We were lucky to win tonight.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

We were lucky to win for the following reasons:

15 TOs (Suns, 7).

66.7% FTs :rolleyes

Only 18 asts.

Steve Nash's bloody nose (Barbosa is NOT a good clutch decision-maker).

We really won this game on the boards and Tim/TP's stellar shotmaking, because our D was average at best, Manu made some hustle plays but otherwise looked horrible (as did Bowen), and our bench was outscored. Vaughn had a shocker, and our centres contributed nothing.

We cannot relly on any of these factors again.

This series goes at least 6 games.

We were lucky tonight... but I'll take it! ;) :lol

[Dingle Barry]

Terrible all around game by Manu.

[mabber]

I won my bet (Spurs +5) so it's all good.

[mabber]

Terrible all around game by Manu.

He'll respond with a good game. Him not being consistent is what holds him back from being a great player. It's just who he is at this point. Spurs only need 2 of the big 3 to have good games so it didn't cost them a win.

[jmard5]

Terrible all around game by Manu.

yup. Foul trouble really disrupted his rhythm.

[ShoogarBear]

Lucky > Good

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Manu had 8 rbds and 4 assists, so he was doing some things right. he just couldn't finish or hit a J to save himself, and nor did he disrupt the passing lanes (Pop told all his guys to stay at home on the 3pt shooters).

Poor game offensively by Manu, but it wasn't John Starks. At least he didn't go 1-17! :lol

[easjer]

Yup.

But you know what? I'll still take the win.



They've got lots to fix. It'll get fixed. The Spurs are in the best position possible for Game 2. I hope very much that they go for 2-0.

[GrandeDavid]

Oz, for those reasons EXACTLY I'm so happy about this win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smeagol]

Manu is sucking

[Obstructed_View]

I don't remember the last time the Spurs actually had a good game. All the pieces are there; now they just need to get it together. It's scary how good they could be.

[Quiet Strength]

Neither team played their best basketball and both scored in the 100's... the refs were assholes on both ends but still both teams have to play through it. The spurs did it with denver. It was an ugly win for the spurs but still a win and thats all that matters. Go spurs!

[CharlieMac]

Absolutely, we were lucky.

But I'd rather see threads reading that we were lucky to win tonight instead of the Suns were lucky to win tonight.

[boutons_]

Manu's scoring is sucking, but he did get 9 RB (only Tim got more) and 4 AST.

[RogerIsEatingASandwich]

Thank God for Finley. He was big.

[baseline bum]

The Spurs did not play a good game overall, but still won. The open threes they allowed in the first half were really troubling, but they played better D in the second thankfully.

[WalterBenitez]

Terrible all around game by Manu.

Manu is playing bad bc POP's ordered not to play for ARG :D

[Quiet Strength]

Thank God for Finley. He was big.

Finley should of played more at the end of the 4th instead of manu

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

yup. Foul trouble really disrupted his rhythm.
he made his first two shots, and then disappeared after the two fouls

and totally stunk on the offensive end. HE even missed potential critical free throws so yeah we got lucky Nash couldn't get in the game, because he would have made the right plays to send it into overtime.

[Cherry]

They want Manu in foul trouble :pctoss

[Amuseddaysleeper]

manu just stopped driving to the rim

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oz, for those reasons EXACTLY I'm so happy about this win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me too.

Wonder how Vaughn will bounce back next game, because that was his worst game with the Spurs. I think he'll be fine, he's the consistent type. He won't be rattled.

[txmed]

Okay we were largely lucky. Nash being on the bench during those clutch possessions is big. But I think we can expect:

a) The Spurs not to average 15 TOs a game
b) The Suns not to average 27 free throws a game

A lot of the adversity was self inflicted; which is a good thing going into the next games seeing as those can be improved on.

[Kori Ellis]

Bull.

Overall, the Spurs played a very good game and so did the Suns. This wasn't a lucky win. This was a very good win.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

manu just stopped driving to the rim

He drove about 5 times. Got a couple of asts that way, missed a couple of layups. But he certainly lacked his usual aggression (note, not 'aggressiveness' because that's a made up word).

[Borosai]

It was a tough win, but once again, the Spurs beat the Suns in a high-scoring game. Very promising.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

He'll respond with a good game. Him not being consistent is what holds him back from being a great player. It's just who he is at this point. Spurs only need 2 of the big 3 to have good games so it didn't cost them a win.
I agree somewhat. The luxury of having Tony and Tim, coupled with being pretty unselfish, makes his his calibre as a player lackluster a bit,

but yeah, his predisposition to do the dirty work, if he's not being asked to carry the team, really, holds him back as a "great" player.

