Where the is all this 'Spurs are soft' crap coming from? What was it, like one or two articles? Probably written immediately after a bad loss to Charlotte or another crappy team they had no business losing to?
Here's some quotes from D'Antoni:
"I'm not going to get into it just because it doesn't change anything, and we know how they want to play us," D'Antoni said. "It's going to be up to us to draw a line in the sand and hey, let's play.
"We're going to have to take it to them. We're going to have to be aggressive. We're going to have to be smart with it. We're going to have to be mentally tough, and that's why they put champion beside your name if you can do that."when asked if he’d classify this as a physical series"If that's the way everybody wants to play it, then we'll play that way too,"
Now, to me, D'Antoni sounds a little frustrated, which is to be expected. But where are you people getting the "desperation" vibe from?“Really? Well, half of it. Their half. Now we have to get our half. Yeah, very physical. I can’t say anything. We just have to take care of business.’’
You know, what kills me is that, while it's okay for the Spurs to play "elite", physical defense, if the Suns try to step it up, they're "desperate". Better still, "the Suns aren't that kind of team, so they shouldn't play that way."
Why not?
Slowly, the Suns are shedding the 'soft' label. Slowly, but steadily. The thing is, the Suns can't expect to shut the Spurs down completely, no more than the Spurs can expect to hold them down for four straight quarters. These two teams won 119 games combined for a reason.
How are the Suns shedding the "soft" label when they are complaining to the media about "physical play" in a series against The Milk & Cookies Gang that isn't actually particularly physical? You guys wouldn't know because you won't watch the Spurs because they are "boring".
Wow, one comment by Amare and the entire team is "complaining to the media".
And don't bring up D'Antoni, because it's his job to lobby on behalf of his players.
I DO watch the Spurs and the Pistons. And I DO think that the Suns are starting to make a lot of similar "playoff caliber" defensive plays. Not enough of them, but they're at least getting there.
Are you kidding me? All the complaints from Suns fans about Bowen and Ginobili on this message board alone and you have the unmitigated gall to suggest that it's only "one comment by Amare"? Please.
By the way, the job of the coach is to coach the team and put them in a position to win. Complaining when he's getting owned is something he does to save his job, not to help his players.
I have a feeling his job is pretty safe... oh wait, hes the GM also? snap.
His job might be safe, but if the fans in Phoenix didn't believe that the Spurs are cheating in order to win, what would they be talking about if the Suns get eliminated? I imagine they'd be pointing to the abject failure of the "new and improved" Suns. If he built the team specifically to match up better against the Spurs than the '05 team, someone's going to start asking questions.I have a feeling his job is pretty safe... oh wait, hes the GM also? snap.
Not really. Everyone pretty much knows the Spurs are a better team. They have more than gelled in the post season. The Suns have more individual talent at each position.
how do you add physicallity to run-and-gun game??? you don't!
Suns are soooo stupid, and D'antoni especially. he is getting so far away from Suns bread and butter game.
Why do you assume they are changing anything renob?
Suns focus on sticking to game plan against physical Spurs
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
May. 14, 2007 12:00 AM
SAN ANTONIO - Toughness. It's not just for the Spurs anymore.
That is how the Suns are approaching tonight's Game 4 in San Antonio.
They need to match the Spurs toughness, but it's not about muscle. Bringing down the Spurs will take more backbone than brawn.
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They know the only way to avoid a sixth consecutive loss at AT&T Center and a 3-1 hole that has been death for all but eight teams in NBA history is to play through the hacks, kicks and knees.
They are down 2-1 because they were not steely in a Game 3 loss Saturday.
It showed in many ways:
• When Shawn Marion lost the ball on a sure layup and then stuck around to argue an ensuing play, resulting in two Bruce Bowen open three-pointers that gave San Antonio the lead for good.
• When Steve Nash missed two layups against Tim Duncan and lost two round-the-back dribbles as Bowen jostled him.
• When Amaré Stoudemire returned for one play before picking up his fifth foul to open the fourth quarter.
• When Leandro Barbosa went on a turnover spree as the team got "antsy," according to coach Mike D'Antoni.
"We're going to have to be as mentally tough as they are," D'Antoni said.
Nash recently said the Suns' toughness was underrated. Tonight's game could make a more convincing statement, especially when a win would flip perception by giving Phoenix home-court advantage in a best-of-three setup.
The Suns' Raja Bell returned to the arena Sunday with the same edge he had leaving it on Saturday. He wasn't up for talking about the Spurs' supposed toughness.
"I'm sure they (the Spurs) are having a real good time with it so it's time to stop talking," Bell said.
