Reply With Quote
Just click on the years!!
http://www.nba.com/suns/playoffs/pla...0_rivalry.html
Suns vs. Spurs — Matchup breakdown
Posted by Mike Schmitz
Valley of the Suns
For the better part of the last decade, the San Antonio Spurs have been a thorn in the side of the Phoenix Suns. Anytime the Spurs have needed a big bucket in crunch time they’ve delivered, and Phoenix has struggled to slow Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The Spurs have some new weapons this season, but the Suns are also much improved defensively since the Mike D’Antoni era. As always, playoff basketball is a game of matchups, so here is the matchup breakdown amongst the Suns and Spurs starters:
Steve Nash vs. George Hill
Head-to-head
Nash: 20.3 PPG, 12.0 APG, 3.7 TO, 57.4 FG%, 50.0 3P%
Hill: 8.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, 46.2 FG%, 33.3 3P%
This matchup certainly gives the Suns some serious trouble. Hill is San Antonio’s hottest player right now — 14.3 points in 35.0 minutes per game in the Dallas series — and Suns fans know all to well about Nash’s defensive deficiencies.
Hill does have a nice three-point shot, but he likes to attack the basket, which is something that Nash severely struggles to defend. So don’t expect Nash to defending Hill all game, especially when Tony Parker checks in.
But Hill will have his hands full with the two-time MVP as well, and with no Bruce Bowen to constantly grab him and knee him below the belt, expect Nash to continue to produce against the Spurs just like he did during the regular season.
Advantage: Nash
Jason Richardson vs. Manu Ginobili
Head-to-head
Richardson: 14.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 48.5 FG%, 50.0 3P%
Ginobili: 12.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 34.3 FG%, 18.8% 3P%
Ginobili has struggled shooting the ball against the Suns this season, which is a huge reason why Phoenix took two of three from the Spurs. The crafty lefty has absolutely killed the Suns in years past, but Phoenix has the options to give Ginobili a few different looks this time around.
Richardson should start the game on Ginobili, but expect both Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley to check him when they’re in the game, and Alvin Gentry will probably give the Andre Miller stopper, Grant Hill, a few cracks at the Argentinean as well.
Ginobili has always been a thorn in the side of the Suns, but this year things could very well be different.
Advantage: Ginobili
Grant Hill vs. Richard Jefferson
Head-to-head
Hill: 13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 51.5 FG%, 60.0 3P%
Jefferson: 13.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 53.6 FG%, 37.5 3P%
As I mentioned before, Grant Hill may be asked to stifle Ginobili or even Parker at times but I expect Gentry to start him out on Jefferson. Aside from Duncan, RJ has been arguably the most successful Spur against the Suns this season.
He is the ultimate slasher, and if the Spurs decide to get out and run he will be the beneficiary more often than not. But Hill is Phoenix’s best defender and Jefferson averaged a mediocre 9.2 points per game in the Dallas series.
As long as the Suns can keep Jefferson off of the offensive glass and keep track of him when he doesn’t have the ball, he shouldn’t be too big of a factor.
Advantage: Jefferson
Amare Stoudemire vs. Tim Duncan
Head-to-head
Stoudemire: 32.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.67 SPG, 56.3 FG%
Duncan: 23.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.33 BPG, 61.7 FG%
This matchup will most likely determine the outcome of the series, and luckily for the Suns, STAT has always been locked in against Duncan and company. This season has been no exception, as he’s exploded for 32.7 points per game against San Antonio, including a 41-point, 12-rebound game in a losing effort.
Duncan is still one of the league’s premier defenders and shot-blockers, but Amare has also solidified himself as one of the NBA’s most explosive big man. The winner of this battle may be the winner of each game, but the Suns proved against Portland that they can come out on top even when Amare isn’t himself offensively.
STAT needs to get going early and stay out of foul trouble against Duncan, especially with Phoenix’s depleted front line.
