Post SA game thread

[Freddie]

Here are the reasons we will beat the Spurs in the playoffs.

Amare won't have another bad game like today.

The refs won't baby the Spurs like they did today.

Nash will take over when we are in a funk.

Boris will be the player he was in last year's playoffs.

Anyone else?

 

[az1965]

Here are the reasons we will beat the Spurs in the playoffs.

Amare won't have another bad game like today.

The refs won't baby the Spurs like they did today. They always do...

Nash will take over when we are in a funk.

Boris will be the player he was in last year's playoffs. He hasn't been entire season, so this is a lot to expect...

Anyone else?

Not all true...

 

[elindholm]

The good news is that Bell is no longer the worst rebounder in the league, since he somehow got 13 boards tonight...

Diaw sucks. One good game every other week doesn't do it for me. He fooled everyone with his play last season. Even the people on this board who claim they were against his extension thought he was important to the Suns' future. All he is now is a mentally soft secondary playmaker who can't guard a chair and is more likely to hurt his team than help it.

Stoudemire still takes games off from time to time, tonight being an obvious example. My guess is that he's mentally exhausted. The rehab had to be a tremendous psychological drain, and he has done an amazing job to get himself back to this point. Let's hope he still has gas in the tank for the playoffs.

Oh, and there's really no point hoping for "better" officiating in the playoffs. The Spurs have been getting these calls (or no-calls) for years, and that's not going to stop.

 

[CaptainInsano]

Diaw only has good post play when he has a ridiculous matchup. That is pathetic.

Just trade him and hopefully pick horford who from what I have seen doesn't need a size mismatch to be able to take it to the hole in a back to the basket move.

 

[Nasser22]

Amare will be better...he's always ready for the playoffs, but I hope that they'll be able to rest him in the last couple of games. San Antonio is close though.

The Spurs dominated the whole game. The Suns had only about 3 minutes that they played their regular offense, but if the Spurs gave them only 4 they probably would have won. They stayed very close when they were severely outplayed and on the road. They won't be outplayed this bad for more than a game in a series probably so I'm not too worried.

That's good, the bad part is that San Antonio's D is very good and it'll take some better coaching decisions and some adjustments if they want to beat them in the playoffs.

Seriously, KT only on the floor for 14 minutes? This type of game is exactly why they brought him here and he was playing good! When it's a slow down game they should play him. The offense will figure it out. Last year KT played over 20 minutes a game and we led the league in scoring, but also had a much better defense with than without him.

Also...Diaw on DUNCAN?!? Dirk is one thing, but a power, post-up guy like Duncan against a guy who avoids contact? Amare had 3 fouls left at that time right before the 4th so if they don't play KT they need to at least use Amare.


I'm disappointed in the lost, but I can see some good in it if they can just change some things...and keep home court.

Edit: Diaw has been disappointing, but he has had some good moments. We did overpay for him, but we also got Barbosa at a bargain so it's pretty even. I still think Diaw can really help but he just needs to toughen up...he is a very skillful player, but he's kind of a *****, for lack of a better word, on the floor.

 

[Chaplin]

How come Diaw being great last season is a fluke, and him being terrible this season isn't? Can't it possibly be the other way around?

 

[WuRaider]

I hate Steve Kerr

 

[Cheesebeef]

How come Diaw being great last season is a fluke, and him being terrible this season isn't? Can't it possibly be the other way around?

this is 3 out of 4 years the guy has been a relative non-factor. This season could be a fluke, but you really expect a player to grow after a season like that - just look at guys like Barbs and Josh Howard - both of them have gotten MUCH better after their breakout years and you could see them steadily getting better each season they played. With Boris, you have two absolutely worthless years, then a really good year and again, another pretty dissappointing season.

I just never think it's a good sign to see such digression from progress in a young player. Maybe at the beginning of the season when he didn't know what his role was, but man, he hasn't looked any different from the beginning to now - just an infuriating flash here and there.

maybe next year, if healthy, DA can figure out what to do with Boris and Boris can figure out what to do with Boris, but to expect something out of him this season I think is setting yourself up for a fall.

