Nash calls out the Suns....

[Divide Et Impera]

Didn't see this posted yet....

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0507nashpractice-ON.html

Nash questions Suns' desire

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
May. 7, 2007 03:30 PM
His nose bandaged, Steve Nash questioned the Suns' desire after Sunday's Game 1 loss to the Spurs.

He didn't back down Monday.

"I'm at a loss for why we think we can go out there and not out-hustle and out-work them to win games," Nash said after practice. "All any team has at the end of the day is how hard they work and how bad they want it. We want it really bad for a long period of time, and then we let up for a couple plays. That could be the difference in the game."

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni didn't make much out of Nash's postgame comments. It's besides the point, he said.

"We all collectively have to pick up our energy, concentration and mental ability to get over the top," D'Antoni said. "They put 'champion' beside names for one reason. There are a lot of guys that can't win that, and there are a lot of guys that will never be in this position again. I told them today, 'This could be your only chance in life to be a champion,' so we're going to have to dig hard."

Nash's main source of irritation: The Suns seemed to think they could survive just on talent against the Spurs, a team with more experience and three championships.

"I've said all playoffs long we should judge ourselves on our energy and our concentration, nothing else," Nash said. "If we maximize our energy and concentration, then the results are secondary."

D'Antoni said the Suns played hard, they just lacked mental toughness. He thought the Spurs were a "little grittier" at certain points.

"I hate to say this, and I hope it sounds the right way, I think we have more talent than (the Spurs) do," D'Antoni said. "I think we're individually better, (but) collectively, they're better right now. And we have to really get over that."

Asked if he's surprised to be dealing with such issues this late in the season, Nash said, "At some point you got to say that's us. But at the same time we have to try and combat that every single day."

Who is he talking about?

Amare? He played some damned good D, which speaks to effort, but he laid an egg on O. His 6-19 shooting night might just be an anomaly, though, but he did miss some easy shots. Amare really should have gone in stronger. He came up finesse too much and missed some close-in shots. Not likely, but very slightly possible.

Marion? He got torched all game by Parker on D whether from the outside or right at the rim. Marion played 10-12 feet off of him yet Parker still was able to slash to the rack at will. If it weren't for his 4th quarter offensive outburst, we'd be talking about Shawn "Casper the friendly ghost" Marion all over again. Likely.

Barbosa? You get what you get with Barbosa - excellent and instant offense, but no D to speak of unless he's able to get into the passing lanes. Frankly, Leo played his game. Not likely.

Bell? Talk about shutting down Ginobili! Bell silenced the same guy that lit us up for, what, 43 points this season? On the flipside, Bell scored in double digits, but didn't shoot too well from the field. Bottom line is that he did his job and chipped in a little less than average on O. Not likely.

Jones? He was a ghost in the 6 sad minutes he played, but he only played 6 minutes. Jones had 2 fouls in his short PT though. Those fouls probably indicate not being in position and likely not being ready, period. Likely.

Thomas? KT did all you could ask for and more in the 12 measly minutes he played. Not a chance.

Diaw? On D, he worked to not give up position on the block to Duncan and he was somewhat successful. On O, he really should have contributed a bit more for the time he played. In 25 minutes, he put up 7 points on 3-5 shooting. Really, he shot 3-4, but he had that prayer three-pointer from the corner at the very end of the shot clock that missed. You'd like to see him pick apart the Spurs interior D with his precision passing from the top of the key, but you need slashing and activity from your teamates to do that. Possible.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In my estimation, Marion probably had the absolute worst game of all the Suns, so Nash was probably calling him out for his utter lack of effort on D. Well, I don't know if he didn't put any effort on D, but Parker abused him like a drunken stepfather. So, even if there was a legitimate effort, you sure in the hell couldn't tell.

 

[CaptainInsano]

If shawn actually wants to get recognition and if he wants to be a superstar or when his contract with the suns ends to go to another team and be the 1st wheel on a huge contract, then he needs to do a HELL of a lot better than 16 and 6 especially when he played 42 minutes. If he is that bad at hustling for rebounds, then combine it with the fact that he can't shoot a 10+ foot jumper to save his life and he is really only worth even 8-9 mil on any team he goes to.