Advantage: Stoudemire
Jarron Collins vs. Antonio McDyess
Head-to-head
Collins: 1 game, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 TO
McDyess: 5.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 47.9 FG%
This matchup is hardly worth talking about. Collins won’t play more than 15 minutes, but he can play some useful minutes against Duncan and McDyess. The former Sun is nothing special, but his veteran presence, rebounding ability and outside jumper definitely can’t hurt the Spurs.
Advantage: McDyess
Suns bench vs. Spurs bench
The Suns bench finally came on near the end of the Portland series, and Dudley and Channing Frye were the catalysts. Dudley should have a huge role in this series as he may guard Parker, Hill, Ginobili and Jefferson all in the same game.
Frye’s three-point prowess will also be huge for the Suns, as his ability to pull Duncan and company away from the hoop opens up lanes for Amare and the Phoenix guards. Dragic and Barbosa will also have a big role in trying to check the Ginobilis, Hills and Parkers.
The Spurs bench isn’t quite as impressive as Phoenix’s, but anytime you have Parker coming off of the pine you can’t complain. He has torched the Suns in years past and Phoenix needs to keep him in check, plain and simple.
Other than Parker and DeJuan Blair the Spurs bench doesn’t have too much to offer.
Advantage: Suns bench
Just click on the years!!
http://www.nba.com/suns/playoffs/pla...0_rivalry.html
Last edited by LakerHater; 05-01-2010 at 06:02 PM.
I just don't see how some people are saying that this is the best Phoenix team that they've ever had. Seriously? I mean some of the past Suns teams had some damn good players...for example: Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Joe Johnson, Shaq, Marion, etc. This may be the best shooting Phoenix team but even at that their 3 point shooters (Dudley, Barbosa, and Frye) did not come to life until Game 5 of their 1st round series. They were ice cold up until that game..
Upstarts bring out the best in the NBA playoffs
By Michael Wilbon
The Washington Post
...The Spurs, as they enter the second round, perhaps should be the favorite in the Western Conference. George Hill, the second-year guard who now starts ahead of Tony Parker, gives the Spurs a young and athletic presence the team desperately needed. And Parker can be devastating, as he was in Game 6 against Dallas, coming off the bench. Richard Jefferson took longer to find his niche with the Spurs than anybody wanted, but he finally fits.
And to think that the Spurs came so close to finishing eighth and would have drawn the Lakers in the first round. Now, the Spurs get the Suns in the second round, which might just be the most entertaining series in these playoffs. No two teams in the last eight years have played series as dramatic as the Suns and Spurs. Remember, Joe Johnson's broken cheek came in a series against the Spurs, as did Steve Nash's busted and bloody nose, as did Amare Stoudemire averaging 37 points per game against Tim Duncan, as did the suspension of Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in a move that likely took an NBA championship from the Suns and gave it to the Spurs in 2007. The two have played four series against each other, the Spurs have won all four times and will be favored to make it five....And that would leave a final four of Cleveland vs. Orlando and the Spurs and Lakers, four teams that have all been to the NBA Finals since 2007, two multiple-time champs vs. two Bridesmaids, the four best teams in the league from where we sit now, teams that will separate themselves not based on seeding, but on talent, experience and ultimately performance. The NBA playoffs, through one round, have had just enough surprises to liven up the postseason and scare favorites like the defending champion Lakers into playing their best.
Spurs in 5
Suns recent playoff history haunted by San Antonio
By Bob Baum
Demons lurk for the Phoenix Suns in their upcoming playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.
They were also there in Game 1 of the 2007 Western Conference semifinals, when the Suns’ Steve Nash collided head-on with Tony Parker. A cut on Nash’s nose bled uncontrollably and he was forced to sit out 45 seconds of the critical final minute of a close loss in Phoenix.
A week later, in Game 4 in San Antonio, the Suns were wrapping up a victory with 18 seconds to go when Robert Horry slammed Nash into the scorer’s table with a hockey-style hip-check. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw came off the bench to Nash’s defense.
The result, an automatic one-game suspension for Stoudemire and Diaw for “leaving the vicinity of the bench.” The short-handed Suns lost Game 5 in Phoenix, then the Spurs clinched the series with a win in San Antonio and went on to win the NBA le.
