Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Suns Game 2

[timvp]

Game 2 was following the same story line as Game 1. The Spurs came out slow. The Suns came out playing like the best offensive team ever assembled. For the first half, the Spurs were just trying to keep their heads above water.

Then the third quarter happened. The glorious third quarter. Down 61-54 entering the second half, the Spurs defense played at an amazingly high level. In the first six and a half minutes, the Spurs gave up a total of two points. It took ten minutes for the Suns to score more than four points. By end of the third quarter, the Spurs were up 81-72 after outscoring the Suns 27-11 in the quarter.

In the fourth, the Spurs bumped it up to a high of 17 before hitting a rough patch offensively. Luckily, time was on their side and the Spurs were able to cruise to a 102-96 victory to go up 2-0 in this best of seven series.

For the first two quarters, the Suns looked unstoppable. Amare Stoudemire had 25 points in the first half and was hitting everything. Steve Nash was offensively playing the point guard position as well as humanly possible. While they are down 0-2 in this series, they can’t be too disappointed. The Suns have played amazing basketball at times. If they can play that type of basketball for longer stretches, I’m not sure any team in the league can stop them.

For the Spurs, this was a huge win. The Suns are a very good team and winning the first two games at home was mandatory. It wasn’t always pretty but going up 2-0 is all that matters.

Overall, Spurs fans couldn’t have asked for much more to start the playoffs. Their team is showing an unbelievable amount of heart, guts and determination. At different times in the game, you can actually see the championship experience kicking in. So far, so good in the 2008 playoffs.

-While obviously Tim Duncan wasn’t as spectacular as he was in Game 1, I thought he played a really good ballgame in Game 2. The Suns were concentrating more on him in this affair and Duncan did a admirable job of not forcing the issue a majority of the game. On the night, Duncan finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. He struggled a bit shooting the ball (8-for-20 from the field and 2-for-6 from the line), especially late in the game. He played a team-high 42 minutes and his only poor play of the night came late in the game when he was visibly exhausted. Defensively, I was really impressed with the way he protected the rim and his second half defense against the pick-and-roll. His ability to stay on Nash for a few seconds to allow the other defender to recover has been impressive for much of the first two games.

-In Game 1, it was Duncan who kept the Spurs in the contest. In Game 2, it was Manu Ginobili. With the Spurs down 14 points late in the first quarter, Ginobili kept the Spurs from getting blown out. Over a stretch of five and a half minutes, the Argentine superstar scored 15 points and handed out two assists to pull the Spurs back within five points. On the night, Ginobili had 29 points, three rebounds and three assists, while shooting 9-for-17 from the field, 3-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc and 8-for-9 at the line. His play in the second half was also important as he helped the Spurs blow the game open. Ginobili struggled with his outside shooting in Game 1 but in this game his stroke looked much better. He did seem to strain something (hopefully not his groin) when he dunked the ball from too far away. Then again, how injured could his groin be when he gets hurt because he picked up his dribble at the top of the key before dunking it? Supermanu, indeed. To nitpick, I think Ginobili's flopping was excessive this game. He needs to reel it in a bit because it was hurting instead of helping a couple times.

-Tony Parker played a fantastic Game 2. Offensively he was good but defensively is where he shined. His defense on Nash, specifically in the second half, could have very well been the best defense he’s ever played. Parker got up on Nash and was relentlessly pestering the Canadian with a defensive intensity that I’ve never seen from Parker. Even when Nash would pass the ball, Parker’s aggressiveness in his help defense was extremely impressive. He’s played good defense before but this was a whole new level. Offensively, Parker wasn’t half bad. He led the Spurs in scoring with 32 points, dished out seven assists, pulled down three boards and swiped three steals. From the floor, Parker was 13-for-25. On offense, I was most impressed by his fearlessness. He took some vicious hits and continued attacking over and over. Parker usually isn’t the type of player who you would say was playing like a man possessed, but that’s exactly how he played tonight.

-Bruce Bowen played much better than he did in Game 1. His defense on Nash was improved and he did a better job of not forcing shots. However, he still went scoreless in his 23 minutes of action. In this game, his defense wasn’t really a problem. It was just that Parker was defending Nash so well that Bowen wasn’t needed. Instead, Pop could go to a better offensive player. For the game, Bowen finished with five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while missing both of his field goal attempts.

-Michael Finley scored only eight point but they were eight important points. Coming out of halftime, Finley hit the Spurs’ first four field goals of the quarter. His fourth field goal gave the Spurs their first lead since the first minute of the game. Finley finished with eight points, two rebounds and a steal, while shooting 4-for-5 from the floor. Defensively, he was much improved from Game 1 and actually made a few good plays on that end of the court. Finley’s stats don’t look like much in this contest but his shooting coming out of halftime was huge.

-I don’t think Fabricio Oberto played very well at all. No matter who he guarded, he struggled in the matchup. Against Stoudemire, Oberto was pretty much helpless. He let Shaquille O’Neal get way too good of post position almost every time up the court. Even Boris Diaw went off against him in the first half. Oberto needs to step up his level of defense or his minutes in this series are going to become fewer and fewer. He finished with four points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes of action.

