azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
The plan was there. It was posted in the Suns locker room before the game - a reminder on the board that they had a one-game trip to San Antonio to make today.
But the better team was in the visitors locker room.
Phoenix averted the sweep and a heavier load of off-season doubt with Monday's win but San Antonio slapped the Suns with a reminder Wednesday of how the West is won with defense. For as athletic as the Suns are, it was asking a lot for them to make the leap from 29 wins to world champions after sharing a locker room for just eight months.
Held to 44 percent shooting for the second time in three games, Phoenix's only trip today will be back to America West Arena for the exit interviews that made up the new itinerary on the postgame locker room board.
The Suns lost 101-95 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, placing the more seasoned Spurs in the NBA Finals for the third time in seven years.
In potential close-out playoff games, San Antonio is 16-4 under coach Gregg Popovich.
"It would have been a fairy tale if we came out and won the championship," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And that doesn't happen. You have to earn it and you have to lose some battles along the way.
"We have got to get better defensively. We will keep our style. We'll probably beef up a little bit more and try to get some more size and strength."
The Suns' injection of hope from Game 4's return to eye-pleasing play was short-lived. They lost their third straight game at home by going into the same rut that undid them in Game 3. This time, it was a third quarter of individual forced action that saw Phoenix miss 13 of its first 15 shots and fall behind by as much as 13.
"It was more us," said Suns guard Jim Jackson, who tried to pick up the slack for a scoreless performance from starter Quentin Richardson. "They did a great job of pressuring the ball even if we missed and keeping Steve (Nash) from going upcourt in a straight line. That's what champions do. There's a reason they have two of those rings."
The Suns came out of it but never got closer than three or had a possession with a chance to tie. After 12 straight games of scoring more than 100 points and scoring more than they did in the regular season, the Suns did not hit the century mark in their last two losses.
At times, Nash carried the offense and paid for it in the second half with 1-for-6 shooting and two assists.
"We got almost all we could ask for out of this season except the one thing we really wanted," Nash said. "In many ways, it diminishes everything we accomplished this year. But hopefully, in time, we'll be able to look back and feel real proud of our accomplishments."
The Suns' spunk and sprint was not the same as Game 4, losing out to a San Antonio defense that nearly eliminated every threat besides the two-man game between Nash and Amaré Stoudemire.
Capping a brilliant postseason, Stoudemire offered a mix of power and outside touch for his best effort - a 42-point, 16-rebound game against the NBA's top defense.
He had 11 30-point games in these playoffs, the most any NBA player 22 or younger has had in one postseason.
"I went out swinging with a couple Muhammad Ali blows," Stoudemire said. "I really tied to motivate us as a team to take us to the top."
Phoenix was only 5 of 17 from long distance with Nash, Richardson and Shawn Marion going 0 for 8. The Spurs hit nine of 21 threes, including back-to-back ones from Tony Parker during a game-changing 10-0 Spurs run in the third.
"We had to give up something and that was outside shots," Marion said.
Phoenix packed the paint and begged Parker to shoot. He had a 10-point third quarter that helped San Antonio retake the lead for good. The Suns' best shot came when Jackson hit his third three-pointer of the second half to cut the lead to 93-90 with 2:45 to go.
But with three seconds on the shot clock for an inbound play, Tim Duncan caught a lob, went around Stoudemire and missed his driving lay-in. But he tipped it back in for a 95-90 lead that was followed by Robert Horry's steal of a Jackson pass and Stoudemire's left-handed scoop that rattled out.
Taurasi and Ginobili
The Mercury's Diana Taurasi, whose mother, Lili, is from Argentina, has visited that country several times. She speaks highly of Argentina's popular export, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who scored 19 points in the Spurs' clincher on Wednesday night: "I'm just a huge fan of Manu. He's from Argentina, but he's also just wonderful to watch on the court. He's been playing with this unbelievable passion and intensity throughout the playoffs. My mom calls me and she always asks me, 'Did you see Manu's game?' He might not be the most athletically talented player out there, but he always gets there with the right play."
- Norm Frauenheim
View from the Press Box
The Suns worked all season to earn outright home-court advantage while the Spurs rested Tim Duncan in late March and early April with an injury. All that effort went for naught in this series, as Phoenix suffered three of its four defeats at home. In two games, they lost fourth-quarter leads. On Wednesday, with owner Robert Sarver pleading for the crowd to stand for the final 5:34, the Suns' attempt to rally behind their fans never even had a potential tying possession.
- Paul Coro
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0602suns0602.html
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
The plan was there. It was posted in the Suns locker room before the game - a reminder on the board that they had a one-game trip to San Antonio to make today.
But the better team was in the visitors locker room.
Phoenix averted the sweep and a heavier load of off-season doubt with Monday's win but San Antonio slapped the Suns with a reminder Wednesday of how the West is won with defense. For as athletic as the Suns are, it was asking a lot for them to make the leap from 29 wins to world champions after sharing a locker room for just eight months.
Held to 44 percent shooting for the second time in three games, Phoenix's only trip today will be back to America West Arena for the exit interviews that made up the new itinerary on the postgame locker room board.
The Suns lost 101-95 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, placing the more seasoned Spurs in the NBA Finals for the third time in seven years.
In potential close-out playoff games, San Antonio is 16-4 under coach Gregg Popovich.
"It would have been a fairy tale if we came out and won the championship," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "And that doesn't happen. You have to earn it and you have to lose some battles along the way.
"We have got to get better defensively. We will keep our style. We'll probably beef up a little bit more and try to get some more size and strength."
The Suns' injection of hope from Game 4's return to eye-pleasing play was short-lived. They lost their third straight game at home by going into the same rut that undid them in Game 3. This time, it was a third quarter of individual forced action that saw Phoenix miss 13 of its first 15 shots and fall behind by as much as 13.
"It was more us," said Suns guard Jim Jackson, who tried to pick up the slack for a scoreless performance from starter Quentin Richardson. "They did a great job of pressuring the ball even if we missed and keeping Steve (Nash) from going upcourt in a straight line. That's what champions do. There's a reason they have two of those rings."
The Suns came out of it but never got closer than three or had a possession with a chance to tie. After 12 straight games of scoring more than 100 points and scoring more than they did in the regular season, the Suns did not hit the century mark in their last two losses.
At times, Nash carried the offense and paid for it in the second half with 1-for-6 shooting and two assists.
"We got almost all we could ask for out of this season except the one thing we really wanted," Nash said. "In many ways, it diminishes everything we accomplished this year. But hopefully, in time, we'll be able to look back and feel real proud of our accomplishments."
The Suns' spunk and sprint was not the same as Game 4, losing out to a San Antonio defense that nearly eliminated every threat besides the two-man game between Nash and Amaré Stoudemire.
Capping a brilliant postseason, Stoudemire offered a mix of power and outside touch for his best effort - a 42-point, 16-rebound game against the NBA's top defense.
He had 11 30-point games in these playoffs, the most any NBA player 22 or younger has had in one postseason.
"I went out swinging with a couple Muhammad Ali blows," Stoudemire said. "I really tied to motivate us as a team to take us to the top."
Phoenix was only 5 of 17 from long distance with Nash, Richardson and Shawn Marion going 0 for 8. The Spurs hit nine of 21 threes, including back-to-back ones from Tony Parker during a game-changing 10-0 Spurs run in the third.
"We had to give up something and that was outside shots," Marion said.
Phoenix packed the paint and begged Parker to shoot. He had a 10-point third quarter that helped San Antonio retake the lead for good. The Suns' best shot came when Jackson hit his third three-pointer of the second half to cut the lead to 93-90 with 2:45 to go.
But with three seconds on the shot clock for an inbound play, Tim Duncan caught a lob, went around Stoudemire and missed his driving lay-in. But he tipped it back in for a 95-90 lead that was followed by Robert Horry's steal of a Jackson pass and Stoudemire's left-handed scoop that rattled out.
Taurasi and Ginobili
The Mercury's Diana Taurasi, whose mother, Lili, is from Argentina, has visited that country several times. She speaks highly of Argentina's popular export, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who scored 19 points in the Spurs' clincher on Wednesday night: "I'm just a huge fan of Manu. He's from Argentina, but he's also just wonderful to watch on the court. He's been playing with this unbelievable passion and intensity throughout the playoffs. My mom calls me and she always asks me, 'Did you see Manu's game?' He might not be the most athletically talented player out there, but he always gets there with the right play."
- Norm Frauenheim
View from the Press Box
The Suns worked all season to earn outright home-court advantage while the Spurs rested Tim Duncan in late March and early April with an injury. All that effort went for naught in this series, as Phoenix suffered three of its four defeats at home. In two games, they lost fourth-quarter leads. On Wednesday, with owner Robert Sarver pleading for the crowd to stand for the final 5:34, the Suns' attempt to rally behind their fans never even had a potential tying possession.
- Paul Coro
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0602suns0602.html
