Dex
04-26-2008, 02:51 PM
Suns now looking just to save face
Dan Bickley
Bickley Online
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DanBickley/22394
Redemption? The idea almost seems laughable now.
At this point, the Suns will settle for a little dignity, and even that may be hard to come by.
"I wish I had some answers for you," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I don't have them."
Thanks for the reassurance.
After all the conflict and drama that has marked this rivalry, it's hard to believe this series is almost over. Yet after Friday's 115-99 thumping at the hands of the Spurs, a mercy killing doesn't seem like a bad idea.
Look at the body language. The Suns seem to have lost faith in themselves and their head coach. Fans resorted to booing on numerous occasions in Game 3, and by the time they filtered out of the building, dreams of a championship banner had all but evaporated.
Meanwhile, D'Antoni's future is getting murkier with every postseason disappointment, and once again, he's getting roasted for his choice of words.
This time, it was his pregame assessment that his team's defense was not the problem. He claimed it was his offense that was the culprit, and that his offense needed liberating. It simply needed to go fast, play loose and run the floor. :lol
Alas, that run-and-stun team died a long time ago, and this version is proving to have very little stomach for postseason. Very little brains, too. At this point, it's time to give thanks for the Diamondbacks, our true civic juggernaut.
"We possibly played our best game of the year, if not the best," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
It would be easier to accept that rationale if the Suns simply provided some resistance. But once again, Tony Parker destroyed Steve Nash, posting 41 points and 12 assists, and his court-length, driving basket to end the first half should be buried in a time capsule along with this team's hopes.
It was the perfect testament to the mental lapses and horrific defense that have doomed the Suns, and who knew they'd miss assistant coach/defensive specialist Marc Iavaroni so much?
"Just a great win for us," Parker said.
Before and after each of these games, Popovich has gone out of his way to downplay his team's advantage. Yet between spurts of calculated diplomacy, he has been ruthless on the sideline, helping the Spurs worm their way deep inside the Suns' collective psyche.
After irking the opponent again before Game 3 started - the Spurs tried to get mild-mannered Leandro Barbosa suspended for appearing to clock Manu Ginobili in the face after a hard foul in Game 2 - Popovich once again employed the maddening Hack-a-Shaq routine Friday.
Not only did it disrupt the Suns' rhythm yet again, it really worked this time, as Shaquille O'Neal's adventures at the free-throw line included many misses and many lane violations. Can't say we weren't warned.
Even worse, when the Suns had a chance to run their offense, they seemed lost in space, unsure what matchups to exploit. They failed to feed the ball to Amaré Stoudemire, even when Tim Duncan was resting on the Spurs' bench. And you didn't need a tarot-card reader to catch Stoudemire's unhappiness with the game plan or his team's shot selection.
"They played playoff basketball; it's plain and simple," Stoudemire said. "There's no out-of-control plays, there's no shooting the ball within the first second. They take their time and they make sure to get a good shot every time down. And that's how you win the title. You have to make sure you get a good shot every time down and you have to make sure you defend well."
Of course, Stoudemire shouldn't be lecturing anyone about defense. And for all the ugliness, it's not impossible to come all the way back, even though no team in NBA playoff history has recovered from a 0-3 deficit. Just ask the 2004 Red Sox.
Problem is, you'd have a hard time finding believers in this team at the moment, from the guys that wear the uniform to the angry fans in the upper deck who filled the arena with boos.
It's not the sound anyone expected to hear at home, so early in the postseason.
It's been that kind of series. Unbelievably, it's almost over.
Dan Bickley
Bickley Online
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DanBickley/22394
Redemption? The idea almost seems laughable now.
At this point, the Suns will settle for a little dignity, and even that may be hard to come by.
"I wish I had some answers for you," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I don't have them."
Thanks for the reassurance.
After all the conflict and drama that has marked this rivalry, it's hard to believe this series is almost over. Yet after Friday's 115-99 thumping at the hands of the Spurs, a mercy killing doesn't seem like a bad idea.
Look at the body language. The Suns seem to have lost faith in themselves and their head coach. Fans resorted to booing on numerous occasions in Game 3, and by the time they filtered out of the building, dreams of a championship banner had all but evaporated.
Meanwhile, D'Antoni's future is getting murkier with every postseason disappointment, and once again, he's getting roasted for his choice of words.
This time, it was his pregame assessment that his team's defense was not the problem. He claimed it was his offense that was the culprit, and that his offense needed liberating. It simply needed to go fast, play loose and run the floor. :lol
Alas, that run-and-stun team died a long time ago, and this version is proving to have very little stomach for postseason. Very little brains, too. At this point, it's time to give thanks for the Diamondbacks, our true civic juggernaut.
"We possibly played our best game of the year, if not the best," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
It would be easier to accept that rationale if the Suns simply provided some resistance. But once again, Tony Parker destroyed Steve Nash, posting 41 points and 12 assists, and his court-length, driving basket to end the first half should be buried in a time capsule along with this team's hopes.
It was the perfect testament to the mental lapses and horrific defense that have doomed the Suns, and who knew they'd miss assistant coach/defensive specialist Marc Iavaroni so much?
"Just a great win for us," Parker said.
Before and after each of these games, Popovich has gone out of his way to downplay his team's advantage. Yet between spurts of calculated diplomacy, he has been ruthless on the sideline, helping the Spurs worm their way deep inside the Suns' collective psyche.
After irking the opponent again before Game 3 started - the Spurs tried to get mild-mannered Leandro Barbosa suspended for appearing to clock Manu Ginobili in the face after a hard foul in Game 2 - Popovich once again employed the maddening Hack-a-Shaq routine Friday.
Not only did it disrupt the Suns' rhythm yet again, it really worked this time, as Shaquille O'Neal's adventures at the free-throw line included many misses and many lane violations. Can't say we weren't warned.
Even worse, when the Suns had a chance to run their offense, they seemed lost in space, unsure what matchups to exploit. They failed to feed the ball to Amaré Stoudemire, even when Tim Duncan was resting on the Spurs' bench. And you didn't need a tarot-card reader to catch Stoudemire's unhappiness with the game plan or his team's shot selection.
"They played playoff basketball; it's plain and simple," Stoudemire said. "There's no out-of-control plays, there's no shooting the ball within the first second. They take their time and they make sure to get a good shot every time down. And that's how you win the title. You have to make sure you get a good shot every time down and you have to make sure you defend well."
Of course, Stoudemire shouldn't be lecturing anyone about defense. And for all the ugliness, it's not impossible to come all the way back, even though no team in NBA playoff history has recovered from a 0-3 deficit. Just ask the 2004 Red Sox.
Problem is, you'd have a hard time finding believers in this team at the moment, from the guys that wear the uniform to the angry fans in the upper deck who filled the arena with boos.
It's not the sound anyone expected to hear at home, so early in the postseason.
It's been that kind of series. Unbelievably, it's almost over.