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Good no excuses. Spurs will blow them out at home JJ or no JJ.
Johnson works out in mask, aims for Game 3 return
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
May 24, 2005
PHOENIX (AP) -- Wearing a clear mask that stuck to his cheeks more with every drop of sweat, Suns guard Joe Johnson on Tuesday went through his longest workout since breaking a bone near his left eye, then said ``there's a good chance'' he'll return for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
``I don't want to speak too soon, but we're shooting for it,'' Johnson said.
Johnson joined his teammates for some offensive drills about eight hours before they played host to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2, then was the last player on the court while working on his shooting.
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The way he was swishing 3-pointers, Phoenix -- which lost the opener -- could've used him in Game 2, but coach Mike D'Antoni said the club was sticking by its Monday decision to keep Johnson out at least one more game.
``He's progressing really well. He's just not ready,'' D'Antoni said following the shootaround. ``He hasn't played in two weeks. We can't afford to have any unknowns. We'll have to adjust as a team to him also coming back, so we need a couple practices.''
Those will come Thursday and Friday, following a team day off Wednesday. If all goes well, Johnson could be back in the starting lineup Saturday in San Antonio.
Johnson is Phoenix's third-leading scorer, but his impact goes deeper. He often plays point guard when MVP Steve Nash rests, and he's a solid defender. In this series, he'd likely go against Spurs point guard Tony Parker, as he did when the teams met in the regular season.
Johnson was hurt May 11 when he fell from the rim and crashed face-first on the court. He had surgery the next day. There's still some blood in the eye and a bit of swelling left, but Johnson says his vision is fine.
Getting the mask to fit has been tricky, partly because of the swelling. Now the big obstacle is getting comfortable with the shield, which goes from his hairline to his top lip and practically ear to ear, with circles cut out for his eyes and nose.
In his first big test with it Tuesday, Johnson repeatedly pried it up to let some air in. During games, he expects to take it off and dry it during timeouts.
``It's a little funny-feeling, but it doesn't bother me or anything,'' he said. ``I'm ready to get out there.''
Johnson took a few whacks on the mask from a trainer and came away unfazed.
``I really didn't appreciate that, but I guess it's part of the process,'' he said, laughing. ``He gave me a couple of hard shots where I had my fracture and I withstood it. Like I said, we've got high hopes.''
Johnson also isn't worried about the layoff affecting his conditioning. It's hard to question his endurance considering that until this injury he'd played 287 straight games since joining the Suns.
``I'm so ready to get out there and play, that I'll be fine,'' he said.
Good no excuses. Spurs will blow them out at home JJ or no JJ.
hmm, Suns shot 3G's well, 50%, but only did 6-12. I wonder why?
Johnson instantly gives the Suns a bench. If he starts, the Suns go to Jim Jackson and Steven Hunter off the bench (instead of just Hunter). Add this STUPID three day break and the Suns will have a lot of rest where an extra man on the bench will make even more of an impact.
I hate how long these breaks are.
I disagree.
Sincerely,
Duncans Ankle
Just hope this long break can help rest our team, from Tim's ankle to Devin Brown's leg, which has yet to regain full strength. And they come out strong next game to put the Suns in a 3-0 hole.
Duncan & Parker said "we're ready"
I hope our guys don't give JJ any extra room. I can imagine Tony or Bruce thinkin'..."Man, what if I hit him in the face and he loses his eyesight or sumthin' "
Bowen will have to just avoid any Bruce Lee moves...
Which ankle are we talking about when we reference "Tim's ankle"?
I don't think Joe Johnson will make much of an impact even if he does play. He will be too scared to get hit in the face and will make a lot of turnovers and miss a lot of shots.
If the suns lose this game i bet yah their excuse will be the mask, spurs in 4 book it
i think anyone besides the 5 starters on the court is a plus for us...
Make no mistake... the Suns will be fighting for their lives on Saturday. They will be ready to go (3 days rest). If the Spurs aren't careful, they could find themselves behind really fast.
That said, the Spurs will have 3 days to come up with a way to at least limit the points that Amare gets to 30. I expect huge games from Manu, Tony and Tim as usual. And who knows? Maybe Robinson will be looking for some buckets, too!
The Spurs will stick to their game plan, either with JJ or not. It does'nt matter the Spurs are focused to win. I believe Bowen will come up big in this game he is due!!!!!
We've heard this before. Just replace Saturday with Tuesday..... As far as the 3 days rest, both teams need it.....
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