Look at this box score

[BC867]

P L A Y E R . . . . M I N . . F . G . . . F . T . . . R E B . . . . . A . . . . . POINTS

Marion.................43........3-11........2-2..........9...............3.............8
Stoudemire..........36........7-16........0-0..........4...............1...........14
Williams...............19.........2-8.........0-0..........5................0............4
Marbury...............44.......14-25.......3-4..........4................6...........32
Hardaway............33........4-11........0-0..........4................5............8

Voskuhl................21........3-4..........2-3..........4................0............8
White.....................8........0-0..........2-2..........3................0............2
Johnson...............19........1-8..........1-1..........2................0............3
Gugliotta..............12........0-6..........0-0..........4................0............0
Jacobsen................5........0-0..........0-0..........1................0............0

Our Point Guard scores more than double that of our second leading scorer in the game -- the only two in double digits. As the Republic said this morning . . . while the others stood around.

Our 290 lb. shot-blocking, pick-setting, defensive-minded Center came off the bench and played just 8 minutes.

Our Small Forward had as many rebounds as our Power Forward and starting Center combined.

And the Suns, who were down by one point at the end of the 3rd quarter, were outscored 31-19 in the 4th, as the visiting Timberwolves blew us away.
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It has to be one of the following explanations. Either we are in the Twilight Zone . . . or the Colangelos, Cotton, and Van Arsdale had money on Minnesota.

When is Jerry's obsession with John MacLeod's "pretty" basketball going to stop? Another coaching change isn't going to end it, anymore than it did with
Paul Westphal, Danny Ainge, or Scott Skiles, before Frank Johnson.

 

[jbeecham]

Do you realize that we had a center in the game for 48 minutes last night? How is that small ball or as you called it "pretty ball"? There was even a time when both Jahidi White and either Scott Williams or Jake Voskuhl were in the game at the same time. The reason Marbury took so many shots is because he was making them and no one else was. Without Marbury we would've lost by even more points.

 

[Phill11]

25 shots is not much at all when you compare to AI and Tmac

 

[newfan101]

STARTERS M FG FT TR A PTS

L. Sprewell, SG 40 9-20 1-1 6 3 21

K. Garnett, PF 38 7-18 2-2 12 4 16

S. Cassell, PG 37 10-17 4-7 7 8 27

T. Hassell, SG 23 2-4 0-0 4 1 4

M. Olowokandi, C 20 2-5 0-0 6 0 4

F. Hoiberg, 33 6-10 0-1 5 3 14

E. Johnson, C 26 1-3 1-2 6 2 3

G. Trent, PF 12 1-3 0-0 0 1 2

K. McLeod, SG 11 0-0 1-2 1 1 1



Here's the other end of that box score.

Sam Cassell, the POINT GUARD, Sprewell, a SHOOTING GUARD playing small forward, and Hoiberg, another SHOOTING GUARD, scored 62 of the teams 92 points.

Their point guard had more rebounds than either of their two centers. Their 6' 4" small forward had the same number of rebounds as their two centers.

Their two centers combined for only 7 points on 8 shots. Cassell, the point guard, took TWICE as many shots as the centers combined.

Garnett, their leading rebounder, (also the league leader), weighs 220 pounds, less than Joe Johnson, and about the same as Shawn Marion, who led the Suns in rebounding.

Minnesota, who played 3 guards the ENTIRE game, won by 13 on the road.


In other words, reading anything into the box score is useless. Plus, since the Suns centers played all 48 minutes, which you claim is the ultimate key to winning, I'm not sure what your beef is. Now apparently the Suns lose because the "Pretty Centers" get all the minutes? And I suppose you think that's a direct order from Jerry? Please.

Really, it just comes down to you needing an outlet for your bizarre hatred of Suns management. But as president of the Jerry C haters club, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[BC867]

Originally posted by newfan101
Really, it just comes down to you needing an outlet for your bizarre hatred of Suns management. But as president of the Jerry C haters club, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

I don't "hate" Jerry or the Suns Management. Jerry is an excellent promoter and a good influence for the Valley.

What frustrates me is the team philosophy, year after year. Try to match up with each opponent, instead of going with our best combinations and letting them build chemistry. Bring in a wide-body Center, then play him for only eight minutes.

We lost a game we should not have lost. It wasn't entertaining and it wasn't successful. How can you condone it?

P.S.: When 'newfan' becomes 'oldfan', you might feel that way, too.

 

[jbeecham]

Minnesota is a tough team (although they are similar to us in that they aren't playing to their full potential yet). They got a lot of wide open outside shots because at times our defense was slow to rotate or was too busy double teaming someone they shouldn't have been. A good passing team can tear apart our scrambling defense every time especially when Penny Hardaway is on the floor (who was supposedly guarding Hoiberg). Still the Suns lost this game because no one other than Marbury was making their shots and the refs let the game be very physical.

 

[PhiLLmattiC]

If they're playing scrambling defense, I doubt anyone would be able to stick with their assignments. Shouldn't someone have rotated to the shooter? A lot of times teams make the extra pass taht no one rotates to and hats when they get the easy shot. Against the spurs with a smaller line up everyone was quick to rotate and the times when there was someone left open the suns were lucky enough that they missed (however they didn't miss enough). Now with a bigger line up, often times the big men is too slow to get to the shooter or just doesn't rotate. They usually stick with they're assignments down low. Thats why you would see Penny and sometimes JJ hanging around the rim while the shooter is left open. It happens to penny more often because thats when they go to their zone and scrambling defense.