Suns (56-18) @ Spurs (53-21) Game Blog -- 4/5

[Texas_Ranger]

I hope this game is over.

[lefty]

TP!!!! yes

[AnkleBreaker21]

i guess spurs just wanted to tease the suns to make this victory even worse

[Spurologist]

TP just delivered the mortal kombat FATALITY

[mikejones99]

too much tony tonight 35

[T-Pain]

we need this win

[mavsfan1000]

Great job spurs on the win.

[peskypesky]

game ain't over yet

[Cry Havoc]

OK, Spurs respond to Suns run, just barely.

What's the matter, boutons_? You haven't posted at all in the second half.

And the first thing you say is only a half-positive. Brilliant.

[efrem1]

game ain't over yet
Not with these guys!!

[davemaniscool]

one of those games where the score doesn't fit the difference

[peskypesky]

do not celebrate yet!

[ducks]

the big three cominned for over 60
35 tp 22 duncan 5 for manu\17 for finley

[mardigan]

Game.

[efrem1]

do not celebrate yet!

Hey I ain't Pesky :spin

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Nash exposed Dirk. Duncan exposed Nash. Duncan is the MVP.

[peskypesky]

spurs should win this...but with our horrible free-throw shooting....

[ducks]

I said early this week tp owns nash

[davemaniscool]

looked like a foul on a 3

[mardigan]

Way to go Fin

[peskypesky]

looked like a foul on a 3

yep

[efrem1]

Timeout-a-rama

[boutons_]

Michael nuts up.

[SpursFanFirst]

Nash exposed Dirk. Duncan exposed Nash. Duncan is the MVP.

Haha...I like your way of thinking! :spin

[peskypesky]

no stupid fouls on 3pt shooters!

[T-Pain]

brucies got this shit on lockdown

[Trainwreck2100]

Suns played pussy ball and lossed

[efrem1]

Only six seconds ran off that clock? That bites.

[peskypesky]

spurs better not fuck this one up

[peskypesky]

TP owns Nash
Duncan owns Stoudamire
Bowen owns Marion

[efrem1]

Ginobili!!!!!!!!!!!

[ShoogarBear]

Dammit, they scored but no time went off the clock . . . :lol

[Amuseddaysleeper]

hahaha i love that feed to Manu

[cornbread]

Beautiful cut by Ginobili.

[SpursFanFirst]

:elephant Way to go, boys!!!! :elephant

[peskypesky]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that's a peek at the second round, folks!
:)

[ShoogarBear]

Uh, it was the pass that made the play.

[efrem1]

Good night and have a safe drive home down I-10, I-37 and 281. :)

[boutons_]

Without the fucking ugly losses to Celts and Pacers, Spurs would have 2nd seed

[AnkleBreaker21]

damn good game now i gotta get high

[T-Pain]

game, set, match.

[ShoogarBear]

Without the fucking ugly losses to Celts and Pacers, Spurs would have 2nd seedWhat about the Bucks?

[ducks]

Without the fucking ugly losses to Celts and Pacers, Spurs would have 2nd seed
boutons is never happy

[maldita21]

the old age on Horry's DNP is back on Yahoo's boxscore!

[ratm1221]

Spurs really had it together. Great game!

Spur = #2 seed

I don't see Suns getting past Spurs in playoffs.

[boutons_]

cry havoc, go fuck yourself. I've posted a lot.

[ducks]

What about the Bucks?
how dare spurs lose a 3 games out of 24

[Budkin]

Owned by Manu again... hahaha!

[fred33]

is eva longoria was at the game?

[boutons_]

boutons has the right big picture.

Dur to our of "pathetic" play vs Pacers and Celts, we gotta start in the series in PHX where the Suns beat us one bad and we nipped them in OT.

[Cry Havoc]

cry havoc, go fuck yourself. I've posted a lot of negative, unnecessary, pointless things.

I know.

[Pugglekicker_21]

I lost vBookie...damn..

[ducks]

boutons has the right big picture.

Dur to our of "pathetic" play vs Pacers and Celts, we gotta start in the series in PHX where the Suns beat us twice easily.
go away troll

[SpursFanFirst]

the old age on Horry's DNP is back on Yahoo's boxscore!

:lol It is!

[boutons_]

go fuck a duck

[cornbread]

Haha! TNT's graphic just said Parker had 235 points.

[Pugglekicker_21]

wtf...on TNT's after score thing it said Tp had 235 pts. please tell me im not the only one who saw that...

[Xylus]

Good showing by the Spurs tonight.

Terrible showing by the Suns tonight.

Hopefully Amare will find his ballsack again before the semifinals.

[mikejones99]

there is really only 6 teams in the NBA - charles

[ducks]

go fuck a duck
do you know how?

