The most resilient team EVER!!!

[BillsCarnage]

And that's why they play the games mavs fans!!

 

[Nasser22]

Not time to shove it in their faces yet. I've realized the most humble fan's teams win the series if it's close, so shhhhhh, let them brag about their defense while we steal the series. Hopefully Raja's injury isn't too bad. We need him.

This was an incredible game though. I love this team!

This is me --->I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> <3 this is my heart. Their playoff run has not been very good to my well being, lol!

 

[Folster]

How about that Maverick defense allowing 121 points?

 

[Dr. Dumas]

That was one hell of a game. This team doesn't have an ounce of quit in them.

This is going to be a long series, but it sure does feel good to have home court advantage.

 

[SirStefan32]

They REFUSED to lose.

 

[gdiddy]

People thought the Mavs are the dominant team in the West. You listen to guys like Barkley--who has his head up his ass the entire time--and the Mavs are on their way to winning a championship.

In reality, however, the Mavs were close to being knocked off by the Spurs with a Ginobili 3-pointer in the last minute of the 4th quarter that would have allowed another 3-1 comeback in a playoff series. I'm not saying it has been easy sailing for Phoenix. But don't give Dallas a free pass either.

Face it. Critics HATE the Suns. They hate Nash. They hate Marion. They hate D'Antoni. That only adds fuel to Phoenix's fire.

After all the adversity this entire season, we are actually better off at this point in time than we were last year at this same time. We actually lead the WCF series by one game, where as last year we were down one and had no answer the next two games.

Pretty strong team if you ask me.

 

[George O'Brien]

People thought the Mavs are the dominant team in the West. You listen to guys like Barkley--who has his head up his ass the entire time--and the Mavs are on their way to winning a championship.

In reality, however, the Mavs were close to being knocked off by the Spurs with a Ginobili 3-pointer in the last minute of the 4th quarter that would have allowed another 3-1 comeback in a playoff series. I'm not saying it has been easy sailing for Phoenix. But don't give Dallas a free pass either.

Face it. Critics HATE the Suns. They hate Nash. They hate Marion. They hate D'Antoni. That only adds fuel to Phoenix's fire.

After all the adversity this entire season, we are actually better off at this point in time than we were last year at this same time. We actually lead the WCF series by one game, where as last year we were down one and had no answer the next two games.

Pretty strong team if you ask me.

I'm not sure "hate" is what is going on. They get pretty upset that their predictions keep being proven wrong, but that is not quite the same as hate.

 

[gdiddy]

I'm not sure "hate" is what is going on. They get pretty upset that their predictions keep being proven wrong, but that is not quite the same as hate.

Ostensibly, you may not notice hate, but beneath the surface you will certainly not find any love for this team. If LA closed out Phoenix in round one, you would have heard so much fawning over Kobe and his lakers by the media, and how things just never seem to be right for Nash and the Suns. Even with the game 7 loss, the focus was how the Lakers lost the series, and not how the Suns won. Same thing goes with the Clippers series. It's almost as if the Suns are one damn lucky team. Even in the pregame show for today's game, Reggie Miller said that the current series is Dallas' to lose.

The fact that the predictions are so lopsided against the Suns lends to the notion that not many of the armchair coaches out there want to see the the team make it this far. (Only exception goes to Doug Collins, who is usually the first to point out Phoenix's resiliency.)

 

[JWF]

People thought the Mavs are the dominant team in the West. You listen to guys like Barkley--who has his head up his ass the entire time--and the Mavs are on their way to winning a championship.

In reality, however, the Mavs were close to being knocked off by the Spurs with a Ginobili 3-pointer in the last minute of the 4th quarter that would have allowed another 3-1 comeback in a playoff series. I'm not saying it has been easy sailing for Phoenix. But don't give Dallas a free pass either.

Face it. Critics HATE the Suns. They hate Nash. They hate Marion. They hate D'Antoni. That only adds fuel to Phoenix's fire.