Of his three Suns teams that lost to the Spurs in the playoffs, Nash said that one “was equal to or better than they were, for sure.”
A year later, the Suns and Spurs met in the first round, and Game 1 hastened the end of the Mike D’Antoni era in Phoenix.
First, Michael Finley’s 3-pointer forced overtime. Then, as the final second ticked off in the first overtime and the Suns leading 104-101, Tim Duncan made his only 3-pointer of the season. The Spurs went on to win the game in double overtime and took the series 4-1. Soon, D’Antoni left for the New York Knicks.
“I don’t believe in curses, so I can’t say that I feel cursed,” Nash said, “but have we had a few bad breaks? Yeah.”
Four of the last five times the Suns have been in the playoffs—dating to 2003—San Antonio has been the team that eliminated them. They meet again on Monday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry, D’Antoni’s assistant in losses to the Spurs in 2005, 2007 and 2008, insists this is a different team and that history has no bearing. Only Nash, Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa remain from that 2007 Phoenix team.
“We’ve got plenty of guys that haven’t even been around for any of those series,” Gentry said, “so why talk about them, why go back, why revisit them? I don’t see anything beneficial in any of that, really.”
Stoudemire is the only player still on the team who was part of all four of those playoff defeats. He was a rookie, and Stephon Marbury was the point guard on the 2003 Suns team that lost to the Spurs in six games in 2003.
“I’ve played against them so many times where I know exactly what they’re capable of,” Stoudemire said. “For our young guys, it’s very important to let them know what the Spurs are all about.”
The Suns’ Grant Hill was around for only the most recent series loss to the Spurs, and he recalls how devastating that 2008 Game 1 was.
“It was such a heartbreaker, such a tough loss,” Hill said. “Not just that we lost but how we lost. We were up big, Duncan hits a 3, Finley hits a 3. It took us maybe two or three games to recover, and by then the series was over.”
Regardless of what Gentry said, don’t think Nash isn’t happy to get another crack at Duncan, Parker, Manu Ginobili and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“Even though it’s been lopsided it’s a pleasure to play against a franchise as strong as they have been and the battles we’ve had in the past,” Nash said. “So, to get another chance to play them is great. These are the things I think you’ll remember more than most things when your career is over.”
Most of these Suns, however, aren’t burdened with that frustrating history.
“That’s not even part of who we are, what we’re about,” Jason Richardson said. “That’s in the past. The fans are still going to remember that, of course. But this is something different with a new team. We’re a different team and we want to establish something new.”
wow Wilbon with the revisionist history Johnsons broken cheek/orbital bone came against Dallas. Also why do they compare Duncan and Amare, when they won't be guarding each other
Epic fail.Upstarts bring out the best in the NBA playoffs
By Michael Wilbon
The Washington Post
And to think that the Spurs came so close to finishing eighth and would have drawn the Lakers in the first round. Now, the Spurs get the Suns in the second round, which might just be the most entertaining series in these playoffs. No two teams in the last eight years have played series as dramatic as the Suns and Spurs. Remember, Joe Johnson's broken cheek came in a series against the Spurs, as did Steve Nash's busted and bloody nose, as did Amare Stoudemire averaging 37 points per game against Tim Duncan, as did the suspension of Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in a move that likely took an NBA championship from the Suns and gave it to the Spurs in 2007. The two have played four series against each other, the Spurs have won all four times and will be favored to make it five.
Wilbon is just another mass-produced BSPN cookie cutter moron who can't get his facts right even with somebody feeding him the information through his earpiece.
ESPN hires people and tries to make lemmings out of them. Elliott wouldn't follow and was released, same will happen to Bruce.
Avery is a yes man, so he will be just fine...he fits right in.
I don't know if on paper you'd call the Suns deeper, but the games aren't played on paper and the reality is, based on this season, the Suns are deeper. Without Lopez they go nine deep with contributors. Let's face it, Pop basically full trusted only six guys in the Mavs series. The Suns are so comfortable with their bench that it's not uncommon to see all five in at once. Where they're deeper is on the wings. Whereas the Spurs don't have a single reliable wing player off the bench, the Suns have two (even though one is really a combo guard): Barbosa and Dudley.
