http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/35423
First impressions
With one pretend game, the orange slices are piled high. Here's more to chew on from Wednesday night's preseason opener with the emphasis on the idea that it was only an exhibition and two key cogs were out:
* As much as something changes, the more it stays the same. The Suns' emphasis on defense looked good in the first quarter with Atlanta only scoring 12 (just like last year, when the Suns held Kings at Sacramento to 18 in the first quarter). Steve Nash held back his offense for the good of team rhythm, taking only four shots but recording nine assists in 25 minutes (in last year's opener, Nash shot three times and had 11 assists in 26 minutes). Amare Stoudemire is out with an eye issue (Stoudemire sat out last year with a knee issue). Mike Bibby didn't look good for the Hawks (Bibby didn't look good for the Kings last year). The revamped Suns are supposed to be more methodical but took nine more shots than they did in last year's first preseason game, although they took 16 fewer 3-pointers (did you see New York went 8 for 34 from 3-point range at Toronto?).
* Steve Nash gets off the line of the night. When it was observed that he almost seemed more comfortable running the half-court sets instead of deciding when he could run a transition game, Nash said, "It's almost like, 'Are we allowed to do this, Dad?" He followed up by pointing out that the emphasis on half-court offense has been necessary because it has been a team weakness. Nash knows the team gets to run when they get stops. As he pointed out, hopefully that is more than half the time. "We're starting to get to know him and understand what he's looking for," Nash said of Porter. "Now, he's got to drill it over and over and over. Get that repetition that can allow us to learn what he wants us to do."
* Robin Lopez had a conflicted game Wednesday from the get-go. As soon as he entered, he got the ball in the post, faced up and banked in an 8-footer. In scrimmages, he usually had been going to his jump hook out of the post. But the next trip down, Lopez picks up an offensive foul (I can't remember if it was on this trip or another but Lopez learned Wednesday about the call he will always get if he even slightly pivots during a hand-off pass). Then, after 39 seconds of play, Lopez had a second foul and it was great. Josh Smith took off for the rim and Lopez laid him down and didn't stop being aggressive, blocking Zaza Pachulia on the next trip. There's going to be a balance he'll have to find of being aggressive while swallowing some rookie calls he'll get. "That's helpful because you have to learn from that," he said of the calls. Shaquille O'Neal pointed out to Lopez that big men foul out when guards don't keep their men in front of them. It's too early to identify rebounding as an issue with Lopez but his one rebound Wednesday was a bit curious for a 7-footer. He had five rebounds in 42 minutes of running time in the intrasquad scrimmage Friday.
* Before we get away from the mention of rebounding, how about Atlanta scoring 27 second-chance points off of 12 offensive rebounds?
* Matt Barnes was the star last week in Tucson but couldn't find the range Wednesday despite trying his mightiest with 15 shots in 25 minutes. He made five shots, all in the fourth quarter with some inside stuff, including a nice post move. He made his first 3-pointer in the final minute on his sixth try. No worries there. Barnes will find his points and niche but it is a reminder to not expect too much from him at the 3-point line. Much like Shawn Marion, his long-distance shot might be only adequate. He hit a career-high 36.6 percent of 3-pointers two years ago but 29.3 percent last year.
* If the Suns could shoot, their new offense would have looked a lot better. A lot of times, early misfires are chalked up to preseason legs. Phoenix missed all 10 of its perimeter shots in the first quarter. If the Suns hit just four of those, it's a 13-for-23 quarter. The first jumper didn't fall until Alando Tucker hit a mid-range wing shot off an inbound play nearly 18 minutes into the game. He hit another jumper off that but Tucker is mostly a junkyard dog, finding his way often to easy buckets with backdoor cuts and off-ball dives into the paint.
* Louis Amundson earned fan favor with his high-energy play. It's a great sign for the in-case-of-emergency-break-glass scenario but it's not plausible now that Amundson would see regular minutes. Much of his opportunity Wednesday and in the coming games is because of Amare Stoudemire's absence. The 12 points looks great but he had more goaltends (two) than blocks (one) and as many passes thrown away (three) as rebounds (three). What you have to like is how hard he plays and how he finds his way to the rim offensively, even if his finishes are a 50-50 proposition right now. "That's just how I play," Amundson said of his on-court energy. "I don't have a choice." Best yet, Amundson gets where he's at and won't be sulking about watching. "I'm sitting behind two really good players," Amundson said of Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. "I'm just going to play my role. If they need me, I'm there."
* Boris Diaw had no assists. That's a rarity for arguably the league's best passing big man. It happened four times all of last season.
* Goran Dragic looked the part of a solid backup and an apprentice, especially late in the game. In his best moment, Dragic picked Acie Law's dribble and finished with a fastbreak lay-in at the other end. But on a key possession moments later, a play broke down and Porter used it as a teaching tool that he should have gone to get the ball and ran a high screen-and-roll to bail the Suns out. Instead, Coleman Collins wound up taking what might be his last shot in a NBA uniform. He was cut after the game while the team was boarding a bus to the airport. As for Dragic, Porter pointed out some late-game defensive deficiencies against Acie Law but Dragic had the defensive gem when he blocked a Law layup. Porter liked what he did offensively to find teammates in traffic or the open court.
* Grant Hill would have had a very efficient, Hill-type game had he not missed on finishes of the two transitions that looked most like the previous years' Suns.
* Like you, I'll be relying on Al McCoy tonight for the Suns' game at Utah but will catch back up with the team in Indian Wells, Calif., on Friday in preparation for Saturday's outdoor game.
