azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
May. 23, 2005 12:00 AM
Bye bye haters.
The tattooed words meander down Steven Hunter's right arm, and he wears this primal scream like a badge of honor. It's psychological retribution for the impossible expectations that accompany superhuman height and the private frustration of a player trying to find his place on the basketball court of public opinion.
He's high on himself.
He's down on himself.
He wants more minutes.
He wants fewer mistakes.
Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Suns needed Hunter in a big way. The San Antonio Spurs would throw two near-7-footers on the floor, which would present limitations for what Suns defenders Amaré Stoudemire and Shawn Marion could do. Enter Hunter, who played 30 minutes for only the second time this season. He responded with nine points and eight rebounds and offered relief for the Suns' big men, which, at 6-10 and 6-7, respectively, is a relative term.
Much like Hunter's four-year career, his effort in the 121-114 loss was, well, adequate. He battled for rebounds. He drew fouls. He made Tim Duncan work for many of his shots. In the course of the regular season, this would be a positive.
But this isn't the regular season.
It's the Western Conference finals.
The Suns are fighting for their postseason lives.
They'll need more from Hunter in Game 2, especially if Joe Johnson remains sidelined. This is not hating. This is simply what's necessary if the Suns hope to go to San Antonio with a split.
Understand that Suns coaches and players were nothing but positive about Hunter's efforts after the game. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he thought Hunter "was doing a good job" and Stoudemire said "he did what it takes."
But anyone who sat near the Suns bench Sunday could hear the multiple cries by coaches telling Hunter to get in the right position or asking him to defend Duncan differently.
At times he played, well, distractedly.
The cold, hard truth is that there is little margin for error when you're playing the Spurs. Hunter found that out firsthand when he chose to front Duncan during a play that resulted in a big, three-point basket for San Antonio guard Brent Barry, who sank another one 37 seconds later. A two-point lead became an eight-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
"We really didn't want to front him (Duncan) that much because we knew every time we'd front they'd drive baseline and he just seals and boxes you out," Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said. "He makes you come off a three-point shooter and block the layup and that's what happened on the three-pointer by Barry. . . . You're kind of trained like a dog to get back into the paint."
Listen, defending one of the game's greatest players is no easy task. Ideally, trying to stop him one-on-one is best, because as soon as you double-team, Duncan, a deft passer, finds an open teammate and it's over.
He's still dominating, bum ankle and all.
"His ankle," Hunter said, "is fine."
Indeed. We can agree Hunter's job is difficult.
But these are the Spurs, and the Suns trail 1-0, and the script suddenly changes. During the regular season, whenever the reserves came off the bench, all fans asked was for them to keep the team afloat until the starters returned.
Now the Suns need players such as Hunter to make something happen. There's no such thing as treading water against the Spurs, because they're a group of circling sharks who know the smell of blood.
"It's going to come down to how much heart we have and how hard we can play (for) 48 minutes," D'Antoni said.
The coach was talking about all his players but it's a message Hunter should embrace. At 7-feet, 240 pounds, he is agile and promising. He should look at Game 1 as a solid effort on which he can build.
Because solid efforts aren't enough anymore.
Not when you're playing the Spurs.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0523boivin0523.html
The Arizona Republic
May. 23, 2005 12:00 AM
Bye bye haters.
The tattooed words meander down Steven Hunter's right arm, and he wears this primal scream like a badge of honor. It's psychological retribution for the impossible expectations that accompany superhuman height and the private frustration of a player trying to find his place on the basketball court of public opinion.
He's high on himself.
He's down on himself.
He wants more minutes.
He wants fewer mistakes.
Sunday afternoon in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Suns needed Hunter in a big way. The San Antonio Spurs would throw two near-7-footers on the floor, which would present limitations for what Suns defenders Amaré Stoudemire and Shawn Marion could do. Enter Hunter, who played 30 minutes for only the second time this season. He responded with nine points and eight rebounds and offered relief for the Suns' big men, which, at 6-10 and 6-7, respectively, is a relative term.
Much like Hunter's four-year career, his effort in the 121-114 loss was, well, adequate. He battled for rebounds. He drew fouls. He made Tim Duncan work for many of his shots. In the course of the regular season, this would be a positive.
But this isn't the regular season.
It's the Western Conference finals.
The Suns are fighting for their postseason lives.
They'll need more from Hunter in Game 2, especially if Joe Johnson remains sidelined. This is not hating. This is simply what's necessary if the Suns hope to go to San Antonio with a split.
Understand that Suns coaches and players were nothing but positive about Hunter's efforts after the game. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he thought Hunter "was doing a good job" and Stoudemire said "he did what it takes."
But anyone who sat near the Suns bench Sunday could hear the multiple cries by coaches telling Hunter to get in the right position or asking him to defend Duncan differently.
At times he played, well, distractedly.
The cold, hard truth is that there is little margin for error when you're playing the Spurs. Hunter found that out firsthand when he chose to front Duncan during a play that resulted in a big, three-point basket for San Antonio guard Brent Barry, who sank another one 37 seconds later. A two-point lead became an eight-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
"We really didn't want to front him (Duncan) that much because we knew every time we'd front they'd drive baseline and he just seals and boxes you out," Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni said. "He makes you come off a three-point shooter and block the layup and that's what happened on the three-pointer by Barry. . . . You're kind of trained like a dog to get back into the paint."
Listen, defending one of the game's greatest players is no easy task. Ideally, trying to stop him one-on-one is best, because as soon as you double-team, Duncan, a deft passer, finds an open teammate and it's over.
He's still dominating, bum ankle and all.
"His ankle," Hunter said, "is fine."
Indeed. We can agree Hunter's job is difficult.
But these are the Spurs, and the Suns trail 1-0, and the script suddenly changes. During the regular season, whenever the reserves came off the bench, all fans asked was for them to keep the team afloat until the starters returned.
Now the Suns need players such as Hunter to make something happen. There's no such thing as treading water against the Spurs, because they're a group of circling sharks who know the smell of blood.
"It's going to come down to how much heart we have and how hard we can play (for) 48 minutes," D'Antoni said.
The coach was talking about all his players but it's a message Hunter should embrace. At 7-feet, 240 pounds, he is agile and promising. He should look at Game 1 as a solid effort on which he can build.
Because solid efforts aren't enough anymore.
Not when you're playing the Spurs.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0523boivin0523.html
