Barbosa Looking For Answers

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns...iesnb0424.html

Barbosa looking for answers
by Paul Coro and Doug Haller

The cruel irony at San Antonio on Tuesday night was that guard Leandro Barbosa did make a shot in the Suns' Game 2 loss. It just came after a whistle.

Otherwise, he and others are befuddled by what it is about the Spurs that limits him so much. Barbosa, last year's Sixth Man Award winner went scoreless Tuesday and has two points since halftime of Game 1.

The newly crowned Sixth Man Award winner, San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, is averaging 26.5 points after averaging 19.5 during the regular season.
If it were not for the Boston game, in which Barbosa left because of an injury after 88 seconds, these two playoff games would be his first successive games without making a 3-point shot this season. He has not been this quiet offensively since the last time he saw a good defense two games in a row, scoring 11 points in 62 minutes at Detroit and Boston.

Barbosa went 0 for 7 Tuesday. In the first half, he missed two 3-pointers and then two layups.

"They (the Spurs) do a good job on the pick-and-rolls," Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "Sometimes he (Barbosa) has a hard time with their (big men) near the basket. Maybe he hasn't quite figured where to mix it up with them."

Barbosa, a 33 percent shooter over the past 12 regular-season and playoff games against San Antonio, missed a 3-pointer with a dwindling shot clock and two more drives in the third quarter. Coach Mike D'Antoni sat Barbosa for the game's final 10:04, even with forward Grant Hill ailing, and played Gordan Giricek more.

"I was throwing (layups) the same way I always do, and it didn't go in," Barbosa said. "I was pretty upset and frustrated with that.

"I was trying hard. It wasn't a good night for me. I've just got to forget about it."

Getting to the rim

In the second half of Game 2, Tony Parker darted across the lane and ran into Suns center Shaquille O'Neal, who was running back on defense. Parker dropped. O'Neal turned. Spurs fans booed.

"I was just trying to go to the basket, and he was just trying to play physical," Parker said. "That's not going to stop us. We are going to keep being aggressive."

That means a steady dose of penetration from Parker and Ginobili, an attack the Suns, despite trying to funnel drivers into their own twin towers, have yet to slow. In Game 2, Parker scored 32 points, with 18 coming on half-court or fast-break drives to the rim.

"He has that type of quickness, especially in transition, to really get to the basket before the defense can set up. That's what we want from Tony," forward Bruce Bowen said. "We want him to attack and try to get as many easy baskets as he can. That will put more pressure on them. Then he's able to find other guys or pull up for the short (jump shot)."

Spurs not satisfied

Only 13 teams have rallied from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-seven series. The Suns are 3-10 in playoff games against San Antonio in the era of D'Antoni, Nash and Amaré Stoudemire. But the Spurs aren't taking their lead for granted.

Tim Duncan: "I don't think anyone on this team feels like we will go 4-0."

Bowen: "We want to go there and play better than we did here in the first half. We gave up 35 points in (Game 2's) first quarter. That's not something we do on a normal basis."

The Suns claim resilience.

"It doesn't shake us," guard Raja Bell said. "They won what they were supposed to win. So we'll go home and try to take care of our home court, like any other team would tell you in this situation. It's unfortunate, though. We had a chance to leave (San Antonio) with at least one. To go home empty-handed is a bit disappointing, but we'll get over that disappointment and be ready."

Nash said the two losses should not deter Phoenix.

"We shouldn't be thinking about Games 1 and 2 in Game 3," Nash said. "We should just be happy to be at home, play, have fun and be thankful to be in the playoffs. We've had a lot of success against these guys."

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve Nash

"We've had a lot of success against these guys"

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Uhh......what?

Quote:

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Spurs not satisfied

Only 13 teams have rallied from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-seven series. The Suns are 3-10 in playoff games against San Antonio in the era of D'Antoni, Nash and Amaré Stoudemire. But the Spurs aren't taking their lead for granted.

Tim Duncan: "I don't think anyone on this team feels like we will go 4-0."

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They know what's coming!!!

Run for cover bitches!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Princess Pimp

They know what's coming!!!

Run for cover bitches!

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Why, would you rather want Duncan say they will get the Suns 4 - 0 and have that as bulletin board material?