[ShoogarBear]

the old age on Horry's DNP is back on Yahoo's boxscore!Sweet. Don't tell lefty.

[SAtown]

Charles Barkley is officially the biggest Spurs fan... He's saying we should have beaten Dallas last year, and he believes we're the best team this year; not Dallas or PHO

[SpursFanFirst]

HA! Charles is cracking me up!!

[ShoogarBear]

OMG, Charles is laying waste to the Phoenix media! :rollin

[Budkin]

Barkley bagging on the Suns "cult" OMG this Bud commercial parody is awesome.

[SAtown]

Barkley for mayor of San Antonio

[ShoogarBear]

Man, Charles looks pissed during that video.

[JMarkJohns]

Congratulations... You did everything that made have you champions tonight. You continue, I don't see a team beating ya. The defended the hell out of the Suns tonight and there isn't much more needed. I thought they had a few chances themselves, most notably that late push, but things just didn't break their way, largely because of the Spurs.

Suns need to suck this up and win out. They can, and need to to rebuild the confidense they lost from this game. They need to see themselves as unstoppable come playoff time, not tired, worndown and vulnerable to tempo domination.

[resistanze]

LMFAO!!!! That was too good.

[mVp]

nice game by tony, and double double for finley! wow...

[ducks]

tp >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>james

[T-Pain]

we have to make Charles Barkley an honorary citizen of Spurs Nation

[aaronstampler]

TNT gang is basically saying the Spurs will have to be upset in round 1 for Phx to have a chance.

[efrem1]

go fuck a duck

George Kennedy in thunderbolt and lightfoot. Do I win a cookie? :downspin:

[ducks]

suns can not win shooting under 40%

how did mavs let suns should 65%

[SAtown]

I guess the AZ media has been critical of Barkley. Why is Barkley so anti Arizona?

[Xylus]

Congratulations... You did everything that made have you champions tonight. You continue, I don't see a team beating ya. The defended the hell out of the Suns tonight and there isn't much more needed. I thought they had a few chances themselves, most notably that late push, but things just didn't break their way, largely because of the Spurs.

Suns need to suck this up and win out. They can, and need to to rebuild the confidense they lost from this game. They need to see themselves as unstoppable come playoff time, not tired, worndown and vulnerable to tempo domination.
I'm looking at the box score and not a single player on our team had a pretty decent game, except for Raja Bell, I guess (11 points, 13 rebounds). So I guess I could look at the bright side and say that next time these two teams play, we won't play so badly.

But the fact that Raja Bell was our highest rebounder by some margin is extremely annoying. Raja came out with a fire tonight, defending Manu pretty well, hitting his shots, rebounding, but no one came with him.

[ducks]

spurs shutdown nash and they sucked shooting tonight
alot of credit has to go to spurs

[Xylus]

I guess the AZ media has been critical of Barkley. Why is Barkley so anti Arizona?
The Phoenix media and the Suns organization have almost banished him from memory.

[Spurologist]

:lmfao

:lmao

You can always count on Charles to be politically correct.

".......jackass reporters in Phoenix

[ducks]

I guess the AZ media has been critical of Barkley. Why is Barkley so anti Arizona?
he likes d and thinks d wins titles

[Xylus]

spurs shutdown nash and they sucked shooting tonight
alot of credit has to go to spurs
Absolutely. But I expect both teams to play much better next time. They both sucked tonight, but San Antonio played good defense.

[SAtown]

The Phoenix media and the Suns organization have almost banished him from memory.

Why? Cuz they lost to the Bulls in the Finals? Cuz he left at the end of his career? Other than that, I don't understand why they would want to forget the Barkley era.

[ducks]

do you really think sa can play better
manu sucked shotting
elson was awesome rebounding
finley had 10 rebounds
duncan has 10 rebounds

[ponky]

congrats on the win tonight spurs, it was pretty hilarious to be laughing and screaming *go spurs go* and calling spurs' plays "beautiful"...i still think the suns will take a couple at home in phoenix but spurs should win that series in 6 if they continue to play like tonight...as for the tnt comments, one of the reasons i'm looking forward to the spurs/suns matchup is because i think the spurs do match up better against the suns than do the mavs (who are susceptible to running) but it's a lot more balanced when the spurs/mavs matchup. anyway, congrats on the win, parker had a helluva game and he wore out nash and got the job done.

[Man Mountain]

The Phoenix media and the Suns organization have almost banished him from memory.

Didn't they try to get him buy into the organization a few years back when they tried to get Kerr and Elliott to buy in? (And Kerr did)

[Xylus]

Why? Cuz they lost to the Bulls in the Finals? Cuz he left at at the end of his career? Other than that, I don't understand why they would want to forget the Barkley era.
Not really sure. My only guess is that Barkley speaks of the Suns almost as if he regrets playing for them. He also bags the team at every opportunity, to the point where it seems personal, rather than just a subjective analysis.