-Ime Udoka rebounded from a tough Game 1 and was a bit better in Game 2. I wouldn’t say he played especially well but he wasn’t as overwhelmed as he was in Game 1. While he missed all four of his three-pointers, he hit his pair of two-pointers and both of his free throws. Udoka was also able to pull down three rebounds in his 15 minutes of work. He allowed the Spurs to go small and spread out the Suns’ defense, which was vital at different points in the game. Now if he can mix in a perimeter jumper at some point in this series, he’d be that much more dangerous.

-Kurt Thomas didn’t have impressive stats (two rebounds, one block and two turnovers in 13 minutes) but his impact was felt. He did a very good job throwing around his body against both O’Neal and Stoudemire. His help defense was solid and he set a few impressive picks on the offensive end of the court. He ended up fouling out for the second straight game but that’s perfectly fine. Thomas has no reason not to use his six fouls. Roughing up the Suns is one of the few ways you can hope to slow that team down.

-Brent Barry played 11 very solid minutes. He hit both of his shots from the floor, including one three-pointer. His three-pointer was the only points scored by anyone outside of the Big Three in the first half. With his tender calf, he’s not going to be winning any Defensive Player of the Year awards anytime soon but he’s invaluable on the offensive end of the court in this series. Overall, Barry is competing extremely hard and his shooting looks as smooth as ever. In fact, he’s hit his last six shots from the floor over the last three games.

-Jacque Vaughn played only five minutes and had one assist and one foul in that time. While he didn’t do anything wrong in this game, Pop is smartly going with other matchups in this series. Vaughn’s lack of shooting and playmaking doesn’t mix well with what the Spurs need against the Suns.

-Robert Horry dusted off the cobwebs to play three minutes. Considering he hadn’t played in a month, Horry actually looked pretty good. He had a momentum altering block against O’Neal in the second quarter that seemed to wake up the crowd and the team. He missed his only shot (a three-pointer) but Horry looked good enough to trot out there at some other situation in the playoffs when needed.

-Pop had another active game coaching, as he seemed ready and willing to do just about anything that popped into his head. He was inventive with his rotation and for the second straight game, practically everything he did worked out for the best.

Pop using 11 players in this game was just classic Pop coaching. He trashed his rotation and just decided to go with his gut feelings. These two first games of the series have two of Pop’s best coaching jobs of his playoff life in terms of coaching moves resulting in positive results.

I continue to question Pop’s Hack-a-Shaq strategy. While D’Antoni reacted by pulling out O’Neal a few times, O’Neal responded well to Hack-a-Shaq late in the third quarter. He hit 5-of-6 free throws in a one minute stretch.

I just don’t understand why Pop went to Hack-a-Shaq. First of all, the Suns had scored only six points in the first ten and a half minutes of the quarter. Why give them free points when the defense is playing well? Second of all, Nash was on the bench. That’s when you can really turn up your defensive pressure. By sending O’Neal to the line and slowing the game down, Nash got about a 30 minute break before re-entering in the fourth quarter. Thirdly, the Spurs were scoring very well on first break action. Making it a free throw contest takes away the fast breaking possibilities. I continue to fail to see the logic behind this tactic.

Pop's five swingman rotation is also a bit concerning. It worked in this game but eventually he's going to have to shorten his Ginobili, Bowen, Finley, Barry and Udoka rotation by a player. You can't expect shooters to get in rhythm playing spot minutes.

The bottomline is the Spurs are now up 2-0 in the series. They’ve held serve and now travel to Phoenix in hopes of continuing their winning ways in Game 3. Nice win but there is more work to be done.

Believe.

[DAF86]

That was quick

[Spaceman Spiff]

Parker is a totally underrated defender. He ate Deron Williams alive a few weeks ago....and was passable on Nash at times.

Timvp, I'd actually argue Parker was the biggest offensive force today. He was a monster, and gave us our biggest basket of the game (his jumper over Shaq when the lead went down to 5).

Fuck it, the entire backcourt was awesome. Fin, Parker, Barry, and Manu were all great.

[mVp]

Nice recap, as usual.

Tony was awesome, if he keep playing like he did tonight we’re repeating this year, book it.

And Manu's three-point shooting is back, this is awesome news for us.

[DAF86]

I think Ginobili's flopping was excessive this game. He needs to reel it in a bit because it was hurting instead of helping a couple times.

Agree. I only watched the fourth quarter, but that last Raja foul on Manu wasn't so bad and he made it look like he was shot or something.

[Streakyshooter08]

Thanks. Awesome read. I hope Manu is okay.

[jmard5]

Thanks TimVP.

[duncan228]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Do you think part of Pop's using hack-a-Shaq was to upset the Suns rhythm and at the same time give our guys some breathing time? I know Duncan was tired out there, you could see it.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Do you think part of Pop's using hack-a-Shaq was to upset the Suns rythmn and at the same time give our guys some breathing time? I know Duncan was tired out there, you could see it.

That's kinda how I saw it. Regardless of whether Shaq makes them or not (if he misses it's an added bonus), it completely kills their rhythm.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Solid :tu
I hope Pop abandons Hack-A-Shaq, but I was glad he was gambling while we had the lead.


I thought this game was great because other guys stepped up besides Timmy this time. I'm even more confident in the team, than in game 1.