It's just confusing because he was so great this regular season, and he's ranked 3rd at the SG position in the league behind Wade and Kobe, you'd think he would do more.

[ChumpDumper]

I disagree with this thread. With the exception of Manu and Jacque's sucking so badly, this game went according to plan and will serve as a blueprint for winning the series in five.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

and so did finley in critical crunch time...
And Tim made his meaningless one, with 0.7 seconds left :lol

[timvp]

I'll take a playoff win no matter how it comes. All playoff wins are beautiful.

[samikeyp]

I'll take a playoff win no matter how it comes. All playoff wins are beautiful.

Amen.

[Kori Ellis]

I disagree with this thread. With the exception of Manu and Jacque's sucking so badly, this game went according to plan and will serve as a blueprint for winning the series in five.

Agreed.

You can say they were lucky that Nash was out bleeding. But the Spurs were already up when Nash got hurt and Barbosa is so good that I'm not even sure that the Suns were better today with Nash on the floor than him.

[timvp]

The Spurs defense was actually pretty damn good. The Suns are just that good on offense. Nash is playing at a level that perhaps three other point guards in the history of the league ever played at.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Bull.

Overall, the Spurs played a very good game and so did the Suns. This wasn't a lucky win. This was a very good win.

We don't usually win this way though, with double the TOs of our opponent, over 100 points and fewer than 20 assists. That would usually add up to a loss for us. We also missed FTs, and Nash had to sit for the most crucial stretch of the game due to the gusher.

That adds up to a lucky win for mine.

I'll take it though.

And it also means that we can play better, which is a positive sign for the rest of the series.

[lefty]

I'm worried by Manu ; remember last year's game 1 against Dallas ? he didn't play well, was nervous...and it caught him at the end of game 7 (the super stupid foul)

I hope he will relax a bit during this series and be himself , because he seems to take things personally (Mavs last year, Barbosa?)

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I disagree with this thread. With the exception of Manu and Jacque's sucking so badly, this game went according to plan and will serve as a blueprint for winning the series in five.
This win was very reminiscent of the 2005 wins, we always managed to edge them out.

Hopefully it continues. I was actually like "that's it? heh, we won..alright, that's one win down for us."

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs defense was actually pretty damn good. The Suns are just that good on offense. Nash is playing at a level that perhaps three other point guards in the history of the league ever played at.
Yep. Unfortunately, Nash cost his team with a bad defensive play.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Agreed.

You can say they were lucky that Nash was out bleeding. But the Spurs were already up when Nash got hurt and Barbosa is so good that I'm not even sure that the Suns were better today with Nash on the floor than him.

Chump may be right that this was all in the plan - make Nash a shooter, and make him beat us.

However, Barbosa's clutch decision-making was poor. He was great except when it mattered. With Nash in the game, I think we lose tonight.

Like timvp said, I'll take any win though.

You can't deny that we rarely win with only 18 assists, over 100pts and double the TOs of our opponent. That, and Nash's nose, are why I say lucky.

[TampaDude]

He drove about 5 times. Got a couple of asts that way, missed a couple of layups. But he certainly lacked his usual aggression (note, not 'aggressiveness' because that's a made up word).

Uh, aggressiveness is a real word.

http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aggressive

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I'm worried by Manu ; remember last year's game 1 against Dallas ? he didn't play well, was nervous...and it caught him at the end of game 7 (the super stupid foul)

I hope he will relax a bit during this series and be himself , because he seems to take things personally (Mavs last year, Barbosa?)
Manu's first game, he made that defensive winning play on Stackhouse.

In today both he and Timmy did supremely well defending Stoudamire in the paint.


Anyway uh... I think Manu ain't showing up this playoff, he doesn't have that magic anymore, so he'll just average 13, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in series looks like. He sucks now.

[samikeyp]

Rarely do I disagree with the esteemed Brother from New Zealand :) but I don't think it was luck. The Spurs are a good enough team to have won that game despite not having the best overall effort. Both teams played there asses off, the Spurs were just a little better.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

One of the biggest part to the Spurs wins today in my opinion, was Finley and Horry hitting big threes when it looked like Phoenix was about to make a run

[bdictjames]

Its just good to see us being aggressive starting this Game 1.

Our staff should make some adjustments for a hopefully better win in game 2.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Aggressiveness is NOW a 'real' word because Americans made it up and used it so much that it became lexicon.

