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and 0 defense played....
17 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds.
and 0 defense played....
Actually, Kurt Thomas never really found his shooting touch with the Suns, especially not last year. In fact, Thomas missed tons of games and never got integrated into the Suns rotation because of injuries. And he was injured in the playoffs too. Kurt Thomas never had any substantive impact for the Suns, and his importance has been greatly exaggerated. People talk about how the Suns will miss him against Duncan, but I seem to remember Thomas giving up huge numbers to Duncan in the playoffs. Skinner is just as good if not better for the Suns so far, because he fits the Suns' style better.
And 3-5 from behind the line. If you throw out game 1, he's hitting above 35% (and climbing) for the season from 3. I don't know why this surprises anybody, either. He's always had a smooth shot. Why shouldn't he hit from 3 as well?
Grant Hill is a ing stud.
FG % is entertaining, but the whole point of defense is to keep the other team from scoring. The Suns can't do that when they need to, especially when they run up against a team that can keep them from scoring big.
A low FG% allowed implies that you kept the other team from scoring. The Suns and Spurs are currently tied in points allowed per 100 possessions, which means they're equally as effective as keeping the other team from scoring. This stat doesn't take into account the amount of offensive rebounds allowed, however.
I agree FG% doesn't take rebounds into account, but points per 100 possessions does, doesn't it? Or do they count an offensive rebound as a new possession, which would screw up the stats a bit.
I completely disagree with the above comment that implies that the Suns play decent defense but can't make the stop when it matters. The problem is exactly the opposite: the Suns can play very good defense in spurts when the game is on the line, but they tend to lose interest in defense in the middle of games and allow teams back into games.
Suns need to get better on the defensive glass. They induce enough misses with their serviceable defense and fast pace, but they need to protect against 2nd shot opportunities and they'll be golden... basically another reason Skinner should be playing more than 12 mins per game.
Aggressive game out of Diaw last night... good to see. D'Antoni says he should get "starter minutes" so maybe he should play him more and give Hill, Nash, and Marion some rest.
At 29 MPG, Amare will be the only rested one for the playoffs... but that's cause he fouls too much.
The Suns always have been able to play defense in spurts against the NBA at-large. Even last year, they were mid-pack defensively, rather than terrible.
They have terrific individual defenders like Marion and Raja Bell. What they don't have, and won't ever have as long as D'Antoni is their coach, is a coherent team defensive scheme. This is what nails them in the playoffs.
Specifically against the Spurs, they're setting themselves up for failure. Their best offensive lineup has no chance even at slowing down Tim Duncan. Purportedly, Brian Skinner is their designated Duncan-stopper, but he's a below-average offensive player, and at 12 minutes a night, he's not going to be integrated into the team offense the way, say, a Fabricio Oberto is in San Antonio, so if Duncan is ripping up the Suns in a contentious fourth period, D'Antoni can't put Skinner in because he'll be such an offensive liability.
What does Grant Hill solve against the Spurs? What does Hill do to change the status quo of Parker and Ginobili running wild and free when playing the Suns?
The player the Suns needed to solve their matchup problems against San Antonio was a low-post presence who credibly could guard Tim Duncan, and who could provide a shot-blocking threat when Parker or Ginobili beat their man on the perimeter, without being such a liability on offense that D'Antoni won't play him.
They don't have that guy.
Oh, and the Spurs went through a defensive "lull" last year, too. That stopped in March when they shifted into their le-winning gear.
They like to run and score, but they also know from years of experience what it really takes to win a championship.
The Suns close their eyes and pretend it isn't true.
I deleted the rest for brevity. If Joe Johnson didn't bolt for a contract, the Suns would probably have had a Finals appearence by now.
Only thing Grant Hill adds is a midrange game and smart decisions from the SF position... things Joe could do. I don't know if he would take Bowen away from guarding Marion/Nash, which is what JJ did in the only game the Suns won in '05.
