some_user86
04-20-2008, 01:47 AM
Mike Finger: 'Very confident' Suns face familiar predicament
Web Posted: 04/19/2008 10:46 PM CDT
Mike Finger
San Antonio Express-News
Enough was enough.
For the better part of three hours, Raja Bell had been forced to chase Manu Ginobili under back cuts and around screens, through two overtimes and countless knees, slaps and elbows. The last part of the pursuit came with no defensive help, just Bell's legs and his will, and both of those were run almost completely ragged.
And now, after Ginobili had slipped away yet again, subjecting the Phoenix Suns to the brand of postseason dejection they've grown to know all to well? Now Bell had to deal with this — incessant questions about how Ginobili had beaten him, and an idiot columnist who wanted to take advantage of Bell's good nature by asking him to elaborate on Manu's greatness.
This was just too much.
"I'm not going to suck (up to him) for you, dog," Bell said, storming away.
Who could blame him? Who could blame any of the Suns? How does a team lose a game like they did Saturday — with a blown 16-point lead and Hack-a-Shaq and an against-all-odds 3-pointer from the Big Fundamental all playing a part — and not feel like ripping somebody's head off? How can they prepare themselves to come back to the AT&T Center three days later and endure something like this again?
As expected, the Suns insisted Saturday that won't be an issue. Even after losing to the Spurs for the 13th time in 17 playoff games, Amare Stoudemire said the Suns are "very confident," that they "know (they) can win," that the only minor detail keeping them from overcoming their longtime nemesis is cutting down on a few fouls.
"That was the only thing," Stoudemire said. "Getting in foul trouble. That's the only thing I can think of right now that beat us."
Bell can probably think of a few others, most notably Ginobili's left hand and Tim Duncan's expanding shooting range, but let's take Amare at his word. Even if foul trouble is the only obstacle in the Suns' way, is there any reason to believe it will be cleared?
Stoudemire fouled out of Saturday's game, missing the entire second overtime after racking up 33 points and dunking just about whenever he wanted, but this was nothing new. In six years of playing against the Spurs, there's seldom been a game in which Stoudemire hasn't been in foul trouble. And the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal has done about as much to change that trend as the departure of Tim Donaghy did.
Stoudemire had his first foul less than two minutes into the game, and O'Neal played all of four minutes before being saddled with his third. And while Stoudemire talked about tweaking his game to stay on the floor, Shaq made no such assurances.
"I'm not going to change my game," O'Neal said, "so hopefully they'll let me play."
That's probably not the kind of hope Phoenix wants to cling to, and Steve Nash appeared to understand that. As has been the case in previous Spurs-Suns playoff slugfests, Nash was the Phoenix player most vocal about taking responsibility for the team's misfortunes, referring Saturday to a "litany of mistakes" that cost the Suns in the end.
"We had the game won a few times," Nash said. "We weren't tough enough or disciplined enough to make every single play when it counted."
One of those lapses came on Michael Finley's 3-pointer at the end of regulation — the Phoenix defenders were supposed to switch on a screen but didn't — and more came on consecutive turnovers to set up Duncan's shot at the end of the first overtime.
But perhaps the Suns' most glaring lack of discipline was in their inability to provide Bell with any assistance at all against Ginobili. With Tony Parker having fouled out midway through the second overtime, Ginobili was the only ball-handler the Spurs had on the floor, and yet Bell was still left to guard him one-on-one. Stoudemire and O'Neal were on the bench, and none of the other Suns showed any interest in protecting the rim.
So after Ginobili scored on three drives in the last two minutes? It was no wonder Bell's patience was at its end.
Even so, after he'd showered and allowed his nerves to settle, he waved the aforementioned dummy over and reached out his hand.
"Sorry," Bell said. "I didn't mean to snap at you."
The apology was unnecessary, of course. Sometimes, as the Suns are learning all over again, enough is enough.
