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- Aug 19, 2005
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Here is the place where we grade our Suns' performance. With that said, let's get to it.
Nash, A-
How is it possible that Nash had a 20 point, 16 assist game, and still not be in top form? If you guess the defensive end of the ball, you're right. All 3 of the 3 pointers that Bowen hit in the corner were wide open, a he was Steve Nash's responsibility.
Bell, A-
Bell only attempted 3 three pointers. I am surprised that the team was able to dominate the Spurs while only attempting 10 3's. The Spurs fans are convinced that Manu is disappearing, and not Raja playing lock down defense. Of course, we all here disagree. Raja was agressive going to the hoop, and that lead to 6 free throws, 5 of them made.
Marion, A
I can't believe that I read on here that Marion was invisible. He held Parker to 5-14 shooting. He also showed up on the glass tonight (10 boards), and blocked 3 shots. Marion played a hell of a game.
Amare, B+
Amare went for 27 and 9. His production is becoming Marion like. (where this type of performance is expected) He shot 10 of 16 and had 9 boards. It's not like Amare had a bad game, his box score proves otherwise. I bet even Amare would tell you that his game wasn't "on" today. Amare doesn't even need to play better than this. He does however need to not complain to the refs for every missed shot/foul. He is gaining a reputation around the league, and it isn't a good one.
KT, A
I can almost guarantee you that KT got the gameball last night. Riddle me this: How can Duncan have a 12 for 20 game shooting, and KT have a good defensive game? It doesn't seem possible, but he did. There were no easy layups for Duncan from blown defensive assignments. Everyone of his shots were heavily contested as well. Because KT is so good defensively, he allows the Suns the ability to switch on the Parker P&R, and that is huge. Parker did not try going around KT at all. He was fighting for offensive rebounds. He was not credited for any, but he got a hand on 3 or 4 of them, keeping the ball alive. With the defense that he played, you almost forget about the 6-7 shooting. Everyone in the league knows that he has a great 15 footer, but because of the Spurs defensive scheme, Duncan is reluctant to come out on Defense. If KT shoots 6-7 every game this series, it will be hard for the Spurs to win.
Diaw, B
Diaw was the Diaw of old last night. He was aggressive. He was exploiting mismatches. He was rebounding the ball. He was passing the ball. That no-look, behind the head pass to Amare was the best pass of the playoffs thus far. We need you to play like this Diaw, even if you go 3-9 shooting.
Barbosa, B-
Barbosa only shot 6-13 from the field. For some reason, he is not as agressive as he has been this season. It has been that way for a while. He is relying on the jumper. His jumper isn't bad, but his penetration could do wonders for this team. It isn't just because he playing against Duncan, because against the Lakers, he wasn't taking the ball to the hoop much either. Most of his points have been from jumpers. Someone with his speed and touch around the basket needs to take it to the hole more.
James Jones, INC +1
Jones took his "demotion" to the bench the only way that he should, like a man. He probably realizes that his PT will be limited this series, and possibly the rest of the playoffs. I have never once heard him complain. Kudos for that. In his 6 minutes, he did have a 2 rebounds and a steal.
The rest of the players receive an INC grade.
It is much easier to grade our team after a 20 point blowout, but I tried to grade them accurately. I will be doing this for the rest of our games in the playoffs.
Please someone answer this, when you come to double team, why don't our players come over with their hands up to deny passing lanes? I realize that we didn't double team Duncan that much, but it is a thing that has bugged me with this team.
/Rant
Nash, A-
How is it possible that Nash had a 20 point, 16 assist game, and still not be in top form? If you guess the defensive end of the ball, you're right. All 3 of the 3 pointers that Bowen hit in the corner were wide open, a he was Steve Nash's responsibility.
Bell, A-
Bell only attempted 3 three pointers. I am surprised that the team was able to dominate the Spurs while only attempting 10 3's. The Spurs fans are convinced that Manu is disappearing, and not Raja playing lock down defense. Of course, we all here disagree. Raja was agressive going to the hoop, and that lead to 6 free throws, 5 of them made.
Marion, A
I can't believe that I read on here that Marion was invisible. He held Parker to 5-14 shooting. He also showed up on the glass tonight (10 boards), and blocked 3 shots. Marion played a hell of a game.
Amare, B+
Amare went for 27 and 9. His production is becoming Marion like. (where this type of performance is expected) He shot 10 of 16 and had 9 boards. It's not like Amare had a bad game, his box score proves otherwise. I bet even Amare would tell you that his game wasn't "on" today. Amare doesn't even need to play better than this. He does however need to not complain to the refs for every missed shot/foul. He is gaining a reputation around the league, and it isn't a good one.
KT, A
I can almost guarantee you that KT got the gameball last night. Riddle me this: How can Duncan have a 12 for 20 game shooting, and KT have a good defensive game? It doesn't seem possible, but he did. There were no easy layups for Duncan from blown defensive assignments. Everyone of his shots were heavily contested as well. Because KT is so good defensively, he allows the Suns the ability to switch on the Parker P&R, and that is huge. Parker did not try going around KT at all. He was fighting for offensive rebounds. He was not credited for any, but he got a hand on 3 or 4 of them, keeping the ball alive. With the defense that he played, you almost forget about the 6-7 shooting. Everyone in the league knows that he has a great 15 footer, but because of the Spurs defensive scheme, Duncan is reluctant to come out on Defense. If KT shoots 6-7 every game this series, it will be hard for the Spurs to win.
Diaw, B
Diaw was the Diaw of old last night. He was aggressive. He was exploiting mismatches. He was rebounding the ball. He was passing the ball. That no-look, behind the head pass to Amare was the best pass of the playoffs thus far. We need you to play like this Diaw, even if you go 3-9 shooting.
Barbosa, B-
Barbosa only shot 6-13 from the field. For some reason, he is not as agressive as he has been this season. It has been that way for a while. He is relying on the jumper. His jumper isn't bad, but his penetration could do wonders for this team. It isn't just because he playing against Duncan, because against the Lakers, he wasn't taking the ball to the hoop much either. Most of his points have been from jumpers. Someone with his speed and touch around the basket needs to take it to the hole more.
James Jones, INC +1
Jones took his "demotion" to the bench the only way that he should, like a man. He probably realizes that his PT will be limited this series, and possibly the rest of the playoffs. I have never once heard him complain. Kudos for that. In his 6 minutes, he did have a 2 rebounds and a steal.
The rest of the players receive an INC grade.
It is much easier to grade our team after a 20 point blowout, but I tried to grade them accurately. I will be doing this for the rest of our games in the playoffs.
Please someone answer this, when you come to double team, why don't our players come over with their hands up to deny passing lanes? I realize that we didn't double team Duncan that much, but it is a thing that has bugged me with this team.
/Rant
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