Getting Ready for the Spurs

[azirish]

The biggest risk the Suns will have on Wed is that they will get caught looking ahead to the Spurs series. Obviously it's important to finish off the Lakers quickly because it will be the Spurs and that will be a very tough series.

I didn't watch the game tonight, but it is obvious what happened. The Spurs outscored the Nuggets in the fourth quarter 29-16.

One of the reasons the Spurs are so effective is that they never get blocking fouls called on them. Anthony had four charging calls against him. Some of it is that the Spurs rotate very quickly, but their ability to cut under guys who are in the air is a huge advantage. I don't know what the answer is because they sure don't call it that way on the other end.

In another thread, Chap said the Suns will have to run very hard to have a chance. It won't get the Suns quick scores because the Spurs get back very quickly, but pushing the tempo can have the effect of wearing them down.

IMHO, the key to beating the Spurs is mental. The Suns will have to focus on passing and moving without the ball. The Spurs concentrate on taking away the three point shooting (the Nuggets went only 2 of 16) and taking phony charges; so the only answer is ball movement. At the same time, the Suns need a disciplined but active defense.

Do the Suns have the mental toughness to push every time down the court without getting impatient and making bad decisions? In the Laker series the Suns made too many lazy passes, too many attempts to drive into traffic, too many missed defensive assignments and other mental lapses. It is difficult to play very hard AND very smart; but that's the challenge.

 

[HooverDam]

The Nuggets went 2 of 16 from 3 because they can't shoot. The Suns 3rd or 4th best 3 pointer shooter would probably be the go to 3 point shooter on Denver's squad.

The Spurs really have more to worry about in the Suns than they Suns do in the Spurs. The Spurs most likely won't be able to slow Amare. Duncan will get his, but KT does a solid job on him when he gets playing time (and he'll probably get a lot in this series), Bell does a good job on Manu, Nash can hide on Bowen, etc.

The biggest thing is Parkers penetration, Marion will be on Parker most often, and he needs to sag off him and make Parker prove he can drain the long shot first. Amare's help defense, rotating off Elson/Umberto to block Duncan and Parker is going to be very important.

The Spurs have almost no bench compared to years past. They have to have Ginobli come off the bench as a burst of energy, but for all practical purposes he's a starter. Horry is only good for one or two three's a game, and Finley can't hit a shot on the move (someone please tell Jr this and make sure he keeps Finley on the move).

The Spurs center play is also much weaker than its been in recent history, which will hopefull mean Amare can stay out of foul trouble.

This will be the year the Suns bump the Spurs from the playoffs. Suns in 6.

We all need to hope Denver can steal the next game in San Antonio so that the Suns can rest and wait on SA.

 

[TucsonDevil]

This is the Most Important matchup of the Playoffs this year. This is the "Old-Guard vs. New-Guard". An offensive system vs. the defensive stoppers. This will prove to the league which system is more effective in today's basketball world. It will validate 2 MVPs for Steve Nash. It will give confidence to other GMs that structuring a run and gun system will work, with the right tools. AND it will shut up Barkley, for about 2 min. Finally, the Suns are completely healthy and the Spurs are completely healthy (last year Duncan was hurt, thus the Mavs were able to beat them), it is time to see who is better.

Both earlier posts by AZIrish and Hoover brought up some important points... mental toughness, stopping Parker's penetration, etc... Allow me to give two more.

The Coaches. Coach Mike D'Antoni has to be on top of his game in this series. He needs to change his philosphy, just slightly, in calling Time Outs. There is no doubt in my mind that in each game, the Suns will go up by 4-6 buckets, and then the Spurs will make a charge back (generally in the 4th quarter). When the Spurs make their charge - D'Antoni can't be slow to call the TO... instead of waiting for 3-4 consecutive baskets by the opposition, and the lead having disappeared. This has been my second biggest complaint with our Coach. he stubbornly sticks to his philosophy of quick buckets too much, and when he cries Uncle with the TO, the lead is either gone, or the Suns are behind. This is demoralizing... and when you are playing at home, the fans are demoralized. Please Coach D - protect leads.

MVP - and what made him MVP. Steve Nash has to dominate this Series. Not as much in scoring as he does in leadership. In order to beat the Spurs, Nash has to be on top of his game. Hitting open shots when others are struggling, finding Marion for easy dunks, getting JJ the ball for easy buckets, etc... He needs to keep the confidence of the others high, especially those who battle depression. I think Popp is going to throw everything at him. If he can tire, discourage, or slow Nash, they win the series, since he feeds others.

One small thing... Marion can't disappear like he has in the past. Is that small?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Marion disappearing has just as much to do with Bowen as it does with himself. Bowen plays Marion better than anyone in the league.

 

[Gaddabout]

Barbosa, Barbosa, Barbosa ... has to make Tony Parker play defense. I think we could see some Nash/Barbosa/Bell/Marion/Amare lineups at times.

 

[Covert Rain]

Marion disappearing has just as much to do with Bowen as it does with himself. Bowen plays Marion better than anyone in the league.

I just can't see that happening this year. I have watched several Spurs games and Bowen looks so slow. Running against the Spurs is going to by SO SO SO important. I think the best way to keep guys like Bowen, Duncan and Horry on their heals is to run and keep running. We are going to have to run the Spurs to death to win the series.

 

[Linderbee]

I'll admit it. The Spurs scare me. I think we can beat them, but they scare me.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I'll admit it. The Spurs scare me. I think we can beat them, but they scare me.

The Spurs are the only team this year that will keep them from winning it all.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I know it won't happen, but I do think Banks could be serviceable for a few minutes on Parker.

