How do you beat the Phoenix Suns?

[T Park]

I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts on how you do it.

Other teams fans in the west please chime in, Phoenix seems to play the Spurs well, but other teams seem to match up better now. What is that said team's secret?


Can't wait to see the responses!! :)

[spursfaninla]

I do think Shaq changes the way we have to attack the suns.

The first thought is, DO NOT PANIC. We only lost the last game because Manu was hurt.

Second, Tim has to punish Shaq for guarding him, either by getting him in foul trouble by trying to drive or pnr with manu and parker.

Third, stay in front of Amare. Dude is a dunk machine and it helps to stay between him and the basket. NEVER leave that fucker if you can help it. I would rather let a guy get to the hoop and still prevent him from getting going.

Fourth, defend Steve Nash. He has been shooting relatively badly recently, so encourage that with Parker really hounding him. I think we need to have Bowen guard him only in the 4th and IF he gets hot.

Finally, HOLD BARBOSA and to keep him off the fast break. The dude is useless otherwise.

The rest should take care of itself.

[dy-nasty21]

force nash to turnover the ball
get amare into foul trouble
push the ball as much as possible with shaq on the court
pick and roll the hell out of them in the half court

[tlongII]

You don't if you're the Spurs. Payback is a bitch.

[BonnerDynasty]

Hunger and heart of a returning champion.

[Stabbin' Cabin]

Get Amare out of the game. Oberto has been very good at selling the "fouls." Since Marion was traded our offense has been centered around Amare, without him we're toast.

[BonnerDynasty]

Refs don't have the balls to foul out Amare and Shaq

Better not be relying on that.

[iLovERocKetSaUCe]

The general trend of Phoenix games seems to be A) we start off strong getting points in the paint, thus opening up our outside shooters or B) we play horrible from the beginning on the inside, and continue this shitty momentum to the outside...aka get amare in foul trouble

[spursrule32]

you beat the sons by using their former strategy against them - you run on them. they brought in shaqfu for defense, but obviously shaq's defense is limited to a half court offense. we do very well in transition defense and at the end of the day, the sooner you get shaq to quit the better. Amare is going to get his - we do not have anyone to defend his athleticism, but he's vulnerable on defense. We have to have good ball rotation to catch the seams that gets Tony to basket and allows Manu to get one on one situations. If we try to run our offense through Timmy posting up, we give in to the reason why they got shaq. Hill has been shooting well against us, but if you run against the sons he will eventually break down. Barbosa is quick, but if you close the lanes off against him he usually settles for a bad fade away shot. Bottom line - we need to make them try to figure out how to defend us instead of us trying to figure out how to defend them.

[itzsoweezee]

1. parker and ginobili must drive to the hoop
- get amare and shaq, two of the most, if not the most foul prone big men in the league, into foul trouble


2. pick and roll
- shaq has always been horrible with the pick and roll. it's sad really.


3. don't double team nash. ever.
- that always ends up an easy bucket for the suns

[anjlbitz]

Pick And Roll

[Jack Sommersset]

Suspended players.

[iLovERocKetSaUCe]

i'm going out on a limb and saying a total of 10 technicals with 2 ejections will be combined in this series by both teams

[spursrule32]

Suspended players.

So true - not only is Horry a legend as a sharp shooter, he's a genius in gauging opposing players' propensity to get off the bench and step on the court during an altercation. Too bad he's probably not going to play in the playoffs.

[iLovERocKetSaUCe]

you're a genius for such a clever name :p:

[BonnerDynasty]

Oberto will jog down the court and bump into Amare at the top of the lane drawing a foul. Amare will lose his cool and deck Oberto, Ime will attack Amare with a rear naked choke hold and Bonner will toss Shaq into the crowd.

Game 2. Book it.