Amare not only still managed to do decent on the boards, but managed to pull down a whopping 18 boards, so what is shawns excuse? Because he sure as hell didn't do a good job on parker.

If Tim Duncan and Amare are battling for position for rebounds, then who is marion having trouble getting over for rebounds? Elson? Oberto? Bown? You have got to be kidding me..

 

[elindholm]

"Besides the point"? Where did Doug Haller go to school? Embarrassing. The Republic is probably one of the ten largest newspapers in the country, and its writers are illiterate.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

They were talking about this on the KTAR morning show, and they eluded that Nash was calling out Marion for not doing enough to slow down Parker.

 

[tobiazz]

I don't like to call out Marion because I don't think he ever half-asses it. Marion cannot be expected to cover Parker well. Small forwards cannot cover fast PGs such as Parker and Barbosa.

However, he looked very timid on offense. If Matt Barnes isn't afraid of taking the ball to the rim, why is the athletically superior Marion afraid? Marion's elusion of contact helps during the regular season since he saves energy for running and rebounding and he avoids injury, but during the playoffs you have to scrap and battle for every extra point and free throw you can get. I want to see this guy draw some contact and maybe dunk over someone for once in his career. If there was ever a time to sack up, this is it.

 

[Covert Rain]

If shawn actually wants to get recognition and if he wants to be a superstar or when his contract with the suns ends to go to another team and be the 1st wheel on a huge contract, then he needs to do a HELL of a lot better than 16 and 6 especially when he played 42 minutes. If he is that bad at hustling for rebounds, then combine it with the fact that he can't shoot a 10+ foot jumper to save his life and he is really only worth even 8-9 mil on any team he goes to.

Amare not only still managed to do decent on the boards, but managed to pull down a whopping 18 boards, so what is shawns excuse? Because he sure as hell didn't do a good job on parker.

If Tim Duncan and Amare are battling for position for rebounds, then who is marion having trouble getting over for rebounds? Elson? Oberto? Bown? You have got to be kidding me..

How is Marion suppose to pick up more rebounds if he is on Parker? Parker doesn't hang out in the paint. If Parker is not taking it to the hole he is on the perimeter. If you want Marion to pick more rebounds then maybe you should talk to D'Antoni. I think it's a freaking miracle Marion did what he did considering how horrible of a position Mike D'Antoni is putting him in.

They were talking about this on the KTAR morning show, and they eluded that Nash was calling out Marion for not doing enough to slow down Parker.

Which is a bunch of horse crap. Everybody should be calling out D'Antoni for a horrible match-up decision and his crappy in game adjustments.

 

[Linderbee]

"Besides the point"? Where did Doug Haller go to school? Embarrassing. The Republic is probably one of the ten largest newspapers in the country, and its writers are illiterate.

Sounds like it was a direct quote from D'Antoni; it should have been in quotation marks, but that's besides the point.

 

[Mulli]

I am calling out the Suns.

Hey Suns, don't suck. Beat the Spurs.

 

[asudevil83]

They were talking about this on the KTAR morning show, and they eluded that Nash was calling out Marion for not doing enough to slow down Parker.

i HATE doug and wolfe. the ONLY reason they are on the air is because they arent afraid to be hyper-critical of the suns.

they harped to no end on D'Antoni playing the starters regular minutes at the end of the season.....and then flip back and completed harp on the Mavs for resting their starters to end the season, and then praised the suns for doing the opposite.

today, Doug was reading a quote from Marion on having to defend whoever he asked to defend (Parker/Duncan), and read it with such distain i turned the show off.

 

[NastyOne]

Which is a bunch of horse crap. Everybody should be calling out D'Antoni for a horrible match-up decision and his crappy in game adjustments.

While Marion didnt have the greatest game, and im in no way a huge Marion fan considering how badly i want him moved in the offseason. This lost was on the shoulders of D'Antoni and only D'Antoni. Marion was put into a horrible position by his coach on defense and there was nothing he could've done to contain Parker when he was on him or Duncan when he was guarding him in the 3rd.Both were horrible matchups and after the first quarter Raja Bell should've D'd up Parker with Marion switching to Manu/Finley.

Plain and simple DA got outcoached and Nash will never say that to the media, so he decides to put the blame back on the players.

Every top coach in this league with comparable talent makes him look like a JV coach.

