So pissed at D'Antoni

[Hat]

You know, I came here tonight to vent in anger, probably the wrong place, but I'm here with Suns fans so maybe others might understand. Now, I know throughout the season, he's been criticized for not playing his bench enough and draining the starters. Well, it showed tonight. Sure it was working the first half having a small, run-in-gun offense (which I love by the way), but the Spurs are too smart to follow that trap. And guess what, they didn't.

Now you got a loss, exhausted starters, and a big game coming up on Friday. DA can be a great play making coach, but a horrible manager. I am so damn pissed sitting at home, not even at the game, and can see how the Spurs slowly but surely, tire out the Suns (all 6 of them yay!) and he doesn't see it. It's been like this all season, play your damn bench, and have a little faith. Now you come into Friday's game with a tired Nash, KT, and possibly Bell.

 

[mr_sunshine]

I'm sure they'll be fine. Yeah, I think he should have used Jalen and even Banks a bit. But he's getting paid the big bucks. Who are we to judge his decisions?

 

[elindholm]

D'Antoni thought it was more important to grind out a few extra regular-season wins. I'm not sure I agree, but it's a viable strategy. If the Suns can win Game 7 at home, we'd probably have to say that it paid off.

 

[Hat]

I haven't said a word about his coaching until now, I have a right to question tonight's decisions because I help pay some of his big bucks. Yeh the bench needs to step up when they get put out, and they don't have the best record either, but now you are put in a situation where atleast 4 starting guys will not be a full 100% rested by Friday. You have to be 100% ready to face the Spurs, and have a chance at beating them on their home court.

and WTF is with the lack of defense on Ginobilli. Start defending him like he's Bryant, that guy is killing them with 3's.

 

[azirish]

This was an amazingly close game. There were so many close calls (charge or block) and so many missed opportunities, it could have easily gone the other way. If the Suns had shot just a bit better, then D'Antoni would be considered a genius.

As it is, the Suns should not have been competative. It takes a genius to come even close to beating an outstanding team when that out manned.

 

[Hat]

I'm sure they'll be fine. Yeah, I think he should have used Jalen and even Banks a bit. But he's getting paid the big bucks. Who are we to judge his decisions?

D'Antoni thought it was more important to grind out a few extra regular-season wins. I'm not sure I agree, but it's a viable strategy. If the Suns can win Game 7 at home, we'd probably have to say that it paid off.

You have to win a BIG game 6 first

 

[Hat]

This was an amazingly close game. There were so many close calls (charge or block) and so many missed opportunities, it could have easily gone the other way. If the Suns had shot just a bit better, then D'Antoni would be considered a genius.

As it is, the Suns should not have been competative. It takes a genius to come even close to beating an outstanding team when that out manned.

It wasn't a close game in the first half. They just got too tired to finish it off because they all played practically 40 mins.

That's why get guys like Banks and Rose (a 13 yr vet) out to give Nash, Bell, and possibly Marion a breather.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

It wasn't a close game in the first half. They just got too tired to finish it off because they all played practically 40 mins.

That's why get guys like Banks and Rose (a 13 yr vet) out to give Nash, Bell, and possibly Marion a breather.

I agree.

 

[Captain America]

Hey all,

I have read this message board for a while now, just never really posted anything, but I would have to agree with the initial poster's thoughts. I looked it up after the game wondering how much Marion, Nash, and Bell all played since it seemed they did not ever get breaks.

This is the numbers from the game:

Nash: 46 minutes

Marion: 46 minutes

Bell: 47 minutes

Kurt Thomas: 36 minutes

Barbosa: 34 minutes (don't forget he was pretty much out after the 3rd quarter in foul trouble)

James Jones: 29 minutes

Pat Burke: 3 minutes

Six players got to really play in this game because Burke was really no impact whatsoever. When Barbosa got into foul trouble why didn't Jalen Rose come in to play the #2 guard? Why wasn't Burke in to defend Oberto when he was in for Duncan?

The guys who played tonight all played out of their minds except LB, but D'Antoni needs to notice when his guys need a rest. I understand that you need to fight the Spurs with everything you got, but he also does not want them burned for the next game or two depending on how far this series goes.

I was very disappointed with the way that the fourth quarter was coached. I think that the Suns should have had a big man on the floor to help out Marion when they were in need of scoring because, quite frankly, even though Marion played like a beast tonight, he was getting a lot of those rebounds due to Thomas' boxing out.

