Suns @ Wolves tonight

[Trainwreck2100]

So you're gay, that's hot

[ponky]

You know every critic would have been over them if the Spurs would have broken thier 18 game win streak and start harping on them being 0-2 vs Spurs and 0-2 vs Mavs. Don't forget also Utah on Saturday.

I do not like the Jazz because Boozer is a punk in the paint, manhandling everyone and getting away with lots of rough play. It's alright if the refs let it go both ends, but they don't. I've watched too many Jazz games where they just play too rough and then get the calls on the offensive end.

I thought the Spurs were going to have an easy time of it in Utah on Wed. but while Boozer is not back, Kirilenko IS back. Jazz lost by one point to a Nets team playing without Richard Jefferson tonight... I think they'll lose to the Spurs on Wed but Thursday will be hard.

[Leetonidas]

KG had 44 points. Props to him.

[Amare_32]

I do not like the Jazz because Boozer is a punk in the paint, manhandling everyone and getting away with lots of rough play. It's alright if the refs let it go both ends, but they don't. I've watched too many Jazz games where they just play too rough and then get the calls on the offensive end.

I thought the Spurs were going to have an easy time of it in Utah on Wed. but while Boozer is not back, Kirilenko IS back. Jazz lost by one point to a Nets team playing without Richard Jefferson tonight... I think they'll lose to the Spurs on Wed but Thursday will be hard.

I think the Jazz are somewhat overrated. Yes they got of to a good start and caught everyone by surprise. You notice that in January they are barely .500.

[Cry Havoc]

They have won games scoring under 100. People tend to think that can't win unless they score 108 plus points.

Vs Hornets 92-83

Nets 99-93

Heat 99-89

Bulls 97-96

Bucks 98-90

They can win scoring under 100.

I can't help but notice that all those games are against the east, and against sub .500 teams. The only quality win there is against the Bulls, by a single point.

Do it in A) the playoffs and B) against the West. Until then, it doesn't mean anything. This hasn't been the first time you've had the league's best record, and it didn't help then. Now, obviously things are different.... or at least you had better hope they are.

[ponky]

I think the Jazz are somewhat overrated. Yes they got of to a good start and caught everyone by surprise. You notice that in January they are barely .500.

Yup, they certainly are overrated.

[Amare_32]

KG had 44 points. Props to him.

Talk about being in a zone.

[mavs>spurs2]

Thank god someone put an end to this . Now Suns fans can stfu and come back down to Earth.

[Amare_32]

I can't help but notice that all those games are against the east, and against sub .500 teams. The only quality win there is against the Bulls, by a single point.

Do it in A) the playoffs and B) against the West. Until then, it doesn't mean anything. This hasn't been the first time you've had the league's best record, and it didn't help then. Now, obviously things are different.... or at least you had better hope they are.

Yeah but you can't hold against the Suns that the East and some teams in the West are awful anymore than you can hold against the Spurs and the Mavs. Otherwise you can downplay every win by saying well is the East or well is Portland. Don't forget the Suns are the only team in the West to go to the WCF the last 2 years. They managed to take a Amareless team to Game 6 with the Mavs. As far as the series with the Spurs in 05 they were simply too experienced back then. This time around I like the Suns chances of beating the Spurs in the playoffs as well as the Mavs.

[Amare_32]

121Game Links : GAME FINALBOXSCOREFULL PLAY-BY-PLAYRECAPGarnett’s Huge Night Helps Extinguish Suns’ Streak
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer
Posted Jan 30 2007 12:22AM
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Box Score
Timberwolves Home
Suns Home


Timberwolves 121, Suns 112
A hot fourth quarter helped the T-Wolves surge past the Suns, whose 17-game winning streak came to an end.

David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images
KG's season-high 44 points were the main catalyst behind the Wolves win over the Suns.
E-mail photo|Buy photos
Minnesota 121, Phoenix 117
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 29 (AP) -- The hard-driving Phoenix Suns had been blowing through the NBA in January, piling up points, highlights and victories at breakneck speed.

They finished the month just one win away from perfection after crashing into a 6-foot-11 road block named Kevin Garnett.

