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Shaaawn Marion
except v Ginobili
Mavs/Spurs actually felt like a playoff game in terms of physicality and intensity.
Not sure what PHX has to say about that, thats been a weakness and last series didn't have anywhere as much crazy going on.
Mavs/Spurs were much more tested.
Shaaawn Marion
except v Ginobili
I'm actually more afraid of PHX than I was of Dallas. The Spurs need to stay focused, and not take anything for granted.
I think that everyone IS underestimating the suns...
they were on a great roll in the 2nd half of the season---playing as well as anyone---and that means that their confidence is sky high...
they have some players that are going to surprise spurs fans---dragic and a couple of others like frye and ahmundsen come to mind---NOT that they are great on their own---but as role players they have really done their jobs extremely well...
their defense will surprise the spurs---and they are known to go on huge runs---starting with their defense...
but ...IMO ...
THIS---is what i believe will determine the series; is the suns defense good---or is it---CHAMPIONSHIP level good...?????
that to me is the real question
the spurs can and will probably reach champion-level defense---but can the suns???
Should be an awesome series, but definitely not an easy one.
You hit on a good point and asked a very pertinent question.
Yes the Suns have a good supporting case that includes Richardson, Dragic, Dudley, Frye and even Amundson...but if the ball is in the hands of any one of those guys in crunch time, the Spurs have the edge. As good of role players as they may be, they're not superstars and they haven't been in a high-pressure situation like the ones they're likely to be in this series.
About the defense...it's not what they hang their hat on. They have decent defenders in Hill and Dudley, but they didn't necessarily lack those defenders in past years. Defense is a culture that is bought into by the entire team and becomes part of a team's iden y...while the Suns have players that are capable of playing good D, the team as a whole can't be counted on to get stops when they need it most.
I don't doubt it will be a good series, but because the Spurs are a defensive-minded team and can focus on slowing down the Suns O, they should be able to pull this one out. It's not "underestimating"...it's looking realistically at the team makeups.
Most of the games against Dallas were pretty damn close so how did people overestimate them????
also
Any idiot thinking the Suns are a cakewalk are in for a rude awakening. I seriously believe the Suns will win the series and I personally will be surprised if the Spurs can pull it off.
You should be. Phoenix is by far, a more complete team than Dallas ever was. This series is going to be tougher than the Mavs series.
Spurs have no answer for Amare or Nash and they can't defend the pick n roll. If the Spurs can't contain Phx's three point shooters, this could get ugly.
Spurs fans continue to take The Suns defense for granted, but they managed to hold Portland to 90.6 ppg on 42.2 fg% in games 2-6.
Anyone who doesn't take the Suns seriously is only kidding themselves and will be in for a rude awakening.
Since when did you become a voice of reason?
Its funny but it seems there are alot of Spur fans that would not be as upset losing to the Suns as they would be to the Mavs or the Lakers. I think we understand that the law of averages will eventually give a series to the Suns. Whether, it is the year or a hundred years from now if anybody's guess.
Disagree that the Spurs have no answer for Nash or Amare and the pick-n-roll. They have much better individual defenders in Hill and Dice than they did previously and they have displayed much better execution of team defense down the stretch into the playoffs.
I also don't give the Suns much credit for their defense, because it doesn't bear out over the long haul. Yes, they played good defense for a series, but it doesn't hurt their stats that Portland's best player was absent for the majority of the series and maybe 60% when he did play. You're talking about a full compliment of healthy players...Duncan is better than Aldridge, Manu is better than 60% Roy and there's no one on that team even close to Parker.
I have serious doubts that Phoenix will be able to make the stops when it counts.
The Suns don't have lock-down defenders, but they create turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets.. While Manu and Tony may be a tough cover, they have a tendency to be careless with the basketball , which could prove costly in the open floor. They're also very active with their hands, they can create turnovers just by slapping the ball out of the oppositions hand.
The Spurs have to be very weary of the Suns ability to score points in bunches. Their bench is deeper with Babosa, Dudley, Dragic, and Frye. This can be a huge advantage with a team that loves to push the tempo. They may not be the gun slingin' Suns of old, but they can certainly score points in a hurry. In a series that scheduled to play every other day, This almost forces Pop to use Mason and Bogans in limited minutes.
This will be a tough series to win.
Your usually an optimist. I'm surprised your going with the Suns. I don't blame you because this series will be tougher than the Mavs series.
Yeah that's true, I just think the Suns are in a different place mentally which is huge (see: Dallas owning Spurs). Even their crowd is more vicious, just take a look at the Spurs last game against the Suns. Ginobili and Tim went down and the Suns crowd erupted. I definitely will be amazed if the Spurs somehow win this series.
Agree that the backcourt has a tendency to be careless, but I don't think the Suns are any more prolific at creating those turnovers than the Mavericks were. Limiting turnovers definitely has to be a priority though.
And I understand about the Suns' offense, but how is that different from past years? The formula is still the same...chase shooter off 3pt line, concentrate on transition D, and deny Nash/Stoudamire down the stretch (i.e. put the ball into the role-players' hands to make a play).
Obviously it's harder to execute than it is to write (!), which is why I agree that it'll be a tough series...but I still expect the Spurs to win in 6.
Agree 100%. Trust in Pop.
As long as the entire team shoots 3s well (including Tim Duncan), you guys should be fine.
...This coming from a guy with a tom cruise picture ing !
Looking forward to a LAL-PHX WCF series.
I'm thinking we are going to take Game 1. Parker is wayyyyy too much for Nash to handle. We let Amare get his but we lock down their shooters. Amare tends to pick up quick fouls so I think that taking the ball to the rim and attacking with our guards then working Timmy into the low post game should be the attack. Should be interesting. We'll know a little more in 5 minutes......
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