Again, I don't know for sure. I just know that Barkley and the Suns are not the best of fwiendz.

[ponky]

Not really sure. My only guess is that Barkley speaks of the Suns almost as if he regrets playing for them. He also bags the team at every opportunity, to the point where it seems personal, rather than just a subjective analysis.

Again, I don't know for sure. I just know that Barkley and the Suns are not the best of fwiendz.

he was rooting for them last season but i think he kind of let it be known that he thought they would lose anyway...he's also said a lot of great things about nash, about how fortunate he is that he gets to watch nash play all the time...i think the whole offensive thing bothers him though

[Xylus]

he was rooting for them last season but i think he kind of let it be known that he thought they would lose anyway...he's also said a lot of great things about nash, about how fortunate he is that he gets to watch nash play all the time...i think the whole offensive thing bothers him though
Barkley's always been pretty complimentary of Nash, but his praise rarely extends any further than that.

It might just be a "I don't want to look like a homer" type of deal, where he'll criticize his former team so he doesn't look biased. Problem is, it does make him look biased, just in a different way.

[Trainwreck2100]

Not really sure. My only guess is that Barkley speaks of the Suns almost as if he regrets playing for them. He also bags the team at every opportunity, to the point where it seems personal, rather than just a subjective analysis.

Again, I don't know for sure. I just know that Barkley and the Suns are not the best of fwiendz.


But what does he say, besides they won't win?

[SAtown]

Haha, Barkley doesn't want to see anymore Cavs games on national tv... fuckin me neither

[Obstructed_View]

Seems like I've seen more Cavs and Nuggets games lately than anything else. Also great scheduling by the NBA to have the Kings on every few days.

[ponky]

Haha, Barkley doesn't want to see anymore Cavs games on national tv... fuckin me neither

Cavs sucked it up big time. I think the free throw disparity in the fourth quarter was a whopping ONE free throw for the Heat compared to 17 for the Cavs...not to mention that the Cavs went something like 11 min 40 secs without a field goal!!!

[Kevin Blackistone]

Congratulations... You did everything that made have you champions tonight. You continue, I don't see a team beating ya. The defended the hell out of the Suns tonight and there isn't much more needed. I thought they had a few chances themselves, most notably that late push, but things just didn't break their way, largely because of the Spurs.

Suns need to suck this up and win out. They can, and need to to rebuild the confidense they lost from this game. They need to see themselves as unstoppable come playoff time, not tired, worndown and vulnerable to tempo domination.

Are you ok? I think this is the first semi-incoherent statement I've seen you post. Little too much to drink? :drunk

[Xylus]

But what does he say, besides they won't win?
I don't really pay much attention to Barkley, but that seems to be the gist of it.

"Suns won't win a title."
"Suns can't win a title."

Those are his two favorite phrases.

[Clutch20]

There were some lapses with interior defense but shit, you can't cover inside AND perimeter without giving up something somewhere.......... :rollin

Overall, some KILLA was evident and IMO this went down:

........................consistency
......................execution
...............agressiveness
..............rebounding
.............defense
.........score score score score

[Trainwreck2100]

I don't really pay much attention to Barkley, but that seems to be the gist of it.

"Suns won't win a title."
"Suns can't win a title."

Those are his two favorite phrases.

But hasn't he been right so far?

[Kevin Blackistone]

I don't really pay much attention to Barkley, but that seems to be the gist of it.

"Suns won't win a title."
"Suns can't win a title."

Those are his two favorite phrases.

I agree he's a little too demonstrative on the "Sun's can't win a title" rant because they can, but you have to admit the D'Antoni "small ball" run and gun style doesn't allow itself to have a dominate defense due to the lineups required to play that style. The only guy on the Phoenix team who could give TD trouble was Thomas, but he didn't get time because he doesn't allow the Suns to run and gun like they want to.

[Kori Ellis]

Barkley is a little harsh of the Suns organization since 2004 because that's when they asked him to become part of the ownership group (they asked Kerr and Elliott too). Barkley agreed but they told him that he would not have any say in anything - just a monetary investor. He got pissed off because he thought that if they could take his money (in the millions) that he could be a true part of the organization - like Kerr became. Anyway, he decided not to buy in, so since then he's been a little bit of dick about them.

And Elliott decided not to buy in because he said he was too loyal to the Spurs and would have felt like he was being a traitor.

But initially, the 12-man ownership group was to include Kerr, Elliott and Barkley.

