No doubt about it. Suns are the team to beat.

[Spurminator]

I don't disagree with your argument, Mr. Body, all I'm saying is that it has happened in the past with teams who were not known for their defense. I agree that it's rare, and for that reason I do not think the Suns will win the Championship.

[Mr. Body]

The proof is in the pudding, as they say. That's why they play the games, etc. What I think is even more important a factor is the lack of playoff experience for these guys. The Spurs are in an enviable spot to tighten the screws. Phoenix has the guise of a blithe and unflappable team - Nash drives the team there, too - but there are some very young players in that starting crew (I can picture the Stoudamire "I'm in over my head" look right now) and other than Nash, who went to the WCF that one year, none of them have playoff experience at all, or of any significance. Even Nash - does Parker have more games than he does? I must look this up.

[CosmicCowboy]

Agreed that playoff experience is important but they will need to be spanked a couple of times before there is any chance of rattling their composure...that is a very confident team right now...you can definitely see it in their body language...

[Extra Stout]

A team that has no devotion to defense can suddenly 'turn it on' when the situation warrants? Phoenix has one game plan: blow them away with offense. How in the world are they going to stop a good offensive team, continually, when they need it?

This is a key difference between the Suns and, say, the 2001 Lakers. The Lakers had proved they could play defense, but just had motivation issues until the games started to count.

These Suns are fully motivated, but simply are a mediocre defensive team with no experience getting key stops in a close playoff game late in May or June.

[CosmicCowboy]

I see the refs playing a big part in a Spurs/Suns series...calls in the paint will have a dramatic effect on the outcome...Duncan OR Stoudamire in foul trouble really creates opportunities for the other team...

[MiNuS]

The Spurs need to have the mentality that they are going to win one of the first two games in Phoenix.When they do and get homefield advantage and then beat them here @ SBC all this crap about the Suns being the team to beat will blow over.
In my opinion the team I really dislike against teh Spurs is the Pistons. If the Suns/Mavs series finds alot of similarities between both teams then Spurs/Pistons does the same. From coaches to bench.Except noone on the Spurs is yet to sport a protective mask.By the looks of Timmy he might be a candidate or even Manu.Manu needs a XL protective mask.Manu in a mask would be damn scary.

I give the mask to Bowen and that will scare the living lights out of Allen.

[Frenchise player]

Dampier is useless in this series.
I hope Rasho and Nazr will be able to defend on Amare, but if they can't, we always have Horry and maybee Devin to defend on Marion and Tim defend on Amare at the end of the games just like he does against Shaq. We did that when we won against them in Phoenix.

Another key if we play them will be to use our deepness wisely, they have basically a six men rotation and we can go 10 deep easily, our starters will stay fresh for the end of the games and they should be able to dominate the tired Suns.

[CosmicCowboy]

The Spurs need to have the mentality that they are going to win one of the first two games in Phoenix.When they do and get homefield advantage and then beat them here @ SBC all this crap about the Suns being the team to beat will blow over.
In my opinion the team I really dislike against teh Spurs is the Pistons. If the Suns/Mavs series finds alot of similarities between both teams then Spurs/Pistons does the same. From coaches to bench.Except noone on the Spurs is yet to sport a protective mask.By the looks of Timmy he might be a candidate or even Manu.Manu needs a XL protective mask.Manu in a mask would be damn scary.

I give the mask to Bowen and that will scare the living lights out of Allen.

agreed...Detroit just sliced and diced Indiana yesterday...Rip and Billups are just damned efficient players...

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

Remember when the St. Louis Rams were the powerhouse offense in pro football, and the New England Patriots were a bland, boring, no-frills offense with solid defense? Who won that Super Bowl?

Point is, Memphis and Dallas are two VERY different opponents than the Spurs will be---assuming that matchup does come to pass. And I think the Spurs having to match up against a running team with frontcourt size like Denver AND then a shooting team like Seattle actually preps them better for a Phoenix matchup than Phoenix going up against a couple of defense-deficient teams like the Grizz and Mavs. That is, Phoenix doesn't have to adjust its style of play in Rds 1 and 2, but the Spurs do.

We shall see, but I see no reason to a priori call Phoenix 'The Team to Beat' at this point.

[TMSKILZ]

LOL, guys it's only game1.

Dallas Def has improved with AJ @ the helm, but not enough to be taken seriously. To compare the Spurs/Det Def to Dal is a joke.

Amare has developed into a powerhouse, but he won't get as many easy shots in the post against our BIG's. He's getting to the FT line & making a high % of them, against us he'll get to the line b/c the Refs going to call ticky tack BS fouls on Nazr/Rasho when guarding Amare.

Let's get through this 2nd Rd against the crybaby Sonics then we can worry about the Suns. Dal won't get swept, I see them taking it to game 6 or 7 against the Suns.

[Obstructed_View]

Will always be a Spurs fan till the bitter end. Just stating the obvious. Nice try though.

No, you are hand-wringing because you are afraid the Spurs are going to lose and you'd rather be pleasantly surprised if they win than feel like a sucker if they get beat. You are terrified of the bitter end. You can relax. The Spurs will need bad luck to lose, and even if they do, there's always next year.