[Borosai]

Everyone played except Bonner: redheaded stepchild indeed.

[Ignignokt]

this team is more akin to the 99 spurs team than the 2007.

the 99 team was notorius for flipping the switch in the 3rd quarter.

[timvp]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Do you think part of Pop's using hack-a-Shaq was to upset the Suns rhythm and at the same time give our guys some breathing time? I know Duncan was tired out there, you could see it.Duncan was still out on the court during Hack-a-Shaq in the third so he wasn't getting too much rest. He got some rest but not as much rest as Nash did when he was laying down on the sidelines.

Hack-a-Shaq has been more successful against the Suns just because D'Antoni overreacts to it and sometimes it seems like the Suns stop playing offense because they think the Spurs are going to foul Shaq.

I was told that going to Hack-a-Shaq when you have the lead is Dennis Lindsey's brainchild. Lindsey, AKA the guy who helped gift Scola to the Rockets, supposedly came up with charts and graphs to prove his theory that Hack-a-Shaq makes it extremely difficult for the opposing team to catch up.

I still don't like it. Shaq always gets in rhythm at the line and it kills the Spurs offense just as much as it kills the Suns offense. Plus giving Nash the least amount of rest possible is another way of tiring him out.

[freemeat]

Nice re-cap.

What are your thoughts on the last two first-halves? I'm not so sure the Spurs will be able to recover from that kind of early let-down on the road...in Phoenix. Those fans are going to be insane.

[timaios]

FG
M. Finley 4/5
B. Barry 2/2

They need to shoot more !!!

[TDMVPDPOY]

hack a snaq burger is coming to ur local stores

[bdictjames]

Timvp, I'd actually argue Parker was the biggest offensive force today. He was a monster, and gave us our biggest basket of the game (his jumper over Shaq when the lead went down to 5).


Did anyone see that scoop shot he had with his back hand? That was the first time I've ever seen that shot from anyone.

[MannyIsGod]

God damn its good to be a Spurs fan right now.

[K-State Spur]

That's kinda how I saw it. Regardless of whether Shaq makes them or not (if he misses it's an added bonus), it completely kills their rhythm.

I think that's part of it. Also it puts an upper limit on that Suns' possession of 2 points. Pop's strategy in the past against this team has always indicated that it's their ability to hit 3s that worries him.

[whottt]

Tony Parker is playing insane basketball...no needs to call Tony soft, because if they do they don't know what they are talking about. Parker hits the ground more than just about any PG in the NBA, and he does it while he is hauling azz.


And in the playoffs he is now what I like to call a FAC-TOR...whether ESPN mentions it...or not.

Yeah his D is intense but I've seen him play this kind of D before...hopefully he'll say some of that for Chris Paul, because it will be needed. Parker almost always has the toughest run of positional opposition in our playoff runs.


I didn't think Oberto play bad down the stretch...he definitely wasn't very good early though.


It was nice to see Manu's shot go in but it still looked flat and didn't really look like his shot...I definitely think he's still hurting, that dunk didn't look right either. Hopefully we can put the Suns down in 4 and the Mavs will extend the Hornets to 7. I give Manu full props for playing with injury...I just want him to get better as I don't like him having to go full tilt injured. He's a ManU though, for sure.


Finley was decent...I'll be more impressed if he does it against the Celtics though....then I might have to reconsider my stance on Finley.


I didn't really want to see Horry in this series but that block was sweet...he stuffed that ball back in Shaq's face bigtime. I don't like seeing Horry defend Shaq when Shaq is posting up...but I'll take that kind of assistance every time.


Duncan - I am pretty impressed with Duncan, because Shaq is playing pretty damn good basketball and Duncan is beating his ass off the court. It's not prime Shaq he's doing that too...but it's still Shaq, a motivated Shaq.

[Kori Ellis]

I definitely think he's still hurting, that dunk didn't look right either.

I'm worried about that. He took off way too early and I thought he might have really hurt himself. Hopefully the training staff can come to the rescue again.

[timvp]

Finley was decent...I'll be more impressed if he does it against the Celtics though....then I might have to reconsider my stance on Finley. Well played :tu

[timvp]

Yeah his D is intense but I've seen him play this kind of D before...The man-to-man part of his defense I've seen before ... most notably last year versus Allen Iverson. However, I've never seen him dig in and fight bigs. Ripping the ball away from Shaq and Amare was new territory, IMO.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

yeah, Manu's lucky Parker and Duncan are there while he's recovering.

That fastbreak dunk, proves he's not at 100 percent.
But at least he played a lot better today. I hope it's one of those snowball, gets healthier as the days go by, kinda things. His three ball is returning.

I'm not sure Oberto is better against Phoenix this year now...so maybe it's better for Pop to play conservative.

[MannyIsGod]

The man-to-man part of his defense I've seen before ... most notably last year versus Allen Iverson. However, I've never seen him dig in and fight bigs. Ripping the ball away from Shaq and Amare was new territory, IMO.

Dude is showing so much fucking heart right now. I don't care if they win it all. When they play with that kind of grit and determination you can't help but love this team.

God damn, they are justplaying so damn hard.

[timvp]

yeah, Manu's lucky Parker and Duncan are there while he's recovering.

