Clippers @ Suns 5/16/2006 game thread -Yahoo/ESPN previews

[elindholm]

I love the expression on Brand's face. He's thinking, "I don't really like the look of this..."

 

[Cheesebeef]

LOVE the shot of Dunleavy there - his face just SCREAMS: OH CRAP!

And the look in Raja's eyes is just flat out scary - cold blooded KILLER scary - about time we got one of those guys! I LVOE RAJA BELL!!!!!

 

[az1965]

I like Dunleavy's expression...

 

[Cheesebeef]

I like Dunleavy's expression...

SERIOUSLY - it's like "He really let him get that shot off?"

CLASSIC!

 

[elindholm]

By the way, Bell is now 34-65 (.523) on three-pointers in the postseason.

 

[az1965]

By the way, Bell is now 34-65 (.523) on three-pointers in the postseason.

And we got this guy for defense... this is just bonus!

 

[PHX 32]

K first time post here, but I just got back from the game and all i have to say is one word............UNBELIEVABLE. That was by far the best sporting event i have witnessed in my life and Raja was unbelievable and continues his streak of playoff dominance. Big time props to marion for stepping it up when we needed him the most and having, what i thought, the best playoff game of his career if not his whole career. Now i need to get a difibulator to restart my heart from that insane game!!!!

 

[hsandhu]

Missed Nash, what exactly did he say was hurting? Will rest do anything about it, or is he gonna have to just deal with it?

 

[SunsTzu]

You take away the first 6-8 weeks of the season and his 3pt % would have been way higher for the year. Once he got used to shooting when open he was killing it.

 

[arthurracoon]

what a game.

i think i woke up the house when i yelled when raja hit that shot.

 

[Yuma]

When you guys hated the Bell acquisition in preseason, I told you you'd love him! He was nasty in Utah. Just like you hated Ainge until he came to Phoenix. Except, Bell has game left in him!

 

[mribnik]

When you guys hated the Bell acquisition in preseason, I told you you'd love him! He was nasty in Utah. Just like you hated Ainge until he came to Phoenix. Except, Bell has game left in him!

Sorry Yuma, I completely forgot I was in the chat! I heard the beeping sound when you messaged me, but by the time I figured out it was from the chat you had gone.

 

[Ciani]

Marion was lucky to know where he was after that foul. The foul isn't what really got him but Brand's left hand got caught in Marion's jersey and he threw his head to the ground ... it was an accident but OUCH

You are right, but on the other hand, Quinton Ross didnt look much better after TT's hard foul against him and he easily made both FT's. So I think it was rather a mental problem than physical in Marion's case.

Anyway the thing which bothers me the most is the state of Nash's health - he looked so tired already in the end of the regulation when he made those ugly turnovers and that clutch 3 pointer from nowhere. It was not the 2x MVP Steve Nash at all.

 

[Evil Ash]

You are right, but on the other hand, Quinton Ross didnt look much better after TT's hard foul against him and he easily made both FT's. So I think it was rather a mental problem than physical in Marion's case.

Anyway the thing which bothers me the most is the state of Nash's health - he looked so tired already in the end of the regulation when he made those ugly turnovers and that clutch 3 pointer from nowhere. It was not the 2x MVP Steve Nash at all.

Ross braced himself somewhat and didn't go head first. Marion is lucky not to have a concussion

 

[S_Nash]

Man am I glad that they showed this one over here.

I even had money on it! Both teams had to have a combined score of over 214.5 and Phoenix had to win at the -5.5 line. The odds were only $3.25 to 1, but I got it in the end. Thank god for overtime.

I watched the overtime periods down at the local betting agency (which is mainly for horseracing) and when Bell hit that shot, I was told to "be quiet" lol. Plus with no sound it was really hard to make out what the calls were. When Livingstone stepped outta bounds, I thought we had commited a foul.

Phoenix Suns Baby!

NEVER SAY DIE

 

[gdiddy]

What a great game. I'm proud of Phoenix's effort.

But despite all the drama near the end, they would not have gone to double-OT or resorted to hail mary clutch shots had they maintained their 19-point lead in the third. I mean it got so ridiculous that if I were Mike D, I would have been livid--and I'm sure he was. You don't take low percentage shots (3-bombs) near the end of the stretch when you have a comfortable lead. Just drain the clock, and try to score in the paint. Drain, score, drain, score.

Instead they tossed up one brick after another and Cassell was able to get back into his rhythm.

