da_suns_fan
01-31-2008, 09:49 AM
Suns look to overcome Spurs
Phoenix Suns center Amaré Stoudemire (1) and guard Steve Nash look to overcome Tim Duncan (center) and the Spurs in the latest installment of the rivalry Thursday night.
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 30, 2008 07:37 PM
Fittingly, the villains wear black when they visit Phoenix. They exude evil to Suns fans, for what they have denied the Suns and for the manner in which they have done it.
The San Antonio Spurs are the Suns' archenemy. They still would be if this were not Robert Horry's first visit to Phoenix since his playoffs hip-check of Steve Nash. It still would be that way if Bruce Bowen never had put a knee into Nash's, ahem, midsection during the playoff series that eliminated Phoenix last year.
It doesn't matter that Phoenix is four games ahead of the Spurs in the Western Conference standings or that the Suns won the season's first meeting in San Antonio. The Suns had better regular seasons than the Spurs before San Antonio eliminated them during the 2005 and 2007 playoffs.
Phoenix just might be going through an NBA rite of passage. Teams often have one particularly troublesome foe that they must overcome on the way to a championship.
Some never do. Sacramento could not get past the Los Angeles Lakers to start this decade, then slowly faded.
Some turn the tide. For Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, it was Detroit. The Pistons eliminated the Bulls in three consecutive seasons before being swept by Chicago in 1991. The Bulls went on to win the NBA title.
Outside of an orbital fracture (Joe Johnson in 2005), a knee microfracture surgery (Amaré Stoudemire in 2005-06) and a fracturing playoff decision to suspend two key players (Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in 2007), nothing has stood between Phoenix and its first NBA championship more in recent years than the Spurs.
Since Nash's 2004 return, which started a Suns renaissance, Phoenix is 7-15 against San Antonio.
The Suns won the first matchup in December, when the Spurs were without point guard Tony Parker. Another win against the Parker-less Spurs Thursday would clinch a series victory - regular season or playoff - against San Antonio for the first time since the 2002-03 regular season.
"I think we broke through last year in the fourth game," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, referring to the Suns' comeback road victory in Game 4 of the teams' second-round playoff series. "We don't have a psychological problem. It's just a problem that they're good. That's the only thing. You're trying to beat a world champ kind of team. It's not easy."
Nobody knows that as well as Nash. This is his second attempt at scaling Mount San Antonio. In his final four seasons with Dallas, Nash's Mavericks teams went 12-20 against the Spurs and twice were eliminated in the playoffs by them.
Nash said these Suns are better than those Mavericks but have been outdone by the Spurs' experience.
"We've been right there," Nash said. "The truth of it is they've won, so you have to take your hat off and say they were the better team, but I think we're just as prepared, if not more prepared, this year to take them on again."
New Orleans coach Byron Scott was asked about what Phoenix would have to do to close the gap on San Antonio.
"Stay on the bench," Scott said, a reference to when Diaw and Stoudemire left the bench after Horry leveled Nash in the playoffs and wound up being suspended for a Game 5 loss. San Antonio won the series a game later. "That's it. It's that close."
Scott likened Phoenix's quest to his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the title by overcoming Boston.
"Once you get over that hump, then it seems like everything else is easy," he said. "It's just a matter for time for Phoenix. I love what Mike (D'Antoni) has done with his team. I'm a big fan of Steve Nash and what he's done over his career. If anybody can help them get over the hump, it's Steve.
"This toughens you up. Sooner or later, you get to the point where you're just tired of it. It's like going to school every day and meeting that bully. Sooner or later, you've got to stand up to him. It's going to happen with Phoenix."
In the 1980s, the Suns could not get past the Lakers. Five of their seven playoff exits came against the Lakers. When they finally toppled the Lakers in 1990, the Suns lost to Portland in the 1990 conference finals.
Many teams have overcome. The Lakers beat Seattle on the way to the 1980 title after losing to the SuperSonics the previous two seasons. Utah reached the 1997 NBA Finals by beating Houston, a team that had eliminated the Jazz in 1994 and 1995. Philadelphia beat Indiana on the way to the 2001 NBA Finals after the Pacers had ousted the 76ers the previous two years.
"I was fortunate the teams I coached were able to get through quickly," said Phil Jackson, who won a title in his first Lakers season and in his second year with the Bulls. "It's all about who is in front of you and how talented they are. San Antonio and Dallas are going to be talented, but the Suns are good enough."
No Suns player has denied that Thursday's game is more important. Although the Spurs are on the verge of matching their longest losing streak (four) of the Tim Duncan era, they still are the franchise with three of the five most recent NBA titles.
Asked this season if San Antonio had any hold on the Suns, Horry said, "That's (expletive)." Of course, he also said, "No blood, no flagrant foul. It was just a hard foul," when asked about his hit on Nash.
"It's going down," Stoudemire said of Thursday's game. "They won a title last year, so, obviously, we've got to try to get over that. We've got to get to where they are. We're getting there."
Thursday's game
Spurs at Suns
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: US Airways Center.
TV/radio: TNT/KTAR-AM (620).
San Antonio update: The Spurs (28-16) are expected to be without Tony Parker, whom coach Gregg Popovich has shut down indefinitely due to a bone spur in the point guard's left heel. San Antonio is on a three-loss streak after Monday and Tuesday losses at Utah and Seattle. The Spurs are 8-11 on the road and 2-11 in their past 13 games against winning teams. They still are first in defensive rebounding percentage and third in scoring defense.
