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  1. #26
    Silence surpasses speech. duncan228's Avatar
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    Spurs take on Suns in the desert

    (Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs will shoot for their fourth straight victory Christmas afternoon when they pay a visit to the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.

    The Spurs completed a perfect three-game homestand with a 99-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at the AT&T Center. Tony Parker scored 36 points and dished out eight assists in dealing the Timberwolves their 13th straight loss.

    Tim Duncan had 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots for the Spurs, who have won nine of 11 overall. Michael Finley scored 13 points in a winning cause.

    San Antonio has dropped two straight on the road and is 7-5 as the guest this season. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili is probable for Thursday's game against Phoenix because of a sore left ankle.

    The Suns will aim for their sixth straight win at home today and own a 9-5 record in the desert this season. They have won three of four overall, including Saturday's 108-101 home triumph over the Denver Nuggets.

    Phoenix posted a 103-98 win over the Spurs on October 29 this season and has won three straight and four of the last five meetings. San Antonio has lost four of six as the visitor in this series.

  2. #27
    lol banned DUNCANownsKOBE2's Avatar
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    Suns win this one in all likelihood, Manu's won't be 100% and J-Rich will be out to prove he can defend Manu well. Suns lose is if Nash does what he's been doing lately which is turning into Starbury in the 4th quarter and over dribbling the ball until there is no time left and then passing it to someone else so they have to force an ill advised shot and get blamed for the possession.

    If Amare and Nash all pick their shots wisely and don't disrupt a rhythm on offense by getting jealous of someone else, the Suns will be able to score on SA.

    Most importantly, KEEP SAN ANTONIO OFF THE OFFENSIVE GLASS!!!! The Spurs aren't a good offensive rebounding team, but are a good offensive team who will punish the Suns with 2nd chance points if allowed to. Porter has a lot to prove today to fans who were hoping for a coach who would help defensively, something Porter hasn't done.

  3. #28
    Spur-taaaa TDMVPDPOY's Avatar
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    Ghill V Ghill?

  4. #29
    The Wheel Is Turning... shelshor's Avatar
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    Referee Assignments
    Thurs. Dec. 25
    San Antonio @ Phoenix: R. Garretson, R. Olesiak, J. Phillips

  5. #30
    Silence surpasses speech. duncan228's Avatar
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    Spurs (18-10) at Suns (16-11)
    by Michael Schwartz

    It’s always a big game when the Suns and Spurs renew acquaintances, and this Christmas Day matinee will certainly be no exception.

    There’s a reason this matchup was picked as part of ABC’s doubleheader along with the Celtics-Lakers showdown on a monster basketball day with five nationally televised games.

    The Spurs of course are a major reason the Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal, with management thinking the team may have been too soft inside before to combat Tim Duncan and the Spurs before. The trade also signaled a philosophical switch to be more like the Spurs in terms of being a better halfcourt – and ideally defensive – ball club.

    The J-Rich trade and a subsequent speeding up of the tempo pretty much pitched that idea out the window because it wasn’t working, but the Suns still envy the Spurs and the four rings they’ve won since MJ hung them up.

    Although San Antonio has bounced the Suns out of three of the past four postseasons, the Suns have actually beaten the Spurs in all three regular season meetings with Shaq aboard, including a victory in the regular season opener this season.

    A win in this one guarantees at least a season split and puts the Suns in great position to win the season series. With how bunched up the West figures to be, that’s key.

    More importantly, the nation’s eyes will be focused on this contest, if nothing else to warm up their television sets for Celtics-Lakers.

    A resounding victory against their bitter rivals would go a long way for the Suns’ national image on Christmas Day.

  6. #31
    lol banned DUNCANownsKOBE2's Avatar
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    Phoenix's Ghill is still better, sorry; however, Phoenix's Ghill needs to play well today if Phoenix wants to win, he should be able to use size against Manu to get in the paint.

  7. #32
    Silence surpasses speech. duncan228's Avatar
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    Open Gameday Thread - Suns vs Spurs

    Ed Note: This special version of a holiday favorite is brought to you by Bright Side contributing author Mike Lisboa who's poetic beauty was bound only by the limits of buggy technology.

    The following is posted on his behalf...

    With apologies to Henry Livingston, Jr or Clement Clarke Moore, here's a very seasonal preview of the Suns's Christmas Day tilt with the Spurs. Enjoy.


    Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout Planet Orange,..

    Everyone was excited, even poor Goran.

    The gameplans were made by Coach Porter with care

    And Steve Kerr signed a point guard with ‘rows in his hair.

    The true fans were nestled all snug in their beds

    While visions of Spur-trouncing danced in their heads.

    And Boris with his Dirty and Raja with his ‘tude

    Had been shipped off to Charlotte for a long winter brood.

    And in their place arrived with such chatter,

    J-Rich and Jared (who has yet to matter).

    But that new guy Jason can shoot, dunk and slash

    Who cares about defense? Certainly not Nash.

    But the Spurs were coming, almost at full strength,

    They would miss poor Oberto and all of his length.

    When Timmy and Tony and Manu appear

    The Suns better kick it, and into high gear.

    With a slow start, the Spurs looked so old and so sick

    But we've seen it before, this same possum trick.

    But the Suns know it too, they've seen that old game

    And Coach Porter, he lectured and called them by name:

    "Now, Stevey! Now, Robin! Now, Shaquille and J-Rich!