Garnett almost single-handedly snapped the Suns' 17-game winning streak, scoring 44 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in Minnesota's 121-112 victory on Monday night.

"People who say he can't carry the load, take a look at this game film,'' new Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said.

The All-Star forward, sometimes criticized for not coming up big in the clutch, was everywhere in the final period against the Suns, dropping turnaround jumper after turnaround jumper to give Phoenix its first loss of 2007.

He scored 15 points in the fourth, including a looping fallaway from the baseline that gave Minnesota a 118-109 lead with 1:55 to play, and put Wittman on the way to a win in his home debut.

"It's just about being a presence,'' Garnett said. "It's about making them have to deal with me. I will continue to take that approach.''

Raja Bell scored 26 points and Steve Nash had 20 points and 18 assists for the Suns, who were looking to tie for the fourth-longest winning streak in NBA history.

But one night after downing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 17 in a row, the Suns couldn't find an answer for Garnett and uncharacteristically lost their offensive mojo in the fourth quarter.

After scoring 95 points in the first three quarters, Phoenix managed just 19 in the fourth and looked a little stagnant.

Nash dissected the Wolves' defense for the first three quarters, piling up assists at a near-record pace. But he scored just three points on 1-of-6 shooting and had just one assist in a final period that belonged to Garnett.

"Better to lose that way than to lose when we beat ourselves,'' Nash said. "Kevin was sensational. We just didn't make shots at the end at the clip Kevin was making them.''

The Suns were in deep trouble midway through the fourth quarter thanks to three big shots by Garnett and some dirty work on the boards by Mark Madsen.

Madsen, an offensive liability for most of his seven years in the league, hit a fallaway jumper just outside the lane to cap an 8-0 run, then gave Minnesota a 112-107 lead with 3:38 to play after he scooped up a rebound and laid it in.

Garnett followed with a twisting, turning fadeaway on the baseline that brought the crowd to its feet.

Yet the Suns handled their first loss since a 101-99 defeat at Dallas on Dec. 28 much the way they handled the 17 wins that preceded it - with a collective shrug and "aw shucks.''

"It was cool while it lasted,'' Bell said.

When the final buzzer sounded, Garnett came over to Wittman and stood eye-to-eye with the new coach, shouting encouragement before stomping off the floor. Wittman took over for the fired Dwane Casey last week.

"I think we all felt bad when Case lost his job,'' Garnett said. "No one ever wants to get fired or traded ... It was really heartfelt in letting (Wittman) know that we'll fight for you every night.''

Ricky Davis had 17 points for the Timberwolves, who shot 59 percent and simply wore the Suns down in the final minutes.

Shawn Marion had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Leandro Barbosa added 17 for Phoenix, which entered the night 15-0 in January.

"We'll start another one,'' Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "This is fun.''

Notes: Wittman said injured G Rashad McCants is getting "pretty close'' to coming back from microfracture knee surgery. Wittman wants to see McCants in a few more practices before he puts the second-year player in a game. ... Only seven of Phoenix's 25 assists were not made by Nash.

[Horry For 3!]

Piece of T-wolves! I wanted the Spurs to end the streak.

[mabber]

Nope. You can't look at PPG alone beacuse the Suns uptempo style allows for more possessions. With more possessions come more shots. With even 10 more possessions at just 40% shooting, that's roughly an eight extra points per game than a slowed down tempo team.

Same two teams, the Suns tempo allows opponants over 12 more possessions than does Dallas' tempo.

PPG is not the most accurate factor. The best factor is defensive FG%, then an adjusted rebounding rate and then and adjusted per-100 possession PPG.

The most accurate factor in my opinion is just watching how teams play defense in the 4th quarter when the outcome is not certain. I still haven't seen the Suns win a close game by making a bunch of defensive stops. They always seem to rely on their offense (and 3pt shooting). Historically, that just doesn't get you a le but there's always a first time.

[mabber]

121Game Links : GAME FINALBOXSCOREFULL PLAY-BY-PLAYRECAPGarnett’s Huge Night Helps Extinguish Suns’ Streak
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer
Posted Jan 30 2007 12:22AM
Print E-mail RSS Feeds E-News Sign Up Share on Facebook


Box Score
Timberwolves Home
Suns Home


Timberwolves 121, Suns 112
A hot fourth quarter helped the T-Wolves surge past the Suns, whose 17-game winning streak came to an end.

