I wouldn't have predicted a 14-point loss, but honestly, I was not that surprised that the Suns won game 3 and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they won game 4, either. Even though the Suns are the better team, with two savvy, realistic moves, the Spurs could easily be back ahead of them next season. It could also be that some of their role players are playing above their heads and simultaneously having career years (such as the '08 Lakers), so a regression to the mean could be in order. The Suns remind me somewhat of the '09 Nuggets in that I think they caught lightning in a bottle and I don't see their current level of play being sustainable.
Yeah, that's why I made a point of saying I'm not sure if confirmed my view or not. Watching them play just seemed like such a microcosm of the season -- a flash of brilliance and a whole bunch of disjointed underwhelming play -- so that's the part that lead me to believe it had something to do with the lineup. But it'd be disingenuous to dismiss Parker's fall and the four straight free-throws he missed (which between he and Tim was another story). Like you said, it's irrelevant now (barring the most unlikely and unheard of sports miracle). I favored the Suns in this series but I didn't see 3-0 coming. You've really got to tip your cap to them. That was an impressive performance on the road when everyone expected a Spurs win. Everyone, that wasn't a delusional Suns fanboy, that is. For all the questionable lineups and whatever else anyone wants to point to, it seems pretty clear at this point: The Suns are just a better, more complete team than the Spurs. Simple as that, IMO.
Also keep in mind that it was one game. Maybe it doesn't lead to a win even if Parker's shoulder doesn't hamper him, who knows? But that doesn't mean it was the wrong (or, to be fair, right) decision. It just didn't work out. I don't recall seeing that lineup enough throughout the season to reach any conclusion about them. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it seems like they didn't play a ton together and even when they did, you have to factor in when a lot of that was. Some inevitably was with Ginobili shaking off the rust, some inevitably was with Parker banged up, etc.
I don't think it was the best move and it's not what I would've done. But upon hearing about it before the game, it's hard to fault a guy who knows his players as well as he does and someone who sides with putting the best players on the court (even if I was skeptical of how exactly he'd massage minutes or the role he'd allow Bonner -- which didn't turn out so bad). I don't know for sure if what I saw confirmed my thoughts or if the Parker injury just didn't allow the lineup to succeed and sustain, so I guess we'll never really know for sure; it sure looked familiar, though (that lineup has just never been able to sustain for 48).
You don't have a problem with it as long as Pop subs it right? Wasn't that basically what we were debating for a bunch of days? Anyway, it's irrelevant now.
Looks like you're gonna get your wish: Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, 'Dyess and Duncan. Pop's seem to have decided on just putting his best talent out there and living with the result. I don't have a problem with it as long as Pop subs it right, doesn't go to a scrub second unit (call me skeptical) and the guys prove capable of playing the minutes, so let's hope for a couple of wins and a reset on the series.
