Raptors at Suns 3-23-11

[sunsfan88]

And Gortat has officially been in there an entire quarter...I hope he has some gas left.

Does that answer your question?

But man every time Toronto has called time out, they go on a run. Please counter PHX!

 

[Proteus]

Brooks with a big 3.

 

[desertdawg]

Baby Brooks gettin his boogey on.

 

[AfroSuns]

More than anything, i like how Gortat can make good passes from the post

 

[SirStefan32]

Marcin is an amazing player.

 

[AfroSuns]

Brooks really bothered Bargnani's shot. Funny to see how effective he was.

Thought that was funny too, like Rondo on James

 

[Mainstreet]

Brooks is cold blooded.

 

[desertdawg]

Nash with the dagger, I know it was the Raptors and all but after last night...a win is a win.

 

[Proteus]

Nash with a big jumper to put the Suns up by 7.

 

[Mainstreet]

A fresh Nash makes all the difference. Brooks allowed him to get the rest he needed. Brooks is awesome.

 

[sunsfan88]

Wow, I gotta admit, going with 2 point guards while Gortat in there is kinda nice.

Yup, yup. I said it was a good sub before they even started playin with that lineup.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=2424839&postcount=76

 

[Mainstreet]

Marcin is an amazing player.

Absolutely. He is even better than expected. What a plum the Suns got.

 

[Proteus]

Whew. Yay!!!! Suns win 114-106. Good win Suns.

 

[sunsfan88]

Nash with the dagger, I know it was the Raptors and all but after last night...a win is a win.

Its a HUGE win. Our guys were tired as hell and were emotionally drained.

To be honest, I was expecting a loss.

 

[Griffin]

Good job by the bench guys stepping up after yesterday's marathon game. Brooks is finally starting to look comfortable out there. With Memphis beating the Celtics tonight, we haven't been able to gain any ground, but the biggest game of the season is coming up now. We can still catch NO if we can beat them twice.

 

[sunsfan88]

Aaron Brooks- 25 pts, 8 assists

Nash- 16 pts, 8 assists in just 21 minutes

If both these guys can produce like this, we still have a chance.

 

[Mainstreet]

Gentry learned. They kept VC on the bench and played two PGs down the stretch. It gave the Suns more offensive punch, speed and play making. This may not always be the answer but Gentry needs to use this line-up to get the adrenaline going and score some points when the offense stagnates.

 

[sunsfan88]

Playin 2 PGs works if both are kept fresh and both produce well. Look at the Nuggets-Spurs game right now, Felton & Lawson is the main reason their only down by 3.

 

[BC867]

Interesting +/- vs. Toronto

I took a look at the Suns individual +/- figures vs. the Raptors, as well as minutes played -- and (to be fair) their minutes played in the triple-overtime the night before.

As deep as we are, it is frustrating that we can't seem to put anyone away. With a more functional lineup, we could have beaten the Lakers on the road in regulation and should not have needed a 17-3 run at the end of the game to beat lowly Toronto, even in a back-to back.

PLAYER.........+/......MINUTES VS. TORONTO.......MINUTES VS. L.A.

BROOKS.......+21.................33:39..........................13:40.........
GORTAT.......+20.................33.08...........................53.05.........
DUDLEY.......+16.................41.43...........................29.31.........
FRYE...........+ 7..................39:58........STARTER.......56.59.........
DOWDELL.....+6....................8:47..............................0............
CHILDRESS...+2....................9:36..............................0............
WARRICK......+1...................8:02.............................5.31.........

NASH............0..................21:30.........STARTER.......49:20.........

PIETRUS.......-2...................2:24.............................12:37.........
HILL.............-8...................6:17.........STARTER........44.08.........
CARTER.......-11.................20:04.........STARTER........40.14.........
LOPEZ.........-12.................14:52.........STARTER.........9:55.........

Some observations.

Gentry has developed a bench 10-deep and even 12-deep. He deserves credit for that. If only someone would hit him over the head so he would use the roster wisely.

Look at the four names at the top of the list -- Brooks/Gortat/Dudley/Frye. A Point Guard, a Wing, a Power Forward and a Center. 'Not bad! Followed by Dowdell and Childress as subs.

Even Warrick shows a plus. It is understandable that Nash was a zero after playing 49 minutes injured the night before. And that Hill was a -8 after playing 44 minutes the night before and wasn't feeling well.

Carter's negative is no surprise and he did play 40 minutes the night before.

Then there is Lopez. Here is why I rag on him folks. There is no excuse for him bringing up the rear with a -12 playing less than 15 minutes vs. the Raptors, following playing less than 10 minutes in the triple-overtime the night before. Did he let his team down or what? Big time!

'Sort of makes it clear who should be part of our nucleus next season and who should be replaced.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Then there is Lopez. Here is why I rag on him folks. There is no excuse for him bringing up the rear with a -12 playing less than 15 minutes vs. the Raptors, following playing less than 10 minutes in the triple-overtime the night before. Did he let his team down or what? Big time!

'Sort of makes it clear who should be part of our nucleus next season and who should be replaced.

You make that sound like you were alone in this or at least in conflict on this issue. Check out this board, many of us were ripping him long before the "start Gortat" parade began. I think you'd be very hard pressed to find even a single person that wants Lopez to start or play based on what he's doing for us.

The only people that defend Robin do so out of hope (borne of desperation, I think) that he will eventually blossom into something other than the biggest waste of space in the game today. Personally, I wouldn't give up on him because athletic big men are hard to find but he wouldn't see meaningful minutes until AFTER he earned them.

Steve

 

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[Suns_fan69]

Personally, I wouldn't give up on him because athletic big men are hard to find but he wouldn't see meaningful minutes until AFTER he earned them.Steve

I think the problem is that he's not really an athletic big man anymore. Before his back issues earlier in the year I would call him about average in terms of athleticism; he was no Dwight Howard but he certainly wasn't Zydrunas Ilgauskus either. Since he's been back though he hasn't looked anywhere near where he was last year. He looks more like Ilgauskus now except without the length or skill.