The actual word, going back centuries, is AGGRESSION.

[ShoogarBear]

US> UK, Aussie.

[ShoogarBear]

Hey, you know when I scroll over your flag, it says you're from Argentina? :lmao

[bdictjames]

^

LOL I agree.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I'd like to see our W-L stats for over 20 assists. I bet we win over 80% of our games with 20 or more assists.

[Kori Ellis]

Chump may be right that this was all in the plan - make Nash a shooter, and make him beat us.

However, Barbosa's clutch decision-making was poor. He was great except when it mattered. With Nash in the game, I think we lose tonight.

Like timvp said, I'll take any win though.

You can't deny that we rarely win with only 18 assists, over 100pts and double the TOs of our opponent. That, and Nash's nose, are why I say lucky.

I'll wait to see the +/- but I think the Suns were better today with Barbosa on the floor.

[slayermin]

We weren't lucky because the Suns aren't going to be great defensively overnight.

[Kori Ellis]

I'd like to see our W-L stats for over 20 assists. I bet we win over 80% of our games with 20 or more assists.

Well dumping it into Duncan leads to less assists. And they did a lot of that today (and it's a good thing).

[Gaddabout]

I think I'd have to feel pretty good about today if I were a Spurs fan. You were on the road, took some questionable calls in the first half, and still didn't let the Suns do what they wanted to do. I think the biggest thing was not letting Amare get any thing resembling confidence. If he's not getting his points in the paint, the floor spacing goes to crap. No dunks, and he looked like a rookie out there today with the ball in his hands.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hey, you know when I scroll over your flag, it says you're from Argentina? :lmao

:lmao

That is funny.

As far as the language is concerned, UK>US. They use it with so much more subtlety and beauty than Americans do (and I hate Brits, trust me).

Anyway, glad we won, think this will be a great series, but look out for Nash. He looks to me like he's on a mission... as, thankfully, do our men Tony and Tim.

[TwoHandJam]

Wow. Great win. The first game in a series is usually pretty important - unless you're the Nuggets I suppose. :lol

I'm kinda pissed I was only able to see the first half. I'm in Sweden on business and the fucking sports bar (O'Leary's) kicked me out at midnight (6pm eastern). Goddamn euro bastards.

Anyhow, my buddy Walton (yes, he lives) talked me through the rest of the game and we pulled one out.

Hate to see something like that happen to a good guy like Nash but a win is a win. Hope he's ok.

Go Spurs! :fro

[td4mvp21]

The good thing is that I'm guessing the Suns will focus on Parker...and that will open up the door for Ginobili. They focused in on Ginobili as did Denver. That's why Ginobili hasn't scored a lot. These teams know what he's capable of and thus try their hardest to stop him first and foremost. I'm expecting a big game from Manu soon.


And we weren't lucky-we executed nearly perfectly in the fourth. We made shots, when we missed we got the offensive rebound, we got the stops when we needed them, etc. It was a good game.

[Kori Ellis]

Wow. Great win. The first game in a series is usually pretty important - unless you're the Nuggets I suppose. :lol

I'm kinda pissed I was only able to see the first half. I'm in Sweden on business and the fucking sports bar (O'Leary's) kicked me out at midnight (6pm eastern). Goddamn euro bastards.

Anyhow, my buddy Walton (yes, he lives) talked me through the rest of the game and we pulled one out.

Hate to see something like that happen to a good guy like Nash but a win is a win. Hope he's ok.

Go Spurs! :for

In addition to Nash, I hope Tony's okay too. I think that though Nash's injury was obviously looking worse - hopefully Tony doesn't have any concussion symptoms.

Tell Walton that I said HI (despite the fact he hates me).

[Obstructed_View]

As far as the language is concerned, UK>US. They use it with so much more subtlety and beauty than Americans do (and I hate Brits, trust me).

Wow, I'd never have guessed. I'm American; guess whether I agree with you or not.

:D

[1Parker1]

Vaughn was a disaster out there.

[TheTruth]

We got vintage Tim today. That's why we won. Screw luck.

[Gaddabout]

The good thing is that I'm guessing the Suns will focus on Parker...and that will open up the door for Ginobili. They focused in on Ginobili as did Denver. That's why Ginobili hasn't scored a lot. These teams know what he's capable of and thus try their hardest to stop him first and foremost. I'm expecting a big game from Manu soon.