That fastbreak dunk, proves he's not at 100 percent.He looked healthier today than in Game 1. Hopefully this two day break will allow him to be close to 100% for Game 3.

I have a feeling that for the Spurs to win one in PHX, Ginobili is going to have to have a legendary type game.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

He looked healthier today than in Game 1. Hopefully this two day break will allow him to be close to 100% for Game 3.

I have a feeling that for the Spurs to win one in PHX, Ginobili is going to have to have a legendary type game.

Me too. That stuff he was doing in the middle of the season when we badly needed wins?
Pop needs to tell him to do it again.

[whottt]

The man-to-man part of his defense I've seen before ... most notably last year versus Allen Iverson. However, I've never seen him dig in and fight bigs. Ripping the ball away from Shaq and Amare was new territory, IMO.


Good point about the d on bigs...that could be new. He's definitely giving it everything he's got.

The fact his D was so great in game 1 was pretty amazing too when you think about the fact that he had a headache. D and headaches definitely don't go well together.

Honestly, the way Parker is moving, the speed he's moving at...it's like he's from another planet than everyone else on the court...it's just this insane level of quick he's playing at on both sides of the ball...no one can match it.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

TP was like a rabid pitbull in game 2. I hope he keeps it up on the defensive end in game 3, but going off his quotes, it seems promising.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I'm just glad (according to the post game quotes) that the Spurs don't plan on relaxing.

I also hope they come out better to start the game in game 3 (although they always tend to chuck away games that have them winning big early)

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I'm just glad (according to the post game quotes) that the Spurs don't plan on relaxing.

I also hope they come out better to start the game in game 3 (although they always tend to chuck away games that have them winning big early)

I think the Spurs have gotten better mentally in the last few years.

And I hope they know they can't afford to be down 15 AGAIN in the first quarter /half in the Suns homecourt. I don't think they can expect to stop the bleeding, because once the Suns go on a mini run in the 2nd half, it'll be one of those humiliating losses.
I think the Spurs will prepare for that and not allow it to happen.

[timvp]

I also hope they come out better to start the game in game 3 (although they always tend to chuck away games that have them winning big early)I expect the Spurs to get down early in the first quarter in Game 3. The Suns will be energized and ready to rock. But the Spurs need to bounce back quicker than they did in the first two games. It needs to be a one or two point game at the half instead of eight to ten.

[sabar]

Maybe Pop wants to be the first to win a series with hack-a-shaq to cement his legacy.
Or he's just messing with D'Antoni. Pure CIA. I have a feeling hack-a-shaq won't be seen for the rest of this series, D'Antoni figured out that shaq will get in a rhythm and doesn't have to knee-jerk and pull him.

As for reverse-game thoughts, if I'm a phx fan, I'm wondering where all this Diaw-love is coming from. Dude gets a lot of plays down the stretch for some reason.

[ShoogarBear]

Hack-a-Shaq when ahead in the third quarter pissed me off to no end. And it really seemed to slow down the Spurs' momentum at that point.



I was told that going to Hack-a-Shaq when you have the lead is Dennis Lindsey's brainchild.

:pctoss

[romain.star]

Good point about the d on bigs...that could be new. He's definitely giving it everything he's got.

The fact his D was so great in game 1 was pretty amazing too when you think about the fact that he had a headache. D and headaches definitely don't go well together.

Honestly, the way Parker is moving, the speed he's moving at...it's like he's from another planet than everyone else on the court...it's just this insane level of quick he's playing at on both sides of the ball...no one can match it.

After his injury, none could expect he would be that good early in the Playoffs. That's why this guy is a champ

[m33p0]

phoenix came out hot off the gates as usual building a 14 pt lead... suns bigs avoided foul trouble.... they were able to post up diaw for most of the first half and the third... they were able to limit duncan to just 18 pts... spurs didn't score 70+ in the paint like in game 1... Shaq was even making his free throws... they were within striking distance in the last 2 minutes of the ballgame...

and yet they still lost.

[alamo50]

There´s only 1 team in Texas.

:flag:

[DarrinS]

I think Barkley said it best on TNT last night. The Suns CAN'T guard Tony and Manu at the same time. Sure, Raja might be able to defend Tony, but he's got his hands full with Manu. Basically, there's nowhere for Nash to hide on the defensive side, and his weak defense is exposed.


EDIT> Not having Grant Hill play more minutes is also hurting them, IMO.

[wildchild]

He played a team-high 42 minutes and his only poor play of the night came late in the game when he was visibly exhausted.
I get worried about that if this series's prolonged so much.