[SenorSpur]

1. Since the Suns are such a horrible defensive team, pick and roll their assess into submission.

2. Tim must pull Shaq away from the basket by hitting his outside shot consistently

3. Attack the rim and try getting both Shaq and Amare in foul trouble

4. Perimeter defenders must close out on Suns outside shooters.

5. Limit the Suns second chance opportunities and keep the Suns offensive rebounds to a minimum.

6. As always, thwart their fastbreak with good transition defense.

[DDS4]

1) Transition defense
2) Defending the Nash/Amare pick-n-roll well in the middle of the lane (their bread-n-butter play)
3) Closing out on 3-point shooters like Raja Bell and Barbosa. Make them put it on the floor.

[SAtown]

Suspended players.

...prompted by the worst flop in playoff history.

[iLovERocKetSaUCe]

you think? maybe bowens knee to nash's balls was a bigger flop??? i donno

[spursrule32]

you're a genius for such a clever name :p:


not being clever - just a phrase we use to use to antagonize rockettes fans a decade ago (and was useful against mavs fans too later on.) Sean Elliott will always be my favorite Spur.

[iLovERocKetSaUCe]

as was he mine in nba jam...snes version of courthse

[DAF86]

1) Play the PnR betwen Manu and whoever is guarded by Shaq (and has to be Manu not Tony 'cause Shaq wont come out to help so there will be a lot of space to take wide open jumpers and it's better for us if Manu takes those shots).
2) Guard Shaq with Tim straight up, if Shaq can guard Tim by fouling him and the refs won't do shit 'bout it. Why can't Tim do the same to Shaq?
3) When Amare gets into foul trouble ('cause we all know he'll do that) attack him with Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Vaughn it doesn't matters just attack him. He would a) let us get an easy basket b) get another foul.
4) Don't stick to rotations. if a player is hot let'm on the game no matter what, if a guy isn't doing shit sit his ass down. (ex. if Finley can't buy a basket give Barry his minutes)
5) Play the big three as much as possible (specilly at the same time)
6) Let nash be the "man", i'd rather see him shooting 20 times than getting 15 assts. Specially in the PnR with Amare. Whoever guards Stout should stay with him.

[slayermin]

Like Malik Rose said about Tim Duncan in '03, if he takes it at Shaq strong, everyone else will just follow suit.

To me, Tim Duncan will win this series. But I'm a TD homer.

[DAF86]

Like Malik Rose said about Tim Duncan in '03, if he takes it at Shaq strong, everyone else will just follow suit.

To me, Tim Duncan will win this series. But I'm a TD homer.

I hope so. To me Duncan seems a little intimidated by Shaq

[DespЏrado]

Quite frankly I think we make Shaq try and beat us.

If he get's it into his head that he's still the diesel and he takes shots away from Amare, I think that is the Suns weakest point. I want Shaq demanding the ball and huffing away when he doesn't get it.

I don't want Amare and Nash to PnR us to death. What I do want is single strong coverage on Shaq and dare him to score 50 every game on us for the series. If he gets by his man I want a hard across the arms foul to limit his and-1s but a foul none the less.

And if that means triple teaming Amare then so be it, but I don't want him to get anything in this series.

I think that with that defensive strategy we could seriously fuck with the Suns' game plan.

[roycrikside]

I think Shaq has proven that he can score on us when played straight up. I say we always double him and make him give it up. He's a turnover machine. Plus I don't think the Suns are as dangerous a 3 pt shooting team as they used to be with no Marion. Hill's not really much of a 3 pt shooter. The only guy on the team I worry about shooting behind the stripe is Nash.

Also, Bowen must guard Nash at all times and Tony has to be ferocious against Barbosa like he was last year when he fucking owned him.

[DespЏrado]

I think Shaq has proven that he can score on us when played straight up. I say we always double him and make him give it up. He's a turnover machine. Plus I don't think the Suns are as dangerous a 3 pt shooting team as they used to be with no Marion. Hill's not really much of a 3 pt shooter. The only guy on the team I worry about shooting behind the stripe is Nash.

Also, Bowen must guard Nash at all times and Tony has to be ferocious against Barbosa like he was last year when he fucking owned him.


I'm not saying Shaq can't score on us. I just don't think he can score 50 on us every game if we run at him on the defensive end the whole night every night. Call me crazy but Shaq's due for a bad series against us, if we play him straight up. I want him to feel like his team and our team is disrespecting his sorry ass. We don't double him at all...and he feels slighted by us, and his team for not giving him the ball every time.

