May 17, 2007
Bordow: Etch it in stone - Suns will win series
Scott Bordow, Tribune
After the Suns fell behind the Los Angeles Lakers, 3-1, in their 1993 first-round playoff series, coach Paul Westphal guaranteed a happy ending.
“The next game is over there Tuesday. We’re going to win that,” Westphal said. “Then the next one is Thursday. We’ll win there, too. Then we’re going to come home next Sunday and win that one, and everyone will say what a great series it was.”
Anybody for an encore?
The Suns weren’t making any guarantees Thursday. They’re too smart for that.
But I’m not.
Phoenix will win Game 6 tonight. It will win Game 7 Sunday. And everyone will say what a great series it was.
“We know it’s tough,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We know it’s going to be hard. But if we play well we can beat them and we probably will.”
It’s amazing how many fans already have said their goodbyes to the Suns, presuming there’s no way Phoenix will beat the Spurs in San Antonio and force a Game 7.
They’ve grabbed the ready-made excuse handed them by NBA commissioner David Stern and run with it.
It’s Stern’s fault. He cost us the series.
No, he didn’t.
Obviously, the one-game suspensions to Amaré Stoudemire and Boris Diaw crippled the Suns in Game 5.
But you know what?
If the Suns are a championship team, they’ll find a way to beat the Spurs tonight and do it again on their home floor Sunday.
And if they don’t, well, then they weren’t good enough.
“We lost the game. Big deal,” Steve Nash said. “We still have a great opportunity.”
There was some question before the series as to whether the Suns were good enough to beat the Spurs. That question has been answered.
They are.
The Suns have gotten over the psychological hurdle the Spurs presented.
They proved that with their Game 2 rout, the valiant comeback in Game 4 and their inspired play on Wednesday. If not for the calamities that always seem to strike the Suns in the postseason — Nash’s injury in Game 1, the Stoudemire and Diaw suspensions — they might be beginning preparations today for the Western Conference finals against the Utah Jazz.
“Every time we’ve gone through some tough times, we’ve bounced back,” D’Antoni said. “I think we’ve grown up a little bit.”
Before the series began, D’Antoni said the Suns had better players but the Spurs had the better team.
He doesn’t believe that now. Nor should you.
“I think we’re better,” he said. “They’re going to have a hard time beating us.”
Those words will find their way inside San Antonio’s locker room, but, more importantly, they tell you something about the Suns’ psyche.
Were they tired and sore Thursday? Sure.
Were they resigned to their fate? Absolutely not.
“We’re very confident,” Kurt Thomas said. “I think we’ve shown in any situation we’re capable of winning.”
It won’t be easy tonight. San Antonio will be highly motivated to end the series and avoid coming back to Phoenix for Game 7 Sunday. And unlike the 1993 Lakers, who snuck into the playoffs despite finishing the regular season 39-43, these Spurs are good enough to win a title.
But so are the Suns.
And while they were victimized by the NBA, that doesn’t mean they have to be a victim.
“I like who we are,” D’Antoni said. “I like our team. Let’s go down there and prove it.”
Bordow: Etch it in stone - Suns will win series
Scott Bordow, Tribune
After the Suns fell behind the Los Angeles Lakers, 3-1, in their 1993 first-round playoff series, coach Paul Westphal guaranteed a happy ending.
“The next game is over there Tuesday. We’re going to win that,” Westphal said. “Then the next one is Thursday. We’ll win there, too. Then we’re going to come home next Sunday and win that one, and everyone will say what a great series it was.”
Anybody for an encore?
The Suns weren’t making any guarantees Thursday. They’re too smart for that.
But I’m not.
Phoenix will win Game 6 tonight. It will win Game 7 Sunday. And everyone will say what a great series it was.
“We know it’s tough,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We know it’s going to be hard. But if we play well we can beat them and we probably will.”
It’s amazing how many fans already have said their goodbyes to the Suns, presuming there’s no way Phoenix will beat the Spurs in San Antonio and force a Game 7.
They’ve grabbed the ready-made excuse handed them by NBA commissioner David Stern and run with it.
It’s Stern’s fault. He cost us the series.
No, he didn’t.
Obviously, the one-game suspensions to Amaré Stoudemire and Boris Diaw crippled the Suns in Game 5.
But you know what?
If the Suns are a championship team, they’ll find a way to beat the Spurs tonight and do it again on their home floor Sunday.
And if they don’t, well, then they weren’t good enough.
“We lost the game. Big deal,” Steve Nash said. “We still have a great opportunity.”
There was some question before the series as to whether the Suns were good enough to beat the Spurs. That question has been answered.
They are.
The Suns have gotten over the psychological hurdle the Spurs presented.
They proved that with their Game 2 rout, the valiant comeback in Game 4 and their inspired play on Wednesday. If not for the calamities that always seem to strike the Suns in the postseason — Nash’s injury in Game 1, the Stoudemire and Diaw suspensions — they might be beginning preparations today for the Western Conference finals against the Utah Jazz.
“Every time we’ve gone through some tough times, we’ve bounced back,” D’Antoni said. “I think we’ve grown up a little bit.”
Before the series began, D’Antoni said the Suns had better players but the Spurs had the better team.
He doesn’t believe that now. Nor should you.
“I think we’re better,” he said. “They’re going to have a hard time beating us.”
Those words will find their way inside San Antonio’s locker room, but, more importantly, they tell you something about the Suns’ psyche.
Were they tired and sore Thursday? Sure.
Were they resigned to their fate? Absolutely not.
“We’re very confident,” Kurt Thomas said. “I think we’ve shown in any situation we’re capable of winning.”
It won’t be easy tonight. San Antonio will be highly motivated to end the series and avoid coming back to Phoenix for Game 7 Sunday. And unlike the 1993 Lakers, who snuck into the playoffs despite finishing the regular season 39-43, these Spurs are good enough to win a title.
But so are the Suns.
And while they were victimized by the NBA, that doesn’t mean they have to be a victim.
“I like who we are,” D’Antoni said. “I like our team. Let’s go down there and prove it.”