I think the only adjustment you'll see in Game 2 is Kurt Thomas getting more than 12 minutes. Another D'Antoni brain fart.

[ShoogarBear]

In addition to Nash, I hope Tony's okay too. I think that though Nash's injury was obviously looking worse - hopefully Tony doesn't have any concussion symptoms.This is actually what we should be worried about. Nash will be back next game. Tony may or may not be.

[Kori Ellis]

Vaughn was a disaster out there.

Yeah, they should consider Tony playing 42 minutes a game and have Manu/Barry split the other six at the point :lol

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I'll wait to see the +/- but I think the Suns were better today with Barbosa on the floor.

You may be correct, and I agree that for most of the game he was tremendous, but Barbosa looked lost in the last 2 mins without Nash. He hauled up a bad 3 (with Manu's hand in his face and plenty of time on the clock) when he should have driven, then made another poor decision... what was it?

You're right about Tim lowering the assist total, and the more he gets it in this series, the better it is for us.

Anyone able to tell me what our W-L is with over 20 assists?

Please don't get me wrong - I'm not saying they were the better team tonight. I just think we got a few breaks and won a game we usually would have lost due to TOs, missed FTs.

[Kori Ellis]

...

Please don't get me wrong - I'm not saying they were the better team tonight. I just think we got a few breaks and won a game we usually would have lost due to TOs, missed FTs.

Well the Suns got a lot of breaks too. Everyone gets some breaks every game. The Spurs won because they executed and Tony/Tim came up big, not because they were lucky.

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs have been pretty good at the end of games this postseason. They closed out the Nuggets in crunch time repeatedly.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Vaughn was horrible, but unlike Beno, I think he'll bounce back.

Ah, how I yearn for the halcyon days of Speedy... can we pick up a decent packup PG in this draft with all our 2nd rounders?

[Kori Ellis]

He hauled up a bad 3 (with Manu's hand in his face and plenty of time on the clock) when he should have driven

Looked like they called that play.

[Kobulingam]

Manu must have slept with the man-whore Dirk recently. That fucking shit is contageous.

[1Parker1]

Yeah, they should consider Tony playing 42 minutes a game and have Manu/Barry split the other six at the point :lol


:lol Problem is Barry was pretty bad out there as well....call me crazy, but Beno would actually have been pretty decent in this series...Suns don't put pressure defense up the floor :)

If DAntoni was smart, he would put James Jones on Parker and have Marion help out on Duncan...Marion on Parker is a mismatch to the Spurs advantage...a pretty obvious one too.

Finley and Horry were huge tonight to make up for Ginobili's lousy offensive outing. Though to his defense, he's being guarded by Raja Bell. My biggest problem with Ginobili in his recent scoring slump is that he's settling for jumpshots instead of taking the ball to the rack and getting to the line.

[ChumpDumper]

Had Manu found his shot we woulda won by double-digits.

On the road.

Against the Suns.

In the playoffs.

I don't see the problem here.

[Obstructed_View]

Had Manu found his shot we woulda won by double-digits.

On the road.

Against the Suns.

In the playoffs.

I don't see the problem here.
:clap

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Looked like they called that play.

Really? Wow. Because I was looking at the court, and the lane was wide-open, and I was thinking he's going to drive right down the guts on us here... then he pulls up and jacks that crap with Manu in his grill. Looked like panic, but if it was called that let's Barbosa off the hook, and D'Antoni should be shot! :lol

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

:lol Problem is Barry was pretty bad out there as well....call me crazy, but Beno would actually have been pretty decent in this series...Suns don't put pressure defense up the floor :)

If DAntoni was smart, he would put James Jones on Parker and have Marion help out on Duncan...Marion on Parker is a mismatch to the Spurs advantage...a pretty obvious one too.

Finley and Horry were huge tonight to make up for Ginobili's lousy offensive outing. Though to his defense, he's being guarded by Raja Bell. My biggest problem with Ginobili in his recent scoring slump is that he's settling for jumpshots instead of taking the ball to the rack and getting to the line.
Manu made his first two jumpers in the first minutes. Then missed his next three in the first half still.
Then in the 3rd, and 4th quarter
He took the ball to the rack a lot, missed an Alley Oop pass from Parker, missed easy layups, and got to the line and missed his free throws. :lol


Other than that he deferred to his teammates in between and fought for key rebounds. A poor, poor offensive output on Manu's part.

Manu is the new Shawn Marion of the Playoffs. :lol

[pooh]

The won by a "nose", literally.

