Suns 2007 NBA Champions

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

And Mike D'antoni is also a large reason the Suns lost the series.

Game 1 against the Spurs Kurt Thomas inexplicably only played 12 minutes, Tim Duncan had 33 points, but he had 8 offensive rebounds.

Game 2 Kurt Thomas starts and plays 29 minutes, Tim Duncan still has 29 points but he had to work a lot harder for them and they weren't bringing double teams down to help like they did for Amare, but more importantly he only had 2 offensive rebounds

Game 5 w/o Amare Kurt Thomas has one of the most under appreciated "step your game up" performances of the last few years. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds while holding Tim Duncan to 21 points and 12 rebounds, again only 2 offensive rebounds. Granted the Suns lost, Kurt Thomas more than did his job almost matching TD's production.

Game 6 is a must win game and the two victories against the Spurs involved KT playing big minutes, so D'antoni of course uses KT again in this must win game........by playing him a grant total of 12 minutes again, meanwhile he ignores the fact Barbosa had been taking a the entire series and gives him 27 minutes. Granted Timmy only has 24 points, but he has 9 offensive rebounds for the game and Bell and Marion are helping off Ginobili and Parker throughout the game. The guy D'antoni felt the need to give big minutes to, Barbosa, goes 5-15 from the floor while Parker and/or Ginobili are taking him to school whenever he's guarding one of them. The Suns lost by 8. Lets say KT is guarding Tim all night and holds him to 2 offensive rebounds again, the Spurs lose 7 possessions right there, god only knows who wins.

[kskonn]

I'm nitpicking here but the Spurs went 15-2. The only team to ever go 15-1 was the 2001 Lakers

yea I was going to point that out. If I remember correctly we lost game 1 to the t-wolves out of the gate and Governor Jessie did his wrestling pump up speach about how they were going to take down the spurs in Minni. We then kicked the out of them at the two games at their place.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

And Mike D'antoni is also a large reason the Suns lost the series.

Game 1 against the Spurs Kurt Thomas inexplicably only played 12 minutes, Tim Duncan had 33 points, but he had 8 offensive rebounds.

Game 2 Kurt Thomas starts and plays 29 minutes, Tim Duncan still has 29 points but he had to work a lot harder for them and they weren't bringing double teams down to help like they did for Amare, but more importantly he only had 2 offensive rebounds

Game 5 w/o Amare Kurt Thomas has one of the most under appreciated "step your game up" performances of the last few years. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds while holding Tim Duncan to 21 points and 12 rebounds, again only 2 offensive rebounds. Granted the Suns lost, Kurt Thomas more than did his job almost matching TD's production.

Game 6 is a must win game and the two victories against the Spurs involved KT playing big minutes, so D'antoni of course uses KT again in this must win game........by playing him a grant total of 12 minutes again, meanwhile he ignores the fact Barbosa had been taking a the entire series and gives him 27 minutes. Granted Timmy only has 24 points, but he has 9 offensive rebounds for the game and Bell and Marion are helping off Ginobili and Parker throughout the game. The guy D'antoni felt the need to give big minutes to, Barbosa, goes 5-15 from the floor while Parker and/or Ginobili are taking him to school whenever he's guarding one of them. The Suns lost by 8. Lets say KT is guarding Tim all night and holds him to 2 offensive rebounds again, the Spurs lose 7 possessions right there, god only knows who wins.

btw this right here^ is why I despise Mike D'antoni and don't care about how bad of a coach Porter was replacing him, I was just happy to see that joke leave Phoenix cause they were never going to win when the coach was pulling this stupid during a playoff series.

[Dunc n Dave]

yea I was going to point that out. If I remember correctly we lost game 1 to the t-wolves out of the gate and Governor Jessie did his wrestling pump up speach about how they were going to take down the spurs in Minni. We then kicked the out of them at the two games at their place.

Yep, that was the infamous series where Garnett tried his tough guy act on Robinson and Duncan and pushed one of them in the head. Then Duncan proceeded to DESTROY Garnett. Good memories...

[kskonn]

Yep, that was the infamous series where Garnett tried his tough guy act on Robinson and Duncan and pushed one of them in the head. Then Duncan proceeded to DESTROY Garnett. Good memories...