 

[Chaplin]

His Atlanta years should never be considered in any discussion about Boris Diaw. Come on.

 

[Cheesebeef]

His Atlanta years should never be considered in any discussion about Boris Diaw. Come on.

I don't buy that at all. It's not like Atlanta has zero guys who have been able to develop a game there. Josh Smith has developed, JJ has definitely developed into something huge and Al Harrington developed into a decent player. The fact that Boris did NOTHING there, not even flashed a moment or two is relatively damning evidence IMO. But, we can agree to disagree here.

 

[Covert Rain]

Boris Diaw is not a confident player. Period. I think what made him good last year is that the team HAD to rely on him. He couldn't shy away and he had no place to hide. I think that made him play up to his ability. This year, he is not the go to guy on the block. He knows it.

I am starting to be convinced that he is hesitant and passive by nature. He is probably the type of player that needs someone in his face all the time to light a fire under him. I could be wrong but things are looking that way with him this year.

 

[Nasser22]

Well, Leandro wasn't that confident before. Maybe he needs some Dan D'Antoni advice like someone else said in another thread.

 

[cly2tw]

This type of games will resurface and it's more often due to the opponents effort and game plan than the lack thereof on Suns part.

Amare, I think, is tired. He was just reacting too slow for whatever was going on around him, on both end of the court. And he still has the fundamental problem that his weight center is way too high for playing acceptable defense as well as blocking out on rebounding. In the last couple of games, this tendency has been even more obvious than it was middle of the season. The strategic difference in Suns' game plan is that we feature/feed Amare much more than before. Either the offensive burden has come too high and too early in his rehabilitation process, or mentally he was trying to save engergy on the court, the outcome is the same that his defense and court attention has worsened lately.

Evident from this game is that with KT defending Duncan our general defense was very good, however, due to SA's great defense we also couldn't untrack our fast-pace offense. This is actually a perfect situation to use Rose instead of JR. JR's strength at defense is not that important given the Spurs' having their focus on Duncan and Parker and Duncan was contained by KT one-on-one. So, Rose would be not the defensive liability to defend the likes of Finley and Bowen, or even Manu. But he has much better halfcourt offensive skills and would have been able to open up the space a lot better.

One problem of this Suns roster is also that we don't have good shooters like Stackhouse, Terry, Hamilton who still shoot a good percentage long jumpers without much space allowed by the defence. Bell and Nash could do it occasionally. Yet, Rose in his whole career has been subjected to this condition. So, if we again have problems to get the pace against the Spurs to our liking, we better use Rose with KT.

Give Amare a one game or two rest. We can win the series vs the Spurs with or w/o home court.

 

[SactownSunsFan]

Let's look at the bigger picture here and not focus in on this one game. We beat this Spurs team two months ago in impressive fashion. We were also one missed free throw by Bell away from beating them in San Antonio earlier this season. This Suns team is certainly capable of beating the spurs in the playoffs. The Suns did not execute well tonight. Sure the Spurs played great defense, but their defense wasn't the sole reason we shot only 38.6% tonight. We shot ourselves in the foot tonight with bad execution and lackluster effort.

 

[SO91]

Let's look at the bigger picture here and not focus in on this one game. We beat this Spurs team two months ago in impressive fashion. We were also one missed free throw by Bell away from beating them in San Antonio earlier this season. This Suns team is certainly capable of beating the spurs in the playoffs. The Suns did not execute well tonight. Sure the Spurs played great defense, but their defense wasn't the sole reason we shot only 38.6% tonight. We shot ourselves in the foot tonight with bad execution and lackluster effort.

I absolutely agree. Their defense was pretty good today, but we also missed some very makeable shots throughout the game.

