deepsouth
05-13-2007, 03:54 PM
Sun's words fuel Spurs' fire
Stoudemire's calling San Antonio players 'dirty' burns Phoenix, 108-101
12:55 AM CDT on Sunday, May 13, 2007
SAN ANTONIO – Amare Stoudemire is an exceptional talent.
Too bad for Phoenix he stinks as a motivational speaker.
The Suns center couldn't let a sleeping champion lie. Stoudemire called out San Antonio before Game 3, enflamed an already hostile crowd, then stepped back and let his teammates deal with the consequences.
If you want to call the Spurs dirty, fine. But you'd better go elbow to elbow and match their intensity. You'd better stay on the court and do something about it.
Stoudemire didn't. He took himself out of the game with foul trouble, and that made it easier for San Antonio to take down the Suns, 108-101, on Saturday.
The loss can't be laid solely at Stoudemire's feet. Steve Nash had a forgettable evening, missing his first nine shots from the field. His first basket came with five minutes left in the third quarter as San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Tony Parker badgered the two-time MVP at every pick-and-roll turn.
But there was more to this game than the failure of the Suns' two best players. Tim Duncan had 33 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Manu Ginobili, who had just 18 points in his previous three playoff games, exploded for 24 points, the majority of them coming after Shawn Marion raked him across the face and bruised his left eye late in the third quarter.
"Good players playing well is mandatory in the playoffs or that team is going to struggle," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Someone needs to pass that message along to Stoudemire.
You can argue Stoudemire played well. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni did. But he didn't play smart.
Stoudemire committed two fouls before the game was eight minutes old. He picked up his fourth foul with 10:35 left in the third quarter trying to get offensive position in the post. He sat out the rest of the period, started the fourth, then went back to the bench 19 seconds later after being called for his fifth foul.
"Yeah, he got frustrated," D'Antoni said. "He's going to have to avoid the little stuff.
"But some of the stuff you can't avoid. You've got to protect the basket. I thought a couple of those [fouls] were very close."
Stoudemire played less than 21 minutes. Six Phoenix players were on the court longer. Six Spurs were on the court longer.
If that happens again Monday night, the Suns will be one loss from elimination.
"I just play hard out there and get penalized sometimes," said Stoudemire, who scored 21 points in his limited engagement. "But sometimes, I've just got to let guys go ahead and lay it up or dunk so I can stay out of foul trouble."
Prodded by Stoudemire's words – Duncan said the Spurs entered Saturday's game "with a chip on their shoulders" after the comments – San Antonio regained the swagger that was missing after a 20-point loss in Game 2. The Spurs did it not by being dirty, but by attacking the Suns at every opportunity. This was a physical game.
"Well, half of it," D'Antoni corrected. "Their half. Now we've got to make it our half.
"We've just got to be tougher. If that's the way everybody wants it, then we'll play that way, too. We've just got to take care of business."
Before the game, when asked about Stoudemire's allegation that the Spurs are a dirty team, Popovich joked that his group is right up there with the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Pistons of old. He then had this to say about Stoudemire.
"Amare is a great player," Popovich said, "and he's very young."
That's become apparent in the days since the Suns' Game 2 win.
"It's tough," Nash said. "He [Stoudemire] is still figuring it out. He's a young player. He got caught a couple of times in some tough situations and he's on the bench.
"He must try not to let it happen again, but there are no guarantees."
Stoudemire's calling San Antonio players 'dirty' burns Phoenix, 108-101
12:55 AM CDT on Sunday, May 13, 2007
SAN ANTONIO – Amare Stoudemire is an exceptional talent.
Too bad for Phoenix he stinks as a motivational speaker.
The Suns center couldn't let a sleeping champion lie. Stoudemire called out San Antonio before Game 3, enflamed an already hostile crowd, then stepped back and let his teammates deal with the consequences.
If you want to call the Spurs dirty, fine. But you'd better go elbow to elbow and match their intensity. You'd better stay on the court and do something about it.
Stoudemire didn't. He took himself out of the game with foul trouble, and that made it easier for San Antonio to take down the Suns, 108-101, on Saturday.
The loss can't be laid solely at Stoudemire's feet. Steve Nash had a forgettable evening, missing his first nine shots from the field. His first basket came with five minutes left in the third quarter as San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Tony Parker badgered the two-time MVP at every pick-and-roll turn.
But there was more to this game than the failure of the Suns' two best players. Tim Duncan had 33 points and 19 rebounds for the Spurs. Manu Ginobili, who had just 18 points in his previous three playoff games, exploded for 24 points, the majority of them coming after Shawn Marion raked him across the face and bruised his left eye late in the third quarter.
"Good players playing well is mandatory in the playoffs or that team is going to struggle," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Someone needs to pass that message along to Stoudemire.
You can argue Stoudemire played well. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni did. But he didn't play smart.
Stoudemire committed two fouls before the game was eight minutes old. He picked up his fourth foul with 10:35 left in the third quarter trying to get offensive position in the post. He sat out the rest of the period, started the fourth, then went back to the bench 19 seconds later after being called for his fifth foul.
"Yeah, he got frustrated," D'Antoni said. "He's going to have to avoid the little stuff.
"But some of the stuff you can't avoid. You've got to protect the basket. I thought a couple of those [fouls] were very close."
Stoudemire played less than 21 minutes. Six Phoenix players were on the court longer. Six Spurs were on the court longer.
If that happens again Monday night, the Suns will be one loss from elimination.
"I just play hard out there and get penalized sometimes," said Stoudemire, who scored 21 points in his limited engagement. "But sometimes, I've just got to let guys go ahead and lay it up or dunk so I can stay out of foul trouble."
Prodded by Stoudemire's words – Duncan said the Spurs entered Saturday's game "with a chip on their shoulders" after the comments – San Antonio regained the swagger that was missing after a 20-point loss in Game 2. The Spurs did it not by being dirty, but by attacking the Suns at every opportunity. This was a physical game.
"Well, half of it," D'Antoni corrected. "Their half. Now we've got to make it our half.
"We've just got to be tougher. If that's the way everybody wants it, then we'll play that way, too. We've just got to take care of business."
Before the game, when asked about Stoudemire's allegation that the Spurs are a dirty team, Popovich joked that his group is right up there with the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Pistons of old. He then had this to say about Stoudemire.
"Amare is a great player," Popovich said, "and he's very young."
That's become apparent in the days since the Suns' Game 2 win.
"It's tough," Nash said. "He [Stoudemire] is still figuring it out. He's a young player. He got caught a couple of times in some tough situations and he's on the bench.
"He must try not to let it happen again, but there are no guarantees."