From the sidelines in San Antonio

[Greg Popovich]

First--congrats to the Suns for a magnificent game--especially in the 4th quarter. I was in the close to the Suns bench and was able to see the intensity on the Sun's players faces.

During one stretch in the fourth, when the Suns had a timeout, you could see Coach D, talking very seriously to the Suns players and he kept saying Ginobli over and over again. Whatever he said worked like hell since Manu had such a bad game.

A few odds and ends that may be of interest to Suns fans...

Some fans tried to approach the Phoenix bench before tipoff to get an autograph and were pro mptly admonished by security to stay away from the Suns players.

Shaq turned around and saw a little boy--looked about 3 or 4 years in age wearing his jersey. Shaq grinned and told security he wanted the little boy to come onto the floor in front of the bench.

This child looks straight up into Shaq's face and Shaq bent over to shake the little boy's hand. He got a pen from someone on the sidelines and autographed both the little boy's jersey and his Phoenix Suns cap. he really made that child's evening--I am sure he will never forget the night that Shaq had he come from the stands to go onto the floor in front of the Suns's bench right before tip off.

Suns defense was just stifling in the second half. Manu could not get anywhere close to the rim. Tim Duncan tried and would miss shots right in front of the rim due to the defense taking him out of his game.

In the second half, it seemed like Shaq was just unstoppable. Everytime he scored, the Suns bench just went crazy.

I did not see the contact between Bowen and Stat since it happened at an angle that was difficult for me to see. But what I could see when Amare came back to the sidelines was Shaq talking to Amare for a long time. He is mentoring Stat--an intangible that has no price on it.

All in all--it was a complete win by the Suns. This was not a game where one team just didn't make easy shots. The fact is that in the second half, there were no easy shots. The Suns defense was just that good. The speed and the quickness that the Suns demonstrated was just incredible. Watching the team that close to the floor gives a much different perspective that watching it on TV.

Great game by the Suns. Great coaching by Coach D. Great intensity by the Suns players, all the way from the starters to the bench.

As for SA--as much as I hate to say this--they looked confused, dazed--and old. With tough games coming up, SA will have to figure out why they cannot score in the second half. Maybe they run out of gas by then. Maybe they are being outcoached. Maybe its a combination.

Once again--congrats.

 

[Cheesewater]

^^^^^^^
100% Class.

Good game GP.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

If you could give some posting pointers to ambchang I will nominate you for ASFN Poster of the Year.

 

[Michael]

Thanks for your impressions and the little note on Shaq!

 

[PHX 32]

Classy post from GP as always. Thanks for the comments.

 

[atikiN]

Wow, one of the most quality posts I've read on this forum.

 

[French Fries]

Thanks for your impressions and the little note on Shaq!

 

[PoolBoy]

wow, and here i thought all spurs fans were ignorant jerks.

 

[Lorenzo]

First--congrats to the Suns for a magnificent game--especially in the 4th quarter. I was in the close to the Suns bench and was able to see the intensity on the Sun's players faces.

During one stretch in the fourth, when the Suns had a timeout, you could see Coach D, talking very seriously to the Suns players and he kept saying Ginobli over and over again. Whatever he said worked like hell since Manu had such a bad game.

A few odds and ends that may be of interest to Suns fans...

Some fans tried to approach the Phoenix bench before tipoff to get an autograph and were pro mptly admonished by security to stay away from the Suns players.

Shaq turned around and saw a little boy--looked about 3 or 4 years in age wearing his jersey. Shaq grinned and told security he wanted the little boy to come onto the floor in front of the bench.

This child looks straight up into Shaq's face and Shaq bent over to shake the little boy's hand. He got a pen from someone on the sidelines and autographed both the little boy's jersey and his Phoenix Suns cap. he really made that child's evening--I am sure he will never forget the night that Shaq had he come from the stands to go onto the floor in front of the Suns's bench right before tip off.

Suns defense was just stifling in the second half. Manu could not get anywhere close to the rim. Tim Duncan tried and would miss shots right in front of the rim due to the defense taking him out of his game.

In the second half, it seemed like Shaq was just unstoppable. Everytime he scored, the Suns bench just went crazy.

I did not see the contact between Bowen and Stat since it happened at an angle that was difficult for me to see. But what I could see when Amare came back to the sidelines was Shaq talking to Amare for a long time. He is mentoring Stat--an intangible that has no price on it.

All in all--it was a complete win by the Suns. This was not a game where one team just didn't make easy shots. The fact is that in the second half, there were no easy shots. The Suns defense was just that good. The speed and the quickness that the Suns demonstrated was just incredible. Watching the team that close to the floor gives a much different perspective that watching it on TV.

Great game by the Suns. Great coaching by Coach D. Great intensity by the Suns players, all the way from the starters to the bench.