    LB, Matt and Grant! Sweet Lou, and Dragic!

    You won't learn my system, not a bit, not all!

    So bombs away! Bombs away! Bombs away all!"

    In Terry's slow vision, the Suns, they had struggled

    D'Antoni's boys had gone from magic to muggled.

    At last he relented and loosened the reins

    And poof! - disappeared those growing pains.

    And then up in Portland, the Suns found the fun

    The passing and shooting, that old run and gun.

    Though Brandon went off and the Suns they were downed,

    You couldn't help but think, "Have they turned it around?"

    There is much work to be done, they haven't quite gelled;

    And those questions on defense? They're still not disspelled.

    So the Spurs come to town to give them a test

    With apologies to the Lakers, they own the West.

    So old Shaq must be aggressive, bodying Tim

    And ensuring his foul shots don't clank off the rim.

    Grant Hill somehow must contain Manu Ginobili

    And Steve Nash must take charges, however ignobly.

    J-Rich needs to find his man on rotation

    And LB needs to play without consternation:

    That little Brazilian, I've never understood

    Why sometimes he looks scared, just petrified like wood.

    Matt Barnes and his tats are a poor man's Shawn Marion

    But I like his style as long as his 3s he's a-buryin'.

    Fropez and Sweet Lou better clear those darn boards

    Cuz these Spurs rebound, and collect them in hoards.

    I hope Dee Brown's ready, poor Goran is not:

    Send him to Iowa to work on his shot.

    And fro-hawked Amare should play with some fire;

    His hot and cold act is sure growing tired.

    So tune in on Thursday, it's gonna be a blast,

    And hopefully the Suns will be left standing at last,

    For a yuletide Suns win would allow me to yell:

    "Happy Christmas to all! (May the Spurs rot in .)"
    The author of the poem responds tonight.

    Coaled-blooded Roger Mason Delivers Win For Spurs in Phoenix
    by Mike Lisboa

    Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

    That was a really good game. As much as the loss left me feeling a bit gut shot, I liked a lot of what I saw. And for the record, I sadly called this in my Christmas poem with the line, "J-Rich needs to find his man on rotation." I do not like being prescient.

    What I liked:

    Energy - The 9-0 start was nice and featured some excellent ball movement. And, to mixed effect, there were lots of bodies flying around on defense. The guys came to play.

    Shaq-a-Claus: The Big Santa set the tone early on both ends of the floor. He used his size to make life miserable for Tim Duncan (drawing several fouls in the process) on the offensive end and made him settle for jumpers on the defense (jumpers, sadly, that kept going in).

    Amare Pays Attention - It's sad that Amare having is head in the game is something to get excited about, but he seemed completely present, if not dominant, throughout the game. Seems kind of odd to complain about focus and consistency from a guy who has record 20 or more points in the last 11 games (tying Dirk Nowitzki for longest active streak in the NBA) AND led the team in rebounding for the last 8 games, but sometimes he just doesn't seem like he's into it. Sharing balls with Shaq does that to you, I suppose.

    Clearing the Glass: As poorly as Robin and Sweet Lou rebounded, the rest of the Suns were emphatic about getting to the glass. Matt Barnes and JSun Richard Sun were all over the boards and that translated to a 50-43 Suns edge.

    What I didn't like:

    Steve Nash and Grant Hill on the bench: Please, Dee Brown, be ready to run this offense soon. Very soon. Like before this game. The Suns are simply lost without Nash on the offensive end. And when Porter chooses to rest Hill at the same time, well, good luck finding a Suns point. Dee Brown can't suit up soon enough and the bar is slow, he should impress quickly.

    Big Guys off the Bench: Sweet Lou rocked and incredible 4 TRILLION. Robin Lopez was good for 2 rebounds, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in his 8 minutes. For the first time since the trade, I miss Boris Diaw.

    Not Exploiting Matt Bonner: I know Porter wanted to get Shaq going early versus Timmy, but why wasn't every offensive play of the first quarter going through Amare Stoudemire? Bonner can't keep up with Amare.

    Turnovers: 14 to 6. 'Nuff said.

    Cold Wings: Barbosa and Barnes combine to go 1-10 from the field? That's not going to win too many games. Barnesy at least got after the glass and finished with 7 boards.

    Rotation, rotation, rotation: There's some work to be done on the defensive end. While the Suns looked good and high energy, some of that "flying around" was due to blown assignments.

    Overall, there was a lot to like about this game. The Suns showed grit when the Spurs fought there way back into it. They demonstrated a consistency of effort that's been lacking and seemed focused throughout the game. At the end of the day, though, Pop AGAIN demonstrated himself to be the master of the mid-game adjustment. Nash's playmaking ability was basically nullified after the first quarter and while Amare ended up with 25 points, he was unable to assert himself against Kurt Thomas and Tim Duncan down the stretch. Also, I hope one of the skills Dee Brown brings to the table is the ability to keep Tony Parker in front of him

    Yes, it sucks to lose to the Spurs yet again. However, I think the Suns are moving in the right direction. This squad is looking more cohesive with each game. And with a little more integration, J-Rich doesn't leave the 48% 3-point shooter alone in the corner the next time these teams meet. I just hope these Suns take this as "just a bad loss", instead of as a reason to give up hope.

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