Amuseddaysleeper
04-21-2008, 12:17 AM
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8052374/Duncan-delivers-as-Spurs-take-thrilling-Game-1
Duncan delivers as Spurs take thrilling Game 1
by Charley Rosen
Game Time: Spurs 117, Suns 115 (2 OT)
This was exactly what all of us who have endured — and even been excited by — the marathon that is the regular season have been waiting for!
In such an incredibly thrilling game, there were obviously several heroes on both sides of the action:
# Tim Duncan with his 40 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a 3-point shot for the ages to force double overtime.
# Tony Parker, whose five assists and 26 points were mostly generated by his relentless attacks on the basket.
# Manu Ginobili, whose 24 points included the game-winning driving layup in the second OT, plus three more buckets in the last five minutes.
# Michael Finley's 13 points, the most important being the trey he dropped to send the game into an extra period.
# Amare Stoudemire for his lightning strikes in the lane — 33 points.
# Steve Nash — 25 points, 13 assists — who, as always, executed the screen-and-roll to perfection, and also converted a big-time 3-ball.
# Shaq, who came up with three critical blocks that very nearly denied the Spurs the ball game.
Moreover, there were nearly as many unsung heroes as well, as some under-the-radar heroics that were also performed by several of those who've been already named.
# In order to free Finely for his clutch shot, first Parker and then Fabricio Oberto set solid staggered screens.
# Kurt Thomas demonstrated his veteran's savvy by positioning himself to lure the Suns into committing several offensive fouls.
# Shaq, on several occasions, for being a double-screen unto himself.
# Bruce Bowen was scoreless, yet his defense against Nash (after Parker had fouled out) in the waning moments of the second OT was stupendous. Previously, Nash had made virtually every critical shot in both of the extra periods, but once Bowen replaced Parker, Nash was 0-for-3. Until, of course, Little Stevie Wonder nailed the 3 that knotted the score for the last time. Yet, without Bowen's late-game defense, Nash's shot could easily have been the game winner.
At the same time, a number of players on both teams piled up a costly number of mistakes. For example:
# Kurt Thomas, who made several poor choices in trying to defend the Suns' screen-and-rolls.
# Ditto for Finley.
# Stoudemire, who made a bunch of foolish decisions (he had six turnovers) — mostly silly fouls that eventually led to his disqualification.
# Stoudemire, again, for settling too often for mid-range jumpers, and shooting only 3-for-7 on them.
# Ditto for Parker, who was 2-for-6 on his springers.
# Shaq, for limiting his overall impact by getting whistled for a batch of easily avoidable early fouls.
# Boris Diaw, who botched a slightly complicated layup in the closing seconds of the second extra period that would have tied the score.
# Parker, who made two egregious errors in fouling first Leandro Barbosa (in the second quarter) and then Nash (in the second OT) as they were firing up 3-pointers.
# Steve Nash, who missed the second of the three free throws that resulted from Parker's bonehead play. This was perhaps the most amazing turn of events in the entire game. (Well, at least second to TD's successful impersonation of Robert Horry.)
Other mistakes were made by:
# Mike D'Antoni, for choosing to double-team the posted TD on the catch twice in the 4th quarter. Without having to pull up his dribble and pass, Duncan was able to scan the floor and make easy deliveries to his teammates that resulted in an uncontested triple converted by Finley, and then an even more open layup by Thomas. After these disastrous results, D'Antoni put this particular strategy back into his pocket. Still, the five "free" points were costly.
# According to my very unofficial count, the referees made one horrific call that favored the Spurs — a charge on Shaq when Oberto clearly flopped.
# At the same time, the three blind mice favored the Suns with a total of eight blatantly botched calls. The most important being a clean block on Stoudemire that went into the books as a foul on TD and a pair of made free throws.
Let's look ahead to Game 2 and try to foresee what kind of adjustments each team will make:
# San Antonio has to sharpen up its screen-and-roll defense, probably by two-timing Nash on a more frequent basis and also rotating much quicker to Stoudemire so that he's forced to make accurate passes on the move.
# The Spurs have to avoid overacting when Nash has his dribble alive between the backboard and the baseline.
# The Spurs need more — and more precise — ball reversal in their offense.
# Absent the doubling of Duncan, Phoenix can't allow Diaw to defend him in the low post. With Shaq either on the bench or in foul trouble and with Stoudemire getting repeatedly burned by Duncan, Brian Skinner needs more floor time.
# The Suns must absolutely adjust their baseline help so that neither Parker nor Ginobili don't have so many clear paths to the rim. The Spurs must be forced to either live or die by the perimeter jumper.
# If Duncan is to be doubled, the Suns must do so after he puts the ball on the floor. Their subsequent rotations should be able to poach those passing lanes that Duncan can readily see. This means leaving only the long (and risky) skip passes to be halved by the defense.
This was a game that Phoenix seemed to have well in hand at several occasions. But the Spurs ultimately proved to be more resilient and more resourceful. Still, the Suns need only to capture Game 2 to capture the home-court edge.