With all that said, I still believe the Suns will win the next two games if the games are called fairly on both sides. I think the last two games have been called very well, let's just hope it stays that way.

GO SUNS!!!

 

[Crash]

Jones started to get going and then he took him out. WTF was he thinking puting Barbosa back in? Barbosa still has a lot to learn. One of them being that Duncan WILL block weak layups.

 

[Griffin]

If we had won, would people still criticize D'Antoni for playing our starters for so long? I just don't think Rose and Banks would have helped a whole lot. But then I don't really know since I don't watch practice. Of course he could have assumed we were going to lose and play our scrubs for 48 minutes, but he wanted to give the team a chance to win. We really do not know what shape Rose and Banks are in. When was the last time they played significant minutes?

 

[Crash]

D'Antoni gets outcoached a lot.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

10 extra minutes for Nash is NOT that big a deal...you guys are making mountains out of molehills.

 

[Hat]

Quit bagging on Barbosa. He's a great player, just made a few mistakes, they all make them. I think DA has in his bonehead of his that he will get 25 pts. a game like he did in the regular season. Somehow the Spurs have contained him and not allowing him to do that anymore.

If you want to bag on someone, do it to Diaw and Stoudemire. They know the rules and chose not to follow them.

 

[Hat]

Jones started to get going and then he took him out. WTF was he thinking puting Barbosa back in? Barbosa still has a lot to learn. One of them being that Duncan WILL block weak layups.

If we had won, would people still criticize D'Antoni for playing our starters for so long? I just don't think Rose and Banks would have helped a whole lot. But then I don't really know since I don't watch practice. Of course he could have assumed we were going to lose and play our scrubs for 48 minutes, but he wanted to give the team a chance to win. We really do not know what shape Rose and Banks are in. When was the last time they played significant minutes?

Take a chance and play them for 5 mins, see what happens. And yes, I still would criticize DA for making them play that long.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Barbosa has been absolutely terrible this series.

He was shooting 38% before tonight's game and that will go down after shooting 25% tonight.

His 1-1 assist to turnover right is about as bad as a guard can do.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Ask any professional athlete - a few extra minutes per game does add up after a whole season of them.

If you look at this game without thinking about the suspensions, you'll find a lot of mistakes in Mike D'Antoni's game plan and in-game adjustments.

 

[Hat]

That's why you take him out. Again another example of mismanagement by DA. But I'm not going to see he's a terrible player in the playoffs.

 

[SO91]

I call BS on that! Had they won everybody in here would be ecstatic, and thinking game 6 was ours because we'll have Amare and Boris back.

 

[nbadan]

The Spurs found a way to play Matt Bonner. D'Antoni should have found minutes for a player like Rose. Insinuating that POP outcoached anyone is laughable.

 

[bigfoot]

I obviously cant get into D'Antoni's head to see what's up, but you gotta admit it was very tempting to keep the boys playing especially with that huge lead and the Spurs being so out of rhythm that made it look like we were gonna win it.

 

[Hat]

Why is it tempting to play your starters with a big lead? That's when you give them a break and bring in your bench.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Ask any professional athlete - a few extra minutes per game does add up after a whole season of them.

If you look at this game without thinking about the suspensions, you'll find a lot of mistakes in Mike D'Antoni's game plan and in-game adjustments.

Yeah, it adds up OVER THE COURSE of a season...not one game.

These guys are finely tuned athletes...yeah, maybe they are tired after the game, but they have almost 2 days to heal up...they'll be fine.

People bashing D'Antoni...it amazes me.

The guy did everything he could to win this game. If you think Banks or Rose would have kept us in it...I dunno. I doubt it.

You don't GIVE AWAY games in the playoffs. You fight for every one of them.

 

[SO91]

They players expected to play big minutes tonight...Nash said it himself. Stop blaming the coach for losing a game they had no business winning, or even staying close. They were not gonna hold the Spurs to 71 points, so trying to put a few more points up, rolling the dice with a guy that has given us offense all year long was a gamble that he needed to take during a game that was full of gambles.

 

[bigfoot]

Why is it tempting to play your starters with a big lead? That's when you give them a break and bring in your bench.

Knowing how Spurs have a knack for chipping away slowly but surely at leads, you just cant relax. D'Antoni gambled there and I think it was a good bet. Unfortunately, we werent able to make that lead larger, like insurmountably large, while things were still going our way. Eventually, their shots started falling and they caught up with us.