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Thomas was fantastic in game 1. Hope he can keep it up because we need that level of performance from him.
Addition of Thomas paying off for Spurs
Web Posted: 04/20/2008 11:18 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News
Before they finally landed him in a Feb. 20 trade, power forward Kurt Thomas had been on the Spurs' player personnel radar for several years for reasons that had little connection to Shaquille O'Neal.
Thomas always was valued for his defensive toughness, tenacious rebounding and reliable mid-range jumper. But the professionalism and court savvy gained from 13 NBA seasons enhanced his worth when the Spurs realized they had to respond to the Suns' acquisition of O'Neal and the trade that put center Pau Gasol alongside Kobe Bryant on the Lakers' roster.
When Thomas joined the Spurs, neither general manager R.C. Buford nor coach Gregg Popovich knew how important he would be in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The left knee contusion that has kept veteran Robert Horry sidelined since March 21 has made the 35-year-old Thomas crucial to the team's chances of advancing past its first-round matchup against a Suns lineup that includes O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire.
"I think we'd really be in a tough spot without him at this point," Popovich said. "He's somebody we tried to get for several years. But when Shaq and Pau Gasol came, it became more important to try and keep pace, because those were great trades for those two teams."
When Suns coach Mike D'Antoni heard the news that Thomas was headed to San Antonio, he knew precisely what the Spurs had gained: A savvy power player who will do whatever is necessary to help his team secure victory.
D'Antoni had Thomas on his roster for two seasons. He knew his bag of defensive tricks included the occasional flop to enhance his chances of drawing an offensive foul.
"Oh, yeah," D'Antoni said Sunday morning. "He's a great big flopper."
O'Neal believes the tactic unmanly. D'Antoni calls it gamesmanship.
"Raja (Bell) is a flopper," D'Antoni said. "Dirk (Nowitzki) is a flopper. (Manu) Ginobili is probably the king of floppers. There's levels of flopping. Europeans do it all the time. That's do ented. Vlade Divac might have been the father of flopping.
"That's gamesmanship, and Kurt does a great job. Raja does a great job. You love them when you're with them and you hate them when they're against you."
Thomas already has had an impact on the series. In Game 1 he drew three charges, one on O'Neal and two on Stoudemire. The second Stoudemire charge, with 12.6 seconds left in the first overtime period, fouled out the Suns' top scorer.
"I'm just trying to play solid defense," Thomas said, "whether it's getting a steal, getting a block, getting a great rebound or taking a charge.
"A lot of people don't realize how important it is to take charges. It also can get an opposing player in foul trouble. I just want to go out and do whatever I can to contribute to the team."
Ask Thomas about flopping and he just flashes an angelic smile.
His goal, he said, is more akin to survival.
"My main objective is just keep my body between him and the basket," he said. "But he's so strong, such a wide body ... it does make it very difficult. We were very fortunate he got in foul trouble early in the game. Hopefully, it will happen again."
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LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.387badc.html
Thomas was fantastic in game 1. Hope he can keep it up because we need that level of performance from him.
Shaq is so full of shi with his flopping accusations....I've seen Shaq flop on Tony Parker before...more than once.
Historically, Shaq has "flopped" on his own team with his mysterious brand of undiagnosed injuiries that have caused him to miss significant chunks of games for the past 6-7 years. He is a ing PR-mongoring con artist.
I didn't see Thomas do anything that I would consider flopping in game 1, Manu flops all the time though...
Instead of letting Manu cross him over for game winning layups he should try flopping. Oh but if he did it, he would say what a great charge he took.
Thomas has more balls than a major league catcher..............count that.
Seriously though I enjoy his brand of tough basketball.
He's doing that to have the refs in his side in game 2.
Brain wash !!!
[QUOTE=some_user86;2413647][B]
"Raja (Bell) is a flopper," D'Antoni said. "Dirk (Nowitzki) is a flopper. (Manu) Ginobili is probably the king of floppers. There's levels of flopping. Europeans do it all the time. That's do ented. Vlade Divac might have been the father of flopping."
Absolutely right ! He could have mentionned a few more (e.g., Stockton)
We Suns fans miss Kurt and hate Sarver for that. He is real smart and nasty on defense. I still believe we should have had a better chance last year, had DA played Kurt more both in regular season and in the 1st game in the Spurs series.
Thomas is doing exactly what the Spurs traded for, a tough low post defender. All he needs to do know is to start nailing open 17 foot jumpers.
People flop when they feel Thomas is staring at them... did you guys see how he put his eyes like he's possessed?
Perhaps if Shaq would learn some body control, he wouldn't be in foul trouble every 5 minutes he's on the court.
Oh, wait, he's a lazy, ego-maniacal toad of a superstar, and thinks the rules should be continually changed to guarantee him championships.
Love the flop you pulled on the Heat last year, Shaq, when you quit after the second game. That was pure class on your part.
I would Nash ahead of Raja Bell actually.
"That's gamesmanship, and Kurt does a great job. Raja does a great job. You love them when you're with them and you hate them when they're against you."
Agreed.
Too bad Suns fan can't agree with their own coach...
We need more of this
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/photo?sl...ns_&prov=getty
I apologize you have to click the link, cause I don`t know how to insert pics from other websites...
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