http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.3ed5079.html
Twin terrors doom Spurs - Stoudemire, O'Neal help Suns take control during fourth quarter
Web Posted: 04/10/2008 12:31 AM CDT
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
Two months ago, the Phoenix Suns made a trade for one monster. They ended up with two.
In a move much-scoffed at the time, the Suns coaxed Shaquille O'Neal from Miami. In doing so, they seem to have coaxed Amare Stoudemire one step closer to supers om.
Stoudemire owned the game early and O'Neal took over late as the Suns, behind their new tandem of twin ans, smacked the Spurs 96-79 on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.
"I got the greatest power forward in the game playing with me," O'Neal said. "It's my job to take him to the next level."
Stoudemire had 16 of his 21 points in the first half, while O'Neal scored six consecutive points during a fourth-quarter surge that helped the Suns deal the Spurs a devastating defeat.
With the victory, the Suns (53-26) claimed a regular-season series against the Spurs (53-25) for the first time since 2002-03.
For Stoudemire, who has thrived with the 7-foot-1 O'Neal as his running mate, it was his 35th time in 37 games he eclipsed 20 points. Notably, his two games under 20 came against the Spurs.
Playing off O'Neal, who had 14 of his 16 points in the second half, the 6-10 Stoudemire had no such trouble Wednesday.
"Amare is going to score with or without Shaq," said Spurs forward Kurt Thomas, who spent the past two seasons in Phoenix. "But he's been on a tear with Shaq around him."
With as many as five teams still able to play first-round foil, the Spurs still have no idea who they will face when the playoffs open in a little more than a week.
One of the possibilities? These same Phoenix Suns.
That should be a sobering thought for the Spurs, who are now clinging to the West's No. 2 seed by virtue of tiebreakers against Houston and the L.A. Lakers.
The Spurs' most obvious woe Wednesday: They shot 42 percent, including a 33.3-percent fourth quarter, and failed to crack 80 points for the third consecutive game.
At one point in the second half, they managed just seven points in a 12-minute span, a devastating stretch against the high-scoring Suns.
It marked the Spurs' second blowout loss to a playoff-bound team in less than a week. The Spurs lost 90-64 at Utah on Friday.
"Our defense was solid enough," Tim Duncan said. "We just couldn't sustain miss after miss. That falls on me. I had a lot of shots in that fourth quarter, what I felt were good looks. They just didn't go down for me."
Duncan led the Spurs with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but missed 12 of 21 shots. Tony Parker added 20 points but, like Duncan, struggled in the fourth quarter.
Manu Ginobili, the presumed front-runner for the league's Sixth Man of the Year award, was held to just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Still, late in the third quarter, the Spurs seemed poised to seize command.
With 3:53 left, they were ahead 66-61 and both Phoenix behemoths were on the bench with foul trouble. The Suns were forced to go miniature, with 6-foot-8 Boris Diaw cons uting their "big man."
But the Spurs couldn't capitalize.
Leandro Barbosa, who finished with 14 points off the bench, closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer to give Phoenix a 72-68 lead and opened the fourth with another three to put the Suns up by seven.
Soon, the Suns got O'Neal and Stoudemire back in the game to protect the lead.
It was O'Neal's turn to take over, and he told his teammates as much.
"They're playing me single coverage," O'Neal says he told them. "Let's make 'em pay."
The Suns fed O'Neal and kept feeding him. He made the Spurs pay, throwing in a trio of jump hooks to help Phoenix extend its lead into double digits.
"I think you see what Shaq does for us," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said.
The Spurs saw it first-hand Wednesday. One monster did his damage, then another.
Eh. I don't know how to react to this game. I was hoping for a better performance but yet I'm not worried. The Suns played like they wanted it more.
Playing the Suns now is a smash mouth, drag out affair. It wasn't pleasant watching this game but at least no one got hurt.
Get a good night's sleep, learn from it, and come back stronger in the playoffs.
I still believe.
Watch film of the zone and learn how the to bust it.
Taking Dancan out of the game with more than 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd when both Amare and Shaq were in foul trouble tells me that Pop didn't mind losing this one.
CIA Pop might have had a different plan.
When Shaq started rolling in the beginning of the 4th, there was no double team on him. Remember that both Amare and Nash were on the bench. Yet the Spurs gave O'Neal jump hook over and over again. I believe Pop "deliberately" didn't put Kurt Thomas on Shaq.
Why?
One, he didn't think winning this game would really matter (He gave in in the 3rd).
Two, he didn't want to expose the Spurs's real playoff strategies (no double team on Shaq, no Kurt Thomas in the second half).
They will come back with vengeance two weeks later.....
Go! Spurs Go!
Double teaming Shaq was all what Suns wanted without Nash in there. Pop did the right thing there. And if KT was in there on Shaq who'd TD be covering? Diaw, who had been very effective in- and outside all game? Not to mention KT would be too slow to defend fastbreaks. So, there are pros and cons. Sometimes, coach has to make a decision among the poisons.
You can't play double team on the Suns...that's a death sentence. It's very similar to the Bowen move to the corner 3 when you double Timmy.
With the Suns, you double in the Center and Barbosa, Bell, Giricek, Nash are all waiting at the 3 point line. And if you stay home on the 3 point shooters, Amare is open for a drive in dunk or open midrange shot.
Suns will be extremely difficult to deal with in the first round, by the 2nd round Shaq should start wearing down after a 5-6 game series in a few days...so that will be a better matchup.
If TD is aggressive and takes it at Shaq instead of shooting lefty jump hooks and turnaround jumpers, we have a great chance to win. If he doesn't, we have no chance.
All I know is that I will have my safety belt fastened for this years playoffs as Ralph Lawler would say.
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