By the way, how's your sweep prediction coming?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Amuseddaysleeper

Uhh......what?

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Nashy's getting a little deluded.

Yeah, I love nash but that comment about having alot of success against us...

"Somehow they got a moral victory from that" or whatever Tim Duncan said.

Leandro Barbossa... Leandro Barbossa... hmmmm.... that name sounds familiar. is he a basketball player by any chance?

Barbosa is a direct product of his head coach.....
The D'Antoni Lineage
Biggest FA:
-Steve Nash(no defense)

Younger players under his tutiledge:
-Leandro Barbosa(no defense)
-Boris Diaw(soft)
-Amare Stoudemire(no defense)
Players lost & dealt in the D'Antoni era:
-Joe Johnson(can defend)
-Kurt Thomas(can defend)
-Shawn Marion(can defend)

Fire his ass back to Europe and be done with it please.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mojorizen7

Barbosa is a direct product of his head coach.....
The D'Antoni Lineage
Biggest FA:
-Steve Nash(no defense)

Younger players under his tutiledge:
-Leandro Barbosa(no defense)
-Boris Diaw(soft)
-Amare Stoudemire(no defense)
Players lost & dealt in the D'Antoni era:
-Joe Johnson(can defend)
-Kurt Thomas(can defend)
-Shawn Marion(can defend)

Fire his ass back to Europe and be done with it please.

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Keep him on your bench, we are enoying his coaching style :oink

Yes, D'Antoni has banked his whole coaching career on an efficient offense being enough to get you a championship. It hasn't worked, and if it doesn't work this year, I think he'll be done.

Barbosa is due for a couple lucky shots, possibly a 20 point game. Spurs have to ride that out. In general, he's the kind of shooter (much like Barry) who shoots well as long as you don't play D on him, and if you do, he falters. Speaking of Barry, I predict he will have a hot shooting game in either Game 3 or 4 and that will propel us to a win. Hasn't he always done so at least once in the playoffs versus Phoenix?

Nash is saying "we have had a lot of success against these guys" - Huh????????????

3-10 vs. the Spurs in playoff games the last 4 years......great success!

Great joke by Nash :-)

Lenadro Barbosa look like a lost and confused puppy every time he goes up against the Spurs.

Obviously the 'success' Nash is talking about is what happened in the regular season after the Shaq trade.

Equally obvious is that he hasn't learned that regular season != playoffs.

I read the Suns are 4-14 playoffs vs Spurs, I guess back to 03 playoffs. Compare that with the Spurs-Suns head2head season records going back to 02/03.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by duncan228

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"We should just be happy to be at home, play, have fun and be thankful to be in the playoffs. We've had a lot of success against these guys."

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Be thankful to be in the playoffs?

Dude, you're supposed to be in the playoffs.

:lmao

I'd like Nash to define success for me.

funny barbosa choking and scola choking in playoffs and spur fans still bash the front office for not keeping this chokers!

Spurs always do a good job on Leandro.

In last year series he was terrible.

I hope we can keep the good D on him.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Steve Nash

We've had a lot of success against these guys.

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Ummm, what?

Can someone define success for me? Because I haven't a single clue what success that hoser is talking about.

:lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt2:

2 of the 3 wins were Spurs wins that they gave up in.

Last years Game 4, and in 05 game 4.

Should've swept them in 05, and last year should've won in 6, but winning game 4.

i always thought the mabury suns gave the spurs more trouble than the nash suns... due to marburys size and ability to give parker fits. although that suns team didnt really stick together for any real length oftime.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by T Park

2 of the 3 wins were Spurs wins that they gave up in.

Last years Game 4, and in 05 game 4.

Should've swept them in 05, and last year should've won in 6, but winning game 4.

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yeah.. we had game 4 won but lost, i believe we were up by 8 with 3 minutes to go... and game 5 we were down big but found a way to win.

Shit they were up 16 in game 4 in 05...

Whatever though, Nash has to say something positive.

Barbosa?

I said during the regular season, hes a choke as is Diaw and you can't expect the same output.

Barbosa looks scared and uncomfortable any time he's on the floor against San Antonio.

It's funny to see the intimidated look on his face.