[JMarkJohns]

I'm looking at the box score and not a single player on our team had a pretty decent game, except for Raja Bell, I guess (11 points, 13 rebounds). So I guess I could look at the bright side and say that next time these two teams play, we won't play so badly.

But the fact that Raja Bell was our highest rebounder by some margin is extremely annoying. Raja came out with a fire tonight, defending Manu pretty well, hitting his shots, rebounding, but no one came with him.

I wanted to see this team fight for the win. Especially holding a one-point lead at the half. I wanted to see them come out and play however it took to battle and stay in it. Instead, I got almost no fire after halftime until late, when they realized they were in danger of getting blown the hell out.

I'd like to say they played hard for 40 minutes and lost it in eight, but realistically they played hard for one half, stank the place up until there was just five minutes remaining, then, with the Spurs playing a bit conservative, took advantage of a few opportunities to make the score look reasonable, when it was pretty muchh in hand for the Spurs until that Nash three. Still, them being San Antonio and Phoenix being Phoenix, the Spurs pulled it out despite the mini rally.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Cavs sucked it up big time. I think the free throw disparity in the fourth quarter was a whopping ONE free throw for the Heat compared to 17 for the Cavs...not to mention that the Cavs went something like 11 min 40 secs without a field goal!!!


what'd you think of the spurs-suns game?

[Obstructed_View]

Charles has been, and still is, a Suns fan. He's critical of them, but when has he been wrong? They can't play defense, they are built for the regular season, they can't win without Nash. Sorry, Suns fans. All true. Regardless of the jokes he makes about not playing defesne, Charles Barkley was a great defender, and doesn't seem to have a lot of patience for the Suns' system which has yet to prove it can meet expectations in the playoffs. The fact that Suns fans get bent out of shape should anyone dare point that out is just ridiculous.

[Xylus]

I agree he's a little too demonstrative on the "Sun's can't win a title" rant because they can, but you have to admit the D'Antoni "small ball" run and gun style doesn't allow itself to have a dominate defense due to the lineups required to play that style. The only guy on the Phoenix team who could give TD trouble was Thomas, but he didn't get time because he doesn't allow the Suns to run and gun like they want to.
I think D'Antoni is fucking nuts for starting Barbosa over Kurt Thomas. The whole reason why we got Kurt Thomas was to battle Tim Duncan inside, but somehow KT only plays 14 minutes? What the fuck.

Secondly, D'Antoni is obsessed with "giving the shooter space," which is possibly the worst defensive strategy I've seen in a long time. A lot of the Spurs jumpshots were gimmes because D'Antoni likes to give the shooter room in order to prevent attacks to the basket. This strategy is terrible, because it almost always works in the other team's favor. D'Antoni doesn't even care if you put a hand in the shooter's face, which is unbelievable.

As long as Nash is on the floor with Marion, Barbosa, or Stoudemire, the Suns can run and gun all they want even if Kurt Thomas is on the floor. But D'Antoni just loves his mini-lineups that get killed on the glass.

So I don't think the Suns are a bad defensive team. They have the physical tools to be a great defensive team. But D'Antoni has some fucked up ideas.

[Kobulingam]

How the heck did this team lose to Indiana the other night.

I think SA is a sleeping giant. Regular season doesn't make these boys hard anymore. They need to see sexy playoffs (or a playoff type game) to pop a big one.

[Kobulingam]

And SA should practice freethrows. Each players should practice them 2 hours a night. This is ridiculous.

[JMarkJohns]

I wouldn't say Barkley was a great defender. Maybe early, but with the Suns he certainly never was. He had his moments and he a great rebounder, but I'd say he was an effective defender much the same way Marion is. He gambled, got his blocks, got his steals, dominated the glass, but his man still always put up 20-10 on him. At least, that's what I remember of Barkley's defense. I've got magazines with boxscores from that era. I may go check what the likes of Malone and Kemp did vs. Barkley. I'm pretty certain it was closer to 20-10 than it was to being shut down.

I have no qualms about Barkley saying what he says. He is correct. Because they've won, the Spurs should be considered the favorites. Phoenix should be an underdog, despite the records, because they can't dominate in a slowed tempo and struggle on the glass. When thy can't get the 3points-for-2points trade they're used to as often as they are used to it, then they can get bogged down and sputter in the paint. San Antonio plays them man up, something most teams don't. It bothers them, so the Spurs are probably the better of the two teams. It doesn't mean they'll win a 7-game series if Phoenix lands homecourt, but it'll mean it will be a hell of a battle for the Suns to pull out.