Interior defense remains relatively unchanged, but Skinner is a hard worker and would pour everything he's got into 30 minutes guarding Duncan. He's got a much better jumper than I thought he had, but I still don't think he's going to have the pick and roll skills with Nash that Thomas had. D'Antoni's best bet is to have Skinner and Amare on the floor at the same time to keep Stoudemire out of foul trouble.
Watch JJ any this year?
Suns - Thomas <<< Suns + Hill
Sublime for Suns fans to think otherwise. Marion by the way is also very over-rated as a defender, Raja Bell is ok but when was the last time Marion stopped a Spurs scorer? Answer never. Marion has historically choked against Spurs in playoffs and Suns should have packed him off by now.
Finally, get back to me in mid-season and lets see if Grant Hill holds up - would not bet the farm on that one.
Last edited by Rummpd; 12-06-2007 at 05:41 PM.
Yeah - inconsistent. But when you have Anthony Johnson as your PG instead of Steve Nash, things get tougher.
He would have remained a great fit on the Suns instead of trying to get a max deal and becoming a 30-shot per night guy.
Answer - Game 2 v. Tony Parker, which is the only game he actually tried to play defense.
He just plays D now based on reputation and doesn't actually try.
Let's see first if he makes it through a whole NBA season unscathed before you start to anoint him the saviour of the Suns franchise.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore...gid=2007120727
18 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds against Washington.
And 36 minutes in a game where they led by 24 going into the fourth.
Unless I'm mistaken, when Hill suits up tomorrow, it will be the first time in years (ever?) that he's started more than 20 games in a row. I suppose you could read that either way.
I don't really get the obsession everyone has with player minutes and the Suns. I'm sure it's a good workout playing 36 whole minutes of a game and all, but it's not exactly grueling to run up and down the court for 36 minutes, rest for 48 hours, then do it again. Maybe for the really big guys it's hard on the knees, but for more normal players, I just don't see it. They're professional athletes, after all.
Anecdotes and opinions aside, does anyone have any actual evidence to suggest that playing longer minutes leads to more injuries or less energy for the playoffs?
I don't think the few extra minutes is as big a deal as these Spurs fans would like you to believe. I heard recently that the Suns practice a lot less than other teams, which has to make it easier to play 35 minutes a game as opposed to 33 minutes.
Tony Parker plays more minutes than Steve Nash. And they must be much harder minutes since Spurs fans will remind you that he plays defense.
I wonder if that less practice helps their defense...
WASHINGTON - Tonight against the Timberwolves, Grant Hill will play his 21st straight game for the Suns. That might not sound like anything extraordinary. But for Hill, it will represent the longest regular-season run of health since he was a Detroit Piston eight years and a half-dozen surgeries ago.
Not only is Hill playing, but he’s playing at a level few thought they would see again. Over the last 13 games, Hill was averaging 18 points and shooting 57 percent from the floor. His 3-pointers are starting to drop (7-for-13 over the last five games) and his athleticism belies his 35-year-old birth certificate – injury history or not.
To watch Hill flash from the deep corner to the hoop on one dribble or race ahead of the pack on the fast break is becoming more and more common.
“There have been a few moments here lately when I said, 'Wow, that’s a move I haven’t made since Detroit.’ I can’t tell you how good that feels,” Hill said after collecting 18 points, eight assists and five rebounds in front of his dad, former NFL star Calvin Hill, and about a dozen other friends and family Friday night.
Hill grew up in nearby Reston and starred at South Lake High School before moving on to Duke and the NBA.
“I wanted to keep trying, keep coming back because I really felt like this was still there. And to play with players who are so talented, unselfish and enjoy playing together, with a guy like Steve (Nash) orchestrating … even if two or three guys are off on a given night, we have the firepower to keep going. I don’t know how teams go about preparing for that.”
Coach Mike D’Antoni feels having Hill around makes it that much harder for foes.
“He was an All-Star before he got hurt, I guess he shouldn’t be surprised that he’s playing at an All-Star level now that he’s healthy,” D’Antoni said. “He’s not 35, you know. He hasn’t played for years, he’s taken care of his body, he’s the first one in to work and he’s dedicated to his craft. He’s getting more comfortable showing us what he can do, and I think there is even more to come.”
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