Mindset

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

i thought the postgame conversation on tnt was interesting. it really gave me some insight into the winner's mentality and the loser's mentality. and i don't mean the winner/loser from last night's game, but rather from a champion's perspective.

after the game charles said last night's game should be demoralizing to the suns. a blowout loss would have been better.

kenny smith (whom i despise) said that he disagreed. he thought the suns mindset should be positive due to the fact that they played the lakers all but even on the lakers' floor, mounted a tremendous comeback, and the bench finally realized they could play on the lakers' homecourt.

now normally i tend to side with chuck, but this argument gave me pause. kenny's rockets teams won championships. they came back from down deep in series (don't we all know that all too well). charles' teams, on the other hand, did just the opposite. no titles, big blown playoff leads. and perhaps it's just for the reasons each discussed above. charles would have been involved on the wrong end of last night's game and is all but admitting that it would haunt him, likely affecting his next game, and leading to losing. loser mentality. self-fulfilling prophesy. kenny would take solace based on the facts listed above, recognize that he could play with his opponent, and play the rest of the series with the confidence necessary to overcome a deficit or emotional blow of a last second loss.

i truly hope our players come away from last night with kenny's outlook. it seemed the gentry did. he was fairly upbeat at the mike after the game, and looked okay (even laughing) in the stands after the game. i hope his attitude permeates the team. last thing we need is for them to be playing tomorrow night's game with last night's game in their mind. let's not be charles barkley losers.

 

[Suns_fan69]

i truly hope our players come away from last night with kenny's outlook. it seemed the gentry did. he was fairly upbeat at the mike after the game, and looked okay (even laughing) in the stands after the game. i hope his attitude permeates the team. last thing we need is for them to be playing tomorrow night's game with last night's game in their mind. let's not be charles barkley losers.

Normally I'd be pretty pessimistic after a gut wrenching lost like that (especially since the 2008 version of this team folded their tent after such a loss vs SA) but this team has a resilience and can-do attitude that I've never before seen in a Phoenix Suns team (fan going back to only 89) and it starts with the coach. It was his demeanor that really calmed me down and finally realized that there were a lot of positives to take away and to build upon and that we're no where close to being out of it yet.

Look, last night was a real chance to steal a game while not playing well and in general I agree, we have to capitalize on those chances. But in the grand scheme of things if it takes a rebounded Kobe airball to go in at the last seconds for the Lakers to win a game at home then I like my chances for the next two games.

 

[WuRaider]

Steve definitely shows the right mindset during the huddle of today's practice:

http://www.nba.com/suns/video/2010/05/28/po10100528practicehuddlewmv-1330759/index.html


Gentry: If we're going down guys, we're gonna go down fighting

Steve: We're winning by the way, we're winning this series

SUNS!

 

[Tyler]

Steve definitely shows the right mindset during the huddle of today's practice:

http://www.nba.com/suns/video/2010/05/28/po10100528practicehuddlewmv-1330759/index.html


Gentry: If we're going down guys, we're gonna go down fighting

Steve: We're winning by the way, we're winning this series

SUNS!

ThaT is priceless.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

i also think everyone is bringing up a good word . . . "steal." if we had won last night we would have "stolen" a game. it's not often you come back from down 18 on the reigning champion's home court, hit a bank 3 to tie to win. that would have been the epitome of "stealing" a game. we all know, if we're going to get over on the lakers, we'll have to just flat out beat them. no stealing. no luck. just have to beat 'em. let's do it.

 

[Irish]

I think the reaction may be more about the temperment of the team.

Some teams have a hard time forgetting tough losses. Too much "would'a could'a should'a" can really tear you up. In theory, a blowout learves little basis for self critizism and makes it something you WANT to forget.

BUT, a mentally tough team can learn from mistakes without getting frozen.

In this particular case, there is a secondary issue. On paper, the Lakers are the better team and on paper the Suns shouldn't be competative. This game showed that the Lakers are NOT invincible.

I'm just afraid the Suns will be overcontident when the get the Lakers at home.

 

[Covert Rain]

i also think everyone is bringing up a good word . . . "steal." if we had won last night we would have "stolen" a game. it's not often you come back from down 18 on the reigning champion's home court, hit a bank 3 to tie to win. that would have been the epitome of "stealing" a game. we all know, if we're going to get over on the lakers, we'll have to just flat out beat them. no stealing. no luck. just have to beat 'em. let's do it.

Ouchie I agree. No more gimicks, no more miracle shots to win games. The Suns are going to have to flat out beat the Lakers.

It's put up or shutup time. For the last two game of the series the fact remains the Suns win or they go home. There is no...we will get them next game.

I know playoffs teams always say we play every game like this is our last game. However, it's no longer a cliche for this team. The Suns are playing for their very playoff lives for the rest of this series.