Tony Parker played a fantastic Game 2. Offensively he was good but defensively is where he shined. His defense on Nash, specifically in the second half, could have very well been the best defense he’s ever played. Parker got up on Nash and was relentlessly pestering the Canadian with a defensive intensity that I’ve never seen from Parker. Even when Nash would pass the ball, Parker’s aggressiveness in his help defense was extremely impressive. He’s played good defense before but this was a whole new level. Offensively, Parker wasn’t half bad. He led the Spurs in scoring with 32 points, dished out seven assists, pulled down three boards and swiped three steals. From the floor, Parker was 13-for-25. On offense, I was most impressed by his fearlessness. He took some vicious hits and continued attacking over and over. Parker usually isn’t the type of player who you would say was playing like a man possessed, but that’s exactly how he played tonight

When Tony plays like this, he looks like gold and the Spurs
couldn't lose. Never. To Tony :toast


Michael Finley scored only eight point but they were eight important points. Coming out of halftime, Finley hit the Spurs’ first four field goals of the quarter. His fourth field goal gave the Spurs their first lead since the first minute of the game. Finley finished with eight points, two rebounds and a steal, while shooting 4-for-5 from the floor. Defensively, he was much improved from Game 1 and actually made a few good plays on that end of the court. Finley’s stats don’t look like much in this contest but his shooting coming out of halftime was huge.

Fin should shot more and more. 4-5 in Game 2 is nice %FG.


-I don’t think Fabricio Oberto played very well at all. No matter who he guarded, he struggled in the matchup. Against Stoudemire, Oberto was pretty much helpless. He let Shaquille O’Neal get way too good of post position almost every time up the court. Even Boris Diaw went off against him in the first half. Oberto needs to step up his level of defense or his minutes in this series are going to become fewer and fewer. He finished with four points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes of action

Pop refused give to him more time and put Thomas in the starting line up in the second half, but I think is too early for that. Maybe Oberto deserves more confidence, he was played well in the last quarter.
I don't sure why Pop doesn't trust in Oberto's offense. When Tim double team, why not use Oberto?.
In two games he finished with 4-5 80%FG. He can score in clutch game, in overtime like Game 1 or in the last quarter like Game 2.
It's too early in this series for lose this guy.



-Brent Barry played 11 very solid minutes. He hit both of his shots from the floor, including one three-pointer. His three-pointer was the only points scored by anyone outside of the Big Three in the first half. With his tender calf, he’s not going to be winning any Defensive Player of the Year awards anytime soon but he’s invaluable on the offensive end of the court in this series. Overall, Barry is competing extremely hard and his shooting looks as smooth as ever. In fact, he’s hit his last six shots from the floor over the last three games.

I have confidence in his 3's and expect Pop feels the same in the next game.


Believe

:tu

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

The big 3 were all incredible, and Finely needs to keep shooting the ball




I am really glad Barry is back, as his 3pt shooting will be huge in PHX, and I feel Horry will be big in PHX also, he will get some Ts and fouls from the other team



great win, but the Spurs can't give them any hope, they must win Friday and avoid a blowout

[E20]

Why do people always think that Billups/Hamilton are the number 1 backcourt in teh NBA? It's by far Parker+Ginobili, who I think, are the best back court tandem in the leauge, tonight just further solidified that.

[E20]

Also looking at the box score, it's interesting to see how Pop plays so many players why D'Antoni's lineup is a rigid 7-8 man rotation.

[1Parker1]

What's amazing is that the Spurs Big three scored all but 3 points for the Spurs in the first half. Has that ever happened in a playoff game before? There is so much pressure on those guys night in and night out to run the offense and defense for this team, and the fact that all 3 continue to deliver it on a nightly basis is absolutely amazing.

I know Parker always spends time on the floor and gets contact, but yesterday was some of the most physical contact I've seen him get in one game in a long time. The elbow from Shaq alone had me hurting just looking at it in replay. The fact that he constantly just got up after 20 seconds and continued to play at both ends of the floor was amazing.

Ginobili needs to be 100% if the Spurs want to make a run in this playoffs. I didn't realize he injured his ankle earlier so hopefully this time off will do him some good. He was still great yesterday...

Brent Barry looks really smooth on offense and his ballhandling and passing skills are clearly helping the Spurs. I like that Pop was smart enough to realize that Vaughn isn't going to help them in this series and he decides to play Barry and Ginobili together when Parker rests.

[Killakobe81]

Didn't see the WHOLE game but the Suns have to be disheartened by that game ...Diaw freaking could NOT post up Finley, Manu or Parker ... freaking TONY PARKER is keeping Diaw from scoring in the post!!!! :wow

Shaq as I said before the series is sucking (as he always does) on the pnr ...and the spurs are playing very smart ...they are out running and gunning the Suns ...the only explosive athlete they have now is Amare and Barbosa and barbosa is way too inconsistent ...

That said, i think the Spurs give up a game on the road because the suns intensity will be extremely high. BUt with the advantage at Center (dont care what yall say with the few mins Oberto plays Duncan is a CENTER) shooting gaurd and Parker playing Nash even... plus the HUGE advantage at coach .(you diehards are much too tough on Pop i think he is the best current coach...even over PJ) no way suns win this... i predicted Spurs in 7 and i wont puss out and change that now ...but Spurs in 5 wouldnt shock me either ... unless Manu is hurt.

[Dex]

Great recap, as always.

I question the Hack-a-Shaq theory as much as anybody, but it is awful hard to argue with the results.

Even though Shaq hit 5-6 free throws during that stretch (which is about as good as he can possibly hope for), the Spurs still only dropped 2 points off of their lead. Meanwhile, all the other Phoenix players looked discombobulated on offense because, like you said, they were either waiting for Shaq to get fouled, or they were rushing plays to avoid it.

