Depressingly accurate take. We let probably the best chance of winning this series slip through our fingers tonight. Winning game 1 would have put tremendous pressure on the Suns, and we need all the advantages we can grab at this point. The matchups tilt heavily in the Suns favor it seems to me.
It looks grim.
So far the Spurs playoffs have been about defying odds and exceeding expectations, all we can hope for is for that trend to continue.
If RJ can get the ball coming off of a good screen/rub while motioning to the basket he'll either get to the baskset and get a high percentage shot off, score, or get fouled most of the time....it's when he stops dead in his tracks and tries to create from nothing when issues arise. He made a great pass to Dice off of a similar play during one of the runs.
No, he wasn't. The ridiculous shots and passes that were mostly absent during his brilliant run to end the regular season are back with a vengeance in the playoffs. In all three of the losses we've seen at least one or the other, if not both in tandem.
Bob Lanier makes a good point. Pop coached a terrible game, got caught up in trying to match the Suns, couldn't settle on a rotation, sat Duncan and Parker too long late third/early fourth as the game was getting away from the Spurs (again) and it cost them.
It doesn't matter if it fits into their style..
Jefferson has to be a factor..yes, it was a bad acquisition, but he needs to be involved..he's a mentally weak player that doesn't do anything else unless he's getting touches..sadly, he won't play D or rebound unless he's getting the ball..
He actually made some good plays in this game though..he's an average player at creating for himself, but he needs the occasional touches..
Manu: 27 pts in 20 shots, 5 assts, 5 rbds, 4stls. And our best defender. Left the game tied in the third quarter and came back with a 10 pts deficit.
Parker: 25 pts in 21 shots, 3 assts, 2 rbds, 0stls.
We played terrible in defense tonight during first 3 periods and even that we could win it. The score was 94-93 and Suns was panicking. Only 2 or 3 good possesions in that situation could bring the game to us, despite our poor performance.
They shot %52 in whole game, I don't think that they can repeat it in this series. Of course we can make Suns slower than this, tonight was not the best defense we can do.
No need to be hopeless, it's very similar to first game of Dallas series. Nowitzki was extraordinary there and Nash was here. It's obvious that his injury is not a big deal.
Agreed that Manu is becoming careless again. His help defense has been key but his ball security has been poor, though it was nice to see him hit a few 3's in rhythm. The no-look passes on pnr's are proving costly still.
The stretch that cost us the game was when Manu left the game (which was tied at 71) with 5 minutes remaining in the third and the Suns went on a 12 to 2 run.
Fair enough, but the comparatively spry Duncan we saw earlier in the playoffs is gone.
Cement legs Duncan is what we've got now.
Anyway, just as in the Mavs series, one can talk all day about the Big 3, but the dogs will have to make a contribution.
If they had stepped up today, we would have won, despite what Manu and Tim did or didn't do.
no TO in those stats ? probably an omission.
We've made two big runs in this game: 12-0 when we were down 64-55 and 13-0 when we were down 94-80.
These are the tricks of the next game's adjustments I guess.
3 to 1, big deal. For every ball that Manu turn the ball over, he got two possesions backs with his steals, deflections and charges. Manu was our best player tonight, simple as that.
And what a job he did.
A pretty good one. He got us a lot more stops than any other player tonight.
Bogans was much better than Hill was in his limited minutes today.
Hill will pick it up for Game 2, I have no doubt, but someone HAS to play minutes off the bench. We are not a team that can play a 6 or 7 player rotation. That's why after tonights performance, he played decent D and made his only 2 shots, Bogans will likely see an increase in minutes in Game 2. We also need someone to defend Nash and J-Rich, and with our guard lineup of Hill and Parker their will always be one mismatch on the floor. We'll be abused by them. So expect more minutes for Bogans. If he can make a shot or 2 and keep himself in a game, he'll find himself guarding J-Rich and getting some minutes.
And trust me, this is a better alternative than seeing Roger Mason in there. Give Bogans 15 minutes a night for some defense, hope he makes his open 3's, and keep that re RMJ on the bench.
* Keep GMJ off of the floor. No matter what it takes. Even if Ian has a broken leg. Do not let GMJ onto the hardwood. He doesn't even resemble a D-Leaguer (no offense to D-Leaguers)
* Tim MUST make a direct move to the basket when he's posted down low 1-on-1. When he hesitates and wastes 6 seconds off the clock looking over his shoulder, he doesn't generate anything and our offense breaks down. The Suns are not doubling on the entry, they double on the first dribble. So as soon as receiving the ball, Tim MUST go straight to the hole or into a move and force their hand early in the shot clock
* Make shots down the stretch. In the last 3 minutes, Tony missed a layup, Hill missed a 3, Tim missed free throws, Manu missed an open look. If you're going to win on the road, you can't miss ALL your shots in crunch time
* Do not allow their 2s & 3s to post up against Hill. How can he possibly check them 1-on-1? They abused that matchup. As bad as Hill was on Nash, there's no way he can defend in the post by himself, against anyone.