David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images
KG's season-high 44 points were the main catalyst behind the Wolves win over the Suns.
E-mail photo|Buy photos
Minnesota 121, Phoenix 117
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 29 (AP) -- The hard-driving Phoenix Suns had been blowing through the NBA in January, piling up points, highlights and victories at breakneck speed.

They finished the month just one win away from perfection after crashing into a 6-foot-11 road block named Kevin Garnett.

Garnett almost single-handedly snapped the Suns' 17-game winning streak, scoring 44 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in Minnesota's 121-112 victory on Monday night.

"People who say he can't carry the load, take a look at this game film,'' new Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said.

The All-Star forward, sometimes criticized for not coming up big in the clutch, was everywhere in the final period against the Suns, dropping turnaround jumper after turnaround jumper to give Phoenix its first loss of 2007.

He scored 15 points in the fourth, including a looping fallaway from the baseline that gave Minnesota a 118-109 lead with 1:55 to play, and put Wittman on the way to a win in his home debut.

"It's just about being a presence,'' Garnett said. "It's about making them have to deal with me. I will continue to take that approach.''

Raja Bell scored 26 points and Steve Nash had 20 points and 18 assists for the Suns, who were looking to tie for the fourth-longest winning streak in NBA history.

But one night after downing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for No. 17 in a row, the Suns couldn't find an answer for Garnett and uncharacteristically lost their offensive mojo in the fourth quarter.

After scoring 95 points in the first three quarters, Phoenix managed just 19 in the fourth and looked a little stagnant.

Nash dissected the Wolves' defense for the first three quarters, piling up assists at a near-record pace. But he scored just three points on 1-of-6 shooting and had just one assist in a final period that belonged to Garnett.

"Better to lose that way than to lose when we beat ourselves,'' Nash said. "Kevin was sensational. We just didn't make shots at the end at the clip Kevin was making them.''

The Suns were in deep trouble midway through the fourth quarter thanks to three big shots by Garnett and some dirty work on the boards by Mark Madsen.

Madsen, an offensive liability for most of his seven years in the league, hit a fallaway jumper just outside the lane to cap an 8-0 run, then gave Minnesota a 112-107 lead with 3:38 to play after he scooped up a rebound and laid it in.

Garnett followed with a twisting, turning fadeaway on the baseline that brought the crowd to its feet.

Yet the Suns handled their first loss since a 101-99 defeat at Dallas on Dec. 28 much the way they handled the 17 wins that preceded it - with a collective shrug and "aw shucks.''

"It was cool while it lasted,'' Bell said.

When the final buzzer sounded, Garnett came over to Wittman and stood eye-to-eye with the new coach, shouting encouragement before stomping off the floor. Wittman took over for the fired Dwane Casey last week.

"I think we all felt bad when Case lost his job,'' Garnett said. "No one ever wants to get fired or traded ... It was really heartfelt in letting (Wittman) know that we'll fight for you every night.''

Ricky Davis had 17 points for the Timberwolves, who shot 59 percent and simply wore the Suns down in the final minutes.

Shawn Marion had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Leandro Barbosa added 17 for Phoenix, which entered the night 15-0 in January.

"We'll start another one,'' Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "This is fun.''

Notes: Wittman said injured G Rashad McCants is getting "pretty close'' to coming back from microfracture knee surgery. Wittman wants to see McCants in a few more practices before he puts the second-year player in a game. ... Only seven of Phoenix's 25 assists were not made by Nash.

I would HATE reading these quotes if I were a Sun fan. It's like it's no big deal that they lost. The Nash quote made me laugh out loud. Better to lose a certain way???...give me a break. I guarantee you that both the Spur's players/coaches and Mav's players/coaches would be upset and would be saying they just played terrible defense when it counted. But it's all just another day in the Sun's "not caring about defense" world. And it comes directly from the top (D'Antoni) so I really don't blame the players for that at ude.