Yea that was awesome, I had forgotten about that. I guess Garnett was inspired by their governor flexing in the middle of the floor before the game.

[z0sa]

The 2007 suns, just like the 05, 06 and 08 incarnations, were not going to beat the Spurs. They couldn't have beat the 06/07 Mavs, either.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

The 2007 suns, just like the 05, 06 and 08 incarnations, were not going to beat the Spurs. They couldn't have beat the 06/07 Mavs, either.

Yes they could beat the Mavs and they would have. A year before that season they took the Mavs to 6 games w/o Amare, the biggest matchup problem for Dallas who ran train on them in 2005. The way I always saw it from 2005-2007 when Phoenix Dallas and SA were the powers in the West was San Antonio matched up horribly with Dallas, Phoenix matched up horribly with San Antonio, and Dallas matched up horribly with Phoenix. Of course, when healthy is key here, cause when Amare and Bell were injured Dallas was the better team.

They had the pieces to beat the Spurs in 2007, but D'antoni wasn't interested in that. In D'antoni's stubborn, one dimensional mind, using KT extensively for game 6 and game 7 would be "conceding" his style didn't work. EVEN IF using him more would have led to the Suns finally getting by the Spurs and winning their first ever championship, D'antoni was more concerned with making himself look like a genius by proving to people you can win a le without using a real center and without committing to playing defense. Basically, D'antoni wasn't interested in winning a championship if it meant playing better defense and doing everything the media had been saying the Suns neeeded to do for 3 years. This is why he continued to use a one trick pony player like Barbosa that couldn't do other than jack of threes and finish on a fast break even though Kurt Thomas had been stepping up the entire series and Barbosa hadn't done .

After the series was over, D'antoni even said, "We lost cause I used Kurt Thomas too much, I didn't stick to what had won 61 games". If D'antoni was coaching the same series I was watching and says that when asked about it, his team didn't deserve to win and wasn't going to.

[BlackBellamy]

I don't understand why some Spurs fans get so offended by saying the Suns were the better team.

Would you ever admit that a Lakers champ team was still lesser than their compe ion? As far as the D-Fish .4, total bull ! It will haunt Spurs fan's memories for the rest of their lives.

[Leetonidas]

No, the Spurs wouldnt have repeated. Shaq wasn't gonna be stopped by anything that year. And Fisher's shot was good, it was off in time, in fact it should have been .6 instead of .4, because that's when Duncan's shot went in. The shot was good.

And i didn't see the Manu foul play so I don't know about that one

I know brah, I'm just putting all these hypothetical situations out there because it seems to be the trend in this stupid thread.

Oh yeah and if Rodman had gave a in 95 then 8 RINGS GOTS!!!

[rjv]

d'antoni- a good coach who will never be a very good one. he is too stubborn to concede that his strategies are gimmicks. i put him in the same class as don nelson and george karl.

[Leetonidas]

Oh and that 15-1 is a mistype, I meant to type 15-2

[z0sa]

Yes they could beat the Mavs and they would have. A year before that season they took the Mavs to 6 games w/o Amare, the biggest matchup problem for Dallas who ran train on them in 2005. The way I always saw it from 2005-2007 when Phoenix Dallas and SA were the powers in the West was San Antonio matched up horribly with Dallas, Phoenix matched up horribly with San Antonio, and Dallas matched up horribly with Phoenix. Of course, when healthy is key here, cause when Amare and Bell were injured Dallas was the better team.

As soon as Mavs started playing defense, they were better than the Suns. One of those teams was going to beat the Suns 4 out of 7 every year because they could get stops and do it fairly consistently. There is the 'monumental choke' factor the Mavs randomly possess, but I don't see it happening against the Suns who let you into your comfort zone night in and night out.

[Culburn369]

As soon as Mavs started playing defense, they were better than the Suns.

z0sa/the goods/I'm flabbergasted style.

[Ghazi]

2006 champs gots

[da_suns_fan]

lol 5 > 4

lol Dirk quitting midway through the Warriors series
lol 39% shooting
lol Dirk losing to an eighth seed
lol blowing 10 point leads in the fourth quarter
lol sissy team that can't even intentionally foul





The Mavericks are so bad, they will let a fraud franchise player get a quadruple double on them one day.