As for SA--as much as I hate to say this--they looked confused, dazed--and old. With tough games coming up, SA will have to figure out why they cannot score in the second half. Maybe they run out of gas by then. Maybe they are being outcoached. Maybe its a combination.

Once again--congrats.

that is a great unbiased post. either way....the spurs are a great team. and you and other spurs fans are fortunate to have such a great team to cheer for. A lot of people bash the spurs....but they are the model nba franchise currently and still have the best coach in the game IMO. the fact that the suns.....and mavs.....both had great teams......and made changes fundamentally just goes to show that defense and playing physical bball is the only way to win a title in todays game. and I wonder what team caused those changes to be made???

 

[Cheesebeef]

besides Shaq's obvious impact on the court, I think his impact OFF it is just as large for this team. In 2004-5, this team blazed a trail that people hadn't seen for years and they had this identity as the NBA's version of the Rams "Great Show On Turf" in the NFL with their ability to light up the scoreboard. Then, in 2005-6, with all the adversity, they were the "Little Team That Could". Last year, they were "The Team that was too Tight" or "The Team That Got Screwed", not really establishing an identity (at least to me) until that 4th quarter comeback against the Spurs in Game 4 and then by the end of the game, they completely screwed their chances of getting over that hump... and that never went away. This team, while winning a decent amount of games, was just listless this year, stale, dare I say, even boring. They didn't know who they were anymore, had no swagger and seemingly no chemistry and because of that, I stopped caring about this team. They didn't seem to, so why should I? I'd watch games, but I wouldn't get mad and I wouldn't be happy if they won. It was just like... routine. Watch, win, lose, next game...

Then came SHAQ. Instantly roles were defined and he brought with him just the sheer ridiculousness that is Shaquille O'Neal. Him talking to Amare and calming him down is EXACTLY why we got him. Amare, like an idiot who didn't learn his lesson, looked like he wanted to go after Bowen... but Shaq knows better. He's been around the block. He's not going to let one of our guuys get sucked into blowing something because a team is getting...

eh, this is a ramble.

bottom line:

SHAQ RULES. I LOVE this team again.

 

[dodie53]

thanks GP

 

[cly2tw]

Great, insightful writeup, thanks!

I said once that the main advantage of Spurs over Suns in previous years, and over most other teams, was due to Duncan needing double teaming on offense. With Shaq in there, even if TD could hit some of those tough shots, the other players on Spurs won't be able to get it done against the rest of the Suns. Particularly, with Shaq in the middle, Manu and Parker's game becomes less effective by nature of lack of space.

In this particular game, Suns started to go for straight defense with Nash on Parker and Amare on TD. Amare got 2 quickies which was an important reason that Spurs had their lead. However, this strategy reserved Shaq and Hill's defensive energy for covering TD and Parker in the more crucial 4th quarter. Also, the selective use of zone worked like charm. Very smart moves! Props to DA.

In addition, Diaw, LB and Gira all played great and kept pressure on them. It's thus hard for the Spurs to turn the table down the stretch.

 

[Lorenzo]

Great, insightful writeup, thanks!

I said once that the main advantage of Spurs over Suns in previous years, and over most other teams, was due to Duncan needing double teaming on offense. With Shaq in there, even if TD could hit some of those tough shots, the other players on Spurs won't be able to get it done against the rest of the Suns. Particularly, with Shaq in the middle, Manu and Parker's game becomes less effective by nature of lack of space.

In this particular game, Suns started to go for straight defense with Nash on Parker and Amare on TD. Amare got 2 quickies which was an important reason that Spurs had their lead. However, this strategy reserved Shaq and Hill's defensive energy for covering TD and Parker in the more crucial 4th quarter. Also, the selective use of zone worked like charm. Very smart moves! Props to DA.

In addition, Diaw, LB and Gira all played great and kept pressure on them. It's thus hard for the Spurs to turn the table down the stretch.

exactly...that's how the mavs were able to beat SA...a couple of years ago. they had big guys who could at least attempt to slow duncan....eventhough duncan still had a 30 pt average. duncan will hit his shots over a 7 game series even with shaq on him.....but the suns won't have to double TD with both shaq and amare on their roster. the biggest thing is that duncan won't kill the suns on the boards now. the spurs will still give any team trouble if their big 3 play to their potential. however, the biggest concern for the spurs is their supporting cast. they look weaker than ever before at the moment in that regard. and that was the biggest difference in the game tonight. the suns supporting cast dominated the game....and it was the turning point when amare and shaq were in foul trouble. the suns players dominated that stretch.

 

[Suns_fan69]

One thing not many have mentioned yet, Suns were playing on the second of a back to back while spurs had 2 days rest. Granted Shaq sat yesterday but the suns looked the fresher of the two teams.

 

[Lorenzo]

One thing not many have mentioned yet, Suns were playing on the second of a back to back while spurs had 2 days rest. Granted Shaq sat yesterday but the suns looked the fresher of the two teams.

great point. the spurs have to worry about their scoring. they are coming off of three games in the 70's no??

