CubanMustGo
01-07-2012, 03:05 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/01/phoenix_102_portland_77_suns_dismantle_sloppy_blaz .html
PHOENIX -- Yikes.
Remember that torrid Trail Blazers start? The one that prompted national basketball pundits like Charles Barkley and Steve Kerr to gush about the hottest team in the Western Conference?
That team was nowhere to be seen Friday night in Phoenix, where the Phoenix Suns ran circles around the more hyped Blazers during a 102-77 dismantling before 19,408 at US Airways Center.
"I think it's pretty apparent that that's the best we've played all year against a quality team," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I thought it was a total team effort."
Before tipoff, much of the pregame banter focused on the flip-flopping of the team's offenses. The Blazers (5-2), once among the slowest-paced teams in the NBA, entered the game ranked third in the league in scoring, averaging 102.9 points per game. The Suns (3-4), the one-time offensive juggernauts with their old "Seven seconds or less" offense, were averaging a mere 91.3 points, seventh-lowest in the league.
After the game, that story line had been flipped on its head.
The Blazers's offense looked inept and out of sync, settling for jump shots early, committing an alarming amount of turnovers -- again -- and generally looking sloppy and confused. All the while, it was turn-back-the-clock night for the Suns.
With Steve Nash meep-meeping his way around the court like The Road Runner and a variety of different Suns punishing the Blazers in a variety of ways, the Suns looked every bit like their thrill-a-minute former selves. From the opening jump, Nash and the Suns were faster, more precise and better than the Blazers, who shot 32.5 percent from the field and finished with their lowest-scoring output of the season.
"I thought they were just faster throughout the night," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "They did a good job of bodying us on cuts and making us work to get in our sets. It just seemed like we were running in quicksand all night."
In the first quarter, when the Suns built a 30-19 lead, Nash had nine points and five assists and served as a textbook example for the Blazers' work-in-progress fast-paced offense, pushing the pace and directing. By the time the night was over, Nash was practically perfect, finishing with 17 points and nine assists, while making all seven of his field goals.
And he did it all in just three quarters because the Suns were so dominant -- building as big as a 24-point lead in the third quarter -- he didn't need to play in the fourth.
"I always kind of look at point guards as they can be sunshine or a cloud," McMillan said before the game. "And, to me, Nash is sunshine. Guys like playing with him. When they see him or when they're on the floor with him, they enjoy playing with him. He makes you better."
The Blazers were more black cloud than sunshine Friday night. The team that had committed a combined 46 turnovers in consecutive games against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers resurfaced as the Blazers finished with 17. That led to 21 Phoenix points.
The Suns had six players reach double figures in scoring, including Jared Dudley (18) and Marcin Gortat (12 points, eight rebounds). The Blazers had just three, and that included only one starter: LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and was a shell of the player he's been all season.
The Suns, who have held five of their seven opponents to fewer than 100 points this season, did a superb job of forcing Aldridge out of the paint and making him take contested shots. They also bottled up Gerald Wallace. After looking so dominant against the Lakers, Wallace finished with just one point and missed all six of his field goal attempts. It was like a rerun of the Blazers' loss to the Clippers, when Wallace was held scoreless.
Things couldn't have started any worse for the Blazers. Just as it did against the Lakers, the first quarter looked more like a track meet than a basketball game. But unlike against the Lakers, the Blazers couldn't keep up.
The Suns did not miss a shot in their first six possessions and made 12 of their first 16 attempts of the game. By the time the first quarter had ended, the Suns had racked up their most points (30) in an opening quarter this season. The Blazers barely had 30 points by halftime, trailing 49-34.
And things only got worse from there. Even so, in the quiet visiting locker room after the game, the Blazers were more apt to look toward the future than dwell on one awful performance.
"This is a small bump in the road for sure," said Jamal Crawford, who had 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. "Us scoring 70-something points is not who we are. You don't stress too much about it. You watch the tape, see what you can do better and make some adjustments."
Notes: The game featured four of the six oldest players in the NBA: Kurt Thomas (39), Grant Hill (39), Steve Nash (37) and Marcus Camby (37). Thomas, the oldest player in the league, is one day older than Hill. ... The Suns improved to 11-2 at home against the Blazers under Nash. ... Nicolas Batum and Crawford combined to shoot 7 for 27. ... Former Blazer Channing Frye had just four points on 1 of 5 shooting. ... The Blazers surrendered 40 points in the paint.
