Report from San Antonio
UPDATED: Suns show closing speed: Phoenix buries Spurs in the final minutes
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Web Posted: 02/02/2007 07:44 AM CST[/SIZE]
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Johnny Ludden[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Express-News[/SIZE]
PHOENIX — By the end, with 18,422 fans on their feet and howling, Manu Gi nobili could only look up from the seat of his pants as Amare Stoudemire threw down one more dunk.
Ginobili and the Spurs gave the Phoe nix Suns a game for about 45 minutes Thursday night. But if the NBA stand ings weren't already a true indicator of the distance between the Western Conference rivals, the Suns provided one more, pulling away from the Spurs in the closing minutes for a 103-87 victory at US Airways Center.
Stoudemire led Phoenix with 24 points and a career-best 23 rebounds and Lean dro Barbosa lit up the Spurs for 25 points off the bench.
Ginobili scored 32 points and Tim Duncan had 20 points and 18 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to keep the Spurs from losing for the second night in a row. They headed home after the game, returning from the first leg of their rodeo trip with a worse record than when they left.
“They are a better team than we are now,” Ginobili said of Phoenix. “Seeing Dallas and Phoenix play gives us an important goal, knowing that if we want to make it where we want, we really have to improve.”
While not known for their defense, the Suns held the Spurs to 38.6 percent shooting. Dun can was bottled up most of the night, missing 12 of 18 shots. Tony Parker, named to the All- Star team earlier in the day, scored 20 points, but needed 18 shots to get them. Phoenix also scored 23 points off the Spurs' 18 turnovers. “We played pretty well, but just too many mistakes,” Dun can said. “Also, I missed a whole lot of stuff close to the basket they were able to transition with and we had turnovers they transitioned with.
“That's not what you want to do against a team like that. They just turn those things into points very quickly.”
The Spurs had won 14 of the past 17 meetings between the teams, including the playoffs, but these weren't the same Suns. Or the same Spurs.
While the Spurs have struggled to gain any traction this season, Phoenix had joined Dallas in surging to the top of the NBA standings. That, however, didn't stop the teams from put ting on another entertaining show.
The Spurs trailed 72-70 to start the fourth quarter and it wasn't long after that the tension between the teams began to simmer over.
Ginobili drove to the rim, leading with his knee, and speared Stoudemire in the groin. Stoudemire was called for a foul and had to be re- strained from going after Ginobili, earning a technical. While the officials tried to calm the players, Spurs assist- ant coach P.J. Carlesimo and Suns assistant Mark Ivaroni yelled at each other along the sideline.
Suns 103, Spurs 87•
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“I just tried to go strong to the basket,” Ginobili said. “I think I was in motion before he came. I, of course, had no intention of hurting anybody. I just tried to draw a foul.”
Ginobili had a chance to cut the Spurs' deficit to two, but his 3-pointer popped out of the rim.
Barbosa then buried a 3-pointer and Ginobili was called for a foul on the play for trying to fight through Steve Nash.
The four-point possession left the Spurs in a 95-86 hole with 2:22 left and they never recovered.
New England Patriots line backer Junior Seau sat across from the visitors' bench, which was fitting considering the Spurs felt like they had been in a football game one night earlier after being overwhelmed by Utah's physicality. Delayed while their plane had to be deiced, the Spurs didn't arrive in Phoenix until close to 2:30 a.m.
Phoenix, meanwhile, had spent the previous two days recuperating from the end of its 17-game winning streak. Provided, of course, the go-go-go Suns ever rest.
“This is exactly the team you want to play (on a back-to- back),” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich cracked before the game.
Phoenix also strung together another 15 consecutive victories earlier in the season be coming the first team to ever have two streaks of such length before the All-Star break. Since starting the season 3-6, the Suns had gone 33-3.
“They're playing better defense now than they've ever played before,” Popovich said. “Offensively, they're more dangerous than they've ever been, tougher to guard than they've ever been. And I think their confidence level is higher than it's ever been.
“The record they have — and the way they've been playing — I honestly don't think it's fool's gold. I think it's for real.” Though the Spurs had reason to be fatigued, they hardly looked it once they stepped on the floor, scoring the game's first nine points and surging to a 14-3 lead when Ginobili buried a 3-pointer with 5:47 left in the opening quarter.
The Suns missed their first five shots and 10 of their first 11, but continued, as always, to fire away. As the NBA's best- shooting team, in addition to its highest-scoring, Phoenix found its stroke soon enough.
Barbosa provided a jolt of energy — as if the Suns ever need one — when he checked into the game, and the Spurs' lead was down to six by the end of the first quarter. James Jones' 3-pointer put Phoenix ahead 31-29 less than four minutes into the second.
“LB was just phenomenal,” Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. “(The Spurs) struggle with that speed.”