 

[arwillan]

Let's look at the bigger picture here and not focus in on this one game. We beat this Spurs team two months ago in impressive fashion. We were also one missed free throw by Bell away from beating them in San Antonio earlier this season. This Suns team is certainly capable of beating the spurs in the playoffs. The Suns did not execute well tonight. Sure the Spurs played great defense, but their defense wasn't the sole reason we shot only 38.6% tonight. We shot ourselves in the foot tonight with bad execution and lackluster effort.

i agree. if the spurs want to bank on us shooting 18% from 3-point land, 34% from the field. 70% from the line, and amare shooting something like 35% from the floor, then they got another thing coming. sure they played defense, but their d looks even better when we miss shots that we should be making, and when amare plays like he is in high school again.

 

[cly2tw]

Let's look at the bigger picture here and not focus in on this one game. We beat this Spurs team two months ago in impressive fashion. We were also one missed free throw by Bell away from beating them in San Antonio earlier this season. This Suns team is certainly capable of beating the spurs in the playoffs. The Suns did not execute well tonight. Sure the Spurs played great defense, but their defense wasn't the sole reason we shot only 38.6% tonight. We shot ourselves in the foot tonight with bad execution and lackluster effort.

I beg to differ here. Bad shooting in this game is a result from Spurs' defense. All game long, our shooters rarely saw good open shots the way they were used to. Then, repeated misfiring made them, particularly LB and Amare, impatient and rushing the shots.

Bell, the exception, is a guy who thrives under pressure and is especially focused to defending his rep as the Manu defender. He got the focus at shooting whole game long. You could see it from his body signs, very much like when he shot the buzzer beating 3-pt in last year's playoff series. After one 3 pt by Manu, he countered with one of his own right away. Yet, otherwise we are simply too used to shooting wide open jumpers in most games.

 

[Nasser22]

Page 5
http://www.bballworld.us/forum/index.php?showtopic=27076&pid=327183&st=60&#entry327183
I hate this kid sometimes.

 

[pokerface]

How come Diaw being great last season is a fluke, and him being terrible this season isn't? Can't it possibly be the other way around?

Right on Chaplin! I'm tired of people writing Diaw off...its getting stupid now. The guy is way too smart and talented to be written off so easlily. Barbosa (and even Joe Johnson) had ups and downs and they came around.

Well Chaplin I guess we'll be the odd couple cheering Diaw on against the waves of discontentment but we'll be laughing last when Boris turns it up come playoffs....GUARANTEED.

 

[pokerface]

His Atlanta years should never be considered in any discussion about Boris Diaw. Come on.

For the most part I will agree with that as the Hawks didnt know how to use him nor did they have the type of team for him to excell on.

BUT

I will say I've heard Hawks fans talk about him a while back and Diaw's desire for the game has been questioned. According to them he didn't always show killer instinct and they would only see sporadic glimpses of what he can be like when he'd be in a International World Championships venue. Seems Diaw only steps it up when he wants to....but then again I'm sure it was hard for him to keep his attitude up on a lousy Hawks squad.

As far as his deal with the Suns...It might be a combination of things. There could still be the desire issue but also Diaw's role isnt as clearly defined this season. Maybe he's gotten bored too but then again some of the rest of the team has had issues with that...Marion, James Jones, Banks. This might not be strictly a Diaw thing.

I think the playoffs will peak Diaws interest and he'll step up. Maybe others are expecting a playoff letdown by him but I'll be more shocked if that happens.

 

[HooverDam]

You know, if the Suns biggest worry is the play of their 5th/6th option (Diaw), I think we can all be pretty happy. I for one am extremely glad Boris is on this team and really don't want to see him moved, and I know Coach D feels the same way. He is having a bit of a down year, but its a typical sophomore slump (since last year he was more or less a rookie). Like a lot of foreign born players, Boris is having trouble being aggressive, I think that'll change over time. Also, with the shot doctors on the Suns staff his shooting will continue to improve over the year. I only hope the Suns can keep Ivaroni this year, and he can continue to give Diaw guidance as far as being a good big go.