[mojorizen7]

#1)Get Stoudemire in foul trouble early & often....otherwise we'll be controlling the tempo offensively,putting your front line in foul trouble,while controlling the glass to limit your second shot opportunities.#2) Neutralize our bench in Diaw/Barbs/Giricek.

[Shred]

Suns = no center, no inside presence, no defense, no rebounding. And NO WINS.

[Udrihlooms]

How to beat the Suns?

Hip-checking aside, my biggest concern for the spurs is our offense. We need to score. Our defense will ALWAYS clamp down but if we score less than 20 in the 4th quarter like we used to in our recent games, we'll get roasted by the Suns.

We need to score at least in the 90s every game to beat these pretenders.

[romsho]

You don't if you're the Spurs. Payback is a bitch.

Great insight. Your ability to analyze, process and then put in to words things the rest of us don't see is a God-given talent. Unfortunately, mostly for us, you choose to waste that talent in this forum.

[hsxvvd]

turn up.

[MrChug]

force nash to turnover the ball
get amare into foul trouble
push the ball as much as possible with shaq on the court
pick and roll the hell out of them in the half court

The first 3 are as moronic as your screenname.

-Nash doesn't turn over the ball, how do you propose to do that: quintuple team him?
-Amare doesn't play defense, therefore he's no prone to fouls.
-Push the ball up? You think we haven't been trying to do that every game?

[tlongII]

Great insight. Your ability to analyze, process and then put in to words things the rest of us don't see is a God-given talent. Unfortunately, mostly for us, you choose to waste that talent in this forum.

Thank you. It's nice to have fans. :toast

[intlspurshk]

Take out Tim and let Manu play the whole game. That's what SPURS won over Sons in the reg season

[manufor3]

You don't if you're the Spurs. Payback is a bitch.
:idiot

[Obstructed_View]

The same way the Spurs have always beaten them. Play good defense, limit the number of open threes, secure defensive boards, run as often as possible, take care of the ball, avoid getting drawn into the drama.

[florige]

Here it is!!! It freakin begins!! I have a MAJOR bet going with a friend of mine that we will beat Phx. He called me as SOON as they got Shaq saying that we were in trouble, yada,yada,yada! So far he has been right. But now this is the REAL DEAL!!!

BRING IT PHX!!!

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

The first 3 are as moronic as your screenname.

-Nash doesn't turn over the ball, how do you propose to do that: quintuple team him?
-Amare doesn't play defense, therefore he's no prone to fouls.
-Push the ball up? You think we haven't been trying to do that every game?

Actually he's been near the top in the league in fouls for a few years. IMO that's where keeping the pace up is so important early. Shaq is going to be the slowest guy on the floor no matter who is out there. He's also doesn't stray more than a few feet from the rim when he's on offense. So as the slowest player with the farthest distance to go, pushing the pace can take him out of the defensive equation, leaving Stoudemire as their lone player who can get back in time and have any shot at guarding the hoop. Either they give up the easy two, or you take it right at him and can hopefully get him in foul trouble. A big part of Amare's statistical explosion in the post Shaq trade era is that he no longer is the only guy guarding the hoop, so he's not racking up the fouls and can stay on the court more. Bottom line, if the guards can stay aggressive I think they can get both STAT and the Cactus in foul trouble early, and keep them out of a rhythm. But come the fourth, as others have said, no ref is going to foul those guys out down the stretch.

Aside from that, KT is going to have to be the role player to step the up most in this series. If he can bring his A-game the Spurs should be able to play Shaq straight up, which can allow them to do what they did so well in 05. Stay at home on the shooters, force Nash to be a scorer, and let Amare get his while keeping a lid on the rest. Offensively, he and Duncan will be getting wide open looks at mid range jumpers on the P&R since Shaq plays defense with a six foot rope tethering him to the backboard. It's up to them to either force a big out of the paint for Tony and Manu or make the Suns pay for leaving them open. And one of the shooters (Bonner, Barry, or Finley) will need to get hot for a couple of games too.