[MadDog73]

The Spurs will need bad luck to lose, and even if they do, there's always next year.

True, but believe this is our year!

2005: "The Revenge of the Spurs!" (did anyone else catch that promo?!?)

[cherylsteele]

How many times must this fallacy about defense be debunked? The Suns give up as many points as they do because they play a fast pace that gives both teams a lot of possessions.

Actually look at other stat would you?

Pace is only a small part of it.....Look at Opp FG%.......I believe at 46.8% they have the highest Opp FG% left in the playoffs...other than Dallas at 47.4%.....plus there Assists for and against for Phoenix are almost identical.....along with Dallas (although Dallas assist number for are lower then the Suns)....the Suns and Mavs allow way too many layups and points in the paint ot really be considered a threat.

The reason for the Mavs poor offensive showing isn't just Dirk.....Terry is the "point guard".....which makes him playing out of postion.


When was the last time an NBA team won with a reputation of a run-and-gun style and little "D" like the Mavs or the Suns?

[MadDog73]

When was the last time an NBA team won with a reputation of a run-and-gun style and little "D" like the Mavs or the Suns?

1979 Supersonics?

(I honestly don't know, that was before my time).

[Extra Stout]

Actually look at other stat would you?

Pace is only a small part of it.....Look at Opp FG%.......I believe at 46.8% they have the highest Opp FG% left in the playoffs...other than Dallas at 47.4%.....plus there Assists for and against for Phoenix are almost identical.....along with Dallas (although Dallas assist number for are lower then the Suns)....the Suns and Mavs allow way too many layups and points in the paint ot really be considered a threat.

The definitive measure of defensive efficiency is points per possession. The Suns were 14th out of 30 teams. They're middle of the road.

When was the last time an NBA team won with a reputation of a run-and-gun style and little "D" like the Mavs or the Suns?

There was this pretty good team that played in Inglewood, CA back in the '80s...

Now the Suns aren't those guys, but it can be done.

[Extra Stout]

1979 Supersonics?

(I honestly don't know, that was before my time).

Psst.. here are some hints:

Magic Johnson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
James Worthy
Jamaal Wilkes
Byron Scott
Mychal Thompson
Bob McAdoo
Michael Cooper
Kurt Rambis
Mitch Kupchak

Any of those names ring a bell?

[MadDog73]

Are you saying the Showtime Lakers didn't play any D? Mediocre D?

Were the 80's Lakers worst defensively than the Shaq/Kobe Lakers?

[Obstructed_View]

True, but believe this is our year!

That believe crap went out for me last year when the Spurs lost four straight to an inferior team, or maybe it was the previous time they were swept by the Lakers in a series they should at very least have been in, or maybe it was 2003 when they couldn't keep a lead and made every game interesting. How about the year they finished with 62 wins and went out with a whimper instead of a bang.

I love this team, but they have to do more than win five games against inferior opponents to earn my belief.

[MadDog73]

That believe crap went out for me last year when the Spurs lost four straight to an inferior team, or maybe it was the previous time they were swept by the Lakers in a series they should at very least have been in, or maybe it was 2003 when they couldn't keep a lead and made every game interesting. How about the year they finished with 62 wins and went out with a whimper instead of a bang.

I love this team, but they have to do more than win five games against inferior opponents to earn my belief.

I hear you, but there ARE no Lakers this year!

But the Pistons or Heat will be a challenge, no doubt. For some reason, I'm not that worried about the Suns... maybe I should be?

[Extra Stout]

Are you saying the Showtime Lakers didn't play any D? Mediocre D?

Were the 80's Lakers worst defensively than the Shaq/Kobe Lakers?

Their defense was comparable to these Suns, at least statistically. The biggest difference was that they had a guy who stop a hot scorer if need be.

Others have claimed Shawn Marion can be that guy for Phoenix. We'll see.

[Obstructed_View]

Any of those names ring a bell?

Didn't one of those guys trade Shaq?

[team-work]

The Suns' starting 5 may be one of the best in the league. However, they don't have a deep bench as the Spurs do. Their starters typically logs 40+ minutes in a game, with a 7 or 8-man rotation. What happens if one of the starter, esp Nash, gets injured? It did happen before. The Spurs, on the other hand, has shown it's more than just Tim Duncan. The biggest X-factor in this game is in fact the "injury factor". Even so, the Spurs have more weapons than the Suns.

[The_Game]

get out here with that rubbish

spurs play better defense but no way on earth do they have more weapons. It isn't even close. and bench play isn't a big factor in the playoffs anyway

[boutons]

http://www.nba.com/games/20050509/DALPHO/boxscore.html

... show a 6.5 man rotation. You would think with such a big lead all game, that the rotation would be a little less restricted.

Leandro seems to have dropped off Mike's radar. JJ was playing PG when Nash sat, JJ getting 43 minutes.

[team-work]

The key to beat the Suns is to stop them from scoring at will, as they did to the Mavs. The Spurs have stopped the run-and-gun Nuggets, and the sharp-shooting Sonics. Will the Suns be an exception? There's no reason why they will, given that the Spurs defense is so diligent.