Suns @ Spurs [Game 1] April 19, 2008, 12pm (3pm EST) ABC

[Shane]

This is the PLAYOFFS and we led this game for 95% of it. Spouting off about how they don't deserve to win is ridiculous. Sure, they made some mistakes, but both teams deserve to win the game.

If you say so sir.

 

[dogpoo32]

Game 1 goes to the refs for calling all of the fouls against Amare, Shaq & Diaw, which forced us to not be able to play any defense in the post for the entire 2nd half of basketball.

What about Parker and Thomas fouling out? It comes down to Mike D's inability to write up a play that gets the ball to someone with confidence and his ignorance of defense. Was a hard fought game by the Suns, and more than anything they should have confidence going forward.

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

This has got nothing to do with the refs or anything else. Just lack of heart. Man, Barbs and Diaw, collapsing.. I hate this game. It kept me up all night, to see those ******** offensive plays set by D'Antoni. I mean?!

 

[arthurracoon]

 

[Bufalay]

Suns own spurs. Spurs can eat donkey **** this series is our's.

 

[95pro]

dumbtoni doesnt want to foul?

should have fouled in that 2nd OT. dont let them eat the clock and get the final shot.

that's 3 times this game.

 

[SunsFanVegas]

I don't care what anyone says....those seconds that didn't run off the clock on the 1st over time DID make a difference. I can't believe anyone would think otherwise. We would have had 6 more seconds to make that last shot to win it.

 

[Rekindled]

should have fouled on the last play.

 

[S_Nash]

I feel sick...

As much as it sucks to lose, Steve Nash is HOF material, anyone who disagrees knows sweet FA about basketball

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

Oh well, I ain't going to see another game of this series if the Suns won't win game 2! I mean, that was so stupid. I think D'Antoni is intimidated. Out-coached again!

Anyway, goodnight!

 

[dogpoo32]

How can anyone POSSIBLY feel good about this game?

Typical Suns. Blowing big leads, giving up game tying shots, playing terrible defense to end the game, etc.

Eh. As a Cardinals fan, I am used to letdowns. At least this was to a good team. I feel good because it was an entertaining game. Sucks to lose, but when you're lead by a fraud, what can you expect? We'll get 'em next time! yadda yadda blah blah. yeah losing sucks...

 

[hsandhu]

Suns stupidity loses them the game..

How do you commit a charge with 12 sec left and your team being up 3. How can you commit a 24 sec violation in the last minute leading by 3. How can you set up a play during a timeout to win the game and go to Barbosa and Diaw respectively.

Right on. At the end of the day we're probably better than the spurs but may just be too stupid to win.

 

[95pro]

if i had to blame only one particular person:

i'd blame dumbtoni for not fouling, i.e. coaching.

 

[BillsCarnage]

Suns didn't deserve to win that game the way they played at the end of regulation and the 1st OT.

Did no one on the Suns team watch the freaking shooting stars contest at the allstar game???!?!?!?!

WTF!!

 

[sLapzsHaQ]

Suns own spurs. Spurs can eat donkey **** this series is our's.

nice post you got there.

 

[green machine]

What people will forget is that if Duncan doesn't hit a 3 then the Suns win.

 

[az240zz]

They lost because they played stupid at the end of the game and the 1st overtime. I guess committing fouls when your up by 3 with seconds left isn't the thing to do. As for Duncans 3 someone should have been covering him or fouling him.. Give him credit he made the shot.

 

[CardsFan88]

What a game. Suns play horrible, refs favor the spurs 3:1 on calls and let them complain and complain without calling techs, the ball bounces the spurs way in so many ways, the ball bounces the other way in so many ways, duncan hits a three....

I wanted to say this...and we won. But we lost. But I don't feel like I need to change what I was going to say. Other than to add if we had won, things would've looked very bad for the spurs. But now the Spurs got one, and it could be the one that kills, but I'm still confident that an over achieving spurs team with all the above, barely beat the Suns who drastically underachieved. With all against us we should've lost by 20, but to almost blow them out...only to let them win in double overtime is hard to take, but I still consider it a moral victory. Call me crazy, but everything that could go wrong did, and we almost won. I'll take our chances games 2 and on.

Go Suns

 

[az1965]

I still feel good about the series... we were in foul trouble most of the game and it took Spurs some miracle shots to pull this one out in 2OT at their home. How can you not feel good about the series. I just hope we come pissed in 2nd game and Amare with some intelligence.

 

[Bufalay]

nice post you got there.

thanks fake suns fan

 

[hsandhu]

Stop with the ref complaining. The officiating was horrible, but it was horrible both ways. The first 4 quarters it seemed like there was a whistle on every possession.

 

[Covert Rain]

Wow..D'Antoni got his ARSE out coached. Out of about 6 calls he made down the stretch only one of them was good. Boris just missed it. Even on that play I don't get why we didn't go to Shaq. WTF would you have Barbosa in on a crucial defensive stand then after he screws that up, have him in a crucial offensive play 1 minute later?

My hat goes off to Nash. That freaking guy did everything he could to will us to a win. This loss is on D'Antoni IMO. Yes we gave up way to many layups but we never should have gone to OT and down the stretch the bad play calling killed us.

It's only one game. So if we win the next one no biggie. However, I don't think the Suns want anymore close games with the Spurs. The Spurs have proven time and time again in close games with the Suns that they have a mental edge.

Suns need to go out next game and destroy the Spurs.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

Outcoached and outlucked.

 

[The Big Cactus]

Couple of thoughts:

It was a tough loss, but I think that it's a good thing that our next game sn't until Tuesday, gives everyone some time to stew, and I think that they come out fired up next week. They didn't get many breaks this game, and they still did a lot of good things. They limited the Spurs' offense for most of the game, until the foul situation got out of hand and our guys weren't able to continue to contest shots. Having Shaq, Diaw, and Stat in foul trouble hurt us a lot on defense in the end of that game.

Shaq didn't have a great game at all, and foul trouble took him out of it early. I still don't think that the Spurs can match up with Shaq and Stat, and if they can stay on the court, the Suns will win this series.

Spurs made a lot of clutch shots, and we know that they won't go away, but if they're relying on Duncan threes to tie games in overtime, then I like our chances. D'antoni shouldn't bother giving anyone but Nash the last shot, if he had taken it at the end of regulation or the first overtime we probably win.

The roll players need to do a better job on Tuesday. Diaw played great, but he was in constant foul trouble. We really needed Hill, Barbs, and Giri to create something on offense down the stretch with all of the foul trouble.

 

[Captain America]

Am I the only one that is fed up with watching Ginobili take one dribble from the three point line and run with the ball tucked like a football to the basket!?

The guy does it all the time and never gets called for palming. It is absolutely ridiculous!

Anyway, that is not my main problem with this. In fact, I have several problems with this game. First off, like someone else has already mentioned is that our big men were all in foul trouble the entire game. Two out of Shaq's first 3 fouls were terrible calls.

Meanwhile, I remember one play specifically in the first half when Duncan turned and completely hooked Amare's shoulder into his armpit and made the basket with no call offensively.

Second, the Suns need to really start proving they are mentally tough. They cannot keep getting huge first half leads and squandering them by the time they get to the 4th quarter.

Third, and this one is just something that really has nothing to do with the game. It just seems like luck never goes the Suns' way when playing the Spurs.

I am fed up watching this team constantly losing to the Spurs in the playoffs. IMO the Suns are the obviously more talented team, yet, they let the Spurs get inside their heads.