Duh'mare

[Chaplin]

Our interior defense collapsed because our top 3 big men all had 5 fouls in the 4th quarter. Is that so difficult to understand?

 

[hafey]

The thing is, Thomas didn't flop there. Amare ran straight in to him and everyone saw it coming. He HAS to play smarter against the Spurs and has NOT shown the ability to do it.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think people are overreacting to one play (the charge).

uh, no. Amare didn't show on the three (incredibly stupid or lazy, take your pick, neither is pretty), he picked up a god-awfully-stupid foul on a reach on our end of the court that led to his... forget it. If you somehow think Amare is a smart basketball player, I don't know what to tell you. Look, the guy is as athletically gifted as any big man I've ever seen, but he's rocks for brains basketball wise. And it's not like this is the first time Amare's made mistake in the playoffs - do I need to remind that he got his ******** suspended last year and then responded to the same type of crap AGAIN this year with the Bowen elbow? People who don't learn lessons from prior experience in my view aren't very intelligent people.

Everyone makes mistakes, and maybe even a bit moreso than usual at the end of games. Let's not forget that today was an exception for Nash (THIS season), he has been horrible in late games, specifically in the turnover department, all year. No one is calling him a supertard or unbelievably stupid or w/e.

yeah, that's because a) Nash has been INCREDIBLE in the playoffs the last three years, single-handedly carrying this team at times. and b) Nash is 34 years old and wearing down... his game is supposed to start tailing off. Amare's not.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The thing is, Thomas didn't flop there. Amare ran straight in to him and everyone saw it coming. He HAS to play smarter against the Spurs and has NOT shown the ability to do it.

exactly.

 

[cobbler]

call me whatever you want (and the above is pretty low), but I've loved Amare for a long time and defended him against a lot of people, but today was just inexcusable and it's in a game like today where you see if you're star has "it" or not and so far, all he's shown the last two years in the biggets moments is that he doesn't. That pisse sme off.

You are correct...though maybe a bit harsh. Amare, being the go to guy has to know his place. It was a close game and had potential to go OT. He knew he had 5 fouls and should have taken the less contact route. My guess is his mindset was, im going to go high flying, slam down the game winner and be the highlight on ESPN. He needs to be smarter than that.

 

[cobbler]

I can't blame Amare for this, he is what he is - a beast. He isn't a genius or floor leader, he scores a lot and blocks some shots. He did that well today. A couple of the calls on him were BS.

The loss can fall squarely on the moronic coaching staff which twice failed to foul up 3 in the closing seconds, letting the Spurs hit two game tying threes. If D'Antoni isn't fired after this season, I won't be rooting for them any longer.

Actually, the majority of coaches dont like to foul in that situation. I would have but what do i know?

 

[Chaplin]

Amare DOES need to be smarter, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you want your best player taking the shot at the end. And Amare CLEARLY was our best player out there besides Nash, who was being mauled pretty much every time he had the ball in the 2 OT's.

 

[The Man In Black]

You are correct...though maybe a bit harsh. Amare, being the go to guy has to know his place. It was a close game and had potential to go OT. He knew he had 5 fouls and should have taken the less contact route. My guess is his mindset was, im going to go high flying, slam down the game winner and be the highlight on ESPN. He needs to be smarter than that.

Bingo...highlight film ender was what he was going for. The guy just had to go ol-skool Mars Blackmon and say 2 points is 2 points and a jumper would've been sufficient. I'd say in terms of mental smarts Amare' is smarter than Kwame Brown.

 

[cobbler]

I think people are overreacting to one play (the charge). If Kurt hadn't flopped, Amare had finished the shot or got to the line or whatever, all we'd be talking about is how amazing Nash and Amare are. But we lost, so everyone is butt hurt and looking for people to blame.

Sorry.... but that was a clear charge. If you really believe it wasnt then you have blinders on.

 

[cobbler]

Bingo...highlight film ender was what he was going for. The guy just had to go ol-skool Mars Blackmon and say 2 points is 2 points and a jumper would've been sufficient. I'd say in terms of mental smarts Amare' is smarter than Kwame Brown.

Thants not saying much! A rock is smarter than Kwame

 

[Cheesebeef]

Amare DOES need to be smarter, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you want your best player taking the shot at the end. And Amare CLEARLY was our best player out there besides Nash, who was being mauled pretty much every time he had the ball in the 2 OT's.

what's your point Chap? I think everyone's in agreement that they wanted the ball in Amare's hands there. He just needs to shoot an 8 footer and kill that team instead of barging into a guy HE KNOWS plays great position defense. Now you may say that's a lot to think about with 20 seconds left, but the great players are able to do that.

 

[cobbler]

what's your point Chap? I think everyone's in agreement that they wanted the ball in Amare's hands there. He just needs to shoot an 8 footer and kill that team instead of barging into a guy HE KNOWS plays great position defense. Now you may say that's a lot to think about with 20 seconds left, but the great players are able to do that.

Correct! Great players take what is given them which in that case is pull up for the jumper or dish to open shaq. He was thinking highlight.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

I truly believe that if Amare gets the ball at the end of regulation instead of Barbosa and when nails it he is being hailed and that play is a non issue, unfortunately that was never in the plans.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Correct! Great players take what is gven them which in that case it pull up for the jumper or dish to open shaq. He was thinking highlight.

see, I don't think he was thinking "highlight". I think he just WASN'T THINKING. He's an animal out there who plays on sheer adrenaline/athleticism and that's what keeps him from being an elite player. He doesn't have the cerebral game to go with his talent.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Correct! Great players take what is given them which in that case is pull up for the jumper or dish to open shaq. He was thinking highlight.