After all the adversity this entire season, we are actually better off at this point in time than we were last year at this same time. We actually lead the WCF series by one game, where as last year we were down one and had no answer the next two games.

Pretty strong team if you ask me.

I agree. Ive been telling my brother (another child of arizona) that the Mavs were not a superior team to us, in fact were alot like us, but simply matched up better with the spurs. I still think its gonna be tough for us to win this series though. The Mavs proved my theory right in the fact they will kill us with offensive rebounds without any real size inside(no brainer...i know). But I think if we can keep killing them in the paint, and get Kurt Thomas some minutes to counter their rebounding advantage, we can realistically take this thing.

Hopefully Bell is ok, and hopefully we can steal game 2.

 

[AZZenny]

Well - I LOVE the Suns, I LOVE Steve Nash, and I absolutely LOVE Mike D'Antoni.

Hate is a bit strong, I agree -- the DBacks were hated as upstarts, and national writers were gleeful at their recent struggles -- but as to the Suns, the sports media just really disrespects us. Like any team that makes the game actually FUN to watch (and play!) can't be taken seriously. (The TNT analysts all offered to 'step in' for Bell if necessary in this series, like 'you're small, you're playing a glorified pick-up game -- we can do it, too.')
Playing a more 'Euro' style of ball also contributes to the disregard, probably.

I think disrespect is just the fate of Phoenix sports teams, whether deserved or not. As Nash said tonight -- 'We can't do anything about it, and we don't pay any attention to it.'

 

[TucsonDevil]

What is going to happen when we win multiple championships? Will they admit their silly bias then? No.

The bias is more about, Big City vs. Small City. Traditional Sports Towns vs. Non-Sports Towns. Tradition vs. recent upstarts. East Coast vs. West Coast. Phoenix is just on the small end of most of that... we really can't call ourselves a Big City either, since many who have recently moved to the Valley bring their alliances to other teams (Dodgers, Cubs, Lakers, etc...)

 

[George O'Brien]

What is going to happen when we win multiple championships? Will they admit their silly bias then? No.

The bias is more about, Big City vs. Small City. Traditional Sports Towns vs. Non-Sports Towns. Tradition vs. recent upstarts. East Coast vs. West Coast. Phoenix is just on the small end of most of that... we really can't call ourselves a Big City either, since many who have recently moved to the Valley bring their alliances to other teams (Dodgers, Cubs, Lakers, etc...)

And that the Suns are "upstarts"!

For all the "everybody loves the underdog", it really isn't true. The national media guys root for the epic encounter of two great teams, not for some upstart who can't win it all and is just making the "great" teams look bad.

 

[stompg]

What is going to happen when we win multiple championships? Will they admit their silly bias then? No.

The bias is more about, Big City vs. Small City. Traditional Sports Towns vs. Non-Sports Towns. Tradition vs. recent upstarts. East Coast vs. West Coast. Phoenix is just on the small end of most of that... we really can't call ourselves a Big City either, since many who have recently moved to the Valley bring their alliances to other teams (Dodgers, Cubs, Lakers, etc...)

I disagree here. I don't think the bias is big city or east coast. If you really want to psychoanalyze the critics and what their problem is with the Phoenix Suns then you have to go a little deeper than that. The problem, I believe, is that the Suns play an international style of basketball. They play how D'Antoni's teams in Italy played. They play fast, open court, team style of basketball which is the staple of the European leagues.

Look, the fact is that the USA has egg on it's face from being ousted as the undisputed champions of basketball. To admit that a European type of team is good enough to win in "American style basketball" (not to mention all the international players that we have on the team) would be essentially saying that the Americans aren't the best basketball players in the world.

Quite honestly, to me this is David Stern's worst nightmare.