[mabber]

Lone bright spot is that the Suns lost by just nine, which means they still haven't lost a game by double-digits. Down one with minutes to play, which meant they were in the game before KG scored closer to 10 points in the final minutes.

Why does how much you lose by matter? A loss is a loss.

[JMarkJohns]

Why does how much you lose by matter? A loss is a loss.

Because, I believe the Suns not having lost a game by double-digits is as impressive a feat as their win streaks. It shows a level of consistancy in their play, no matter the opponant. They get up for even the least teams and compete with with the best, road, home, back-to-back... no matter what, they always show up and are always in the game at the end.

Like I said in another thread, Dallas, who's a better "up" team vs. the best the NBA has to offer, but has had several "down" nights where they've lost by upwards of 20+ points. All in all, the Mavericks have lost five games by double-digits, four by more than a dozen and two by more than 20.

it just shows that they both get up as well as play down to their compe ion. The Suns not losing by double-digits is impressive because it shows they haven't suffered a "down" night yet, or if they have, still managed to win, or at least have a chance to win late in the game.

[mavsfan1000]

Yeah the mavs are more streaky than the suns. I think it works to their favor as they can play at a level that no one else can be on at times. They dominate the boards which I think will be the deciding factor to the series against the suns. The mavs will probably play many close games with the suns but I think the mavs are better in close games than the suns are.

[JMarkJohns]

Yeah the mavs are more streaky than the suns. I think it works to their favor as they can play at a level that no one else can be on at times. They dominate the boards which I think will be the deciding factor to the series against the suns. The mavs will probably play many close games with the suns but I think the mavs are better in close games than the suns are.

At this point, I think each is very good in close games, Dallas just having had the best "last shot" in their prior meeting. Still, I'm not really confident with anyone on either team if they have to take the last shot, but if I had to rank them, I think it goes...

1. Dirk
2. Nash
3. Bell
4. Then a whole strew of Mavericks like Terry, Howard, Stackhouse...

Then

way down here...
7. Diaw
8. Barbosa

Dallas has a few more players who can hit the shot. The reason I give Dallas a slight advantage is because all the Dallas players named can create their own shot almost whenever. That's a great strength late in games. Suns rely on Nash too much. They miss Joe Johnson's iso ability.

And yes, the Mavs rebounding is their edge in a series. They are very good. It'll be interesting to see.

[mabber]

At this point, I think each is very good in close games, Dallas just having had the best "last shot" in their prior meeting. Still, I'm not really confident with anyone on either team if they have to take the last shot, but if I had to rank them, I think it goes...

1. Dirk
2. Nash
3. Bell
4. Then a whole strew of Mavericks like Terry, Howard, Stackhouse...

Then

way down here...
7. Diaw
8. Barbosa

Dallas has a few more players who can hit the shot. The reason I give Dallas a slight advantage is because all the Dallas players named can create their own shot almost whenever. That's a great strength late in games. Suns rely on Nash too much. They miss Joe Johnson's iso ability.

And yes, the Mavs rebounding is their edge in a series. They are very good. It'll be interesting to see.

I'd put Terry & Stackhouse up with Bell. I really have no clue about Howard as I don't recall him ever taking a "last shot". It really doesn't matter though as the Mavs will always run the pick 'n roll/pop with Dirk & Jet at the end of games so if the team decides to double Dirk then Jet will get the shot. For some reason teams have been fine with letting one guy cover Dirk late in games. He's making most of the clutch shots now. He never did early in his career but now I'm shocked when he misses. I'm the same way with Kobe & Nash (shocked when they miss a big shot).

I'm guessing that teams are going to make Jet or someone else beat them in the playoffs. I know I would take the ball out of Dirk's hands now.

[nsrammstein]

Jason Terry is 50 times more clutch than bell, bell can't even create his own shot.

[mabber]

Jason Terry is 50 times more clutch than bell, bell can't even create his own shot.

I know he's much more clutch than the Bell I knew (when he was with the Mavs) but Bell apparently is knocking down the wide open 3 pointers that Nash gets him now. I don't think they ask him to create his own shots. I really don't see enough of the Suns to definitively say that Jet is more clutch but I know I'd rather have Jet with the ball in his hands at the end of the game than Bell.