duncan228
12-17-2007, 02:01 PM
http://www.nba.com/games/20071217/PHXSAS/preview.html?nav=scoreboardhome
Suns-Spurs Preview
By DAN PIERINGER, STATS Writer
The San Antonio Spurs capped last season with their fourth NBA championship in nine seasons. A controversial playoff series against the Phoenix Suns helped them do it.
For the first time since that contentious Western Conference semifinals matchup, the clubs square off on Monday in San Antonio as the Spurs try to continue their success against the slumping Suns.
Phoenix and San Antonio finished the 2006-07 regular-season with the second and third best records in the league, respectively. After cruising through the first round of the playoffs, the teams met in the conference semifinals.
Phoenix's two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash missed a crucial stretch in the final minutes of Game 1 because of a bloody cut on his nose, and San Antonio stole a 111-106 victory in Phoenix.
Game 4 in San Antonio, however, delivered a far more crushing blow to the Suns' title hopes. Phoenix won that game 104-98 in San Antonio to even the series at two games apiece, but Robert Horry's flagrant foul on Nash with 18 seconds remaining led to a scuffle on the court. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Phoenix bench briefly, and though they returned to their seats without incident, they were each suspended for the next game.
"You know we do have the most powerful microscopes and telescopes in the world in Arizona," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said after the NBA announced the suspensions. "You could use those instruments and not find a shred of fairness or common sense in that decision."
San Antonio took advantage of the short-handed Suns, winning Game 5 88-85. They closed out the series with a 114-106 victory in Game 6 and won eight of their next nine games to capture the title.
That was the second time in the three full seasons since Nash joined the Suns that San Antonio eliminated Phoenix from the playoffs. The Spurs are 8-3 against the Suns in the postseason and 7-3 against them in the regular season since 2004-05.
This year's Spurs (18-5) are again near the top of the league despite having Tim Duncan sidelined for four games last week because of a sprained right ankle. Duncan returned on Saturday and had eight points and five rebounds in San Antonio's 102-91 win over Denver.
"It was great to have him back," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose club went 2-2 without the two-time MVP. "Just having him on the court is a confidence builder for everybody."
Duncan's return gave San Antonio a big boost, but point guard Tony Parker remained sidelined, missing his second consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle. Parker, leading the team with 20.1 points per game and 6.8 assists per contest, could return Monday.
The Suns (17-7) have lost three of four games after winning 13 of their previous 15. Their current slump includes defeats against Minnesota and Miami, the teams with the two worst records in the NBA.
On Saturday, Phoenix lost 101-98 at New Orleans as Nash was held to 12 points and seven assists, snapping his streak of eight straight games with at least 11 assists. After falling behind by seven points with 3:20 left, the Suns nearly orchestrated a comeback, but fell just short.
"When you're on the road against good teams you have to play hard from the start," Suns forward Grant Hill said. "We can't wait to turn it up just because we're a good team. We have to be ready to go. We are going to learn from this and get better and just realize that we are marked and people are going to come at us.''
Suns-Spurs Preview
By DAN PIERINGER, STATS Writer
The San Antonio Spurs capped last season with their fourth NBA championship in nine seasons. A controversial playoff series against the Phoenix Suns helped them do it.
For the first time since that contentious Western Conference semifinals matchup, the clubs square off on Monday in San Antonio as the Spurs try to continue their success against the slumping Suns.
Phoenix and San Antonio finished the 2006-07 regular-season with the second and third best records in the league, respectively. After cruising through the first round of the playoffs, the teams met in the conference semifinals.
Phoenix's two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash missed a crucial stretch in the final minutes of Game 1 because of a bloody cut on his nose, and San Antonio stole a 111-106 victory in Phoenix.
Game 4 in San Antonio, however, delivered a far more crushing blow to the Suns' title hopes. Phoenix won that game 104-98 in San Antonio to even the series at two games apiece, but Robert Horry's flagrant foul on Nash with 18 seconds remaining led to a scuffle on the court. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Phoenix bench briefly, and though they returned to their seats without incident, they were each suspended for the next game.
"You know we do have the most powerful microscopes and telescopes in the world in Arizona," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said after the NBA announced the suspensions. "You could use those instruments and not find a shred of fairness or common sense in that decision."
San Antonio took advantage of the short-handed Suns, winning Game 5 88-85. They closed out the series with a 114-106 victory in Game 6 and won eight of their next nine games to capture the title.
That was the second time in the three full seasons since Nash joined the Suns that San Antonio eliminated Phoenix from the playoffs. The Spurs are 8-3 against the Suns in the postseason and 7-3 against them in the regular season since 2004-05.
This year's Spurs (18-5) are again near the top of the league despite having Tim Duncan sidelined for four games last week because of a sprained right ankle. Duncan returned on Saturday and had eight points and five rebounds in San Antonio's 102-91 win over Denver.
"It was great to have him back," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose club went 2-2 without the two-time MVP. "Just having him on the court is a confidence builder for everybody."
Duncan's return gave San Antonio a big boost, but point guard Tony Parker remained sidelined, missing his second consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle. Parker, leading the team with 20.1 points per game and 6.8 assists per contest, could return Monday.
The Suns (17-7) have lost three of four games after winning 13 of their previous 15. Their current slump includes defeats against Minnesota and Miami, the teams with the two worst records in the NBA.
On Saturday, Phoenix lost 101-98 at New Orleans as Nash was held to 12 points and seven assists, snapping his streak of eight straight games with at least 11 assists. After falling behind by seven points with 3:20 left, the Suns nearly orchestrated a comeback, but fell just short.
"When you're on the road against good teams you have to play hard from the start," Suns forward Grant Hill said. "We can't wait to turn it up just because we're a good team. We have to be ready to go. We are going to learn from this and get better and just realize that we are marked and people are going to come at us.''