I'm not worried about the Spurs in the playoffs nearly as much as I am Dallas. KT does an EXCELLENT job on Duncan, and the Spurs normally (tonight was an aberration) can't even slow Amare. There aren't going to be many games where Amare, Diaw, Barbosa, Marion and James Jones all look like crap. Maybe 2 of the 5 in one game, but 5 out of 5? I doubt it.

We should look at the silver lining in this game. The Suns proved to themselves they can compete in a different type of game if need be. They learned a lot about themselves and got some excellent game tape. The refs were just a mess tonight (both ways), and slowed the game down, which really hurts the Suns, that won't happen every night in a 7 game series. Furthermore, the Spurs are getting old. Big Shot Bob I no longer fear. Finley can't hit anything unless he's standing still and wide open. Oberto and Elson aren't anything to write home about. My biggest concern is Tony Parker, the Suns never even slow him down.

 

[ndjmc]

You know, if the Suns biggest worry is the play of their 5th/6th option (Diaw), I think we can all be pretty happy. I for one am extremely glad Boris is on this team and really don't want to see him moved, and I know Coach D feels the same way. He is having a bit of a down year, but its a typical sophomore slump (since last year he was more or less a rookie). Like a lot of foreign born players, Boris is having trouble being aggressive, I think that'll change over time. Also, with the shot doctors on the Suns staff his shooting will continue to improve over the year. I only hope the Suns can keep Ivaroni this year, and he can continue to give Diaw guidance as far as being a good big go.

I'm not worried about the Spurs in the playoffs nearly as much as I am Dallas. KT does an EXCELLENT job on Duncan, and the Spurs normally (tonight was an aberration) can't even slow Amare. There aren't going to be many games where Amare, Diaw, Barbosa, Marion and James Jones all look like crap. Maybe 2 of the 5 in one game, but 5 out of 5? I doubt it.

We should look at the silver lining in this game. The Suns proved to themselves they can compete in a different type of game if need be. They learned a lot about themselves and got some excellent game tape. The refs were just a mess tonight (both ways), and slowed the game down, which really hurts the Suns, that won't happen every night in a 7 game series. Furthermore, the Spurs are getting old. Big Shot Bob I no longer fear. Finley can't hit anything unless he's standing still and wide open. Oberto and Elson aren't anything to write home about. My biggest concern is Tony Parker, the Suns never even slow him down.

And Flopper as well. He gets loose on us too. I like Boris when He is on his REAL game but this other stuff is just SOFT SOFT SOFT. Maybe Our pick and Diaw can get us higher in the draft.

 

[msdundee]

Right on Chaplin! I'm tired of people writing Diaw off...its getting stupid now. The guy is way too smart and talented to be written off so easlily.

It was just Diaw's night to regain the ASFNPOG title. I would have voted for Amare but he was excused due to mental exhaustion.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Look at the reason for Bob Horry's DNP in Yahoo's box score.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2007040524

The Spurs are going to be an extremely difficult matchup for the Suns in the playoffs that will IMO require homecourt advantage to win. Unlike the Mavs, the Spurs play the most disciplined defense in the league and the Suns going small played into their defensive wizadry over us. Going small allowed Bruce Bowen to match up agains Nash which killed Phx's ability to score in the halfcourt due to Bowen's pick-and-roll D and without that option in the halfcourt the Suns simply cannot score enough points to win.

I also would like to point out how horrid Amare Stoudemire is on the defensive end when matched up with a patient and talented player in Duncan. Amare lets everybody get the ball way too close to the basket but he's sometime athletic enough to slow them down in soite of that but not Duncan. His array of post moves repeatedly left Stoudemire looking completely clueless. Kurt Thomas needds to get at least 20 minutes per game against the Spurs in the playoffs,

 

[kps0001]

that is one of the best things I have ever seen. Old age...LOL