"If you try to play their game with them, you're going to lose. They're good. They've done it year in and year out. They've done the playoffs year in and year out. They've won championships doing it. You can't do that. You have to play your game. Being tough is sticking to your game plan, playing your game despite whatever is going on around you, despite what they're trying to do to you, despite what this crowd is trying to do to you . . . There are a lot ways you can be tough, and they're not all physical."
The Suns are shooting at a high percentage and scoring enough points, and their defense has been solid for most of the playoffs. But key moments get away from them, such as when Nash left the game with the Spurs leading 72-71 and 1:49 to go in the third quarter Saturday. San Antonio finished the quarter on a 8-1 run and made it 10-1 off Stoudemire's fifth foul.
"The tendency here is whoever plays hard and tougher gets closer to winning the game, so we're going to try to bring the same juice and aggressiveness," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said.
"We need to match their intensity and physicality, but I wouldn't expect anything less anyways," Nash said. "To me, the mental toughness encapsulates physical toughness, whereas physical toughness does not always encapsulate mental toughness."
That includes moving past a bad call or bad play quickly, Nash said.
Even Ginobili acknowledged the Suns can be physical. Then he qualified it. "Well, of course, some of the guys," he said.
Ginobili said he expects "desperation" from Phoenix tonight.
Stoudemire declared it a "must-win game."
"I don't know how much bigger you can get it," D'Antoni said. "Can't you also say it's a must-win for them?"
"Obstructed" indeed. I was referring specifically to the Suns players, not the fans.
So much for my "unmitigated gall".
So it would seem, except that Popovich has 3 les under his belt, and things are pretty much going to the Spurs way right now. He can afford to not complain.
BTW, the Spurs were the least penalized team in the league this year, yet the Spurs players cry about every call. So a comment about "People in glass houses" is probably in order.
But playing defense and running aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, I'd argue that most of the Sun's fast break opportunities come from blocks and steals. They've scored over 100 in every game so far and are averaging 103 ppg this series. Sure it's 7 below their season average, but it's also 12 or so points above the Spurs defensive average.
how do you add physicallity to run-and-gun game??? you don't!
Suns are soooo stupid, and D'antoni especially. he is getting so far away from Suns bread and butter game.
The Suns aren't purely run and gun. They can play solid, physical defense - in spurts. They're one athletic big away from really having a championship contender caliber defense.
I did sound like a threat to me.
Well, you had me going until this.
Watch the game. Yes, sometimes the Spurs throw their hands in the air and stare in "disbelief" they somehow did something wrong. That bugs me too.
But it's fair to say that it's not every call. Even Tim raises his hand and acknowledges a foul every once and awhile
Okay, well maybe not every call. But it sure happens a lot, which is ironic when you consider that "least penalized" stat.Well, you had me going until this.
Watch the game. Yes, sometimes the Spurs throw their hands in the air and stare in "disbelief" they somehow did something wrong. That bugs me too.
But it's fair to say that it's not every call. Even Tim raises his hand and acknowledges a foul every once and awhile
Deactivate Elson, activate Ely. Let the bodies hit the floor.
Fortunately, it was D'Antoni who threw out that little nugget for everyone's education. Whose fault would it be, incidentally, that a group of better individual players isn't as good of a team?
Some of you guys are complete suckers.
Since you already forbade me from mentioning the coach, and now the fans, I suppose aside from the media, the bloggers, Raja Bell, and the assistant coaches, Amare is the only one that commented on it. Should we start calling him "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow"?
Pop has won three les in 11 seasons, which means he's had his season come to a premature end 8 times. He won the les by coaching his team, not by complaining to the media or throwing hissy fits. D'Antoni could learn something by his example.
The Spurs were the least penalized team in the league, I wonder how that relates to how many fouls the team commits?
BTW, the Suns players, fans and coaches are the ones crying about foul calls, not the Spurs players. I'm not sure how you have any frame of reference since you weren't watching the boring ol' Spurs prior to the last three games.
I agree with you right on with the Pop assessment. After that Joey Crawford incident just this season that more than likely cost us the 2nd seed, I didn't so much as hear a peep out of Pop. The only thing I heard from him was that it may be addressed. But you have to realize that we have been the thorn in Antoni's side for a while now. I think now it is just frustration more than anything that they can't run up and down the court like they have been doing all season, and against LA in the first round. I think now us playing Denver in the first round, and Phx playing LA is starting to loom its head. Like was mentioned already here, Denver is much more physical than Phx will ever be. LA was pretty much a cakewalk for Phx.
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