Phoenix Suns center Amaré Stoudemire (1) and guard Steve Nash look to overcome Tim Duncan (center) and the Spurs in the latest installment of the rivalry Thursday night.
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 30, 2008 07:37 PM
Fittingly, the villains wear black when they visit Phoenix. They exude evil to Suns fans, for what they have denied the Suns and for the manner in which they have done it.
The San Antonio Spurs are the Suns' archenemy. They still would be if this were not Robert Horry's first visit to Phoenix since his playoffs hip-check of Steve Nash. It still would be that way if Bruce Bowen never had put a knee into Nash's, ahem, midsection during the playoff series that eliminated Phoenix last year.
It doesn't matter that Phoenix is four games ahead of the Spurs in the Western Conference standings or that the Suns won the season's first meeting in San Antonio. The Suns had better regular seasons than the Spurs before San Antonio eliminated them during the 2005 and 2007 playoffs.
Phoenix just might be going through an NBA rite of passage. Teams often have one particularly troublesome foe that they must overcome on the way to a championship.
Some never do. Sacramento could not get past the Los Angeles Lakers to start this decade, then slowly faded.
Some turn the tide. For Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, it was Detroit. The Pistons eliminated the Bulls in three consecutive seasons before being swept by Chicago in 1991. The Bulls went on to win the NBA title.
Outside of an orbital fracture (Joe Johnson in 2005), a knee microfracture surgery (Amaré Stoudemire in 2005-06) and a fracturing playoff decision to suspend two key players (Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in 2007), nothing has stood between Phoenix and its first NBA championship more in recent years than the Spurs.
Since Nash's 2004 return, which started a Suns renaissance, Phoenix is 7-15 against San Antonio.
The Suns won the first matchup in December, when the Spurs were without point guard Tony Parker. Another win against the Parker-less Spurs Thursday would clinch a series victory - regular season or playoff - against San Antonio for the first time since the 2002-03 regular season.
"I think we broke through last year in the fourth game," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, referring to the Suns' comeback road victory in Game 4 of the teams' second-round playoff series. "We don't have a psychological problem. It's just a problem that they're good. That's the only thing. You're trying to beat a world champ kind of team. It's not easy."
Nobody knows that as well as Nash. This is his second attempt at scaling Mount San Antonio. In his final four seasons with Dallas, Nash's Mavericks teams went 12-20 against the Spurs and twice were eliminated in the playoffs by them.
Nash said these Suns are better than those Mavericks but have been outdone by the Spurs' experience.
"We've been right there," Nash said. "The truth of it is they've won, so you have to take your hat off and say they were the better team, but I think we're just as prepared, if not more prepared, this year to take them on again."
New Orleans coach Byron Scott was asked about what Phoenix would have to do to close the gap on San Antonio.
"Stay on the bench," Scott said, a reference to when Diaw and Stoudemire left the bench after Horry leveled Nash in the playoffs and wound up being suspended for a Game 5 loss. San Antonio won the series a game later. "That's it. It's that close."
Scott likened Phoenix's quest to his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the title by overcoming Boston.
"Once you get over that hump, then it seems like everything else is easy," he said. "It's just a matter for time for Phoenix. I love what Mike (D'Antoni) has done with his team. I'm a big fan of Steve Nash and what he's done over his career. If anybody can help them get over the hump, it's Steve.
"This toughens you up. Sooner or later, you get to the point where you're just tired of it. It's like going to school every day and meeting that bully. Sooner or later, you've got to stand up to him. It's going to happen with Phoenix."
In the 1980s, the Suns could not get past the Lakers. Five of their seven playoff exits came against the Lakers. When they finally toppled the Lakers in 1990, the Suns lost to Portland in the 1990 conference finals.
Many teams have overcome. The Lakers beat Seattle on the way to the 1980 title after losing to the SuperSonics the previous two seasons. Utah reached the 1997 NBA Finals by beating Houston, a team that had eliminated the Jazz in 1994 and 1995. Philadelphia beat Indiana on the way to the 2001 NBA Finals after the Pacers had ousted the 76ers the previous two years.
"I was fortunate the teams I coached were able to get through quickly," said Phil Jackson, who won a title in his first Lakers season and in his second year with the Bulls. "It's all about who is in front of you and how talented they are. San Antonio and Dallas are going to be talented, but the Suns are good enough."
No Suns player has denied that Thursday's game is more important. Although the Spurs are on the verge of matching their longest losing streak (four) of the Tim Duncan era, they still are the franchise with three of the five most recent NBA titles.
Asked this season if San Antonio had any hold on the Suns, Horry said, "That's (expletive)." Of course, he also said, "No blood, no flagrant foul. It was just a hard foul," when asked about his hit on Nash.
"It's going down," Stoudemire said of Thursday's game. "They won a title last year, so, obviously, we've got to try to get over that. We've got to get to where they are. We're getting there."
Thursday's game
Spurs at Suns
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: US Airways Center.
TV/radio: TNT/KTAR-AM (620).
San Antonio update: The Spurs (28-16) are expected to be without Tony Parker, whom coach Gregg Popovich has shut down indefinitely due to a bone spur in the point guard's left heel. San Antonio is on a three-loss streak after Monday and Tuesday losses at Utah and Seattle. The Spurs are 8-11 on the road and 2-11 in their past 13 games against winning teams. They still are first in defensive rebounding percentage and third in scoring defense.