[theroc5]

Great game, the only thing i can complain on is manu needed to drive a bit more. though i was shocked to see him go down that hard. parker was great as well as duncan and every one on the spurs. NO SMALL BALL! BIG LINE UP=WIN. Any ways this is a nice win in more ways then one but it is just that one win. The playoffs anything can go but if we can play like this in the post season I really think we can have a chance to win another ring.
GO SPURS GO

[Xylus]

I'm going to shoot D'Antoni in the face. Kurt Thomas, damn it! :madrun

[spurschick]

http://www.spurschick.com/dantoniowned.jpg

And the cherry on top was my playoff tickets waiting for me on the doorstep when I got home. :elephant

[Obstructed_View]

Their free throw shooting has nothing to do with practice. For Duncan it's poor rhythm and for all of them in the clutch it's just yips. Basically it just needs to be understood that if the Spurs are going to win a game with free throws they are going to have to be aggressive enough to get a boatload of attempts.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

http://www.spurschick.com/dantoniowned.jpg


:lol HELL YEAH!

[JMarkJohns]

Are you ok? I think this is the first semi-incoherent statement I've seen you post. Little too much to drink? :drunk

Huh? I don't get what point you are making, nor the point I made from which your point is supposed to be derived.

Thanks for saying I typically post coherently, though :)

I am a bit frustrated, as most Suns fans are right now. Also, I'm trying to shorten my posts. I've been told they border on being, "way the fuck too long..."

And he was putting it nicely :rollin

Main points were...

1. Congrats to Spurs and their fans.
2. That the Spurs defended as good as I've seen a team defend these Suns.
3. That if the Spurs continue to defend at that level, I don't see a team beating them.
4. I thought the Suns did a poor job of taking advantage of their opportunities.
5. That despite such, the Suns did play hard enough to have a chance late.
6. That the Suns need to win out entering the playoffs to regain their swagger.

I don't think any are incoherent. But then, I wrote them...

Maybe I didn't do a good job of clarifying whom "they" were. I probably used such as reference to both teams. Oops! Sorry :oops

[Clutch20]

Funny inside the head shout-outs during the game:

"shit, the lead is down to 11, fock!!!"

"whattha hel was (fill-in-blank) thinking!"

"gotta get the gotdam ball back"

"Shit, lead's down to 9, damit-to-hell"

"babe-a-licious, she's hot!"

"lead down to (fill in blank), I KNEW IT, it was gonna happen sooner or later, Nash is gonna hit that 3 and then we're probably going into overtime......."

"game OVER!, Man, we were GOOD, I never doubted us for a second....." :lol

[Xylus]

If only Amare had anticipated that through-the-legs pass by Nash with under a minute left... Ah well.

I'm just glad the game wasn't a complete blowout, and that we had a chance to win at the end.

[spurschick]

Speaking of too much to drink...
There was this couple sitting 2 rows ahead of me tonight who were so drunk that the woman spent most of the game on her feet dancing... even when the Suns scored, she was cheering with a thunderstick in one hand and a balloon in the other, all while wearing dark sunglasses. She kept shaking the thunderstick in her boyfriend's face, but I think he was too drunk to really notice.

[JMarkJohns]

I'm going to shoot D'Antoni in the face. Kurt Thomas, damn it! :madrun

Yeah. Why he played only in the first half is beyond me. He was doing a good job of making Duncan work. Suns were rebounding very well with him in there. They held leads, damn it! D'Antoni has some great aspects, but, unfortunately, some even greater flaws, least of which is his GD pride that says, "If we can't win MY way, then the win isn't good enough."

That kind of logic doesn't belong in a team sport. Not from a coach. Not from a coach with this much talent and versatility on his roster. Maybe in college, but not in the pros. You have to win and do so when it counts and D'Antoni needs to man up, admit he's been bested and adjust. There's no shame in adjustments. The great coaches take pride in them.

He, and no other reason, is why I have almost zero confidense come playoff time. I know his hard head is going to ultimately sink the ship.

[Obstructed_View]

I wouldn't say Barkley was a great defender. Maybe early, but with the Suns he certainly never was. He had his moments and he a great rebounder, but I'd say he was an effective defender much the same way Marion is. He gambled, got his blocks, got his steals, dominated the glass, but his man still always put up 20-10 on him. At least, that's what I remember of Barkley's defense. I've got magazines with boxscores from that era. I may go check what the likes of Malone and Kemp did vs. Barkley. I'm pretty certain it was closer to 20-10 than it was to being shut down.
I've said this before, but when he played the Bulls, Barkley guarded Jordan. When he played the Spurs, he guarded Robinson. When he played Orlando, he guarded Shaq. Feel free to insert Kemp, Malone and Olajuwon to that list. He guarded the best players on the other team, if not for the whole game, at the end or when it mattered. He played against bigger, faster, more athletic guys, many of whom are among the best ever at their position. The fact that the Paul Westphal Suns didn't gameplan defense much more than the D'Antoni incarnation doesn't change the fact that Barkley took pride in playing defense when it mattered and could dominate on both ends of the floor.