Not likely, he was thinking be aggressive and get fouled or make the higher percentage shot, I guess suns fans are so brainwashed that they think jump shots are really better than going to the hole. Thomas made a better play, period.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I truly believe that if Amare gets the ball at the end of regulation instead of Barbosa and when nails it he is being hailed and that play is a non issue, unfortunately that was never in the plans.

maybe and I think Barbs getting the last shot was unfathomable again, but when was the last time you actually did see Amare make and complete that play at the end of a game as tight as this? 2003? On a bank? Dude either tenses up at the line or just makes bad decisions at the end of huge ball games against... eh, I'm done with this. that game sucked.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Not likely, he was thinking be aggressive and get fouled or make the higher percentage shot, I guess suns fans are so brainwashed that they think jump shots are really better than going to the hole. Thomas made a better play, period.

a wide open 8-footer is the play to be made there tree. I'm not normally an Amare-basher but you take what's given there (which was a wide open 8 footer), especially with the lead and 5 fouls.

 

[Chaplin]

Not likely, he was thinking be aggressive and get fouled or make the higher percentage shot, I guess suns fans are so brainwashed that they think jump shots are really better than going to the hole. Thomas made a better play, period.

And there you go. Perfectly said. Amare with the ball in his hands is what you want. But Thomas made a perfect defensive play and Amare didn't recognize it--that's all. Whether that makes him "stupid" is up for debate, considering about 80% of the time, that move would have gone in his favor.

 

[The Man In Black]

He was thinking highlight, it's hard-wired due to his youth. He's an ESPN highlight guy, whereas Nash, Duncan, Ginobili...they just want to compete and win. When he did his dive-cut to the basket, he had 3 feet on KT to figure out what he wanted to do and you Suns fans know his pull-up jumper is deadly but he opts to take a power dribble and try the dunk on KT why? Because if he gets that dunk and call, he sees ESPN highlights every half-hour. Now he has to watch what REALITY is because he wasn't there to help his team in double-OT.

 

[tobiazz]

You can't teach height or speed and you can't teach intelligence either. Notice that Amare has become very proficient at things like dunking and shooting that require instinct rather than thinking. More complicated things like defense seem to be beyond him.

I'm not going to blame this loss on anything, especially officiating, but Amare certainly has room for improvement in areas that would have helped today. I can't BELIEVE he keeps lowering his shoulder right into defenders and reaching in after misses. Next season, the coach needs to sit Amare every time he reaches in after the other team gets a rebound. He has to lose that terrible habit.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

maybe and I think Barbs getting the last shot was unfathomable again, but when was the last time you actually did see Amare make and complete that play at the end of a game as tight as this? 2003? On a bank? Dude either tenses up at the line or just makes bad decisions at the end of huge ball games against... eh, I'm done with this. that game sucked.

No doubt Amare hasn't been clutch by any circumstance, I do think he chokes at the line in the 4th, but it's not like D'antoni has ever gone to Amare at the end of any period, in fact I think Barbosa takes the lions share of end of period shots, I don't understand why you put an equally inferior IQ guy that can't get to the line in so many clutch situations.

 

[The Man In Black]

The holding foul he picked up on Ginobili when Manu tipped a pass away towards Barbosa wasn't smart either. He lets that one go, the charge would've been the 5th foul.

 

[Cheesebeef]

And there you go. Perfectly said. Amare with the ball in his hands is what you want. But Thomas made a perfect defensive play and Amare didn't recognize it--that's all. Whether that makes him "stupid" is up for debate, considering about 80% of the time, that move would have gone in his favor.

really? How many times have we seen the Spurs take chargers and get them against Amare? That wasn't a perfect play. It was an EASY play. We had run the same play over and over again. A smart player recognizes the defense has changed and makes them pay for it. And he doesn't just sit back and do nothing when Finley comes around that curl and he doesn... eh, forget it. I said I was done and I'm done.

the next really big play that Amare makes against the Spurs in a tight game in the playoffs will be his first since the block. i'm looking forward to that moment a) because it means we probably won and b) because I can shut up about how pissed I am that my favorite player is so damn stupid.

 

[Cheesebeef]

No doubt Amare hasn't been clutch by any circumstance, I do think he chokes at the line in the 4th, but it's not like D'antoni has ever gone to Amare at the end of any period, in fact I think Barbosa takes the lions share of end of period shots, I don't understand why you put an equally inferior IQ guy that can't get to the line in so many clutch situations.

i agree with that as well. it's infuriating.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Not likely, he was thinking be aggressive and get fouled or make the higher percentage shot, I guess suns fans are so brainwashed that they think jump shots are really better than going to the hole. Thomas made a better play, period.

Thomas didn't even have to move to draw that charge... Amare should have recognized that with Thomas' position, he didn't have a chance of getting to the hole... Truly great players are capable of making that decision in a spot like that...

However, nn a game when the Suns took a 24 second violation with Amare, Shaq and Nash on the floor, I find it tough to single out Amare...