[TwoHandJam]

In addition to Nash, I hope Tony's okay too. I think that though Nash's injury was obviously looking worse - hopefully Tony doesn't have any concussion symptoms.

Tell Walton that I said HI (despite the fact he hates me).
:lol He doesn't hate you, trust me.

He did tell me Tony looked like he was unconscious for a little while though. Like you, I really hope there aren't any long term effects.

[davi78239]

I think even if Nash had stayed in the game, the Spurs still would have won it. I was really really hoping that Nash would come back in for more possesions down the stretch because now that will make room for excuses.

[Kori Ellis]

:lol He doesn't hate you, trust me.

He did tell me Tony looked like he was unconscious for a little while though. Like you, I really hope there aren't any long term effects.

I thought Tony got knocked out for a couple seconds but I'm not sure.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I think even if Nash had stayed in the game, the Spurs still would have won it. I was really really hoping that Nash would come back in for more possesions down the stretch because now that will make room for excuses.
Nash is deadly.

[ChumpDumper]

The only thing I have trouble believing might stay the same is D'Asani's horrible coaching and matchup decisions.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

The only thing I have trouble believing might stay the same is D'Asani's horrible coaching and matchup decisions.
Didn't you hear during one of the huddles?

"just play it out. Just play it out. That's all I can tell ya. Just play it out." or something from D'Antoni?

:lol

then he asked ABC to have them record when he asked them to play D.

"See, we focus on Defense too!"

His defensive strategy is just to cheer, "Swarm! Swarm!" from the sidelines.

[Kori Ellis]

Nash was -12 today and Barbosa was +4. So no one should think it was a lock that the Suns would have won with Nash in at the end.

[Deb]

:smokin
Nash was -12 today and Barbosa was +4. So no one should think it was a lock that the Suns would have won with Nash in at the end.
:smokin :smokin
My thoughts too

[ShoogarBear]

Didn't you hear during one of the huddles?

"just play it out. Just play it out. That's all I can tell ya. Just play it out." or something from D'Antoni?

:lol

then he asked ABC to have them record when he asked them to play D.

"See, we focus on Defense too!"

His defensive strategy is just to cheer, "Swarm! Swarm!" from the sidelines.I think D'Antoni has OCD. His coaching invariably consists of latching on to one phrase and repeating it over and over again.

[Kori Ellis]

I think D'Antoni has OCD. His coaching invariably consists of latching on to one phrase and repeating it over and over again.

The thing I usually hear from him during the season during a 20 second time out is ..

"Okay, Okay. Listen up, Okay. Let's go get em guys. Let's go get em."

End time out.

Just don't take a time out - you can just yell that from the sidelines.

[Borosai]

Didn't you hear during one of the huddles?

"just play it out. Just play it out. That's all I can tell ya. Just play it out." or something from D'Antoni?

:lol

then he asked ABC to have them record when he asked them to play D.

"See, we focus on Defense too!"

His defensive strategy is just to cheer, "Swarm! Swarm!" from the sidelines.

"Go go go...rebound the ball, rebound the ball, that's all. Rebound."

Great coaching. :lol

[Obstructed_View]

The thing I usually hear from him during the season during a 20 second time out is ..

"Okay, Okay. Listen up, Okay. Let's go get em guys. Let's go get em."

End time out.

Just don't take a time out - you can just yell that from the sidelines.
D'Antoni would be the best assistant coach in the NBA.

[yeahone]

d' antonio should be lucky he got a palyer like steve nash to save his ass dui to his coaching short comings

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Nash was -12 today and Barbosa was +4. So no one should think it was a lock that the Suns would have won with Nash in at the end.

But that's not a true indication of Nash's effect at the end of a ballgame. He was hitting everything he put up, and would've made better decisions. He kept them in it in the 4th until he had to sit.

Anyway, we won. Yipee! :toast

I'm really glad we eeked this one out because it gives us breathing room.

Anyone who thinks this series is over in 4 or 5 is kidding themselves though, IMHO.

[ducks]

the only problem with tp playing 42 minutes
is that maybe late in the fourth his jumper will not fall because he is tired
if manu and duncan and finley are on then maybe

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Okay, I just changed the title to "a little lucky", because that's really what I meant. Missed FTs, too many TOs, too few assists, Nash's gusher - surely that adds up to a little lucky? And of course we all need a little luck to succeed, that's just the way life is.

:lol

[boutons_]

Suns won paint 44 - 32,
fast break 18- 6

but got outshot 50% - 46% by the boring Spurs @PHX, Spurs took more and made more 3Gs, and Suns were destroyed on the boards.