[Obstructed_View]

Yeah. Why he played only in the first half is beyond me. He was doing a good job of making Duncan work. Suns were rebounding very well with him in there. They held leads, damn it! D'Antoni has some great aspects, but, unfortunately, some even greater flaws, least of which is his GD pride that says, "If we can't win MY way, then the win isn't good enough."

That kind of logic doesn't belong in a team sport. Not from a coach. Not from a coach with this much talent and versatility on his roster. Maybe in college, but not in the pros. You have to win and do so when it counts and D'Antoni needs to man up, admit he's been bested and adjust. There's no shame in adjustments. The great coaches take pride in them.

He, and no other reason, is why I have almost zero confidense come playoff time. I know his hard head is going to ultimately sink the ship.

Man I'm sure glad we don't have to worry about our coach putting in a small lineup in an attempt to outscore the opponent rather than defend. :drunk

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

http://www.spurschick.com/dantoniowned.jpg

And the cherry on top was my playoff tickets waiting for me on the doorstep when I got home. :elephant
:rollin

weehee, i love that one

[JMarkJohns]

I will grant you that. He was always on the best post player. However, I'm certain that, at least for the vast majority of the time, Majerle was on Jordan during the Finals.

I'll also concede that D'Antoni is both the good and bad with this team. His apathy towards post defense will kill this team.

[JMarkJohns]

Man I'm sure glad we don't have to worry about our coach putting in a small lineup in an attempt to outscore the opponent rather than defend. :drunk

But for Pops it's a gimmick. For D'Antoni it's a way of life...

"It's a livin'..."
- Rocky, "ROCKY"

"It's a waste of life!"
- Micky, "ROCKY"

[team-work]

Congrats on a big win. When I started logging online to look at the halftime score, I thought it was the scores after the 1st quarter! The defense must be awesome. How many time the high scoring Suns can be held to 85 pts?

These Spurs have also begun to master how to close out games. When the 13-pt lead evaporated by almost a half, TP sealed the victory with a FT and an OUTSIDE JUMPER[B]. If this continues in the playoff series vs the Suns, there'll be no doubt who the best point guard in the NBA is. (No disrespect to Nash's extraordinary achievements, just to point out that he's entering the later stages of his career, while Tony is making progress.)

By the way, Nash and Nowitzki always make funny look in the court. Here's another example from nba.com.

http://www.nba.com/media/dirknash_300_070402.jpg
(don't know how to post the picture)

[SpursDynasty]

Spurs:

2-1 vs Phoenix
2-2 vs Utah
2-2 vs Houston
2-0 vs Detroit
1-1 vs Miami
1-2 vs Dallas
1-2 vs Lakers

They should be able to beat Dallas with the way they're playing now. Other than being 1-2 vs Dallas and LA, they are playing perfectly acceptable basketball.

Besides, if they had played LA and Dallas during this 21-3 record, both would have been wins.

The Spurs went out and played a team they were supposed to beat and they beat them. :lol

[Obstructed_View]

However, I'm certain that, at least for the vast majority of the time, Majerle was on Jordan during the Finals.
Majerle was on him for the first couple of games, but they put KJ on him starting with the triple overtime game. You are right though; Barkley was on Pippen at the end of game six because he went for the steal that allowed Paxson to get open for the three. Not that Pip was an easy cover, though. :)

[JMarkJohns]

Majerle was on him for the first couple of games, but they put KJ on him starting with the triple overtime game. You are right though; Barkley was on Pippen at the end of game six because he went for the steal that allowed Paxson to get open for the three. Not that Pip was an easy cover, though. :)

Damn it! That's not funny :madrun

I do remember them switching to KJ, but he was just a shell of his former athlete and was unable to keep up. Not that Jordan was going to be limited then, anyways...

I do remember Barkley on Pippen for several of the games. They used a lot of Dumas on Pippen as well.

That team is easily one of the most talented team to never win. It absolutely sucks Barkley's back started acting up, that KJs knees were never right again, that Dumas couldn't kick the drug habit and that Chambers wasn't brought back. Two of the four turn in the Suns favor, then the next year... damn.

The 92-93 Suns stats... (just for fun)

Barkley: 26 ppg, 12 rpg, 5 apg...
Majerle: 17 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg...
Johnson: 16 ppg, 8 apg...
Dumas: 16 ppg, 5 rpg...
Ceballos: 13 ppg, 6 rpg...
Ainge: 12 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg...
Chambers: 12 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg...

Then a whole fleet of 6-point, 5-rebound bigs or 5-point, 3-assist guards.

