azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
Went to an NBA game Saturday night. Didn’t recognize it.
A bunch of tall men raced up and down the floor and — get this — actually put the ball in the basket.
There was something called a fast break — I can’t be sure, but I think I remember something similar back in the early 1990s — and the teams didn’t try to squeeze every last second out of a possession.
It was a great game to watch — unless you were Suns coach Mike D’Antoni.
The Sacramento Kings beat Phoenix, 113-111, in a 48-minute romp that should be what the NBA is about — entertainment.
But in terms of how the Suns go about their business, the game revealed the boogeyman that had been hiding in Phoenix’s closet.
Through Friday’s games, the Suns led the NBA in field goal percentage allowed (.376). But the discerning eye saw fool’s gold in the 4-1 start.
Phoenix’s five opponents — Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago and Cleveland — were a combined 8-16. None of the teams had a winning record, and the Bulls and Hawks might be the worst two teams in the league.
What would happen when Phoenix faced a team with a pulse — and some shooters?
Now we know.
The Kings shot 49.4 percent from the floor Saturday. They had 24 assists and just eight turnovers. They did what they wanted with the Suns, when they wanted.
It was only one game out of 82, and Phoenix didn’t play its best, but the 113 points were a warning shot across the bow.
"They are probably one of the best teams in the league as far as passing and cutting," said Amare Stoudemire, who had 29 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Maybe so, but the loss said more about Phoenix than the win did Sacramento.
The Suns used their small lineup — with Stoudemire at center — for much of the game. Jake Voskuhl was out with flu-like symptoms, Bo Outlaw and Maciej Lampe didn’t play, and Stephen Hunter logged 17 minutes.
Phoenix causes mismatches by going small, but it suffers on the defensive end. Shawn Marion, for example, spent much of the night trying to guard Sacramento power forward Chris Webber, who’s three inches taller and 17 pounds heavier.
"I like guarding Webber," Marion said.
Webber doesn’t mind it either, apparently. He went for 28 points and 10 rebounds. And that’s not the Chris Webber of old, mind you, but an old Chris Webber.
D’Antoni loves to push the ball, and Phoenix is at its swiftest when its small lineup is on the floor. But it’s hard for a team to play racehorse basketball and keep up the pace defensively.
What happens is what happened Saturday, when the Kings raced past the Suns for seven first-half layups.
"There’s no way we can do that because they are going to score enough that you can’t give them anything easy," D’Antoni said. "You have to dig a little deeper. That’s our fault. We can stop that."
The Suns might have weathered their defensive lapses had Quentin Richardson not gone 0-for-7 from the field. Marion, bothered by a chest cold, also struggled, making 6-of-15 field goal attempts.
But there are going to be nights when Phoenix’s shooters go cold. Nights when the Suns aren’t playing the Bulls and Hawks, and they have to win a game with their defense.
Nights like Saturday.
"We just have to pick it up a notch because we’re going to be playing some quality ball clubs," said Joe Johnson.
Dallas, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers are on the docket the next six days, and while the three clubs aren’t championship contenders, they’re the kind of teams Phoenix will have to beat to earn a Western Conference playoff spot.
"I still feel pretty good about where we are," D’Antoni said.
So he should. The Suns are 4-2, in first place in the Pacific Division, and there may not be a more entertaining, explosive team in the league.
But, after Saturday, a nagging cough of a question persists:
Can the Suns win big by going small?
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31566
Went to an NBA game Saturday night. Didn’t recognize it.
A bunch of tall men raced up and down the floor and — get this — actually put the ball in the basket.
There was something called a fast break — I can’t be sure, but I think I remember something similar back in the early 1990s — and the teams didn’t try to squeeze every last second out of a possession.
It was a great game to watch — unless you were Suns coach Mike D’Antoni.
The Sacramento Kings beat Phoenix, 113-111, in a 48-minute romp that should be what the NBA is about — entertainment.
But in terms of how the Suns go about their business, the game revealed the boogeyman that had been hiding in Phoenix’s closet.
Through Friday’s games, the Suns led the NBA in field goal percentage allowed (.376). But the discerning eye saw fool’s gold in the 4-1 start.
Phoenix’s five opponents — Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago and Cleveland — were a combined 8-16. None of the teams had a winning record, and the Bulls and Hawks might be the worst two teams in the league.
What would happen when Phoenix faced a team with a pulse — and some shooters?
Now we know.
The Kings shot 49.4 percent from the floor Saturday. They had 24 assists and just eight turnovers. They did what they wanted with the Suns, when they wanted.
It was only one game out of 82, and Phoenix didn’t play its best, but the 113 points were a warning shot across the bow.
"They are probably one of the best teams in the league as far as passing and cutting," said Amare Stoudemire, who had 29 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Maybe so, but the loss said more about Phoenix than the win did Sacramento.
The Suns used their small lineup — with Stoudemire at center — for much of the game. Jake Voskuhl was out with flu-like symptoms, Bo Outlaw and Maciej Lampe didn’t play, and Stephen Hunter logged 17 minutes.
Phoenix causes mismatches by going small, but it suffers on the defensive end. Shawn Marion, for example, spent much of the night trying to guard Sacramento power forward Chris Webber, who’s three inches taller and 17 pounds heavier.
"I like guarding Webber," Marion said.
Webber doesn’t mind it either, apparently. He went for 28 points and 10 rebounds. And that’s not the Chris Webber of old, mind you, but an old Chris Webber.
D’Antoni loves to push the ball, and Phoenix is at its swiftest when its small lineup is on the floor. But it’s hard for a team to play racehorse basketball and keep up the pace defensively.
What happens is what happened Saturday, when the Kings raced past the Suns for seven first-half layups.
"There’s no way we can do that because they are going to score enough that you can’t give them anything easy," D’Antoni said. "You have to dig a little deeper. That’s our fault. We can stop that."
The Suns might have weathered their defensive lapses had Quentin Richardson not gone 0-for-7 from the field. Marion, bothered by a chest cold, also struggled, making 6-of-15 field goal attempts.
But there are going to be nights when Phoenix’s shooters go cold. Nights when the Suns aren’t playing the Bulls and Hawks, and they have to win a game with their defense.
Nights like Saturday.
"We just have to pick it up a notch because we’re going to be playing some quality ball clubs," said Joe Johnson.
Dallas, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers are on the docket the next six days, and while the three clubs aren’t championship contenders, they’re the kind of teams Phoenix will have to beat to earn a Western Conference playoff spot.
"I still feel pretty good about where we are," D’Antoni said.
So he should. The Suns are 4-2, in first place in the Pacific Division, and there may not be a more entertaining, explosive team in the league.
But, after Saturday, a nagging cough of a question persists:
Can the Suns win big by going small?
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=31566