Spurs can play better, but they weren't lucky.

[Obstructed_View]

Okay, I just changed the title to "a little lucky", because that's really what I meant. Missed FTs, too many TOs, too few assists, Nash's gusher - surely that adds up to a little lucky? And of course we all need a little luck to succeed, that's just the way life is.

:lol
You could very well have said "The Spurs should probably have won this by 15."

Unless you don't like split infinitives.

[Clutch20]

Bull.

Overall, the Spurs played a very good game and so did the Suns. This wasn't a lucky win. This was a very good win.
Freaky game. Didn't Nash initiate the contact with Tony? It seemed to me Nash wasn't thinking straight, didn't he kist get through losing the ball at the other end? Nobody wanted to stop Nash's last layup, you could see Timmy and a couple of others just leave the lane open, did they feel sorry for him and didn't want to aggravate the injury? It was game 1 you know. I think bleeding bodies don't count for much after game 2. :downspin:

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

You could very well have said "The Spurs should probably have won this by 15."

Unless you don't like split infinitives.

Not a big fan... :lol

[Obstructed_View]

Not a big fan... :lol
I hoped you'd appreciate that one. :spin

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I hoped you'd appreciate that one. :spin

Yeah, my father is a grammar and pronunciation nut.

Actually, I don't understand why split infinitives are such a talking point. Occasionally you need to adverbialise inappropriately... ;) :rollin

[WalterBenitez]

US> UK, Aussie.

Only in Bball my friend, in Soccer US sucks :p:

[dbreiden83080]

Terrible all around game by Manu.

That is the main thing yes with Nash out we got a break but Manu was awful and he will play much better as the series goes on.

[conversekid]

We got vintage Tim today. That's why we won. Screw luck.

What you saw was what happens when you don't double timmy. Duncan is more than capable of putting up these numbers every night. For years now, most teams double him the entire game.

[Spurminator]

Interesting takes but I thought it was a great win. Not every aspect was perfect, but wins against the Suns aren't going to look the same in the boxscore as wins against other teams.

[timvp]

If D'Antoni coached the Spurs and Pop coached the Suns, the Suns would sweep the Spurs 2001 Lakers style.

[mabber]

Nash was -12 today and Barbosa was +4. So no one should think it was a lock that the Suns would have won with Nash in at the end.

You may be right, but I attribute most of that difference to Barbosa playing with the bench players and when both team's bench players were on the court it seemed that the Suns were better in this particular game. I could be wrong but it appeared that way to me. Regardless, Barbosa played very well with the exception of 2-3 brain farts in key situations.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Only in Bball my friend, in Soccer US sucks :p:

Actually, we were discussing use of the English language, and how he could make that claim at all astounds me. :lol

[Cant_Be_Faded]

What you are not taking into consideration is the excellent amazing baffling job of the officiating crew in letting both teams play for most of the 48 minutes of play. Spurs took advantage of this, our leader Duncan not shying away from being ruffed up, and Parker never let down on his attack mode.

All in all it was a very gusty win, and luck had nothing to do with it.

[ShoogarBear]

Actually, we were discussing use of the English language, and how he could make that claim at all astounds me. :lol
Because we don't speak it with those silly accents.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

If D'Antoni coached the Spurs and Pop coached the Suns, the Suns would sweep the Spurs 2001 Lakers style.

Interesting point.

We all know that Pop commands the respect of his players, vitally important to any coach, but I have been re-watching the Nuggets series, and I am only now coming to appreciate the brilliance of Pop's Xs and Os... sometimes he runs two or three guys to different spots just to get one opposition player out of position by a metre or two to allow someone like Horry the open 3. Quite amazing!

He has really grown into it, too. I think 2003 was the year he went from above average to excellent, and 2005 confirmed it.

[SequSpur]

Hey it's good that you got lucky tonight because the Spurs kicked ass during the day. WTF?

The Spurs are the best team in the West. PERIOD.

Is your confidence shaken? WTF? This shit is over.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Because we don't speak it with those silly accents.

You don't think Jerseyites have funny accents, or southern belles from Georgia? Or Texans for that matter? Daa-yum! :lol

Anyway, it wasn't accents we were discussing, it was your nation's rampant use of the made-up word "aggressiveness" rather than the more correct "aggression". Try saying "aggressiveness" to my father, or to a school teacher in Oz/UK/NZ, and see what happens to you! :nope

[SequSpur]

If D'Antoni coached the Spurs and Pop coached the Suns, the Suns would sweep the Spurs 2001 Lakers style.