If it wernt for Nash he'd still be an assistant somewhere in the NBA or coaching overseas.

Basically Nash is the coach of this team cause nothing DA does makes me think he has any kind of a gameplan out there other than to Run.

He has no clue about defensive game planning, No clue how to use his bench, and his halfcourt offensive stratergy down the stretch is mediocre at best.There is a reason why we cant find a decent backup to Nash that will have this offense running the same.Its because when our real headcoach is on the bench resting no one can replace him cause DA cant just stand there and do nothing cause he'll actually have to call plays on his own.

This is why we always fall apart with Nash outta the game.

So this crock about players needing to play with more desire and stuff from Nash is BS.

Call it like it is and put D'Antoni on blast for his horrible game planning instead of being a nice guy and trying to put the blame on yourselves.

He should've pulled a Tiki Barber and let D'Antoni know he also needs to step his game up.

 

[supernova]

Sounds like Nash is just trying to light a fire under the team. The Spurs DID seem to want it more. Zero dunks by the Suns? I don't care how good the Spurs D, that's just bizarre. Most of the Suns were not playing with the kind of passion the game warranted, at least not consistently. Nash NEVER says this kind of ****, almost always takes the blame himself, but in this game he was the only one playing like the season was on the line. In that sense he was right to call others out. I think it was just his way of trying to motivate his teammates.

Ultimately however the Suns will have next-to-zero chance with coach D arranging such bonehead matchups. If he spent less time screaming at the refs maybe he could make some sensible in-game adjustments. I read on Spurs talk that Marion will once again be guarding Parker and letting him shoot. If Parker is on fire again, and D refuses to adjust, the season may be over.

 

[elindholm]

Nash knows that the door is wide open for the Suns this year and that both his and Stoudemire's clocks are ticking. I expect him to show a level of desperation tonight that we've rarely seen, and I put the over/under on the number of points he scores at 38.

The question is, will it be enough?

 

[Skumbag]

Said it before... and ill say it again...

Nash / Bowen
Bell / Manu
Banks / Parker
Marion / Ellison
Stat / Duncan

Banks is at least going to stay on parker like glue with his quickness... he's probably going to shoot better than Ja. Jones.

 

[PetryJr]

Nash knows that the door is wide open for the Suns this year and that both his and Stoudemire's clocks are ticking. I expect him to show a level of desperation tonight that we've rarely seen, and I put the over/under on the number of points he scores at 38.

The question is, will it be enough?

Yeah, I was thinking about that, too. I think Nash will be VERY agressive today.

Answering your question, I think it will be enough to win the game, as long as the Suns don't do a worse job defensively than they did Sunday.

 

[ma_falaa_50]

I think he is calling out shawn for his lack of veteran leadership. He has been in the playoffs before and the best he can do is 16 and 6. the spurs , the jazz, and detriot exploit the size advantage becuase Amare is the opnly legit big guy they have. Shawn needs to rebound better, play smarter and plain bring it.

its tru what nash is saying. Phx won 61 games because they are the most talented team in the NBA but they also are lazy. MIke dantoni lack of focus on fundamental basketball is the reason the suns are going to lose to San Antonio.

The suns can win by running up and down the floor but they have to rebound and play tough defense.

Im not singling out shawn but he is the person that nash expected to step up. He is one of the veterans for crying out loud. As a suns fan I have to defend them being labeled as soft but its discouriging when you have to defend the lack of heart.

I dont care how hard ths spurs are when you get paid 16 million no one cares how hard it is to play just make sure you are worht your salary.

BYe BYe shawn Hope you like playing on a non contending team next season.

 

[Covert Rain]

I think he is calling out shawn for his lack of veteran leadership. He has been in the playoffs before and the best he can do is 16 and 6. the spurs , the jazz, and detriot exploit the size advantage becuase Amare is the opnly legit big guy they have. Shawn needs to rebound better, play smarter and plain bring it.

Shawn Marion's 16 is only 2 behind is average. Considering he couldn't get out on the break I would say he did fine. His rebounding per game was off by about 3. Again, I have yet for anybody to point out how Marion is suppose to crash the boards if he is chasing Parker on the perimeter?

So the fact that Marion is keeping his mouth shut and doing the impossible of covering a penetrating PG from the SF position speaks volumes to his Veteran leadership.