I'll never forgive Ainge for double-teaming Grant on that baseline, leaving the League's top 3-point shooter open, when all that will surely beat you is that go-ahead three. I know Barkley gambled, but Ainge's gamble was senseless. And he was brought in as a player who should have known better.

[Shank]

Spurs:

2-1 vs Phoenix
2-2 vs Utah
2-2 vs Houston
2-0 vs Detroit
1-1 vs Miami
1-2 vs Dallas
1-2 vs Lakers



Good win, but when has an 11-10 record been impressive?

[Obstructed_View]

I remember Barkley saying that he went for the steal because he knew nobody would be stupid enough to leave the Bulls open for a three. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Has Barkley been critical of the Celtics' personnel decisions on TNT? :)

[Obstructed_View]

Good win, but when has an 11-10 record been impressive?
The Mavs went 4-3 against the Spurs in the playoffs last year. You're still pretty fucking impressed with that.

[ponky]

Speaking of too much to drink...
There was this couple sitting 2 rows ahead of me tonight who were so drunk that the woman spent most of the game on her feet dancing... even when the Suns scored, she was cheering with a thunderstick in one hand and a balloon in the other, all while wearing dark sunglasses. She kept shaking the thunderstick in her boyfriend's face, but I think he was too drunk to really notice.

LOL, that sounds like my best friend who is a casual observer of NBA ball. He'll get so drunk that he forgets which team to root for when we take him to games. At least they weren't fighting. I went to a game about two months ago were this older guy was slurring his speech and going at it with the three guys in front of him and his two young sons were just sitting there looking embarrassed. The three idiots then told him they'd be waiting for him outside...in front of the guy's kids.

[JMarkJohns]

I remember Barkley saying that he went for the steal because he knew nobody would be stupid enough to leave the Bulls open for a three. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Has Barkley been critical of the Celtics' personnel decisions on TNT? :)

I've heard that as well. I still can't believe Ainge did that. :pctoss

[ShoogarBear]

Yeah. Why he played only in the first half is beyond me. He was doing a good job of making Duncan work. That was bizarre. Kurt Thomas gave you that lead in the first half.

The only thing I can think of is that D'Antoni decided he didn't really need to win the game and just wanted to see that Thomas would be effective against Duncan in the playoffs. Any coach with half a brain would try to keep Thomas out there for 30 mpg in a series agains the Spurs.

[spurschick]

LOL, that sounds like my best friend who is a casual observer of NBA ball. He'll get so drunk that he forgets which team to root for when we take him to games. At least they weren't fighting. I went to a game about two months ago were this older guy was slurring his speech and going at it with the three guys in front of him and his two young sons were just sitting there looking embarrassed. The three idiots then told him they'd be waiting for him outside...in front of the guy's kids.

There were some other strange things going tonight at the game as well. I've determined that late tip-offs on TNT bring out the weirdos.

[ponky]

There were some other strange things going tonight at the game as well. I've determined that late tip-offs on TNT bring out the weirdos.


like a spurs win? haha, just kidding, it was a very good win by the spurs, i give them lots of kudos and all the best in the playoffs...ugh, i can't wait for the playoffs to start already

[JMarkJohns]

That was bizarre. Kurt Thomas gave you that lead in the first half.

The only thing I can think of is that D'Antoni decided he didn't really need to win the game and just wanted to see that Thomas would be effective against Duncan in the playoffs. Any coach with half a brain would try to keep Thomas out there for 30 mpg in a series agains the Spurs.

Dumbass 'Antoni isn't that bright, not that (un?)intentionally sabataging your own team in a much needed win for both standing and confidense should be considered bright, but I see what you're getting at.

Suns needed this game. I'm pissed some of 'Antoni's whims cost them.

[Obstructed_View]

I agree. Having home court against San Antonio is important. I think he just tried to outscore them. I'd have been interested in seeing a lineup that had Thomas, Stoudamire, and Marion all in at the same time. They can still run the pick and roll, have Baboso or Raha at the perimeter and send Thomas after the offensive glass, since he only has to beat Duncan back down to the other end to do his job.

[JMarkJohns]

I've counted 10 people on various message boards who get "it" with regards to the Suns needs vs. the Spurs. Why the hell doesn't the Suns own coach?

I've groused long enough. I'm freakin' tired. Thanks for the banter, save for the dreadful reminder of the closing seconds of game six of the 92-93 NBA Finals. Hell, even that was fun.

[Obstructed_View]

I've counted 10 people on various message boards who get "it" with regards to the Suns needs vs. the Spurs. Why the hell doesn't the Suns own coach?