So when did Mavs fan start claiming that they "won" in 2006 because of bad officiating?

[Leetonidas]

In 2006.

[bostonguy]

As soon as Mavs started playing defense, they were better than the Suns. One of those teams was going to beat the Suns 4 out of 7 every year because they could get stops and do it fairly consistently. There is the 'monumental choke' factor the Mavs randomly possess, but I don't see it happening against the Suns who let you into your comfort zone night in and night out.

While the Mavs D really improved, they matched up not all that well with a healthy suns team. The Suns got whatever they wanted against the Mavs d eventhough it really improved. The Nash/Amare pick and roll constantly worked against the Mavs D. It isnt a knock on the Mavs. They just had a very hard time matching up with the Suns just like the Spurs had a tough time matching up with the Mavs and the Suns with the Spurs.


I personally thought the 2007 Suns was the best team in the Nash era. If they had gotten by the spurs, no one else would have beaten them. I'm not going to use the ref card in that semis. The Spurs were just better. The Spurs were that one team that could limit the Suns offense. No other team in the league was able to do that. If you cant limit the Suns O, you werent going to beat them in a 7 game series.

[scottspurs]

Get over it.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

While the Mavs D really improved, they matched up not all that well with a healthy suns team. The Suns got whatever they wanted against the Mavs d eventhough it really improved. The Nash/Amare pick and roll constantly worked against the Mavs D. It isnt a knock on the Mavs. They just had a very hard time matching up with the Suns just like the Spurs had a tough time matching up with the Mavs and the Suns with the Spurs.

This. Mavs got better defensively once Nash left but the Suns still imposed their will on them, just like the other extremely up tempo team in 2007 did.

[z0sa]

While the Mavs D really improved, they matched up not all that well with a healthy suns team. The Suns got whatever they wanted against the Mavs d eventhough it really improved. The Nash/Amare pick and roll constantly worked against the Mavs D. It isnt a knock on the Mavs. They just had a very hard time matching up with the Suns just like the Spurs had a tough time matching up with the Mavs and the Suns with the Spurs.


I personally thought the 2007 Suns was the best team in the Nash era. If they had gotten by the spurs, no one else would have beaten them. I'm not going to use the ref card in that semis. The Spurs were just better. The Spurs were that one team that could limit the Suns offense. No other team in the league was able to do that. If you cant limit the Suns O, you werent going to beat them in a 7 game series.

I agree that Mavs/Suns or Mavs/Spurs in 07 would have been epic and could've gone either way. I just put the Mavs in there because they were another team that could've stopped Phoenix in 07 IMO.

BTW, not being an ass, but the 'ref' card can't be pulled. Donaghy had *maybe* one missed call go the spurs way. In all likelihood, Donaghy didn't purposely affect the game in any way.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

In all likelihood, Donaghy didn't purposely affect the game in any way.

Not what the FBI thought. I don't about that game cause I think it was the Spurs first home game and they probably woulda won anyway, but there were some irregularities in that game free throw wise.

[z0sa]

Not what the FBI thought. I don't about that game cause I think it was the Spurs first home game and they probably woulda won anyway, but there were some irregularities in that game free throw wise.

Donaghy didn't do to change game 3 in the Spurs favor, period. It has been gladly proven by spurfan call by call in numerous old threads, video included. Feel free to stop talking out of your ass and find one.

[Culburn369]

Donaghy didn't do to change game 3 in the Spurs favor, period. It has been gladly proven by spurfan in numerous old threads, video included. Feel free to stop talking out of your ass and find one.

YIKES! DUNCAN just goosed z0sa in his sweet spot.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Donaghy didn't do to change game 3 in the Spurs favor, period. It has been gladly proven by spurfan call by call in numerous old threads, video included. Feel free to stop talking out of your ass and find one.

A call I can remember off the top of my head was that offensive foul Amare got when Oberto clearly flopped and was inside the semi-circle.

[z0sa]

YIKES! DUNCAN just goosed z0sa in his sweet spot.

You're right. I was appalled to think the Spurs le could be tainted. Many fans felt this same sort of disappointment which is why the reffing scandal was such a huge deal. Luckily, an objective view of Donaghy's calls, call by call, undoubtedly proves that game (game 3 IIRC) was not fixed in the Spurs favor.