It completely deflated the game for a while, and while it didn't give the Spurs much of a chance to run away since Shaq was hitting his free throws, it still denied Phoenix a chance to make a run even though they played it about as well as they could.

[ambchang]

Great recap.
I actually thought Bowen did a great job on Nash, and I couldn't understand why the team went away from the pick and roll mid 4th quarter, resulting in the Suns comeback.

As for the haq-a-shaq, it's puzzling. The suns were obviously struggling on offense, and the Spurs were flowing on offense, even with Shaq in the paint. The sole purpose is of haq-a-shaq is to have d'antoni pull Shaq out of the game, opening up the paint for Parker and Ginobili, but since the Spurs were already pretty much scoring at will, what is the point? Perhaps Pop is hoping to undermine the trust between Shaq and D'antoni?

[Elraptor]

I'm sick of all the bullshit on SportsCenter, stuff like:

"Oh Yea, Suns Will Come Back."

"Suns Will Win The Next 4."

Total bullshit.

[Streakyshooter08]

Great recap, as always.

I question the Hack-a-Shaq theory as much as anybody, but it is awful hard to argue with the results.

Even though Shaq hit 5-6 free throws during that stretch (which is about as good as he can possibly hope for), the Spurs still only dropped 2 points off of their lead. Meanwhile, all the other Phoenix players looked discombobulated on offense because, like you said, they were either waiting for Shaq to get fouled, or they were rushing plays to avoid it.

It completely deflated the game for a while, and while it didn't give the Spurs much of a chance to run away since Shaq was hitting his free throws, it still denied Phoenix a chance to make a run even though they played it about as well as they could.


I think that is a great point. No matter if Shaq hits his foul shots or not. It somehow disrupts the flow for Pheonix. I am not a big fan of this strategy too but once in a while it might help keeping the Suns away from making a run or even cut a lead.

[WalterBenitez]

Great recap, we sould need more balance next game ... the trio will be defended "properly", you how the little shaq could handle to hung Manu, TP and say hi to TD.

[jman3000]

-Ime Udoka rebounded from a tough Game 1 and was a bit better in Game 2. I wouldn’t say he played especially well but he wasn’t as overwhelmed as he was in Game 1. While he missed all four of his three-pointers, he hit his pair of two-pointers and both of his free throws. Udoka was also able to pull down three rebounds in his 15 minutes of work. He allowed the Spurs to go small and spread out the Suns’ defense, which was vital at different points in the game. Now if he can mix in a perimeter jumper at some point in this series, he’d be that much more dangerous.

Believe.

i think ime's production is a bit concerning for me. he's not just missing 3 pointers... he's missing wide open 3 pointers and since i saw both games live i dont have the luxury of a 2nd viewing... none of them looked particularly close. im not asking him to hit 80% on 3's... but hitting 40% on wide open looks isn't too much to ask... is it?

he also nearly blew that layup/dunk on that duncan pass... again.. im not trying to criticize the guy... but it is a tad worrisome.


all that being said... he's not a big enough cog on the spurs' offensive machine to warrant any major concern. guess im just trying to nit pick because he was the only spur, besides tony parker at times last night, that was pissing me off.

[K-State Spur]

I think Barkley said it best on TNT last night. The Suns CAN'T guard Tony and Manu at the same time. Sure, Raja might be able to defend Tony, but he's got his hands full with Manu. Basically, there's nowhere for Nash to hide on the defensive side, and his weak defense is exposed.


EDIT> Not having Grant Hill play more minutes is also hurting them, IMO.

True. Although signing Hill and playing him for 30+ mpg during the regular season and then expecting him to be healthy for the playoffs is a strategic flaw by Dan Tony in itself.

[K-State Spur]

i think ime's production is a bit concerning for me. he's not just missing 3 pointers... he's missing wide open 3 pointers and since i saw both games live i dont have the luxury of a 2nd viewing... none of them looked particularly close. im not asking him to hit 80% on 3's... but hitting 40% on wide open looks isn't too much to ask... is it?

he also nearly blew that layup/dunk on that duncan pass... again.. im not trying to criticize the guy... but it is a tad worrisome.

While it may be used as to how the stat can still be BS at times, I thought Ime did a lot of the little things well. His rebound and putback were big tonight as well.

But they said on nbaTV that he was +17 last night.

[rAm]

Did anyone see the interview with Pop in between the 3rd and 4th quarters? It was incredibly awkward, and just strange. I felt like something was brewing at that point. Pop was in CIA mode hardcore if I ever saw him, he was so focused he couldn't even come up with decent answers.

For some reason I agree with the Hack-a-Shaq. Shaq might make his free throws, or he might not. However I think the move is purely psychological. It stops them from playing basketball, and shows them that they are only as fast as their slowest man.

The Suns are a rhythm team, and fouling Shaq takes away what they love doing best: Free flowing offense. If they don't get to play offense, they sure as fuck aren't going to shine playing defense, and I think throwing in the Hack-A-Shaq a little bit in the third fucks with their head.

Not to mention that it flusters D'antoni, and you could hear him in the huddle, "YOU SEE? HE MADE THE FREETHROWS!" He didn't know wtf was going on, and he lost control of his team in the 2nd half.


