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I hate Steve Kerr
http://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_04170801.aspx
Keys to Beating the Spurs
By: Steve Kerr
Well, this is what we've all been waiting for - the playoffs. Unlike the past few seasons though, we're not in a position to look very far ahead. After what has arguably been the most compe ive conference race in the history of the NBA, the West's matchups look positively scary.
Anyone can beat anyone. There will be no upsets, because I'm not sure who should be favored in any of these series. Under normal cir stances, winning 55 games would have gotten us a top 3 seed and a favorable matchup in the first round. This year - it's the world champion Spurs right out of the gates.
I guess the way to look at this series is this: we knew we'd have to get through San Antonio at some point, so we might as well try to do it right away. We're playing well, we're healthy, and the memory of our recent win in San Antonio is fresh in our minds. We know we have to win at least one game in San Antonio to win the series, so our 2-0 record there in the regular season is a confidence booster.
Of course, the playoffs are not the regular season - particularly when you're playing against the champs. The Spurs are well coached, extremely tough defensively and balanced offensively. They have seen everything there is to see in the world of NBA basketball. And most of all, they have a ton of pride. This is a team that will fight til the last second.
These are some of the keys, as I see them:
1. Contain the penetration of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. In our win on April 9th in San Antonio, Parker went nuts in the first half, but we cut off his drives to the basket in the second half, which allowed us to take control of the game. Ginobili suffered through a poor shooting night, which we won't be able to count on - he'll make a lot of shots in this series. But by denying the easy baskets to those two, we can make it tough for the Spurs to score. Keeping them out of the lane is priority number one, in my mind.
2. Make Tim Duncan work for his points. We're much better equipped to do so now that we have Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq can cover Tim one on one, which means we don't have to send double team help. If Shaq can force Duncan into some low percentage jump shots, we can live with the fact that he'll probably score 20 points per game. We just can't allow Duncan to have those 10-15 shooting nights. When the Spurs shoot a high percentage, they have time to get back and set up their half court defense, which is their strength.
Of course, Shaq won't always be on Duncan. Amare will cover Tim some too, which leads me to my next key....
3. Keep Amare out of foul trouble. Amare has to be smart, especially once he picks up a foul or two. Mike D'Antoni will rotate Amare and Shaq onto Duncan, and if Amare can stay on the floor and out of foul difficulty, we'll be in pretty good shape. As with every team we play, Amare is a matchup nightmare, so the more he's on the floor the better.
4. Bench play. In last year's playoff series with the Spurs, Boris and Leandro were not very productive. The Spurs did a good job of controlling both of them. I think it's important for them - and for Gordon Giricek - to play aggressively and give our team a boost. Boris' aggressiveness in recent weeks has been fantastic. He can play a huge role for us in this series.
5. Stay poised. The Spurs are tough. Bruce Bowen will harass Steve Nash the entire series and try to frustrate everyone. We have to fight and compete, but without losing control of our emotions. It's imperative to play through any adversity, remain confident and maintain a poised aggression throughout.
We feel like we're ready to go. Our guys are confident, and they're as prepared for San Antonio as they'll ever be. This feels like a conference finals matchup, but as I said, we knew we'd have to play the Spurs eventually. We've suffered a couple of heartbreaking losses to these guys in two of the past three post seasons. Hopefully this is our year - we're due!
Thanks, as always, for supporting our team.
Go Suns!
I hate Steve Kerr
him
I hope the Spurs not just blow out the Suns @ PHX, but the run score up on them too, then Horry can hip check Nash right into the table again for good measure
Steve Kerr the hero of the Spurs...oh how the mighty have fallen. LOL
Steve Kerr
He forgot
6. Keep our stupid-assed players on the bench if something happens on the court.
I actually expected it to read: "Bench play: Keep'em seated"
I still can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing seeing the Suns in the first round.
What would be the mental affects and ramifications to this squad next season if they lose in the FIRST ROUND in their le defense?
Maybe that would shock the FO into actually getting someone younger than 30 YO next year.
What would be the mental affects and ramifications to this squad next season if they lose in the FIRST ROUND in their le defense?
And this series is far from a slam-dunk. Last night's performance against Utah was nice but it was basically fools' gold against a Utah team that really didn't want to win. Take that game away and you have a Spurs team that has played like teh suck for the last couple weeks against a Suns team that's been playing well in the same time.
I think that's what he meant by "stay poised"... a nice way of putting it.
This is probably the best series in the first round. The NO-Dallas one could get interesting and Utah-Dallas might go 7.
2-7
That's the Suns home record against SA in the 2003, 2005, and 2007 playoff series. You can break down the matchups any way you want, but until PHO can defend their home court, they don't have a chance in any series against SA.
If you were really that chick in your profile pic, then I'd hate Steve Kerr, too, just to show you how much you mean to me.
Dear Steve,
Thanks for all the threes against Dallas. Now bend over cuz here it comes again.
You're right,the SUNS do play soft at home but... Last time i checked YOU'VE got the HCA which may turn out to be a disadvantage for you guys.
Since when do the Suns have a bench to play?
Check out last night's box score. They ALL played.
Sean Marks had 16 points!
I don't like Steve Kerr anymore.
so steve kerr is telling the world and spurs how they will play
why
and by the article he is telling suns coach what to do
It's amazing how much i have come to hate that man and everytime they say "Shaq can guard Duncan" one on one you Suns fans should be getting nervous. You can bet Timmy is chomping at the bit to shove that down your throats.
No he's really not because Shaq does not have to bite for any of his pump fakes. He is so large Duncan cannot move around him and will be forced into taking lower percentage outside shots. Face it, Shaq is one of the last defenders Duncan wants to see.
Don't know if you guys missed this but it's funny how he points out to Bruce Bowen in this paragraph. It's a way to tell people to focus on what Bowen does and be on the lookout for problems. It creates a mindset from the get-go
If Tim can hit his bank shot Shaq will have to come out and face him outside the rim; hence, killing the purpose of Shaq being there and oppening for manu or tony to go in. - also it all comes down to whether Tim can hit those shots from outside and bring him out so he can go right pass him to the rim.
The most disturbing thing is Shaq on O hitting those hook shots regardless of who's covering him. If he does that the spurs will have to double team each time and make him work for the position each time.
Steve Kerr and every other talking head in the business failed to realize that Tim sandbagged this whole season.
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