Just ticks me off that the Suns don't understand what it means to protect your lead. It's no different than the Steelers. When they're up, they run the ball. Make the game clock your friend, and your opponent's enemy.

 

[elindholm]

It was way too soon for the Suns to change their game plan. A 19-point lead in the middle of the third quarter is nice, but you have to keep doing what you're doing. I don't remember exactly how they lost the lead, but "protecting" it by going away from their game plan wasn't the answer.

 

[Chaz]

It was way too soon for the Suns to change their game plan. A 19-point lead in the middle of the third quarter is nice, but you have to keep doing what you're doing. I don't remember exactly how they lost the lead, but "protecting" it by going away from their game plan wasn't the answer.

Exactly, to continue the football analogy, It is like having the lead because of your aggressive blitzing defense than going to the prevent defense in the third quarter.

 

[Suns_fan69]

It was way too soon for the Suns to change their game plan. A 19-point lead in the middle of the third quarter is nice, but you have to keep doing what you're doing. I don't remember exactly how they lost the lead, but "protecting" it by going away from their game plan wasn't the answer.

If I remember correctly they got that lead with Kaman in the game, and it was slowly chiseled down when they took him out (replaced by Ross?).

On another note, where was Maggette last night? I don't remember him playing at all. He usually gives us fits.

 

[nowagimp]

When you guys hated the Bell acquisition in preseason, I told you you'd love him! He was nasty in Utah. Just like you hated Ainge until he came to Phoenix. Except, Bell has game left in him!

You were so very right about Bell. Doug Collins, TNT color guy and former NBA coach, said Bell was the best player for the suns in the postseason. The guy is well worth the 5mil he cost. I also recall alot of criticism about the Bell acquisition on this board.

 

[DeAnna]

Will the NBA EVER stop calling the BS fouls where the shooter jumps into the defender? That foul on Thomas was crap.

Yeah, they need to change that rule to an offensive foul when it's so obvious. I was livid! But then Raja gave Sam a taste of his own medicine late in the game.

 

[DeAnna]

This ranks close behind Elie. We're done.

We had a heck of a year given all the injuries, but we're finished. Call me a quitter if you want, but you don't recover from blowing 19 point leads at home in a game 5.

Ok, we're gonna give you a chance to retract that statement.

 

[jibikao]

Yeah, they need to change that rule to an offensive foul when it's so obvious. I was livid! But then Raja gave same a taste of his own medicine late in the game.

You know what, I was thinking about this last night. So many guys live by this "jump into the defender" to live on Free Throw. Dirk, Cassel and even Manu love doing that. Cassel is so hard to guard because he is the master of this.

Technically, when TT jumped first in the air, shouldn't he reserve the right to be in his spot? It was Cassell who jumped INTO him after TT jumped. Cassel wasn't even jumping at all.

I wish our guys can do that. It's dirty but it gets the job done. We are #1 jump shooting team and #1 free throw team. If all our shooters can learn this trick, we should be going to the line a lot more often. So many times when the defender runs so fast to cover our 3pt, our guys just never jump into the defender to draw the foul. The defenders worry so much about our shooting and a lot of them jumped even before we shoot the ball. That's the perfect chance to draw the foul.

I hate that foul but if that's what NBA rule is, we should spoil it just like many teams do.

 

[nowagimp]

You know what, I was thinking about this last night. So many guys live by this "jump into the defender" to live on Free Throw. Dirk, Cassel and even Manu love doing that. Cassel is so hard to guard because he is the master of this.

Technically, when TT jumped first in the air, shouldn't he reserve the right to be in his spot? It was Cassell who jumped INTO him after TT jumped. Cassel wasn't even jumping at all.

I wish our guys can do that. It's dirty but it gets the job done. We are #1 jump shooting team and #1 free throw team. If all our shooters can learn this trick, we should be going to the line a lot more often. So many times when the defender runs so fast to cover our 3pt, our guys just never jump into the defender to draw the foul. The defenders worry so much about our shooting and a lot of them jumped even before we shoot the ball. That's the perfect chance to draw the foul.

I hate that foul but if that's what NBA rule is, we should spoil it just like many teams do.

The rule wasnt always called this way. Sam jumped about 3 feet into TT on the second one. Even Doug collins said it didnt look like a foul, sam just jumped into him.

 

[elindholm]

The defensive player is allowed to jump straight up. But if he is moving toward the offensive player while in the air, and then the offensive player moves into him, it's a foul. It's bogus, but changing the rule would require some delicate judgment from the officials in a lot of cases, and they've already demonstrated that they aren't particularly good at that.