That being said, would I be stunned if the Spurs got, if not more mileage, better production out of their bench in this series? No. They have the best bench player in the series by a wide margin and have, if not better, at least as good backup bigs. On top of that, the Suns lack a true sixth man. Barbosa is one in theory, but he's playing limited minutes now and isn't nearly as prominent a player as he's been in years past.
The Spurs should activate Hairston for this series. It shouldn't be out of the question that he see spot minutes as the ninth man ahead of Bogans or Mason at this point. At the very least, it should be considered, which means it's best if he's at least on the active roster so that option is available in game. Temple has done a fine job all things considered, but barring injury his services are no longer required for the remainder of this season.
Against Dallas Bogans and Blair were useless and Pop cut the rotation to 6. But I'm expecting a 9 players rotation in Suns series, Blair can defend Amare and Bogans can be used for defending J-Rich. Moreover Bonner will take time when Frye is on the court. That's why, i don't think that Pop will play a shortened rotation, he usually doesn't do it.
Michael Wilbon's journalism is vomit-inducing.
Inactivate Mason so Hairston can be active. Hairston can matchup much better against Richardson, and provides better scoring and rebounding.
I doubt Pop will do it, but I would.
Hairston is hurt.....
LMAO @ all the excuses for the Suns, my favorite being how the NBA "took the championship from the suns and gave it to the spurs" in '07. Gimme a ing break
Thanks very interesting. Duncan is now 5-0 in the playoffs against the Suns (He did not play in 2000 ). He is also 5-0 vs Nash if you include his time in Dallas.
Neither Nash nor Ama're have ever defeated the Duncan lead Spurs in a playoff series. How can they not think of that?
If you click on the link, the graphic has Tony as the starting PG
Western Conference Previews
Semifinals
#3 Suns (54-28) vs #7 Spurs (50-32)
Britt Robson
SI.com
The Suns and their fans should be craving this matchup. Beating the Spurs would start to rectify all sorts of perceived wrongs -- injuries, suspensions, bad juju -- that have bewitched this entertaining but lopsided postseason rivalry that includes two San Antonio triumphs (in 2005 and 2007) when the Spurs were the lower seed. Besting the uber-fundamental Gregg Popovich-Tim Duncan crew would also trump skeptics (such as yours truly) who have questioned the defensive spine and rugged resolve Suns' coach Alvin Gentry has fostered in Phoenix.
Unlike the Celtics' whupping of Dwyane Wade and the Heat, there was enough grit and magnificence in San Antonio's toppling of the Mavs to validate the Spurs' status as a viable championship contender. Their Big Three remain selflessly resourceful and cold-blooded in crunch-time, and are now ably abetted by a pair of role players who really stepped up in the first round: George Hill and Antonio McDyess. Even Richard Jefferson has caught half a clue on how to function in Pops' system. The lower-seeded Spurs are the solid favorite. That should be just the way the quietly red-hot and underappreciated Suns like it.
Key Matchup
Manu Ginobili vs. Grant Hill. This series is loaded with compelling matchups, including the contrasting styles of Duncan and Amar'e Stoudemire in the low block and the perennial Steve Nash versus Tony Parker fireworks out at the point. It?s not even certain that Ginobili and Hill will be regularly guarding each other, although after the job Hill did on Portland's Andre Miller to turn around the Suns' first-round series, it's hard to imagine Gentry eschewing the chance to put his best perimeter defender on the catalyst of the Spurs' offense. Hill has two inches and 15 pounds on Ginobili, and is one of the precious few NBA players with the spidery physique and genius basketball IQ to cover the crafty Manu out on the perimeter while refusing to be suckered into fouls by his up-fakes and careening stop-and-go penetration. And as a 43.8-percent shooter from three-point range with quickness and handle enough to get to the cup, Hill is capable of giving Ginobili a dose of his own medicine at the other end of the court. Both players are absolutely vital to their teams' success, and both are fierce, high-character, perpetual motion compe ors. What a treat it will be if they get the chance to test each other?s endurance in such a high-stakes setting.