--Joe Freeman ([email protected])
twitter.com/blazerfreeman (https://blog.advance.net/mt-static/html/twitter.com/blazerfreeman)
PHOENIX -- Yikes.
Remember that torrid Trail Blazers start? The one that prompted national basketball pundits like Charles Barkley and Steve Kerr to gush about the hottest team in the Western Conference?
That team was nowhere to be seen Friday night in Phoenix, where the Phoenix Suns ran circles around the more hyped Blazers during a 102-77 dismantling before 19,408 at US Airways Center.
"I think it's pretty apparent that that's the best we've played all year against a quality team," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I thought it was a total team effort."
Before tipoff, much of the pregame banter focused on the flip-flopping of the team's offenses. The Blazers (5-2), once among the slowest-paced teams in the NBA, entered the game ranked third in the league in scoring, averaging 102.9 points per game. The Suns (3-4), the one-time offensive juggernauts with their old "Seven seconds or less" offense, were averaging a mere 91.3 points, seventh-lowest in the league.
After the game, that story line had been flipped on its head.
The Blazers's offense looked inept and out of sync, settling for jump shots early, committing an alarming amount of turnovers -- again -- and generally looking sloppy and confused. All the while, it was turn-back-the-clock night for the Suns.
With Steve Nash meep-meeping his way around the court like The Road Runner and a variety of different Suns punishing the Blazers in a variety of ways, the Suns looked every bit like their thrill-a-minute former selves. From the opening jump, Nash and the Suns were faster, more precise and better than the Blazers, who shot 32.5 percent from the field and finished with their lowest-scoring output of the season.
"I thought they were just faster throughout the night," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "They did a good job of bodying us on cuts and making us work to get in our sets. It just seemed like we were running in quicksand all night."
In the first quarter, when the Suns built a 30-19 lead, Nash had nine points and five assists and served as a textbook example for the Blazers' work-in-progress fast-paced offense, pushing the pace and directing. By the time the night was over, Nash was practically perfect, finishing with 17 points and nine assists, while making all seven of his field goals.
And he did it all in just three quarters because the Suns were so dominant -- building as big as a 24-point lead in the third quarter -- he didn't need to play in the fourth.
"I always kind of look at point guards as they can be sunshine or a cloud," McMillan said before the game. "And, to me, Nash is sunshine. Guys like playing with him. When they see him or when they're on the floor with him, they enjoy playing with him. He makes you better."
The Blazers were more black cloud than sunshine Friday night. The team that had committed a combined 46 turnovers in consecutive games against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers resurfaced as the Blazers finished with 17. That led to 21 Phoenix points.
The Suns had six players reach double figures in scoring, including Jared Dudley (18) and Marcin Gortat (12 points, eight rebounds). The Blazers had just three, and that included only one starter: LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and was a shell of the player he's been all season.
The Suns, who have held five of their seven opponents to fewer than 100 points this season, did a superb job of forcing Aldridge out of the paint and making him take contested shots. They also bottled up Gerald Wallace. After looking so dominant against the Lakers, Wallace finished with just one point and missed all six of his field goal attempts. It was like a rerun of the Blazers' loss to the Clippers, when Wallace was held scoreless.
Things couldn't have started any worse for the Blazers. Just as it did against the Lakers, the first quarter looked more like a track meet than a basketball game. But unlike against the Lakers, the Blazers couldn't keep up.
The Suns did not miss a shot in their first six possessions and made 12 of their first 16 attempts of the game. By the time the first quarter had ended, the Suns had racked up their most points (30) in an opening quarter this season. The Blazers barely had 30 points by halftime, trailing 49-34.
And things only got worse from there. Even so, in the quiet visiting locker room after the game, the Blazers were more apt to look toward the future than dwell on one awful performance.
"This is a small bump in the road for sure," said Jamal Crawford, who had 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting. "Us scoring 70-something points is not who we are. You don't stress too much about it. You watch the tape, see what you can do better and make some adjustments."
Notes: The game featured four of the six oldest players in the NBA: Kurt Thomas (39), Grant Hill (39), Steve Nash (37) and Marcus Camby (37). Thomas, the oldest player in the league, is one day older than Hill. ... The Suns improved to 11-2 at home against the Blazers under Nash. ... Nicolas Batum and Crawford combined to shoot 7 for 27. ... Former Blazer Channing Frye had just four points on 1 of 5 shooting. ... The Blazers surrendered 40 points in the paint.
--Joe Freeman ([email protected])
twitter.com/blazerfreeman (https://blog.advance.net/mt-static/html/twitter.com/blazerfreeman)