[ducks]

pick and roll with duncan and tp
duncan ran it oneal has to come out and guard him
then duncan can drive dunk or pass to open teamate

[GinobiliLooms]

score more points than they do.

[GinobiliLooms]

seriously though. I think Pop's emphasis will be scoring in transition, which will be a lot easier now that Brent Barry is back and Tony Parker (the fastest fuckin point guard in the league) is healthy. If the Spurs can clamp down on D and push it back the other way off rebounds or steals they could turn it into a layup drill and the Suns and their fans will enter a new dimension of hatred for the Spurs. I can feel that the Spurs are ready to explode. There is no more holding back. Last year we watched the gradual transformation of the team into a post season beast, now that incubation has reached a new level, it has been a more painful process, with lower lows than before, but the payout is coming big time. 5 in 10 sounds pretty damn good. Go Spurs Go!!!! I cant wait for this shit!!!!11

[jmard5]

Kurt Thomas must make his mid range jumpers.

[41times]

It's simple, you play tough Spurs defense and you wait for the Suns jump shooters to go cold and they eventually will and then you blow by them. Then you jus sit back and watch as Mike DanFony completely loses it and he will.

Tough series but the Spurs will win 4 of 7.

[RandomGuy]

I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts on how you do it.

Other teams fans in the west please chime in, Phoenix seems to play the Spurs well, but other teams seem to match up better now. What is that said team's secret?


Can't wait to see the responses!! :)

Since they are all bigger than me, I would have to beat them with a very big stick and the element of surprise.

Otherwise I would get my ass kicked.

[themvp]

Play hard for 48 min.

[PHXSpursFan]

Make Nash work on defense and be physical. Work him through a lot of screens. He's getting older, and would need the rest, and the Suns have lacked a compotent backup PG all year.

[ambchang]

On defense, trap Nash, force him to give up the ball, and force Stoudemire to make decisions. Shaq should NOT be doubled, let him get his, and don't let him kick it out to open 3s.

On offense, pick and roll all day using Parker or Ginobili as the point, and Duncan, Oberto and Thomas can all be the screener (Duncan obviously provides more options, but Oberto and Thomas can all pop the open jumper).

If they decide to single Duncan with Shaq, Duncan has to go at him and force the action.

Also, let Parker (or whoever Nash is guarding other than Bowen) go at Nash and force the Suns defense to collapse. If they are hiding Nash on Bowen (likely), have Parker drive inside the lane. There is nobody on the Suns who can handle Parker.

[Gros Membres!]

Lots of great offensive suggestions here but I'm going to stick with what has separated us from the pack in recent years - DEFENSE!

I would like to see us attack the Nash/Amare pick and roll, either by bothering Nash as he comes off it and cutting down his passing lanes or sticking with Amare and gambling for the steal. Must disrupt the PnR.

Play Shaq straight up, no double teaming. Thomas and Oberto HAVE to step up against Shaq. Boxing out and playing between Shaq and the rim should be a major priority for us.

Tim has to be aggressive and set the tone for the series by challenging the defense of the PHX big men. No more whining from Tim and please not too many jump shots/hooks. Same goes for Gino and TP.

Stick to what we do best and expose this finesse team (with a hulking piece in the middle) for what they are - mismatched parts that do not share a cohesive philosophy.

[td4mvp21]

Spurs need to push it. We haven't done that against the Suns all year (Suns win season series 3-1) and that was a key aspect to why we beat them in 2005 and 2007.

[easjer]

What others have already said:

1) Solid Defense the entire game.
2) Smart play.
3) Real effort.

- Push the tempo. Shaq can't be on both ends, and it's likelier to get Amare in trouble.
- Pick and roll to death.
- Tim needs to draw Shaq out of the paint to free up room for Manu/Tony.
- Keep Oberto off Shaq and Thomas on him. Double a bit if necessary.
- Push the offense and don't rely on half-court sets and jumpshots.
- Rebound.

[bus driver]

score more points than they do. :tu

best reply on how to beat the suns.:toast

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