X-Factor
Suns: The Bench. Even more than fundamental, the word that best characterizes the Popovich-Duncan quasi-dynasty is relentless. San Antonio's unremitting competence has broken Phoenix in previous playoffs series, but this year?s Suns are a deeper team than past editions. They can counter Pops' gambit of bringing Parker off the bench not only with the similar go-go energy of Leandro Barbosa, but the playmaking prowess of Goran Dragic, Phoenix's counterpart to George Hill. If San Antonio's physicality is starting to overwhelm Stoudemire and Channing Frye, Gentry can trade size for sinew and sub in Jared Dudley and Louis Amundson. This depth has provided crucial succor to geriatrics, like Nash and Grant Hill, and enabled Stoudemire to exert himself on defense (for a change). Phoenix wouldn?t be here without its bench.
Spurs: Richard Jefferson. Failing to account for the explosive offense of Jason Richardson -- and failing to exploit Richardson's mediocre defense -- doomed Portland in their first-round series with Phoenix. If Jefferson is ready to atone for his underwhelming regular season and continue the gradual improvement he has shown since mid-March, he is capable of reducing the value J-Rich gives the Suns. Honorable mention x-factor status goes to McDyess, whose mid-range jumpers were vital in beating the Mavs and could be equally timely in this series; and Tony Parker, whose selfless ability to flourish in a diminished role has allowed Pops to maximize George Hill's confidence and contribution.
Bottom Line
Phoenix is probably the most underrated team among the eight remaining playoff contenders. They boast the most potent offensive trio in Stoudemire, Nash and Richardson, as well as underappreciated depth and remarkable consistency -- they haven't lost two games in a row since late January. I had them finishing out of the playoffs in my season preview and wrote in early March that they lacked enough defense to succeed in the postseason. Even after losing center Robin Lopez to a back injury, they proved me wrong both times. Thus, it wouldn?t surprise me to see them beat the Spurs.
But San Antonio seems destined to be Phoenix's bete noire. The Spurs love to play up-tempo -- they finished 21-5 against the eight fastest-paced teams in the NBA, including 3-1 versus the Suns. Phoenix has proven it can score on San Antonio -- their 112.7 per game average was more than five points higher than any other Spurs' opponent this season -- but not that it can beat them. San Antonio is healthy, hungry and primed for one last championship campaign. It will continue at least into the conference finals.
Spurs in six.
Leandro Barbossa, huh?
Damn, is Nash having bad flashbacks to Horry? His hip is hurting already?
lmao@ Suns bench being better
Tony > the whole Suns bench
Awesome post!
NO man! I was arguing with a Suns fan on another site about the same thing
Suns had Joe Johnson, Nash, Diaw, Amare & Marion in 2005 and the best record in the NBA and we ROLLED THEM worse than any other series we faced them in.
How quickly fans forget.
Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs: Keys to a Round 2 Playoff Victory
by Seth Pollack
Bright Side of the Sun
Some quick notes from today's practice before we get into the keys to the series.
* Robin practiced again today and participated in full court drills. Gentry was ask if he would put Lopez on the active list for Game 1, "We'll have to see. We'll see."
* It very well could be that Alvin is just playing some mind games here and I would be shocked if Robin played in the first two games and yet, you never know.
* If he responds well and looks and feels good on Monday, why not suit him up. We know he hates sitting by the water cooler. Even if he only comes in for 5 or 10 minutes his first time out, that's one big step closer to getting him back on the court for 25 per game.
* If Robin can make it back in this series, the Spurs are going to have a really hard time. In his first match-up with Tim he got torched in single coverage but Robin is a smart guy and will get better with more reps. If nothing else, he gives some hard fouls and a different look. He can also patrol the paint and help on the glass. Then if by Games 6 or 7 he can start running the pick and roll and again and get some of those fancy lobs from Steve...watch out. There is no question in my mind that with a healthy Robin Lopez, the Suns will win this series and the signs seem to be moving in that direction.