 

[Mulli]

It is weird to consider that IF the Suns make it past the Spurs, the Mavericks MOST LIKELY won't be there in the next round.

 

[JCSunsfan]

The Spurs are the only team this year that will keep them from winning it all.

I'd love to think that, but the Warriors would give us some trouble and so would Chicago or Detroit. We have to be hitting our threes to beat those teams.

 

[arthurracoon]

its definately going to be an intense series.

i cant wait!

 

[SO91]

One thing that was mentioned in the broadcast yesterday was the ability of the Spurs to clog the lane. There are a lot of teams that carry an offensive liability, typically one of their bigs, and this allows one of the Spurs, either Oberto, Elson, or Duncan, to play a one man zone in the middle. I saw it several times last night, where one of their bigs would rotate to help, either discouraging the drive, or making it difficult for the guy to finish. Melo was called for a couple of charges because of this. What Phoenix has that the Nuggets don't is the ball movement, which will hopefully be crisp and guys will keep diving to the basket, even when they don't receive a pass.

 

[JCSunsfan]

There is just such a different feel about DAntoni's teams going into the playoffs.

I've been a Suns fan since 1976, so I've been through this alot of times. Cotton was always trying to play a chess match from the sidelines, with substitution patterns, going small, going big, etc. Even McLoud did it.

With this team, they just play their game and make the opposition match them. If we lose, its most often because we got pushed out of our game. There is so much less uncertainty going into games, and players are so much more confident in what is expected of them.

BTW. I am now completely convinced the Nash is the best pg to ever where a Suns uni. KJ was great, but KJ never had the reigns of the team and the ability to adjust on the floor like Nash. KJ did what Cotton told him to do. DAntoni does what Nash says should be done. Nash is a better passer than KJ, a better shooter than KJ, and a more crafty penetrator than KJ.

KJ was quicker, could be a better defender when he had to be, and. . .well, that's about it.

Kidd was faster, a better defender, and a better passer in the open court (but not by much). But Kidd's shooting liabilities were such a hindrance. Kidd would pass the ball out even when at the rim--ala Doris Diaw. Nash has that perfect knack for knowing when to take the shot himself and when to dish it.

 

[JCSunsfan]

One thing that was mentioned in the broadcast yesterday was the ability of the Spurs to clog the lane. There are a lot of teams that carry an offensive liability, typically one of their bigs, and this allows one of the Spurs, either Oberto, Elson, or Duncan, to play a one man zone in the middle. I saw it several times last night, where one of their bigs would rotate to help, either discouraging the drive, or making it difficult for the guy to finish. Melo was called for a couple of charges because of this. What Phoenix has that the Nuggets don't is the ball movement, which will hopefully be crisp and guys will keep diving to the basket, even when they don't receive a pass.

KT could be a big help in this series. His ability to frustrate Duncan and to be money with that 10 foot J could really open things up for us.

Refereeing will make all the difference. I have a hunch that there will be a lot of griping and complaining about it. The Spurs complain more and get away with more than any team in the league.

We ought to send notes to all the refs.

"Remember the Alam. . .Joey Crawford."

 

[Alan]

So if both the Suns and Spurs win their current series, is it guaranteed they'd play each other in round 2? I'm not sure how the playoff seeding works. Does it matter who wins the other series?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

So if both the Suns and Spurs win their current series, is it guaranteed they'd play each other in round 2? I'm not sure how the playoff seeding works. Does it matter who wins the other series?

Yes. The Suns will play the winner of the Spurs/Nuggets series.

 

[azirish]

I've been intriguted by the success that Nene had in their series. He's averaging 16.5 ppg on 57.4% shooting despite shooting only 5 of 12 in game 1. Over the season, Nene averaged only 12.2 ppg. In game 4, Nene shot 7 of 9 for 18 points while Iverson was only 9 of 25.

It will be interesting to see if the Spurs try to stop Amare with Duncan and no help. It worked with Nene because the Nuggets didn't get the ball inside enough. It is not so easy when Amare is playing.

 

[Covert Rain]

I know it won't happen, but I do think Banks could be serviceable for a few minutes on Parker.

Oh good god NO. I would like to see at least 3 other players off the bench before Banks.

 

[azirish]

Banks has struggled so much with the Suns offense that it is extremely unlikely he'd get playing time. He MIGHT play Parker better than the Suns guards, but his decision making on offense is just not there.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Banks has struggled so much with the Suns offense that it is extremely unlikely he'd get playing time. He MIGHT play Parker better than the Suns guards, but his decision making on offense is just not there.

And he can't hit a 3 to save the galaxy and prefers to charge into crowded lanes to get layups = no floor spacing whatsoever.

 

[Bufalay]

banks is good. stop hating

 

[HooverDam]

banks is good. stop hating

In what way is he good? Banks would actually fit the Lakers system pretty well I think. A defense first point guard is good in the triangle because the triangle doesn't require them to do a whole lot as far as being a floor general, which Banks obviously isn't. Banks can make most of the passes in the half court set, and with Kobe in the back court who is fairly big, you could switch Kobe onto PGs who post up a lot.

Banks for Luke Walton!

 

[az1965]

We played pretty even in the first one and lost in the overtime.

We played really well in the 2nd and won by double digits. But the Spurs were kind of stumbling during that time.

I'm concerned how the Spurs controlled the pace of the 3rd game towards the end of the season when they usually start to get it all together and start playing like a true top team.

We we let Spurs dictate the tempo of the game we are in big trouble.

 

[dodie53]

Banks for Luke Walton!

the suns can add jumaine jones