I've groused long enough. I'm freakin' tired. Thanks for the banter, save for the dreadful reminder of the closing seconds of game six of the 92-93 NBA Finals. Hell, even that was fun.
Didn't you have a picture of Barkley preparing to hit the jumper over David in your sig for a while? Turnabout, baby. I'm out, too.

[timvp]

Mike D'Antoni is the Steve Spurrier of the NBA.

That said, the Suns would have a pretty good shot to beat the Spurs in the playoffs as long as they have HCA. The Suns always play the Spurs tough in PHX and I don't expect that to change.

[JMarkJohns]

Didn't you have a picture of Barkley preparing to hit the jumper over David in your sig for a while? Turnabout, baby. I'm out, too.

That was BillsCarnage. I had a pic of buddy Christ, but that was it. I don't get into all the pictures and things. Not here, not anywhere, really. Had a few babe avatars, but I think sigs distract, which is why I like to keep mine minimal and on point :)

[ShoogarBear]

Mike D'Antoni is the Steve Spurrier of the NBA.Maybe philosophically, but the Ol' Ball Fraud couldn't even win in the regular season.

[JMarkJohns]

Maybe philosophically, but the Ol' Ball Fraud couldn't even win in the regular season.

He never had a QB like Nash, either. Spurrier gets himself a McNabb-type QB, he's winning shit-loads of games with all the talent Snyder buys for him.

I once used Peyton in a similar topic, but seeing as Manning has a Title now, I figure McNabb is the most relevant.

[T Park]

the Suns would have a pretty good shot to beat the Spurs in the playoffs as long as they have HCA


i disagree.

If the Spurs control the tempo, they own this team so hard its not even funny.

[joeyjfive]

It was a great game tonite and for the first time in a long time I actually got to attend a Spurs game, the whole experience hasnt changed much since the last time I went. The first half of the game it seemed like both teams just couldnt hit any shots but in the 3rd quarter the Spurs managed to put some shots together. Apparently there was a man who had a seizure, I was sitting right above where he was and I actually thought a fight had broken out but moments later a drunk Suns fan screamed out "Whats going on down there?" than a girl answered that a man was having a seizure and than the Sun fans and his buddies procedded to heckle her, I dunno why but I thought it was kinda funny, not that the guy had a seizure but that they would make fun of the girl who anwered them. No joke. She just sorta looked at them like "Do you relize what I just said?". Also the Spurs let the Suns get a little close at the end but I think everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the Spurs closed the door on them. Overall it was a fun night but my gf got nacho cheese on my jersey.

[Dirk Nowitzki]

Yeah, cuz it's the fans' fault when the team starts playing badly?


Fuckin retard

:blah :blah STFU. You come into my game threads and claim I know nothing about basketball when in reality it is your hatred of the Mavs that burns deep inside of you. You dont like my threads, dont come into them asshole. :rolleyes :rolleyes Oh and another thing...I love how Barkley's love for san antonio gives you false hope that you can beat the Mavs 4 times.

[mikejones99]

when do we get to see the first quarter?

[LEONARD]

Hell of a game for the Spurs... :toast

Terrible game for the Suns...

Can't wait for that 2nd round series...

[Viva Las Espuelas]

.I love how Barkley's love for san antonio gives you false hope that you can beat the Mavs 4 times.well golden state has beaten you guys 4 times in a row, so anything is possible. deflate your head for the playoffs. remember there is lots of pressure during this time. origami time is near.

[ArgSpursFan]

the suns just depend on high FG% and Nash playing out of his mind,and that´s to hard to accumplish in the playoffs when most of the real contenders are more focus on D tham on the reg season.Said that,I don´t think the suns have a chance to win it all unless they play some fucking defence.

[SAtown]

:blah :blah STFU. You come into my game threads and claim I know nothing about basketball

Because your threads are nothing but cheerleading. I'm also flattered you dug through this game blog to find my response to your comments.

[SpursDynasty]

Good win, but when has an 11-10 record been impressive?

Hey asswipe, the Spurs' record is 54-21, not 11-10.

.500 or better vs the top teams is considered acceptable.

For example, Dallas is 5-4 vs SA, Utah, and Phoenix.

[td4mvp21]

The Mavs went 4-3 against the Spurs in the playoffs last year. You're still pretty fucking impressed with that.

:lol Nice.

[Dirk Nowitzki]

Because your threads are nothing but cheerleading. I'm also flattered you dug through this game blog to find my response to your comments.

If you dont like them, DONT COME INTO THE THREAD THEN! Your hate for the Mavs and me being happy about it is so obvious that it is comedy! :lol :lol

[ducks]

If you dont like them, DONT COME INTO THE THREAD THEN! Your hate for the Mavs and me being happy about it is so obvious that it is comedy! :lol :lol

it is a very tough concept I have tried to teach a few posters here that
good luck!