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA20080420.13C.NZ.State.13CFinger0420.387bbab.ht ml
Web Posted: 04/19/2008 10:46 PM CDT
Mike Finger
San Antonio Express-News
Enough was enough.
For the better part of three hours, Raja Bell had been forced to chase Manu Ginobili under back cuts and around screens, through two overtimes and countless knees, slaps and elbows. The last part of the pursuit came with no defensive help, just Bell's legs and his will, and both of those were run almost completely ragged.
And now, after Ginobili had slipped away yet again, subjecting the Phoenix Suns to the brand of postseason dejection they've grown to know all to well? Now Bell had to deal with this — incessant questions about how Ginobili had beaten him, and an idiot columnist who wanted to take advantage of Bell's good nature by asking him to elaborate on Manu's greatness.
This was just too much.
"I'm not going to suck (up to him) for you, dog," Bell said, storming away.
Who could blame him? Who could blame any of the Suns? How does a team lose a game like they did Saturday — with a blown 16-point lead and Hack-a-Shaq and an against-all-odds 3-pointer from the Big Fundamental all playing a part — and not feel like ripping somebody's head off? How can they prepare themselves to come back to the AT&T Center three days later and endure something like this again?
As expected, the Suns insisted Saturday that won't be an issue. Even after losing to the Spurs for the 13th time in 17 playoff games, Amare Stoudemire said the Suns are "very confident," that they "know (they) can win," that the only minor detail keeping them from overcoming their longtime nemesis is cutting down on a few fouls.
"That was the only thing," Stoudemire said. "Getting in foul trouble. That's the only thing I can think of right now that beat us."
Bell can probably think of a few others, most notably Ginobili's left hand and Tim Duncan's expanding shooting range, but let's take Amare at his word. Even if foul trouble is the only obstacle in the Suns' way, is there any reason to believe it will be cleared?
Stoudemire fouled out of Saturday's game, missing the entire second overtime after racking up 33 points and dunking just about whenever he wanted, but this was nothing new. In six years of playing against the Spurs, there's seldom been a game in which Stoudemire hasn't been in foul trouble. And the arrival of Shaquille O'Neal has done about as much to change that trend as the departure of Tim Donaghy did.
Stoudemire had his first foul less than two minutes into the game, and O'Neal played all of four minutes before being saddled with his third. And while Stoudemire talked about tweaking his game to stay on the floor, Shaq made no such assurances.
"I'm not going to change my game," O'Neal said, "so hopefully they'll let me play."
That's probably not the kind of hope Phoenix wants to cling to, and Steve Nash appeared to understand that. As has been the case in previous Spurs-Suns playoff slugfests, Nash was the Phoenix player most vocal about taking responsibility for the team's misfortunes, referring Saturday to a "litany of mistakes" that cost the Suns in the end.
"We had the game won a few times," Nash said. "We weren't tough enough or disciplined enough to make every single play when it counted."
One of those lapses came on Michael Finley's 3-pointer at the end of regulation — the Phoenix defenders were supposed to switch on a screen but didn't — and more came on consecutive turnovers to set up Duncan's shot at the end of the first overtime.
But perhaps the Suns' most glaring lack of discipline was in their inability to provide Bell with any assistance at all against Ginobili. With Tony Parker having fouled out midway through the second overtime, Ginobili was the only ball-handler the Spurs had on the floor, and yet Bell was still left to guard him one-on-one. Stoudemire and O'Neal were on the bench, and none of the other Suns showed any interest in protecting the rim.
So after Ginobili scored on three drives in the last two minutes? It was no wonder Bell's patience was at its end.
Even so, after he'd showered and allowed his nerves to settle, he waved the aforementioned dummy over and reached out his hand.
"Sorry," Bell said. "I didn't mean to snap at you."
The apology was unnecessary, of course. Sometimes, as the Suns are learning all over again, enough is enough.
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA20080420.13C.NZ.State.13CFinger0420.387bbab.ht ml