history. The Spurs went from 20-62 to 56-26 overnight, eventually winning NBA titles in 1999 and 2003.
The Suns drafted Amaré Stoudemire, who also won Rookie of the Year, while the addition of Steve Nash made it all click. Just like the Spurs, the Suns became a contender in the blink of an eye, improving from 29-53 to 62-20 in one season.
Yet while the future may be bountiful and bright for the Suns, it's not exactly cloudy in San Antonio. So this quest for a title will eventually require winning a tug-of-war with the Spurs.
"I lost to San Antonio in the conference finals when I was in Portland," Jim Jackson said. "And now, I'm struggling with them again."
At the moment, the Suns won't concede a thing. Most of them scoff at the notion of San Antonio as a perennial roadblock. Most believe this 0-2 deficit is largely of their own making, and all that's needed is a really big eraser.
Before leaving town, Shawn Marion even took a playful swipe at the on-court antics of Ginobili, a player often accused of exaggerating body contact to draw calls from the officials.
"We were working on our flopping in practice," said Marion, laughing. "We were working on our acting today. Guess we're going to see who can be the biggest actors and get the calls near the end."
Fighting words? Hardly. It's simply too early in this budding rivalry. But this weekend seems to be another defining moment.
The Suns will gain Joe Johnson and lose their alibi. They are playing a Spurs team that has won 43 of its past 47 home games. If the Suns get barbecued over the weekend, it would be a powerful statement of order in the Western Conference. A sweep would live forever in the record books, and it could affect the dynamics of this rivalry.
Or, the Suns can win a game and give themselves a puncher's chance in this series.
"San Antonio is a very good basketball team, and right now, our guys, being a significant man short, are still winging it, trying to learn what playoff basketball is all about," said former star Rex Chapman, Suns director of basketball operations. "But I told Joe (Johnson) that if he does what I expect him to do (tonight), we win Game 3 and you can forget everything that's already happened."
The Spurs are in the midst of a wonderful reign of basketball. The Suns are just getting started, and no one said it would be easy. For reference, see how Michael Jordan and the Bulls needed to hit the brick wall a few times before finally toppling the Bad Boys in Detroit.
But at some point, the dragon in San Antonio must be confronted and conquered. Now would be a good time to get started, before this budding rivalry becomes too one-sided.
Reach Bickley at [email protected] or (602) 444-8253.