Besides all that, Tony Parker was brilliant. Enough said. I noticed Manu landing awkwardly as well, he shouldn't of tried to jump from so far away!

This series still isn't over, we need this same tough mentality to get through the rest of the playoffs not even to mention getting out of this round!

[Budkin]

All I remember is Pop saying that Shaq made the "hack-a" strategy look dumb because he hit like 10 in a row.

[Man Mountain]

Thanks again.

[Spurs Brazil]

I'm worried about that. He took off way too early and I thought he might have really hurt himself. Hopefully the training staff can come to the rescue again.

Manu was the Impact player of the game and he told Shoening that his groin was bothering him the day after game 1 but was fine yesterday.

He also said he tweak his ankle in the game. But he didn't say in what play

[timvp]

Shaq as I said before the series is sucking (as he always does) on the pnr ...and the spurs are playing very smart ...they are out running and gunning the Suns ...the only explosive athlete they have now is Amare and Barbosa and barbosa is way too inconsistent ...Shaq is actually playing the pick-and-roll relatively well. In the regular season, the Spurs went almost exclusively to the pick-and-roll against Shaq. They did that early on in Game 1 but he was moving his feet too well so the Spurs haven't used it nearly as much as they did in the regular season.

[nfg3]

Great recap as usual.

Though the Hack-A-Shaq employed by Pop in game 1 worked to our advantage I felt in game 2 it seemed to hurt our momentum. It's kind of gimmicky for the Spurs. I tend to agree with Collins about changing the rule after this season concerning off the ball fouls like that. It seems to reward the team that is fouling rather than penalize them for the infraction. One shot and the ball out of bounds seems appropriate for this type of foul.

We need to come out strong in game 3. I feel that the Suns are going to be pumped and ready to go in front of their fans. Come out strong and weather the storm. In the second half we take over and go for the throat. I just think that Pop has totally schooled D'Antoni.

Liked what Kenny stated on TNT recently(paraphreased) - When games are won by double digits it means that the losing team just wasn't ready to play. Their hearts weren't in it but when you lose by less than ten then that's all about coaching.

[Xylus]

We need Hill so badly...

[The Truth #6]

Did anyone find it odd that with 48 seconds left the Suns let 20 seconds go off the clock instead of fouling? I can't remember how much exactly we were leading by, I think it was 8. I thought for sure Coach D would have the players fouls but he didn't and I thought that blunder helped seal the victory.

[Xylus]

Did anyone find it odd that with 48 seconds left the Suns let 20 seconds go off the clock instead of fouling? I can't remember how much exactly we were leading by, I think it was 8. I thought for sure Coach D would have the players fouls but he didn't and I thought that blunder helped seal the victory.

I can explain this one: D'Antoni is a moron.

[Solid D]

Good recap, timvp. I'll just add...

Small Ball scoffers had returned to their shell by the end of the 3rd quarter, if not by half-time...at least the ones paying attention.

[timvp]

Good recap, timvp. I'll just add...

Small Ball scoffers had returned to their shell by the end of the 3rd quarter, if not by half-time...at least the ones paying attention.Good point. Small ball last night was +17. Two bigs put up a -11.

Small ball has become an important weapon for the Spurs. Small ball was a weakness in 2006. After two years of working on it, the Spurs are actually good in small ball alignments.

[td4mvp21]

I think Pop wanted to make sure the Suns didn't go on a run or get into a rhythm before entering the fourth, and that's why he went with Hack-A-Shaq. I think it was stupid but that's the only logicial reason to why Pop had to do it.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Great recap. :tu




I think Pop just uses the Hack-a-Shaq to get into D'Antoni's head, and for no other reason. The timing of it, with Nash on the bench and Phoenix being like 2 for 17 from the floor in the quarter made no sense at all...but I think Pop knew this, he's too smart I believe, to not have made this move with the sole purpose being merely to give D'Antoni fits on the sideline.






If I were D'Antoni I'd of come back with Hack-a-Duncan and let them square off in a free throw shooting contest to end the third quarter.

[bigfundamental21]

Great recap, as always, timvp. :tu

I am thrilled with the intensity and passion that our Spurs have shown in the first two games of this series. Tim, Tony and Manu have been playing out of their minds and if we could just get a little more help from Finley or Udoka or Barry or even Bruce, these games wouldn't even be close. The defensive energy has been impressive, especially in the second half. It is gonna take that same effort and then some to win in Phoenix. As we all remember, the fans were rabid last time we played there in the playoffs. I fully expect us to come out with intensity and drive. If we can win this next game, it will put the Suns in a bad situation. As it is they have to win 4 of 5 against us. There can't be any let down. I know Pop will have them ready to go on Friday.

BELIEVE. :flag:

[roycrikside]

Duncan was still out on the court during Hack-a-Shaq in the third so he wasn't getting too much rest. He got some rest but not as much rest as Nash did when he was laying down on the sidelines.

Hack-a-Shaq has been more successful against the Suns just because D'Antoni overreacts to it and sometimes it seems like the Suns stop playing offense because they think the Spurs are going to foul Shaq.

I was told that going to Hack-a-Shaq when you have the lead is Dennis Lindsey's brainchild. Lindsey, AKA the guy who helped gift Scola to the Rockets, supposedly came up with charts and graphs to prove his theory that Hack-a-Shaq makes it extremely difficult for the opposing team to catch up.