Let's hope they are up to the challenge because it will be a tall order to win 2 in a row against the Lakers again.

 

[arthurracoon]

Steve definitely shows the right mindset during the huddle of today's practice:

http://www.nba.com/suns/video/2010/05/28/po10100528practicehuddlewmv-1330759/index.html


Gentry: If we're going down guys, we're gonna go down fighting

Steve: We're winning by the way, we're winning this series

SUNS!

for some reason, this is the first thing that came to my mind when reading that:

 

[Bert]

I'm far too emotionally invested in this team. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Errntknght]

I agree with Kenny, Ouchie, Gentry and Steve - this was not a game that will leave our guys down in the dumps. Now they know they can play with the Lakers in their house - they've been gaining on them every game since the first one so one more small step up and they're past them! And its not the case that they played over their heads and still came up short - there's plenty of room for improvement.

 

[elindholm]

I agree with Kenny, Ouchie, Gentry and Steve - this was not a game that will leave our guys down in the dumps. Now they know they can play with the Lakers in their house - they've been gaining on them every game since the first one so one more small step up and they're past them! And its not the case that they played over their heads and still came up short - there's plenty of room for improvement.

Exactly. I'm almost as worried about Game 6 as I am about Game 7, because I think the Suns could lose Game 6 due to overconfidence and poor focus. If they make it to Game 7, I like their chances, and I know they do too.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Exactly. I'm almost as worried about Game 6 as I am about Game 7, because I think the Suns could lose Game 6 due to overconfidence and poor focus. If they make it to Game 7, I like their chances, and I know they do too.

Co-sign.

However wIth Steve talking the way he is, it tells me he likes the matchup for this team. Thats what leads me to belive they will focus and play their best game tomorrow.

Game 7 - No one can predict what will happen. All you need is that sliver of light to make history.

 

[joshstmarie]

I dont buy the overconfident and focus issues. They feel like they can win game 6, and why shouldnt they after last nights game?

 

[mojorizen7]

 

[Covert Rain]

For some reason I don't think the Suns are overconfident. I think Steve said the only thing he could. "We are going to win game 6". What is he suppose to say? "We are going to lose game 6" or " I THINK we can win game 6". I think Steve needs to show some confidence.

Honestly, if the Lakers need Nash's comments to fire then up for Game 6 then they have issues of there own.

 

[elindholm]

For some reason I don't think the Suns are overconfident. I think Steve said the only thing he could. "We are going to win game 6". What is he suppose to say?

Well, he was interrupting his coach, so he could have said nothing. It was gratuitous. It's not like someone put a microphone on him and said, "Hey Steve, what's happening in Game 6?"

Honestly, if the Lakers need Nash's comments to fire then up for Game 6 then they have issues of there own.

I agree. Artest's reaction is laughable. No surprise there, of course. His game-winner in Game 5 could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Suns, if he decides to go for more of a Hero role from here on out.

 

[hsandhu]

Well, he was interrupting his coach, so he could have said nothing. It was gratuitous. It's not like someone put a microphone on him and said, "Hey Steve, what's happening in Game 6?"



I agree. Artest's reaction is laughable. No surprise there, of course. His game-winner in Game 5 could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Suns, if he decides to go for more of a Hero role from here on out.

He was interrupting his coach because Alvin was saying "If we go down..." and nash didn't want to hear anything about going down, so he said we're winning.

It was more a correcting of the mindset alvin was creating than anything.

 

[az1965]

i also think everyone is bringing up a good word . . . "steal." if we had won last night we would have "stolen" a game. it's not often you come back from down 18 on the reigning champion's home court, hit a bank 3 to tie to win. that would have been the epitome of "stealing" a game. we all know, if we're going to get over on the lakers, we'll have to just flat out beat them. no stealing. no luck. just have to beat 'em. let's do it.

I don't care if it is a stolen or robbed game, if it is sheer luck... I want the win, anyway, anyhow... no one will remember afterwards how you won it, just that who the winner was and who the loser was.

 

[BC867]

I don't care if it is a stolen or robbed game, if it is sheer luck... I want the win, anyway, anyhow... no one will remember afterwards how you won it, just that who the winner was and who the loser was.

I think Ouchie's point was that if you talk about stealing a game, you're admitting that you can't beat them straight up.

We've shown superiority at home (here comes Game 6) and Game 5 showed us that, even if we're down, we can play in their league . . . on their court.

That will be a lot better attitude for the Suns to take into Game 7 than hoping to steal one.

Go Suns -- twice -- one at a time.

 

[Chaplin]

I don't know. Nash's quote is better than "We're cautiously optimistic that we can score more points than the Lakers."

I'd rather hear, "%*& yeah, we're going to win!"

Nash is just the happy medium.