MIke dantoni lack of focus on fundamental basketball is the reason the suns are going to lose to San Antonio.

Like passing, setting screens playing in the paint kind of fundamental basketball? Here let me fix that for you;

Mike D'Antoni lack of focus on match ups and in game adjustment will be the reason why they lose this series if they do.

I'm not singling out shawn but he is the person that nash expected to step up. He is one of the veterans for crying out loud. As a suns fan I have to defend them being labeled as soft but its discouriging when you have to defend the lack of heart.

Yes you are and it was a close game considering the mistakes D'Antoni made. I see no evidence of "lack of heart". That's a ridiculous statement.

I dont care how hard ths spurs are when you get paid 16 million no one cares how hard it is to play just make sure you are worht your salary. BYe BYe shawn Hope you like playing on a non contending team next season.

I thought you were not singling him out?

 

[Skkorpion]

Steel Dog, You speak for me on Marion.

 

[TBaslim]

Here too...

 

[msdundee]

Here too...

And here. Nice to have some company.....

 

[Nasser22]

Glad to hear this. Watching the Warriors undersized team you can see that rebounding is mostly from effort and desire to go after that ball. He was talking about the entire team's effort, like when the team always gets lazy when they have a series lead, have homecourt or in the regular season clinched their seed. Hopefully this motivates them to do better for the rest of the series and not be comfortable where they are at until they are the champions.

 

[silverstyne]

Shawn Marion's 16 is only 2 behind is average. Considering he couldn't get out on the break I would say he did fine. His rebounding per game was off by about 3. Again, I have yet for anybody to point out how Marion is suppose to crash the boards if he is chasing Parker on the perimeter?

Marion, being a veteran, is supposed to STEP UP in the playoffs. I don't care if his scoring averages dropped by just a couple of points. The difference in game 1 you know is also just by a couple of points. And oh yeah, TP had 33 points, also a couple of points higher than his season average versus the Suns which is 28. That's basically non-existent defense considering Marion was isolated on him the whole time, and this from a guy who wants to be DPOY. He failed on both his game objectives.

Game 2 proves a point. Nash was right to call Marion out, he has the ability cover TP, somebody just needs to light his **** from time to time.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Shawn Marion's 16 is only 2 behind is average. Considering he couldn't get out on the break I would say he did fine. His rebounding per game was off by about 3. Again, I have yet for anybody to point out how Marion is suppose to crash the boards if he is chasing Parker on the perimeter?

I'll do it for you. According to D'Antoni, Marion should be in pretty good position to get quite a few rebounds. Parker shoots 80% of his shots from 18' or less. He should be able to run in and crash the boards when the shot goes up, and outjump everyone.

At least that's what D'Antoni thinks. Don't necessarily agree though.


btw, is there anyone who still thinks that Marion can't guard Parker? I am so glad they decided to leave Bell on Ginobili for most of the game.

and good to see you silverstyne. 15 posts since '04. You need to stick around more.

 

[AZZenny]

I don't think Nash was singling any player out. He was talking to the whole group, esp. the younger guys, about the degree of intensity and focus and discipline it takes at the playoff level.

It reminded me of what Curt Schilling said after the WS in 2001 -- that he thought he knew what it took to pitch as an ace -- but RJ showed him you have to consistently maintain a much higher level of effort and discipline than he'd ever understood was necessary (and he was known as pretty diligent).

Then came the playoffs, and he discovered there was an entirely different level of focus and intensity that got tougher with every series, that he'd had no idea even existed before -- and also that every player on the team had to find that, individually and as a collective process.

That's partly what seasoning is about, and why teams need to get into the playoffs a time or two before taking it all. They have to be able to ratchet it up to an extraordinary level of effort and sustain it game-long, game after game, through series after series. Nash, KT, Coach D all get it, and I actually think Amare has gotten a sniff of it. Maybe Raja, too.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Can Nash call out the fans next? It is sad when Sarver has to sit there and flail his arms to get any kind of reaction from the crowd.

 

[Chaplin]

Can Nash call out the fans next? It is sad when Sarver has to sit there and flail his arms to get any kind of reaction from the crowd.

I was thinking the same thing--our fans are pathetic so far in these playoffs. Very disappointing. If only they could emulate the Oakland fans.