 

[Mainstreet]

-- but as to the Suns, the sports media just really disrespects us. Like any team that makes the game actually FUN to watch (and play!) can't be taken seriously. (The TNT analysts all offered to 'step in' for Bell if necessary in this series, like 'you're small, you're playing a glorified pick-up game -- we can do it, too.')

Actually the above remarks I interpreted as a compliment for Steve Nash... that the way Nash passes the ball so well, one of the announcers could still be playing. Also I think Charles really tried to drive the point home when he compared Nash's play to Magic Johnson. This was probably one of the biggest compliments Charles could give to Nash.

 

[George O'Brien]

Nice theory, but the Suns are not really that Euro in style. Very few Euro teams run and none have the kind of athleticism D'Antoni thrives on. Yes, he was a legend in Italy, but because he was an innovator rather than because he was so Euro.

 

[PHX 32]

Ok that was an amazing game. Nash was in MVP form for sure and Boris stepped up big. Let's all pray for Raja and hope that Shawn's ankle improves by Friday. Also I would like to point out how ridiculous the calls were for Harris tonight, they treated him like he was Kobe - giving him every and 1 and every touch foul. What's up with that? Anyone agree with me on this? Anyways gotta say great game and hope you all are ready for Friday!

 

[stompg]

Nice theory, but the Suns are not really that Euro in style. Very few Euro teams run and none have the kind of athleticism D'Antoni thrives on. Yes, he was a legend in Italy, but because he was an innovator rather than because he was so Euro.

I beg to differ. Many Euro teams run but I do agree that most do not have the same type of athleticism.

Most Euro teams run to create mismatches. Which is something that the Suns exploit only if their initial break doesn't come to fruition. If you think that Euro teams do not run I ask you to please to review tapes from Panathinaikos or Benetton. If you truly think that they do not run then I think that you aren't understanding what's going on in the game.

There isn't a player in the Euro league that is going to match Marion and what he provides every night. So of course you aren't going to get a straight up comparison. But I guarantee you that if you watch European basketball, you will see a very similar style to what the Suns are playing.

 

[Nash]

Actually the above remarks I interpreted as a compliment for Steve Nash... that the way Nash passes the ball so well, one of the announcers could still be playing. Also I think Charles really tried to drive the point home when he compared Nash's play to Magic Johnson. This was probably one of the biggest compliments Charles could give to Nash.

i agree. thats how I interpreted Reggie Miller's comment - he said the way you guys make winning look so easy and make plays so that you succeed with all your injuries, looks like I could do well in a team like yours.
The other 2 - Charles and Kenny immediately joined the bandwagon.

I thought that was a huge compliment to Nash

 

[AZZenny]

OK, I like that interp better. I was working on something while sort of listening, but I heard them say something like, 'probably most of us could still play with you' and then Charles say 'they can play Friday but it'll take me the weekend to lose 30 pounds and be ready to play' all I could think was 'you'd all be dead before the first quarter was over.'

PS - This did NOT look easy tonight -- whatever game they were watching.

 

[Ollie]

I beg to differ. Many Euro teams run but I do agree that most do not have the same type of athleticism.

Most Euro teams run to create mismatches. Which is something that the Suns exploit only if their initial break doesn't come to fruition. If you think that Euro teams do not run I ask you to please to review tapes from Panathinaikos or Benetton. If you truly think that they do not run then I think that you aren't understanding what's going on in the game.

There isn't a player in the Euro league that is going to match Marion and what he provides every night. So of course you aren't going to get a straight up comparison. But I guarantee you that if you watch European basketball, you will see a very similar style to what the Suns are playing.

Just my two cents : run and gunning style is more used here than in the US, that's true. And historically, some fast tempo teams, coming from the former Soviet Union or the former Yugoslavia, had a good share of success.

But this style coexisted with the good ol' conservative and slow paced game which ruled european B-ball for long streches (italians, spaniards and greeks mastered this art, but even the legendary offensive team of Jugoplastika Split must defend to win).