I still don't like it. Shaq always gets in rhythm at the line and it kills the Spurs offense just as much as it kills the Suns offense. Plus giving Nash the least amount of rest possible is another way of tiring him out.

What's weird is that last night Shaq went 5 for 6 with Hack-a-Shaq FTs and 2 for 8 with conventional FTs. It's like when he's fouled on purpose with no shot attempted, it really gets to his pride and he focuses extra hard because he doesn't want to be embarrassed but with a regular foul he goes back to his stupid ol' "I'm too much of a badass motherfucker to give a shit if I make these or not" self.

Personally I still don't think we should abandon Hack-a-Shaq. The 5-of-6 could just be a fluke. I still think it's a good idea to use it with a lead, a deficit, whenever. I'd just prefer to use it with Nash in the game. The less he has the ball, the better for us. I know he had a bad 3rd quarter, but I'm generally terrified of him.

And maybe we could try Bonner as the designated Hack-a-Shaqer. He could foul O'Neal six times on one end and we can abuse him with pick and pops that would leave Bonner wide open for 15 footers on the other end.

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

Good point. Small ball last night was +17. Two bigs put up a -11.

Small ball has become an important weapon for the Spurs. Small ball was a weakness in 2006. After two years of working on it, the Spurs are actually good in small ball alignments.




Spurs were +17 when Ime was on the floor

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs were +17 when Ime was on the floor

He was fortunate to be on the floor during runs. He sucked.

[Manu_Ginobili]

Shaq's foul on T. Parker was simply ridiculous!!!

[Cant_Be_Faded]

SMAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL BALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

:smchode:

[polandprzem]

You now what?
I was so damn pissed at HackerShaqer tactic at game two that I said it out loud when I was watching the game at 4am. !

You may do it occasionaly but not last 4 or 5 actions of the quarter. It dirupted Suns a bit, it gave some breather to the players but damn, this game was so long because of FT that those O'neals was not necesseary.

I thought TP played one of the games when he wanted to prove something, but I can't find what it was. He just competed as hard as anybody, he had some mistakes like the one when Tm was on Nash downlow and he decided to finish himself and that one enden in a turnover or his foul I can't remember it right now.

As for manu - his shot was looking better and hopefully his shot will be absolutely outstanding in game 3.

Tim fought well.

I saw an old Kurt with desire, he looks like he lost some pounds and that's good cause you see he is in good condition, his defense was what we needed.

And Ime IMO had a good game- nothing more you want to expect from him then hustling some D and rebounding (well he could make some shots - the area he must to improve from the confidence point of view)

Bowen - I demand you to rewatch the game and what he did on Nash. That maybe was not the best Bowen showing of defense but he was realy realy realy good. I think that was one of the biggest reasons the spurs won the game. His D disrupted Steven.


Umm as for Shaq and his D on TD - I think Shaq is better one on one defender on Tim then he used to be when he was in his prime and I'm gonna tell you why. Because he is not jumping at all, and that closing TD, cause he can't get his opponet with fakes and going around the Big Fella is not that simple. Shaq when in his prime he was alway intimidated by the fakes and was going for the ball - then you could trick him. Now you can't in a low block 1-1 situation. The same thing was when Timmy was clogged in the FIBA when they sended 2 or 3 guys at him and when his defender was just standing with his hands reached.
That sucked Timmy wasn't it?
(esp. when americans could not spread the floor)


All in all good win and I was impressed by the spurs.

Game 3 will be the game of a chance to put Suns away 'three o' is quite big adventage.
Suns can easily be back in the series when they win game 3 and regain the momentum. Pop doeas not belive in the momentum thing, but Suns players do and they make positives of it.

:flag:

[timvp]

Umm as for Shaq and his D on TD - I think Shaq is better one on one defender on Tim then he used to be when he was in his prime and I'm gonna tell you why. Because he is not jumping at all, and that closing TD, cause he can't get his opponet with fakes and going around the Big Fella is not that simple. Shaq when in his prime he was alway intimidated by the fakes and was going for the ball - then you could trick him. Now you can't in a low block 1-1 situation. The same thing was when Timmy was clogged in the FIBA when they sended 2 or 3 guys at him and when his defender was just standing with his hands reached.
That sucked Timmy wasn't it?
(esp. when americans could not spread the floor)That was actually a really good take. I hadn't thought of that but you are right on all counts.

Who knew Poland had televisions? Props for the best post of the day :tu

[roycrikside]

He was fortunate to be on the floor during runs. He sucked.

His outside shooting was bad, to be sure, but otherwise he was good. He scored six straight points for us in one stretch and in the first quarter he rotated in the lane and came up with a steal off Amare that turned into a fast break lay-in for Tony.

That rotation to stop a big has been something that Fin has shown an inability or unwillingness to do all season long.

[polandprzem]

That was actually a really good take. I hadn't thought of that but you are right on all counts.

Who knew Poland had televisions? Props for the best post of the day :tu

Unfortunately I had to go with stream.

As for my post. Damn I am is such a hurry to write something that it is not pretty (easy) to read.


And thanks for that you are thinking that my post was the best
:worthy: