D'Antoni: 'We're going to bust them'

[Spurs Brazil]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/04/24/20080424suns.html

D'Antoni: 'We're going to bust them'
by Doug Haller - Apr. 24, 2008 02:06 PM
The Arizona Republic
Shortly after Thursday's practice, Mike D'Antoni was asked what he would say to Phoenix fans who are on the ledge after the Suns dropped into a 0-2 series hole against the San Antonio Spurs.

"Go ahead and jump," said the Suns coach, laughing. "We got 6 million people here. We're fine. It's still overcrowded anyway."

Once the laughter died down, D'Antoni turned serious.
"You know what? I understand it. I'm ready to jump out, too. I'm on the ledge with them, but I'm not going. I'm gong to crawl back in. We're going to play (Game 3 at US Airways Center) Friday, and we're going to bust them. That's our mindset. We still don't have any doubt we can win this series."

Postseason basketball comes with a ton of statistics. One says that only 13 teams have rallied to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games. The Suns refuse to acknowledge history. Or for that matter, outside influences.

"I think once you start fighting all the media noise - there are so many media outlets these days; everybody wants to talk about it - then it creeps into guys' minds," point guard Steve Nash said. "It's just basketball. Go out and play well (Friday) night and get a win. If you can win (Game 3) then you start to feel good about yourself."

Injured forward Grant Hill - scoreless in 20 minutes in Game 2 - had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his midsection. Results were not available. D'Antoni told Hill not to play Game 3 unless he is 100 percent. In hindsight, Hill wondered if he should have sat out Game 2.

"You get to the arena, you get to the game and you always feel like, 'You know what? I think I can play,"' Hill said. "It's gotten me in trouble before. I just have to be smart about it. We still feel like we're in this series. We still feel like we have a lot of basketball in us."

[MannyIsGod]

Its not like he's going to say "We're going to lose".

[T Park]

Gotta say something.

If Hill doesn't play again, that means the Suns go to the tri towers, wich worked pretty well defensively on Parker.

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

I hope Hill doesn't play again


and as far as his comment goes, it just makes the victories that much more sweet

[WalterBenitez]

I can't wait to see those floppers

[degenerate_gambler]

dantoni's not a good coach, but he's good for a quote. that was kinda funny.

[Shaolin-Style]

Oh no we're gonna get busted up.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

We're going to get busted? I guess the league's giving them Bavetta, Salvatore, and Joey Crawford for game 3...

[SouthernFried]

If Hill's hurting...I hope he plays ;)

[td4mvp21]

I hope the Spurs go out ready to kick some ass and get a win. I'm sick of these bitches already.

[Allanon]

Well, I can't blame the Suns for being confident. It does take an away win to make it a series.

Suns have already been in this scenario and they're one of the 13 teams that came back to win the series. They were down 0-3 to the Lakers just 2 years ago and stormed back.

If the Spurs don't win one of these next two, it could be fatal because game 5 might be the "steal" game and then game 6 is back at Suns. Spurs have to stay focussed and not rest on 2 wins.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

"We're going to play (Game 3 at US Airways Center) Friday, and we're going to bust them."

Pop is cutting that out of the newspaper and putting it on the board just like he does everytime time this idiot opens his mouth and talks shit.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Well, I can't blame the Suns for being confident. It does take an away win to make it a series.

Suns have already been in this scenario and they're one of the 13 teams that came back to win the series. They were down 0-3 to the Lakers just 2 years ago and stormed back.

If the Spurs don't win one of these next two, it could be fatal because game 5 might be the "steal" game and then game 6 is back at Suns. Spurs have to stay focussed and not rest on 2 wins.

Yea, that was the FUCKING LAKERS...not the SPURS.

[Borosai]

Why stop at "bust them"? He should've said, "We're going to hit them so hard, when they walk off the court, they will be wearing pink socks."

Oh, Spurs will win game 3.

[Allanon]

Yea, that was the FUCKING LAKERS...not the SPURS.

It doesn't matter that it was the Lakers, if it was ANY team, coming back from 0-3 in the Playoffs is a miracle. I don't like the Suns but I gotta give 'em props for that year.

They have the talent and the experience, and 0-3 comeback, I would never count them out until they're 'out.

[Whisky Dog]

So D'Antoni was able to do in 48 hours what he hasn't done in his entire life... Learn, implement, and teach rotation based team help defense?

Without that it'll take a flawless offensive perfomance for 48 minutes, and they've only been half right so far in that area.

[FromWayDowntown]

Well, I can't blame the Suns for being confident. It does take an away win to make it a series.

Suns have already been in this scenario and they're one of the 13 teams that came back to win the series. They were down 0-3 to the Lakers just 2 years ago and stormed back.

If the Spurs don't win one of these next two, it could be fatal because game 5 might be the "steal" game and then game 6 is back at Suns. Spurs have to stay focussed and not rest on 2 wins.

The Suns were down 1-3, not 0-3 in that series.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200604230PHO.html

No NBA team has ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series.

http://www.whowins.com/tables/up30.html

I would agree, though, that the Spurs still have their work cut out for them. After all the Spurs are one of the 13 groups in NBA history to have lost a series after taking a 2-0 lead.

[Sigz]

"Okay, alright Lets go, lets go."

I guess he needed a new line.

[romad_20]

The Suns were down 1-3, not 0-3 in that series.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200604230PHO.html

No NBA team has ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series.

http://www.whowins.com/tables/up30.html

I would agree, though, that the Spurs still have their work cut out for them. After all the Spurs are one of the 13 groups in NBA history to have lost a series after taking a 2-0 lead.


I was going to say. They weren't even down 0-2 were they? I think it was 1-1 and then LA won 2.

[Allanon]

The Suns were down 1-3, not 0-3 in that series.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200604230PHO.html

No NBA team has ever come back from down 0-3 to win a series.

http://www.whowins.com/tables/up30.html

I would agree, though, that the Spurs still have their work cut out for them. After all the Spurs are one of the 13 groups in NBA history to have lost a series after taking a 2-0 lead.

Great info FWD, I'm sorry I thought it was 0-3...it sure felt like it :D

[Man of Steel]

Busted!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w174/ailesdeaigles/Busted1.gif

[Ronaldo McDonald]

It doesn't matter that it was the Lakers, if it was ANY team, coming back from 0-3 in the Playoffs is a miracle. I don't like the Suns but I gotta give 'em props for that year.

They have the talent and the experience, and 0-3 comeback, I would never count them out until they're 'out.

They didn't come back from 0-3 deficit.

And, it isn't that big of an accomplishment when you've got The Choker (yes, he's earned this distinction), Lamar Odom, on your team to help you out significantly.

I give them props, sure, but they were not going up against the Spurs. If they were it would have been different outcome.

[Strike]

That's it, Spurs fans! Pack it up, get ready for next year. The Spurs are gonna get 'busted! Guess we all might as well just give up.[/SARCASM]

D'antoolie is just gum flapping like any decent blowhard coach would do. He's a step below douche bag, a step above douch nozzle.

[FromWayDowntown]

I was going to say. They weren't even down 0-2 were they? I think it was 1-1 and then LA won 2.

2006 Western Conference First Round (4-3): Phoenix Suns over Los Angeles Lakers

April 23 -- Phoenix Suns 107, Los Angeles Lakers 102 (PNX 1-0)
April 26 -- Los Angeles Lakers 99, Phoenix Suns 93 (Tied 1-1)
April 28 -- Los Angeles Lakers 99 Phoenix Suns 92 (LAL 2-1)
April 30 -- Los Angeles Lakers 99 Phoenix Suns 98 (LAL 3-1)
May 2 -- Phoenix Suns 114 Los Angeles Lakers 97 (LAL 3-2)
May 4 -- Phoenix Suns 126, Los Angeles Lakers 118 (Tied 3-3)
May 6 -- Phoenix Suns 121 Los Angeles Lakers 90 (PNX 4-3)

[PlayoffEx-static]

Injured forward Grant Hill - scoreless in 20 minutes in Game 2 - had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his midsection. Results were not available.
That just made me LOL.

[pooh]

well as they said on WOAI if the Suns bust up on the Spurs (they should've already) it will be like in 2004 when the Spurs were up 2-0 on the Lakers, when Parker was lighting them up for over 20 pts a game, then the Lakers began beating up on him and he was non-existant and the Spurs loss four straight.

[Strike]

well as they said on WOAI if the Suns bust up on the Spurs (they should've already) it will be like in 2004 when the Spurs were up 2-0 on the Lakers, when Parker was lighting them up for over 20 pts a game, then the Lakers began beating up on him and he was non-existant and the Spurs loss four straight.

Yeah that was 4 years ago against a Laker team that was better than the Suns are this year. Parker has grown by leaps and bounds since then. So has Ginobili. Phoenix might have a shot at containing one of the two, but not both. Not to mention we have TIM FREAKING DUNCAN!!!

San Antonio ain't (yes, I said ain't) giving up 4 in a row to the Suns.

[FromWayDowntown]

well as they said on WOAI if the Suns bust up on the Spurs (they should've already) it will be like in 2004 when the Spurs were up 2-0 on the Lakers, when Parker was lighting them up for over 20 pts a game, then the Lakers began beating up on him and he was non-existant and the Spurs loss four straight.

If Parker goes into a shell upon facing physical play, that's a real possibility. Since that time, however, Parker has faced physical play in the paint from other teams in playoff situations and has managed to continue to play well enough for the Spurs to win -- notably against Detroit in 2005. It's not all on Tony Parker, but his perserverence is obviously a big key to the Spurs' chances at putting the Suns away.

If D'Antoni is truly talking about being physical with the Spurs, it's so terribly ironic that he now thinks that's the way to win, given all of his past tantrums about physical play between these teams. I'm not sure it's possible for the Suns to be more physical than they were in Game 2, but I guess we'll see.

Frankly, I think D'Antoni is talking much more about his belief that the Suns are going to win Game 3 (a statistical likelihood anyway) than he is about a concerted effort to play more physically by delivering lots of contact in the paint and elsewhere. It's a risky strategy to get that physical, too, given the substantial foul problems that Shaq and Amare seem to encounter when playing the less physical style that the Suns have employed all season.

Maybe they'll prove me wrong, but it's not like they can throw Shaq, Malone , Payton, Kobe, Fisher, and George at the Spurs.

[mojorizen7]

So D'Antoni was able to do in 48 hours what he hasn't done in his entire life... Learn, implement, and teach rotation based team help defense?

Without that it'll take a flawless offensive perfomance for 48 minutes, and they've only been half right so far in that area.

Don't you know?.....he's a genius.:lol
SUNS should get game 3 but i was sure we'd get a split in S.A. too.:flipoff

[hitmanyr2k]

well as they said on WOAI if the Suns bust up on the Spurs (they should've already) it will be like in 2004 when the Spurs were up 2-0 on the Lakers, when Parker was lighting them up for over 20 pts a game, then the Lakers began beating up on him and he was non-existant and the Spurs loss four straight.

If the hip check Shaq put on Parker in Game 2 didn't slow him down then nothing will. Parker has definitely matured since then. And physical play never works on Ginobili. When he gets hit it seems to only makes him stronger. I remember he was sleepwalking last year in the playoffs before Shawn Marion raked him over the eye. Next thing you know he was killin those fools. Howard and Diop tried to put the hard hits on him in that 37 point game which backfired. He kept coming anyway.

Tomorrow is Duncan's birthday right? A 3-0 lead would be a great gift for the man.

[rAm]

Don't you know?.....he's a genius.:lol
SUNS should get game 3 but i was sure we'd get a split in S.A. too.:flipoff

In all honesty, it took an epic performance from Duncan and a huge shot by Finley for that not to happen.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

In all honesty, it took an epic performance from Duncan and a huge shot by Finley for that not to happen.

and a major suns choke job we've all come to expect.

[Avitus1]

Spurs be get ready for a busting?....

[Ronaldo McDonald]

He'll have a job next year for Pringles.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

LOL, your comment fits well with your picture... what a doof:flipoff

Oh yeah, one of the other teams that came back to win a series after being down 0-2 is the Lakers. Thats right, we whooped the FUCKING SPURS ass in 6 you dumb fucc!

YOU FUCKING IDIOT, I said THAT Suns team would not have been able to come back from 1-3 against THAT Spurs team.

Where did I mention the Lakers of 2004? I didn't. They have nothing to do with this discussion.

[Kindergarten Cop]

I was going to say. They weren't even down 0-2 were they? I think it was 1-1 and then LA won 2.

You are right. In fact, Phoenix actually won the first game of the series to go up 1-0. L.A. won the next 3 (scoring exactly 99 points in all three wins), only to go on and lose the next three to the Suns.

[td4mvp21]

Read my quote of your quote one more time dum dum. If you are going to post on public sites, learn to reply properly in your response. If you throw stones at THE FUCKING LAKERS, then make sure you dont live in a glass house you retard.:oink

I have no idea why you even give a shit about that. That Lakers team was not very good and you know it. You have a good team now so again, why do you give a shit?

[Spurs Brazil]

D’Antoni says Suns still confident down 0-2 to Spurs
By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 41 minutes ago
PHOENIX (AP)—Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni had some advice for despondent Suns fans ready to jump off buildings.

“Go ahead and jump,” he said. “We’ve got six million people here. We’re fine. It’s a little overcrowded anyway.”

Obviously he was joking, but D’Antoni is seriously confident despite his team being down 0-2 in the first-round series to their longtime nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs.

“I’m on the ledge with them,” he said, “but I’m not going (to jump). I’m going to crawl back in, and we’re going to play Friday, and we’re going to bust them up Friday. That is our mind set. We still don’t have any doubt that we can win the series.”

And there will be no major alterations in Phoenix’s strategy.

“To be honest with you, we don’t want to make a whole lot of changes,” he said after the Suns’ brief practice Thursday. “We feel good about the way things are going.”

D’Antoni went on to say he might be crazy for thinking that, but he and his players believe they were their own worst enemy at critical times in the first two games of the series. Game 3 is Friday night in Phoenix.

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“We had a lot to feel good about in Game 1, and we had a great first half in Game 2,” the Suns’ Steve Nash said. “I think we’ve just got to tweak it a little bit, be a little bit smarter, a little bit tougher.”

The Suns had big leads in the first two games, only to succumb to the defensive pressure and offensive intelligence of the defending NBA champions.

Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich understands the Suns’ confidence.

“We didn’t beat anybody to death,” Popovich said before the Spurs left for Phoenix on Thursday. “We had to work out butts off, we had to have some good fortune, we had to play well down the stretch to win both games at home. They’re going home, they’re going to feel good about themselves, so we’ve got to be ready for that.”

Barring some great overnight improvement, Grant Hill probably will sit out Game 3 because of a sore right groin. He gave it a try in the first two games but sometimes was more of a hindrance than help.

“If he’s not 100 percent, he won’t play,” D’Antoni said.

Hill said he has to realize when he’s not well enough to play.

“I can’t let the emotion of the moment make that decision for me,” he said. “I’ve got to be honest about it and do a better job of doing that than I did the first two games.”

Hill’s absence will leave the team without one of its better defenders and ball handlers.

“We’ll miss him for sure, but it’s better to know that he shouldn’t play him than to get him out there going half-speed,” Nash said.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat out the Spurs’ practice with bumps and bruises, but both should be ready to go Friday night.

“We can’t be satisfied,” Parker said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve been in all kinds of situations. In 2004, we were up 2-0 against the Lakers and they came back. So we just have to realize 2-0 doesn’t mean nothing. We just did our job. We just won our two games at home.”

D’Antoni said the team’s defense has been all right, but the offense hasn’t. Phoenix went from a 65-point first half in Game 2 on Tuesday to scoring just 11 in the third quarter. The Suns didn’t panic, D’Antoni and Nash said, but they weren’t their free-flowing selves, either.


Phoenix Suns forward Amare Sto…

AP - Apr 23, 1:49 am EDT
At least some of that was because of the Spurs’ “in our face” defense, but D’Antoni said his team didn’t respond as it should have.

“We need to up the production,” D’Antoni said. “We need to hoist ‘em up, we need to run more, we need to move the ball a little bit better, and we need to play more carefree. We’re a little tight right now.”

Nash had a similar assessment.

“I think we lost our rhythm, and instead of taking a step back to find it, we all put our heads down and tried to find it, and that just exacerbated the problem,” he said.

Suns general manager Steve Kerr had a different take than his coach.

“It’s just defense,” Kerr said. “It’s just making stops when we need to. When they went on that little run and they were stopping us, if we could have buckled down a little bit and made stops, we could have withstood that little dry spell.”

This was supposed to be a classic first-round matchup of two teams with legitimate title aspirations. The Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal mainly to provide a better matchup with a San Antonio team that has blocked Phoenix’s playoff path two of the last three seasons.

But now Phoenix must win four of five against San Antonio. A win Friday night is imperative if that sunny confidence is to mean anything.

“I don’t think these guys will be complacent,” Popovich said. “One worries about it, it’s always there. There’s always a natural tendency to feel good about anything that you’ve accomplished. But I think our team is experienced enough to know that they haven’t accomplished anything yet, that the goal is way down the road.”

Associated Press Writer Elizabeth White in San Antonio contributed to this report.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AhWvM3zrc15ZieYZsshDt9IyNbgF?slug=ap-spurs-suns&prov=ap&type=lgns

[BiZNicK]

I think they need ppl from the stands to help them play defense....

At least like 9-12 ppl to stand in the paint...maybe then they can guard Tony and Manu

[td4mvp21]

Wow!!! They must grow turds on trees in Texas. Any team that has Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton, Fish is a pretty good team. Good enough to beat that so-called dynasty that you guys have.:flipoff

No; the guy you quoted and I were talking about the 2006 Lakers team that lost a 3-1 series lead to the Suns, only to have the Suns win in 7. He was saying that this Spurs team isn't that Lakers team (which he is right, the Spurs are a lot better than that team was). I was talking about the 2006 team. The 2004 team was good, they made it to the Finals.

[DazedAndConfused]

It's hilarious, sad, and pathetic that D'Antoni's solution to their 3rd quarter woes is to hoist it up more and shoot more shots. The reason they lost Game 1 and Game 2 was entirely on the defensive end. If Parker and Manu can get layups whenever they want they the Suns are going to get swept.

Kenny Smith said it best on TNT last night. PHX gives up too many easy baskets, so even if they are up 10 or 20 you know you can always get back into the game.

[dbreiden83080]

The more this clown talks the more desperate he is sounding. He knows 2 more losses and his ass is on the unemployment line.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Read my quote of your quote one more time dum dum. If you are going to post on public sites, learn to reply properly in your response. If you throw stones at THE FUCKING LAKERS, then make sure you dont live in a glass house you retard.:oink

I think you've had too many stones thrown at your head.

[anakha]

No; the guy you quoted and I were talking about the 2006 Lakers team that lost a 3-1 series lead to the Suns, only to have the Suns win in 7. He was saying that this Spurs team isn't that Lakers team (which he is right, the Spurs are a lot better than that team was). I was talking about the 2006 team. The 2004 team was good, they made it to the Finals.

Damn, lakaluva, that was a waste of perfectly good indignation. :lol

[Supreme_Being]

ohnoeeeeeszzzeerrsss!!!!11 we gon' get buszztteedd!!!111!!!

[Elraptor]

Let me just say:

He bugs the hell out of me. Him and Avery bug me the most out of all coaches. :nope

[Borosai]

He'll have a job next year for Pringles.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5625/stdantonipringlesab2.jpg

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Lol

[m33p0]

he had to say something.

[genomefreak13]

well a coach has a right to dream as well....

[Troll_Dynasty]

rofl

[SAGambler]

WGAF what Mikey has to say? It's not like they are suddenly going to become defense minded overnight. So they have to have more offense. Problem is, when the Spurs go into lockdown mode, there is no more offense, only more missed shots.

[bdictjames]

It was 1-3 Laker fan in that series.

That 3rd victory of the Lakers were so sweet, but clearly they were the underdog in that series. Not so much for the Spurs.

And there has NEVER been any team coming back from an 0-3 hole, they say that ALL THE TIME in broadcasting.

[romad_20]

And there has NEVER been any team coming back from an 0-3 hole, they say that ALL THE TIME in broadcasting.

Not in the NBA, anyway. I mean the RedSox did it a couple of years ago for the first time in any sport, so anything can and usually will happen, eventually.

[Budkin]

:lmao

[san antonio spurs]

Not in the NBA, anyway. I mean the RedSox did it a couple of years ago for the first time in any sport, so anything can and usually will happen, eventually.

The Montreal Canadiens did it also 3 or 4 years ago to the boston bruins in the first round. I beleive they did it before the red sox or am i mistaken?

[dmac]

That just made me LOL.


me too, so Hill has no nuts?

[wildbill2u]

I wouldn't be so blase about his words. I think he means it. Just look at the remarks by Raja Bell after one of the hits on TP: "if he gets up off the floor, God bless him." And then Barbosa got away with a punch to Manu's head in the last game.

The Suns are going to try and be physical with us because they know the league and refs will let them get away with rough play. The NBA doesn't want another brouhaha over suspensions.

[FromWayDowntown]

The Montreal Canadiens did it also 3 or 4 years ago to the boston bruins in the first round. I beleive they did it before the red sox or am i mistaken?

It's happened 3 times in the history of North American professional sports:

1. 1942 Stanley Cup Finals -- Toronto Maple Leafs d. Detroit Red Wings 4-3
2. 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals -- New York Islanders d. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3
3. 2004 American League Championship Series -- Boston Red Sox d. New York Yankees, 4-3

[FromWayDowntown]

I wouldn't be so blase about his words. I think he means it. Just look at the remarks by Raja Bell after one of the hits on TP: "if he gets up off the floor, God bless him." And then Barbosa got away with a punch to Manu's head in the last game.

The Suns are going to try and be physical with us because they know the league and refs will let them get away with rough play. The NBA doesn't want another brouhaha over suspensions.

Fine.

Perservere if you're the Spurs. Playing physically is not a strong suit for the Suns, and it's a risky strategy for a team that only goes 7-8 deep on the best night.

[romad_20]

It's happened 3 times in the history of North American professional sports:

1. 1942 Stanley Cup Finals -- Toronto Maple Leafs d. Detroit Red Wings 4-3
2. 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals -- New York Islanders d. Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3
3. 2004 American League Championship Series -- Boston Red Sox d. New York Yankees, 4-3

Not up on my NHL, sorry.

[oboymeetsogirl]

d'Antoni has also been saying there's really nothing wrong with the Suns' defense -- they just aren't scoring enough against the Spurs.

This, of course, plays right into the Spurs' strength: their defense. But hey, that's Suns basketball -- score like hell -- and d'Antoni is going to sink or swim with it.

The key for the Spurs will be to withstand the the inevitable scoring binges, and no one has to remind the team that it is very possible to lose a series after winning the first two games. The Spurs will come out playing with the same sense of fear and respect for their opponent. I think Pop knows that this is when they're at their best: when they feel that it's *their* backs that are against the wall. It's when the Spurs become overconfident, and disrespectful of their opponents, when they let games run away from them.

So d'Antoni's warning that they're going to "bust" the Spurs may be good for his own team's confidence, but it also plays into the hands of the Spurs. Just knowing that they might be "busted" is when they start to clamp down, and do what they do best -- which is suffocating their opponents on defense, and run like hell to their own basket for the easy lay-ins.

[Ya Vez]

I honestly think dantoni is feeling the heat from the management.. I am sure if and when the suns lose in the playoffs this year a lot of pressure will be made to change the entire run and gun system the suns play... IMHO...

[Harry Callahan]

well as they said on WOAI if the Suns bust up on the Spurs (they should've already) it will be like in 2004 when the Spurs were up 2-0 on the Lakers, when Parker was lighting them up for over 20 pts a game, then the Lakers began beating up on him and he was non-existant and the Spurs loss four straight.

That was a different time and place for Parker and Ginobili. They were not nearly as experienced. I think Phoenix is going to have to win the remaining games in SA to win the series.

When has Phoenix ever protected its home court in the playoffs against the Spurs? That's right, only when Tim Duncan was injured, Jason Kidd was a Sun, and they played 3 out of 5.

[oboymeetsogirl]

Is d'Antoni's job in danger? That's all they can talk about in the Phoenix newspapers and blogs. If the Suns get swept, I think it's a distinct possibility. But I don't think so, especially if the Suns manage to prolong this to a six or seven game series. d'Antoni is a good coach, and replacing him doesn't guarantee that the team would be any better next year or the year after. Addressing issues like personnel, depth chart (even great players like Nash and Shaq need super-backups), and maybe getting a defensive genius-type assistant coach are more likely to improve the Suns' future chances.

Then again, they just might up and trounce the Spurs over the next three, four games. Then we'll be calling for Pop's neck, won't we? Not!

[Harry Callahan]

Wow!!! They must grow turds on trees in Texas. Any team that has Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton, Fish is a pretty good team. Good enough to beat that so-called dynasty that you guys have.:flipoff

Hey chump,
Check out the Spurs playoff winning percentage (.670) since the 1998 playoffs (waaaaay better than any other franchise in the NBA). They have won 71% of their regular season games in the last decade. Four NBA titles in nine years with a variety of different players is the most impressive run in all of pro sports in the last ten years. The Spurs sent the lakers packing in the playoffs before and after the three championships (shaq and Kobe were there the entire time). This is a dynasty - no getting around that.

Kobe and Shaq were not mature people and they broke up the Lakers when they had a chance for more championships. Those two are a couple of turds from California just so you'll know.

[Indazone]

lol smack talk from the head coach. Well you'd never hear pop to that. This does not bode well for the Suns. Just give the Spurs more reason for a beatdown. D'Antoni needs to STFU.

[polandprzem]

We're going to get busted? I guess the league's giving them Bavetta, Salvatore, and Joey Crawford for game 3...

Rather Salvatore, Nies and Rush


Run DMC - busted

[hater]

Well, I can't blame the Suns for being confident. It does take an away win to make it a series.

what????

it was a series from game 1. and if Spurs win in phoenix. it's fucking over.

[boutons_]

In 03, Sonics were down 0-3 to Mavs, tied it 3-3, but Mavs got Game7.

I think the 03 Mavs were been the best of the 03 - 08 Mavs. Bobby Jackson and NVE raining 3Gs was terrrifying.

[FromWayDowntown]

In 03, Sonics were down 0-3 to Mavs, tied it 3-3, but Mavs got Game7.

I think the 03 Mavs were been the best of the 03 - 08 Mavs. Bobby Jackson and NVE raining 3Gs was terrrifying.

That was the Blazers, not the Sonics. And Bobby Jackson never played for the Mavs (or the Sonics or Blazers).

As to the series at hand, though -- I've been thinking, though, that if there's a Spurs team that might lose 4-of-5, this might just be the one. They were so inconsistent down the stretch and played so poorly in 2nd halves on the road against good teams in the latter portions of the season. I think that until proven otherwise, there have to be some legitimate questions about whether this team has the same ability to put teams away that past Spurs teams had. I don't know that it's imperative that they get 1 this weekend, but I think it's important that they not give the Suns any hope while, at the same time, not allowing any doubts to creep into their own heads.

I do think that this team is so much physically and mentally tougher than the group that suffered the backdoor sweep to LA in 2004 and I think that benefits them in terms of dealing with this situation.

I just think this thing is a very long way from over.

[UV Ray]

It's hilarious, sad, and pathetic that D'Antoni's solution to their 3rd quarter woes is to hoist it up more and shoot more shots. The reason they lost Game 1 and Game 2 was entirely on the defensive end. If Parker and Manu can get layups whenever they want they the Suns are going to get swept.

Kenny Smith said it best on TNT last night. PHX gives up too many easy baskets, so even if they are up 10 or 20 you know you can always get back into the game.

It used to be said that no lead was safe when playing the Suns. It is still true but the shoe is on the other foot. The Suns must totally dominate and out-hustle the Spurs in every other phase of the game if they are going to give Parker and Ginobili 3 or 4 layups and miss 6 or 7 free throws down the stretch. It ain't rocket science.

[FromWayDowntown]

We went to the championship 4 years straight in this decade.

Calendars in LA must go 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004.

[Bulwark]

Calendars in LA must go 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004.:lmao

[DazedAndConfused]

SAS has only been good as a franchise since they drafted Tim Duncan. They sucked before he got there and they will suck after he leaves.

LAL OTOH has pretty much won in every decade with all sorts of different teams. They will always be a powerhouse in the NBA much like the Yankees and Patriots are in their respective sports. Unless the Spurs hit the jackpot again and land another Duncan they will probably fade back into obscurity. As it stands now they can't even sell out playoff games.

[FromWayDowntown]

SAS has only been good as a franchise since they drafted Tim Duncan. They sucked before he got there and they will suck after he leaves.

LAL OTOH has pretty much won in every decade with all sorts of different teams. They will always be a powerhouse in the NBA much like the Yankees and Patriots are in their respective sports. Unless the Spurs hit the jackpot again and land another Duncan they will probably fade back into obscurity. As it stands now they can't even sell out playoff games.

That's not really true, although the fact that fans perceive things that way doesn't seem to account for facts.

Since the merger, the Spurs have the 2nd best winning percentage in the association and are tied with LA for the most division titles in that time period. More significantly, the Spurs are also in the top 5, since the merger, in playoff wins, playoff series wins, and playoff winning percentage.

The Spurs didn't reach the pinnacle until 1999, obviously, but they've played in conference finals in 1979, 1982, 1983, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. The 9 appearances at that level have been topped, since the merger, only by the Lakers and Pistons (the Celtics also have 9).

I'm not, by any means, comparing the Spurs' history to that of the Lakers, but it's not as if the Spurs have suddenly found some ability to compete that never existed before 1997.

[FromWayDowntown]

You know exactly what I meant azzhole... we have won three out of four titles in this decade... the Spurs franchise dont even compare to the Lakers. There are only two great franchises in the history of the sport, and thats Lakers and Celtics... Spurs are not even on the map. We will send you new comers packing this year and you guys can go back to picking corn or whatever they do in Texas for fun besides fuccing goats.:rollin

I'm sorry -- you said you "went to the championship 4 straight years this decade." I just questioned your ability to count; I have no idea how the gap for 2002 and 2004 makes those appearances "consecutive." And it seemed particularly odd to make that claim on a Spurs' board, since the Spurs are the group that made sure it wasn't 4 consecutive years.

What's with the hostility towards the Spurs anyway? It's not as if any reasonable poster here is trying to compare the Spurs' history to the Lakers'. Not all franchises are blessed with good fortune that the Lakers have enjoyed in landing great players and not all franchises have the market advantages that exist in LA. We can enjoy the second-tier historical success of our franchise without diminishing the accomplishments of yours -- unless you're really insecure about LA's place in the basketball world or something, which would be completely stupid.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

SAS has only been good as a franchise since they drafted Tim Duncan. They sucked before he got there and they will suck after he leaves.

:lmao

Yea, ok.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

WayDownTown, these posters aren't worth the trouble, man. Their whole purpose on this forum is to stir us all up by talking shit about the Spurs.

[FromWayDowntown]

It's funny to say that the Patriots are some sort of enduring powerhouse franchise in football, given that they hadn't won a title before January of 2002. Granted, they have appeared in 6 Super Bowls since 1986, but they've also had some ridiculously bad years along the way, including a stretch of 26 years with only 6 playoff appearances.

Pretty tough to argue that the Patriots have some sort of longer legacy as a great franchise than the Spurs do.

[Warlord23]

KFC and lakaluva, why don't you get your cocksucking faggot asses to the nearest Laker forum. Nobody on this forum gives a crap about your franchise. Go join the Kobe circle jerk on LG.

[DazedAndConfused]

Calm down guys, we're just fucking around with you with this titles talk. It's all in fun.

[FromWayDowntown]

The post by the other guy with all his statistics are irrelevent. Lakers dont even count division titles or WCT's, or how many times we got beat in the Western Conference Championship game. I am actually pulling or the Spurs just to get the rival going again.:toast

Yeah, that was me, too.