Look at the scores of the Euroleague finals since the late 80's (ok we play 8 minutes less per game but that's not the score at half-time)

1989 : JUGOPLASTIKA SPLIT 75 - MACCABI TEL AVIV 69
1990 : JUGOPLASTIKA SPLIT 72 - FC BARCELONA 67
1991 : POP 84 SPLIT 70 - FC BARCELONA 65
1992 : PARTIZAN BELGRADE 71 - JOVENTUT BADALONA 70
1993 : LIMOGES 59 - BENETTON TREVISO 55
1994 : JOVENTUT BADALONA 59 - OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS 57
1995 : REAL MADRID 73 - OLYMPIAKOS 61
1996 : PANATHINAIKOS 67 - FC BARCELONA 66
1997 : OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS 73 - FC BARCELONA 58
1998 : KINDER BOLOGNA 58 - AEK ATHENS 44
1999 : ZALGIRIS KAUNAS 82 - KINDER BOLOGNA 74
2000 : PANATHINAIKOS 73 - MACCABI TEL AVIV 67
2001 : MACCABI TEL AVIV 81 - PANATHINAIKOS 67
2002 : PANATHINAIKOS 89 - KINDER BOLOGNA 83
2003 : FC BARCELONA 76 - BENETTON 65
2004 : MACCABI TEL AVIV 118 - SKIPPER BOLOGNA 74
2005 : MACCABI TEL AVIV 90 - TAU VITORIA 78
2006 : CSKA MOSKOW 73 - MACCABI TEL AVIV 69

The fast paced basketball came back in favor recently, especially because of the success of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, euroleague back-to-back winners with an uptempo game (and some luck). But that team was held powerless during the last final four by a defensive minded CSKA Moskow. And Panathinaikos, who dominated the regular season with its flying offense, was beaten by Tau Vitoria (the team where casey Jacobsen landed early in the season), which relies on his inside juggernauts, Scola and Drobnjak.

So, I wouldn't say that a game based on fast tempo, good ball movement, and mid/long distance shooting is typically european. It's used by some teams, with a mitigated success rate.

After all, the way the Suns play heavily relies on an offensive coaching philosophy and athletically-gifted athletes. Maybe we are culturally more inclined to use these facets of the game, but that's things you can find anywhere in the world, and primarily in the US.

 

[SunsTzu]

I think something D'Antoni has brought from his european influence is having the spacing in the half court(thanks to having so many shooters). Whenever I watch euroleague games there are lot of lanes for driving. I recall his fastbreaking influence came from his father who was a HS coach.

 

[TucsonDevil]

One quick point... To say the lack of respect or coverage of the Phoenix Suns stems from a playing style is ridiculous. It also reveals the lack of history you have with this team and their coverage, historically.

 

[DeAnna]

After all, the way the Suns play heavily relies on an offensive coaching philosophy and athletically-gifted athletes. Maybe we are culturally more inclined to use these facets of the game, but that's things you can find anywhere in the world, and primarily in the US.

I would add to that the Suns play more 'team-oriented' style rather than the typical USA style of going one-on-one.

 

[elindholm]

One quick point... To say the lack of respect or coverage of the Phoenix Suns stems from a playing style is ridiculous. It also reveals the lack of history you have with this team and their coverage, historically.

Okay, you lost me. The Suns have historically been an offense-oriented "finesse" team, and they have historically gotten little respect in the national media. So what's ridiculous about noticing that?

 

[az1965]

Interesting definition...

I found this when looking for resilient in dictionary...


Main Entry: re·sil·ient

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Pronunciation: -y&nt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin resilient-, resiliens, present participle of resilire to jump back, recoil, from re- + salire to leap -- more at [SIZE=-1]SALLY[/SIZE]
: characterized or marked by resilience : as a : capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture b : tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change c : 2005-06 Phoenix Suns
synonym see [SIZE=-1]ELASTIC[/SIZE]
- re·sil·ient·ly adverb