Without Duncan and Parker or Duncan and Robinson or Duncan, Manu and Sjax, Pop would be Bob Hill's assistant somewhere.

The Spurs > Suns. Because of the players, not the coaches.

The Suns jack up shots, they are all about the same size, they have no interior defense... they have no chance.

Its over.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Hellfire and damnation, I never said it wasn't a gutsy win (it was), or that we didn't deserve to win (we did), or anything like that. My initial point was that with -8 TOs, less than 20 assists and 66% FT shooting in a score over 100 you'd rarely see the Spurs win, and that remains true. We were lucky that Nash got busted up because it made the ending easier than it otherwise would've been, especially with our missed FTs down the stretch.

Anyway, just shows you've gotta be VERY CAREFUL in your wording of posts after a victory. :wtf :lol

[SequSpur]

Denver winning game 1 was lucky.

The Suns winning any game against the Spurs is lucky.

[Kevin Blackistone]

No luck involved in the game 1 win. Spurs played a tad sloppy, but well enough to win on the road. I think this asserts their matchup dominance over the Suns, because all other things being equal the Spurs dominate the defensive end during the last half of the 4th Q in close games.

[Obstructed_View]

Anyway, it wasn't accents we were discussing, it was your nation's rampant use of the made-up word "aggressiveness" rather than the more correct "aggression". Try saying "aggressiveness" to my father, or to a school teacher in Oz/UK/NZ, and see what happens to you! :nope
So where might I find the "official" English dictionary in which the word "aggressiveness" does not appear?

There are plenty of words in the English language that began "made up". One might go one step further and recognize that ALL words in ALL languages are "made up". The Oxford English dictionary adds words as the language evolves, and accepts that it does. It seems odd that people claiming to know the English language or those that teach same would be unwilling to.

And just to correct your statement, in a sports context, saying that a team should play with "aggression" is incorrect. You can wring your hands all you'd like about the stupid Americans, but while you are sitting there acting and feeling superior, know that "aggression" ain't "more correct".

[Extra Stout]

You don't think Jerseyites have funny accents, or southern belles from Georgia? Or Texans for that matter? Daa-yum! :lol

Anyway, it wasn't accents we were discussing, it was your nation's rampant use of the made-up word "aggressiveness" rather than the more correct "aggression". Try saying "aggressiveness" to my father, or to a school teacher in Oz/UK/NZ, and see what happens to you! :nope
The words don't mean the same thing. One plays sports with aggressiveness; one commits crimes with aggression.

[TampaDude]

Aggressiveness is NOW a 'real' word because Americans made it up and used it so much that it became lexicon.

The actual word, going back centuries, is AGGRESSION.

Well, that's how language develops...many years ago, terms like radar, fax, nuke, VCR, ATM, DVR, CPU, email, Internet, HDTV, etc. did not exist in our language, and now they do...things change...language is a living thing and is not static. Just because "aggressiveness" came into wide use more recently than "aggression" does not make it a bogus word.

[TampaDude]

Try saying "aggressiveness" to my father, or to a school teacher in Oz/UK/NZ, and see what happens to you! :nope

What? He'll unleash his "aggression" on me??? :lmao

[dreamcastrocks]

Without Duncan and Parker or Duncan and Robinson or Duncan, Manu and Sjax, Pop would be Bob Hill's assistant somewhere.

The Spurs > Suns. Because of the players, not the coaches.

The Suns jack up shots, they are all about the same size, they have no interior defense... they have no chance.

Its over.


The Suns have interior defense. They just decide to only play him (Kurt Thomas) 12 minutes per game.

:bang

[Bruno]

Spurs have had some "lucky" factors last night but some "unlucky" too like Vaughn and Ginobili.

[dreamcastrocks]

Spurs have had some "lucky" factors last night but some "unlucky" too like Vaughn and Ginobili.

Whichever team won was lucky. The Spurs somehow managed to control the tempo with the score in the 100's. That was key for them.

Parker scores 28 or higher. Spurs win everytime.

Parker scores less than 20. Suns win everytime.

Parker scores 21-27, either team has a shot.

That's the way I see it.

[timvp]

Whichever team won was lucky. The Spurs somehow managed to control the tempo with the score in the 100's. That was key for them.

Parker scores 28 or higher. Spurs win everytime.

Parker scores less than 20. Suns win everytime.

Parker scores 21-27, either team has a shot.

That's the way I see it.

You have no chance of ever converting to a Spurs fan. The Spurs fan way of looking at it is:

Parker scores 28 or higher. He's a ballhog scrub with a Hollywood girlfriend who needs to pass more and stop thinking about himself all the time.

Spurs scores less than 20. He's a choker and when will he ever have a good game in the playoffs because I'm tired of him making everyone else carry this team.

Parker scores 21-27, he's a ballhog choker who makes everyone else carry the team because he's always just thinking about himself.

[vander]

for all the suns people who think you would have won with nash in there at the end, remember, suns were -4 with nash in the game, +12 with barbosa in the game. as great as nash is, i think parker and the spurs match up well against him.

if the suns are going to win, it has to be with the speed and athleticism from barbosa, marion and staudamire.

[dreamcastrocks]

You have no chance of ever converting to a Spurs fan. The Spurs fan way of looking at it is:

Parker scores 28 or higher. He's a ballhog scrub with a Hollywood girlfriend who needs to pass more and stop thinking about himself all the time.

Spurs scores less than 20. He's a choker and when will he ever have a good game in the playoffs because I'm tired of him making everyone else carry this team.

Parker scores 21-27, he's a ballhog choker who makes everyone else carry the team because he's always just thinking about himself.


:lol

That is the funniest post that I have heard at this forum yet.

The Spurs are my surogate team after the Suns.

[dreamcastrocks]

for all the suns people who think you would have won with nash in there at the end, remember, suns were -4 with nash in the game, +12 with barbosa in the game. as great as nash is, i think parker and the spurs match up well against him.

if the suns are going to win, it has to be with the speed and athleticism from barbosa, marion and staudamire.

Nash would have made a difference. He is about as clutch as you can get in this league. Not sure if they would have won or not, probably not. Do I think that the Suns would have won? Probably not. That doesn't discount Nash's effect on the game though.

[kps0001]

I don't know what the outcome would have been if Nash were in the game but, as much as I like Leandro, I like our chances to win with Nash down the stretch a lot more.

I think the defensive matchups D'Antoni went with had the biggest factor in our loss along with; the fact we weren't able to get any dunks and really get into our rhythm and run like we do, and the fact that Kurt didn't play enough minutes, along with some other things.

I don't know how we can contain Parker and Duncan is always going to get his. If we contain Parker I have a feeling Ginobli is gonna go off. Horry and Finley played great, imo, and I don't know if they can continue that throughout what I hope is a 7 game series but I don't see why they couldn't as they both seem to always kill the suns.

In a way I do think the Spurs got lucky. I don't know the stats but I certainly like the Suns chances when the score is over 100. I agree with that guy from the Clippers who always says the first team to 100 wins. Once the Spurs got to 100 first I knew the loss was coming. That theory seems to hold true alot.

I can't wait for game 2. If we lose we are done. If we win, it still doesn't mean much. This is gonna be one of the best series ever, imo, and I can't wait to see how it plays out. Lets just hope that everyone stays injury free.

[Cry Havoc]

My father isn't a big hoops fan (other than rooting for the Celtics), but even he noticed that the Spurs were winning all the hustle points. We were getting to the loose balls. That's what wins close games in the end.

[Cry Havoc]

You have no chance of ever converting to a Spurs fan. The Spurs fan way of looking at it is:

Parker scores 28 or higher. He's a ballhog scrub with a Hollywood girlfriend who needs to pass more and stop thinking about himself all the time.

Spurs scores less than 20. He's a choker and when will he ever have a good game in the playoffs because I'm tired of him making everyone else carry this team.

Parker scores 21-27, he's a ballhog choker who makes everyone else carry the team because he's always just thinking about himself.

And if he scores exactly 20, people complain that he probably stopped on a nice, round number because "Eva wanted him to."

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

You have no chance of ever converting to a Spurs fan. The Spurs fan way of looking at it is:

Parker scores 28 or higher. He's a ballhog scrub with a Hollywood girlfriend who needs to pass more and stop thinking about himself all the time.

Spurs scores less than 20. He's a choker and when will he ever have a good game in the playoffs because I'm tired of him making everyone else carry this team.

Parker scores 21-27, he's a ballhog choker who makes everyone else carry the team because he's always just thinking about himself.

I just re-read this thread and it's pretty entertaining stuff from all concerned! :D

But timvp's post above is in the running for 2007 post of the year methinks!
:lmao :lmao :lmao