 

[Covert Rain]

Great post. Good break down. Oh and thanks for that story about Shaq. That is the type of stuff that you never get to hear about.

Thanks.

 

[Michael]

exactly...that's how the mavs were able to beat SA...a couple of years ago. they had big guys who could at least attempt to slow duncan....eventhough duncan still had a 30 pt average. duncan will hit his shots over a 7 game series even with shaq on him.....but the suns won't have to double TD with both shaq and amare on their roster. the biggest thing is that duncan won't kill the suns on the boards now. the spurs will still give any team trouble if their big 3 play to their potential. however, the biggest concern for the spurs is their supporting cast. they look weaker than ever before at the moment in that regard. and that was the biggest difference in the game tonight. the suns supporting cast dominated the game....and it was the turning point when amare and shaq were in foul trouble. the suns players dominated that stretch.

That was so eye-catching during the game. Remember how many times TD got the rebound after missing his 5-foot-jumpers? This time around Shaq got all of them (but one).

 

[BirdMan21]

Once again--congrats.

Is there any way we can put GP in charge of moderating and training fans from other teams before they are able to post? Once again you show that you are able to look at the game objectively, better than most of us Suns fans are even able to do, and give a good breakdown of the game. You are always welcome on this site and are one of the few posters that I make an effort to read everything that you write. It is very rare to find someone who can watch a game and not be a complete homer, and you are able to do that from one of our most hated teams. Again, thanks for your great posts and hopefully for your sake alone your team has a decent run in the playoffs....at least until they lose to the Suns in the WCF.

 

[Gaddabout]

Fun game, but can the Suns do that in the playoffs against the Spurs? The pace will slow and the Suns will have to show they can beat the Spurs when the point spread is tight late in the game. At that point it will be big buckets, not just a lot of buckets. We know the Spurs have several guys who like to take (and hit) big shots.

 

[ReddBird]

The Spurs are a tough, tough team. I'm glad we got the win -- and I'm 'way impressed by this post.

 

[STATfan4Life]

Thanks for the great post Greg Popovich. I always enjoy reading what you have to say because whenever I see a post from you, I know that it is going to be first class.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Great post GP. Everytime I see you post, I see an unbiased poster.

Then came SHAQ. Instantly roles were defined and he brought with him just the sheer ridiculousness that is Shaquille O'Neal. Him talking to Amare and calming him down is EXACTLY why we got him. Amare, like an idiot who didn't learn his lesson, looked like he wanted to go after Bowen... but Shaq knows better. He's been around the block. He's not going to let one of our guuys get sucked into blowing something because a team is getting...

eh, this is a ramble.

bottom line:

SHAQ RULES. I LOVE this team again.

No way in hell Bowen should be able to get away with it. I am ABSOLUTELY glad that Amare started walking towards Bowen. I hope Bowen thinks for one minute that Amare might knock his teeth in. Maybe he would try that stupid stuff he calls defense again.

Fun game, but can the Suns do that in the playoffs against the Spurs? The pace will slow and the Suns will have to show they can beat the Spurs when the point spread is tight late in the game. At that point it will be big buckets, not just a lot of buckets. We know the Spurs have several guys who like to take (and hit) big shots.

Slower pace? Could the game have been any slower? This game is typical Spurs pace, and the Suns kicked the Spurs teeth in. It won't get much slower than that.

 

[elindholm]

I am ABSOLUTELY glad that Amare started walking towards Bowen. I hope Bowen thinks for one minute that Amare might knock his teeth in.

You're kidding, right? Bowen hopes that Stoudemire will come knock his teeth in, because it would mean a suspension. It was just like the Horry play, in another game that was already over -- use a cheap shot to set a trap that will paralyze the Suns later on.

Sure, Bowen wants to hurt people, but the main thing he is trying to do is provoke a response. The more violent, the better.

 

[cly2tw]

Fun game, but can the Suns do that in the playoffs against the Spurs? The pace will slow and the Suns will have to show they can beat the Spurs when the point spread is tight late in the game. At that point it will be big buckets, not just a lot of buckets. We know the Spurs have several guys who like to take (and hit) big shots.

I am sure they like to take them, but can they now get off one given the defense Suns are able to play on TD?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

You're kidding, right? Bowen hopes that Stoudemire will come knock his teeth in, because it would mean a suspension. It was just like the Horry play, in another game that was already over -- use a cheap shot to set a trap that will paralyze the Suns later on.

Sure, Bowen wants to hurt people, but the main thing he is trying to do is provoke a response. The more violent, the better.

No I am not kidding. I said I wanted Amare to show that he wasn't afraid of him, and get in his face. That doesn't warrant a suspension. Read what I said again. The Spurs have been bullying us. The only way to stop a bully, is to become a bully.