Buck Harvey: Who owns whom? The only way the Spurs lose the series
Web Posted: 05/22/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...2998e7342.html
San Antonio Express-News
PHOENIX — Steve Kerr picks the Spurs to beat the Suns, and that's where Kerr and I disagree.
Kerr thinks the Spurs will win in seven games.
I think the Spurs will win in six.
Kerr says this with some emotional conflict, since last summer he became a Suns investor and consultant. And he says this with one condition.
If Steve Nash keeps acting like Magic Johnson with stringy hair, aren't the Spurs in trouble?
This time, I agree with Kerr.
Kerr knows all about playing against Nash in the Western Conference finals. Two years ago, in a memorable Game 6, Kerr came off the bench against Dallas, cold and unused, and Nash stood nearby watching three after three fall.
No one knew it at the time, but NBA labor history had been made. Few players have ever been beaten by an owner this way.
Kerr always said he was just along for the ride during that le run, which of course he wasn't. But Kerr was just along for the ride last summer, when eight members of the Suns organization traveled in a private jet to recruit Nash.
Kerr didn't have much to do with it. Bryan Colangelo, the Suns' general manager, made up his mind about Nash before Kerr joined the franchise.
Kerr, instead, was about as quiet as a silent partner can be. More vocal on that trip was Amare Stoudemire; Kerr remembers Stoudemire selling Nash with a bold prediction.
"Come here," Stoudemire told Nash, "and it's OVER!"
Kerr was all for the move, but he didn't see the it's-over part. In a Yahoo.com column he wrote last fall, Kerr picked the Suns to finish eighth in the West.
"I figured Steve would make them a playoff team," Kerr said Saturday.
Most figured wrong, most notably Mark Cuban. And last week, asked about those who have second-guessed his decision to let Nash go, Cuban reacted with his usual grace. He called those people "idiots."
That said, Cuban had some logic last summer, and the Spurs might have agreed with him. Nash had success against the Spurs in the past, all right, but he was never an MVP candidate.
Kerr saw this firsthand, too. In that 2003 conference finals against Nash and Dallas, Tony Parker once scored 19 points — in a quarter.
The Spurs will want to take advantage of Parker driving on Nash today (how many MVPs come with such a weakness?), just as they have before. Parker also scored 29 and 30 against the Suns this season.
Going by this, don't the Spurs have a counter?
Not necessarily. The Suns can switch Nash to Bruce Bowen, which they have done before, and then there are the Spurs' weaknesses the Sonics found. If the Spurs struggled with the Luke Ridnour/Jerome James pick-and-roll in the last series, they likely will with Nash/Stoudemire.
The Spurs will win, instead, for other reasons. Tim Duncan will get Stoudemire in foul trouble. Manu Ginobili will drive to the basket even more often than he did against Denver or Seattle. And Robert Horry leads a deeper bench.
As for the unexpected: Beno Udrih, pressed into more minutes because of the Suns' small lineups, surprises.
But there's something else at play here, and it should be as scary to the Spurs as Duncan spraining both ankles at once. The Spurs have never seen this Nash.
The league has rarely seen this kind of point guard, and Friday night displayed the full power. Nash went for 30 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, holding up for 50 minutes, and his poise on a 3-pointer at the end of regulation summed up what he has become.
"That was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen," Kerr said.
This from a man who played with Michael Jordan.
Kerr doesn't think Nash's numbers will be as flashy against the Spurs as they were against the Mavericks. But then Kerr says without hesitation: "He's playing at a different level. He's reached the point in his career where everything has come to a head. He has the ultimate confidence and composure, and he's completely in charge and unflappable. When was the last time you saw a point guard dominate a series like that? Magic?"
The Mavericks contributed to that. The Spurs will slow down the Suns better than anyone outside of Detroit could.
But if Nash continues his ride?
Kerr will be wrong about this series, as will others.
I would say there's no way Nash can keep up those numbers against the Spurs...
but we've been saying that about Nash all year, haven't we?
Plus, Nash doesn't have to score to be a threat. If he can thread the ball to create easy looks the other Suns, Spurs are in a world of hurt.
'Course, we all know this. The Spurs know this.
I can't wait 'til tomorrow! Sleep impossible...
Nash only averaged 13 pts on 38% shooting against the Spurs in the regular season. I know he might have a big outburst in one game against the Spurs, but I don't expect to see him putting up 35++ points regularly in this series.
My brain agrees. My heart is still worried.
EDIT: Who wrote this?
My heart believes. My brain is still worried.
Oh, let's just play ball!
Last edited by MadDog73; 05-22-2005 at 08:34 AM.
Nash's points are far less dangerous than his assists. Keeping them out of their offensive sets will be key, making Nash give up the ball early is a huge part in beating the Suns.
I know Nash is a great pg with great floor vision, but the ty defense, or lack of it, by Dallas made him look like Superman. Spurs are much better defenders.
Personally I'd let Nash score whatever he can get, and kill his passing lanes.
Nash doesn't make Phoenix unbeatable when he's scoring 40, he does it when he's dropping 15-20 dimes upside your head.
Or would it be better to let Amare get whatever he wants, and then shut down everyone else? Thats what we did back in December and we won. I know its the playoffs, but anything is welcome right now.
"et Amare get whatever he wants"
Amare is neutralized without Nash.
Amare got 37 @SBC, JJ, QR, and SM were all in single figs, and the Spurs blew them out.
NBATV is showing the season stats, Spurs avg 114 vs Suns 108, which shows how the Spurs weren't very effective in taking Suns out of their high-sccoring game, but still managed to outscore them when all the Spurs were healthy.
As always for the Spurs, the key will be defense, and I'd really like to see the Spurs hold the Suns to well under 108 ppg, which is an incredible +20 PPG above Spurs avg PPG allowed.
Last edited by boutons; 05-22-2005 at 08:38 AM.
I think the Spurs should try to make Amare score every possession. Seriously, give him 100 points and give Nash (no points and) 50 assists. If they let him dunk on every pick and roll but keep from fouling him for and-1's, none of the other long range guys will have any rhythm to hurt the Spurs from outside.
Maybe it's just me, but I see Amare as nothing more than a quicker version of Jerome James. Sure, he has more of an outside game, but I think it's just on display because he gets more shots than James.
Last edited by Zan the Fan; 05-22-2005 at 08:59 AM. Reason: typo!
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