Fools gold. The Suns were firmly in control of this game from start to finish. Even the two times the Spurs closed the gap and on one occasion even took a brief lead, did you ever get the sense that they were in control? I didn't. They were playing the Suns game, Pop had no clue what he wanted to do rotation-wise, they were a mess defensively for most of the game.
The Suns shot slightly better from two than they usually do, but much worse from three. In the end, they hit their average for points anyway, so it all balanced out.
If Duncan didn't dominate after three days rest and with an advantageous matchup, then that doesn't bode well going forward, when it's every other day. This is why the Spurs probably won't win another championship in the Duncan era. No matter how much help he get's or how much rest he get's, asking Duncan to play a grueling regular season and then go four grueling rounds in the playoffs is probably asking too much.
Because he just hit two fluke shots. You can't rely on Bogans making shots.
You don't have to play a 6/7 man rotation. Stay with what worked against Dallas: Tp, Hill, Manu and RJ covering the 1/2/3 positions (they are all guys that are able to play 35 minutes per game) and bring Bonner when Dice needs to rest and Blair when Duncan has to go to the bench. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.Hill will pick it up for Game 2, I have no doubt, but someone HAS to play minutes off the bench. We are not a team that can play a 6 or 7 player rotation. That's why after tonights performance, he played decent D and made his only 2 shots, Bogans will likely see an increase in minutes in Game 2. We also need someone to defend Nash and J-Rich, and with our guard lineup of Hill and Parker their will always be one mismatch on the floor. We'll be abused by them. So expect more minutes for Bogans. If he can make a shot or 2 and keep himself in a game, he'll find himself guarding J-Rich and getting some minutes.
Tim and Manu looked good on the pnr down the stretch (helped with spacing the floor) and the team defense in the paint helped to stabilize the game which are good things to focus on moving into Game 2.
Ah well, whoever wins this series is going to get pulverized by the Lakers.
I didn't claim that they didn't control the whole game. But despite ther commanding performance we were not too far away from winning the game. I'm trying to comment it, they shot their best and we shot one of our worst; and it was a close game under these situations.
Duncan didn't dominate as we hope, but i don't believe that Hill and RJ and helped us too much also. If at least one of those 2 guys could show a better performance, it would diminish the pressure over Duncan.
Yes the packed schedule of this series will affact Duncan badly, but it will affect Nash either. And we all know what will happen if Nash slows, it will hurt Suns too much. Not only the offensive production of Suns will decrease, but also their defense will be damaged.
Moreover Suns was not too bad from 3 point territory tonight, %35 is an ordinary average when you come to deeper play-offs and against Spurs. Even we assume that their regular average was %40, it means only 3 more points for Suns(8-20 instead of 7-20). But their 2 points performance is nowhere near to what they usually do. Their 2 points avarage was 34-59(%57.5) This is better than career play-off average of the most dominant center of game Shaq(%56). Moreover this was against a team like Spurs, not against a team like GS.
That's why you can call it fools gold, but i'm still not feeling to pessimistic after this game.
I thought our p&r O will be better and we will dominate inside.
Tim was unable to do anything when we were setting up for 4-down. Suns defense seems to be perfect when Tim is on low block, you always have that double team guy around and all the passing lanes are closed. gentry have every angle covered with Timmy down low.
Tim needs to catch the ball in the movement - easier said it then doing.
With manu and TP we need to attack the basket! I don't know why but most screens were set weak. Spurs were not concentrated on details and in this series screens are important.
We got figured nash on pick good though - problem was the execution !
We had just one stretch when we dictated the tempo of the game and changed the game from running one to the half court more and it works.
Suns made a run - Pop did not even thought about taking timeout. he wanted to see if this group of players were able to stop the bleeding.
one trick - Pop put Mason back into the game , then timeout and put RJ in.
he knew mason was a disaster and maybe Gentry would try to exploit it after TO - mason was not there.
We can't let Amare having isos against Tim. we need to double the guy and make him pass.
And X-factor J-Rich -> I don't know what pop will do to cover this guy.
JRich is no longer the Suns' X-Factor. Right now, he's our #1 offensive weapon.
when hill is in there have him post up nash
that will wear him out
Completely agree ShoogarBear and it was either the 1st or 2nd possession of the game that RJ got the ball early in the shot clock out on the wing and did his indecisive/passive nothingingness with the ball. Simply allows the Suns to rest, position and gear up for whomever he lobs the ball to. It also sets a very bad passive at ude tone.
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