* Gentry said he received a case of win from Gregg Popovich's vineyard in Oregon. He said the note basically said, lets go kick each others ass. Those guys are friends from when Gentry was on the Spurs staff. Alvin quipped that he was going to return the favor by sending Pop a bottle of Boons Farm.
* Nash didn't practice again today, but no one seems the least bit concerned about him playing well in Game 1.
Keys to the Series
Keep Reading...
Suns-Spurs : Phoenix Will Exorcise Postseason Demons
SportingNews
Where the Suns have the edge
History may be looming over Phoenix as they take on their playoff nemesis, the team that eliminated them—in frustratingly bizarre fashion if you’re a Suns backer—in ’05, ’07 and ’08, but in reality, this is a different team. PG Steve Nash, PF Amare Stoudemire and G Leandro Barbosa are the only Suns remaining from the teams that couldn’t get past the Spurs. Still, the Suns will lean on the same Nash-Stoudemire combo that’s been their bread and butter for six seasons now, especially against San Antonio, which doesn’t have the defensive personnel to contain Stoudemire. Nash’s hip injury is a concern, but he was able to play through it in the Portland series. But the guy the Spurs will need to cool off is SG Jason Richardson, who was excellent in the first round, shooting 51.2 percent from the 3-point line.
Where the Spurs have the edge
San Antonio comes into the series on a roll, having finished the regular season on an 18-8 run against a tough stretch of opponents and finishing off the Mavericks in a six-game upset in the first round. The Spurs still have C/PF Tim Duncan, of course, and the offense runs through him. But the key has been SG Manu Ginobili, who resurrected what seemed to be a flickering career in the second half of the season. He averaged just 13.4 points on 40.3 percent shooting before the All-Star break, then averaged 21.4 points on 48.1 percent shooting in the second half. He broke his nose in the Dallas series, which will be a concern for the Spurs, but he still managed to put up 19.0 points per game and 5.0 assists, and how the Suns defend him (Richardson, SF Grant Hill, F Jared Dudley) will be a key.
Wildcard
Few things can hurt a team as much as letting a center knock down 3s—you do everything right on defense, and look up and there’s a 6-10 guy popping a 3 on you. Both the Spurs and the Suns have bigs who can do just that: C Channing Frye for the Suns and C/F Matt Bonner for the Spurs. In Phoenix wins, Frye shoots 46.6 percent from the 3-point line (37.9 percent in losses). In San Antonio wins, Bonner shoots 44.6 percent on 3s, and 30.4 percent in losses.
Xs and Os
Coach Alvin Gentry has great confidence in his second unit of PG Goran Dragic, Barbosa, F Jared Dudley, F Louis Amundson and Frye, and the Suns go 10 deep. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t have that luxury. He will play Parker off the bench, and will have tough choices after that. He could go with rookie PF DeJuan Blair. He could go with Bonner. Or he could try to match the small lineups that Phoenix plays in crunch time with his own small lineup, with F Richard Jefferson at power forward and Ginobili at small forward. Phoenix’s rotations have been pretty consistent all year, but Popovich’s rotations will be fluid.
SNumber
101.4. That’s the scoring average this season for the Spurs, whose reputation as a dominating defensive team isn’t quite accurate anymore. Their opponents’ shooting percentage was 45.2 percent this year, which was 20th in the league—their own shooting was 47.3 percent, sixth in the NBA. Phoenix also allowed 45.2 percent, but shot 49.2 percent (first in the league).
Outlook
Phoenix in 7: The Suns have many demons to exorcise in this series, and given their history against the Spurs, who knows what bizarre twist awaits Phoenix? If there are not broken bones or odd suspensions, the Suns are the better team and have homecourt advantage.
I know, how quickly I forgot about Diaw being on that 2005 team. Especially when he was traded in the summer of 2005 for Joe Johnson.
Anyway, the 05 team was a complete gimmick. This year's team is way more similar to the 07 team. It had a bench, played an actual C at C and PF at PF, and rebounded decently
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