And to think that this palpitating contest was only the start of the proceedings!
Let the good times screen-and-roll!
Duncan delivers as Spurs take thrilling Game 1
by Charley Rosen
Game Time: Spurs 117, Suns 115 (2 OT)
This was exactly what all of us who have endured — and even been excited by — the marathon that is the regular season have been waiting for!
In such an incredibly thrilling game, there were obviously several heroes on both sides of the action:
# Tim Duncan with his 40 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a 3-point shot for the ages to force double overtime.
# Tony Parker, whose five assists and 26 points were mostly generated by his relentless attacks on the basket.
# Manu Ginobili, whose 24 points included the game-winning driving layup in the second OT, plus three more buckets in the last five minutes.
# Michael Finley's 13 points, the most important being the trey he dropped to send the game into an extra period.
# Amare Stoudemire for his lightning strikes in the lane — 33 points.
# Steve Nash — 25 points, 13 assists — who, as always, executed the screen-and-roll to perfection, and also converted a big-time 3-ball.
# Shaq, who came up with three critical blocks that very nearly denied the Spurs the ball game.
Moreover, there were nearly as many unsung heroes as well, as some under-the-radar heroics that were also performed by several of those who've been already named.
# In order to free Finely for his clutch shot, first Parker and then Fabricio Oberto set solid staggered screens.
# Kurt Thomas demonstrated his veteran's savvy by positioning himself to lure the Suns into committing several offensive fouls.
# Shaq, on several occasions, for being a double-screen unto himself.
# Bruce Bowen was scoreless, yet his defense against Nash (after Parker had fouled out) in the waning moments of the second OT was stupendous. Previously, Nash had made virtually every critical shot in both of the extra periods, but once Bowen replaced Parker, Nash was 0-for-3. Until, of course, Little Stevie Wonder nailed the 3 that knotted the score for the last time. Yet, without Bowen's late-game defense, Nash's shot could easily have been the game winner.
At the same time, a number of players on both teams piled up a costly number of mistakes. For example:
# Kurt Thomas, who made several poor choices in trying to defend the Suns' screen-and-rolls.
# Ditto for Finley.
# Stoudemire, who made a bunch of foolish decisions (he had six turnovers) — mostly silly fouls that eventually led to his disqualification.
# Stoudemire, again, for settling too often for mid-range jumpers, and shooting only 3-for-7 on them.
# Ditto for Parker, who was 2-for-6 on his springers.
# Shaq, for limiting his overall impact by getting whistled for a batch of easily avoidable early fouls.
# Boris Diaw, who botched a slightly complicated layup in the closing seconds of the second extra period that would have tied the score.
# Parker, who made two egregious errors in fouling first Leandro Barbosa (in the second quarter) and then Nash (in the second OT) as they were firing up 3-pointers.
# Steve Nash, who missed the second of the three free throws that resulted from Parker's bonehead play. This was perhaps the most amazing turn of events in the entire game. (Well, at least second to TD's successful impersonation of Robert Horry.)
Other mistakes were made by:
# Mike D'Antoni, for choosing to double-team the posted TD on the catch twice in the 4th quarter. Without having to pull up his dribble and pass, Duncan was able to scan the floor and make easy deliveries to his teammates that resulted in an uncontested triple converted by Finley, and then an even more open layup by Thomas. After these disastrous results, D'Antoni put this particular strategy back into his pocket. Still, the five "free" points were costly.
# According to my very unofficial count, the referees made one horrific call that favored the Spurs — a charge on Shaq when Oberto clearly flopped.
# At the same time, the three blind mice favored the Suns with a total of eight blatantly botched calls. The most important being a clean block on Stoudemire that went into the books as a foul on TD and a pair of made free throws.
Let's look ahead to Game 2 and try to foresee what kind of adjustments each team will make:
# San Antonio has to sharpen up its screen-and-roll defense, probably by two-timing Nash on a more frequent basis and also rotating much quicker to Stoudemire so that he's forced to make accurate passes on the move.
# The Spurs have to avoid overacting when Nash has his dribble alive between the backboard and the baseline.
# The Spurs need more — and more precise — ball reversal in their offense.
# Absent the doubling of Duncan, Phoenix can't allow Diaw to defend him in the low post. With Shaq either on the bench or in foul trouble and with Stoudemire getting repeatedly burned by Duncan, Brian Skinner needs more floor time.
# The Suns must absolutely adjust their baseline help so that neither Parker nor Ginobili don't have so many clear paths to the rim. The Spurs must be forced to either live or die by the perimeter jumper.
# If Duncan is to be doubled, the Suns must do so after he puts the ball on the floor. Their subsequent rotations should be able to poach those passing lanes that Duncan can readily see. This means leaving only the long (and risky) skip passes to be halved by the defense.
This was a game that Phoenix seemed to have well in hand at several occasions. But the Spurs ultimately proved to be more resilient and more resourceful. Still, the Suns need only to capture Game 2 to capture the home-court edge.
And to think that this palpitating contest was only the start of the proceedings!
Let the good times screen-and-roll!