The Playoff Race

[devilalum]

frye for bosh

IMO Bosh for Frye and Gortat makes Miami a better team.

Bosh is still an All Star but Miami would benefit from trading him for some kind of 3 high quality role player package and maybe a high draft pick to throw into the mix.

 

[ninous26]

^ You are right but i still believe Bosh is highly over rated... Idk... Gortat is something special IMO.. I'd still do that trade though.

 

[Griffin]

again they lose by 1 point to teams they can easily beat and we need for Dallas to win..

I'm sure they'll work it all out by the time they play us in about two weeks. Or maybe Dallas really wants to keep the Suns out of playoffs. Foul a three-point shooter in the act when you up by 2 with less than 10 seconds to go? Unlike VC however, Jarret Jack hit all three FT.

 

[ninous26]

Oh yeah.. Of Course. Thats a given right? If it's not all worked out by the time they play us I'm sure the referees will work something out and gift Dallas plenty of free throws.

Why do teams ALWAYS have a handicap over us?

 

[AfroSuns]

I'm sure they'll work it all out by the time they play us in about two weeks. Or maybe Dallas really wants to keep the Suns out of playoffs. Foul a three-point shooter in the act when you up by 2 with less than 10 seconds to go? Unlike VC however, Jarret Jack hit all three FT.

Dallas is full of Playoff Chokers, Nowitski and Marion are top of the list. It is why i believe they cant win the west

 

[AzStevenCal]

IMO Bosh for Frye and Gortat makes Miami a better team.

Bosh is still an All Star but Miami would benefit from trading him for some kind of 3 high quality role player package and maybe a high draft pick to throw into the mix.

I agree, but I don't think it helps us much. Gortat makes the players around him better and I don't think Bosh will ever have that kind of impact.

Also, with Frye improving defensively on an almost daily basis I think he's worth keeping just to see where he can take his game to. In college, he had one of the best mid-range bank shots you'll ever see by a player not named Duncan. He's gone away from that shot but it was almost unstoppable at UA and it would be nice to see him resurrect that part of his game to complement his 3 point shot and improving defense.

Steve

 

[Errntknght]

Our chance of beating out NO depends almost entirely on our three games against them. If they win all three then they can go 5-7 in their other 12 remaining game and we have to go 14-3 in our other 17 games left, to beat them out.

If we win 1 game then the conference record comes into play but if we win enough to tie them then we will probably have the tiebreaker as well. If they go 6-6 (in other 12) we have to go 12-5 to reach a tie.

If we win 2 then if they go 6-6 we have to go 10-7 to tie.

If we win all 3 then if they go 6-6 we have to go 8-9 in our other 17 games.

New Orleans has a rugged schedule the rest of the way so going 6-6 is not a piece of cake - the only 'easy' games they have left are Sac once and Indiana once - the rest of the games are all against top teams or teams fighting to make the playoffs. Of course our going 12-5 is certainly tougher than them going 6-6. 10-7 isn't out of line for us but for that to come into play we need to win 2 of 3 head to head with them.

If they take 2 of 3 from us and take 2 from the Grizz then we stay even with Memphis in the lost column. They have the tiebreaker so we would have to have 1 less loss than Memphis to pass them in the remaining other games.

 

[ninous26]

Yes^

We also have a tough schedule from what I saw remaining.. We have scary games towards the end I believe.. I must look up the schedule again.

 

[ninous26]

I just re looked at the schedule.. It's a tough road with multiple games against Dallas, multiple games against SA, and multiple games against NO.

I say at the worst we go 13-7 or 14-6 if SA decides to rest the final game of the season~~ Thats with me counting us losing to dallas twice, the spurs twice/once, the bulls, the lakers, and NO once.

 

[ninous26]

Were 0-1 starting out last twenty games.. Our 2 best players are injured. Ouch.

At least Portland lost today and they are on a back to back visiting ATL tomorrow. Utah is down big to Minnesota which is also good and Memphis is playing against Miami whose at home.. Hopefully the heat put in work and kill the damn grizzlies.

 

[BC867]

In my mind, I really gave Carter another chance, after he scored 32. All I expect is for our experienced Shooting Guard to score 20 a night, every night. Is that too much to ask?

I even saw one power dunk, just to keep the opposition aware. And to give him a little breathing room as he hangs out by the 3-point line which, in effect, took the role of Frye.

But he regressed again. One game -- get our hopes up -- then disappear . . . and disappoint.

Lucy did it again.

 

[Lorenzo]

Dallas is full of Playoff Chokers, Nowitski and Marion are top of the list. It is why i believe they cant win the west

this is dirk's best team he's ever played on. Sure he still doesn't get the perk of playing with another all star. but nevertheless... he's never played with two 7 footers like chandler and haywood. he's never had the depth and support in scoring like he has on this team. That will help in the playoffs. For being a choker I think he has to be second only kobe for game winning shots over the last decade....certainly since nash left he has elevated his game to a level that no one thought he could. But until he wins a ring people won't give him the respect that he deserves. dirk is awesome. not very many people in the league can do what he does with the game on the line and for whatever reason he is known more for choking compared to all of the great things that he does. it is unfortunate because I don't ever think there has been a guy like him in this league.

I think the mavs would rather play the suns...so it would make more sense for them to beat these teams. the hornets loss was a fluke. two half court buzzer beaters in that game, bad calls late, missed free throws. I think the mavs can beat the hornets in 7 games, but the hornets have their number in that building. I thought their last 2 or 3 losses in N.O. were flukes, but this one was something else. Playing the hornets in the first round would be dallas' worst matchup in the first round.

 

[sunsfan88]

Gentry was "upset" about the lack of focus at today's "awful" practice.

^^^per Paul Coro

Do the Suns players even wanna make the playoffs anymore? Seems like nobody cares anymore. They're tanking.

 

[ninous26]

probably out drinking last night..

Memphis is being dominated right now by miami which is good.

 

[ninous26]

Memphis is down by 36. holy crap.

 

[ninous26]

With mike bibby shooting 100% 17 points 5-5 from 3 point land.

 

[ninous26]

portland is on their way to a 2nd straight loss.. I hope ATL can hang on and win.. Sacramento is battling it out with the hornets.. hopefully the kings can take this one too

 

[ninous26]

Nice, portland lost 2 straight.. Hopefully the kings can beat the hornets tonight to tie them up with the suns at 30 losses.

The lakers look scary with bynum healthy.. First time I've ever looked at the lakers as scary.

 

[ninous26]

Hornets won, and the nuggets blew out detroit by 30 points.. It is absolutely insane how this team is playings after their 2 top players leave.. They didn't even need to make any adjustments and they're playing like they've all been together for years.. Still though, they will not last in the playoffs.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Hornets won, and the nuggets blew out detroit by 30 points.. It is absolutely insane how this team is playings after their 2 top players leave.. They didn't even need to make any adjustments and they're playing like they've all been together for years.. Still though, they will not last in the playoffs.

I don't think I'd call Anthony and Billups their top two players. Billups has been very up and down and in losing Anthony they also rid themselves of a season long distraction. They still have plenty of talent. Just take a look at their roster now and compare it to the Suns roster - big advantage to Denver.

Steve

 

[Griffin]

With their fourth straight loss, the Suns have slid back into the 11th spot in the West, three games behind the 8th place Memphis with 16 games remaining. The Suns' prospects for making the playoffs look very bleak at this point.

Frye's injury appears to have been very costly as the Suns struggled without Frye (and struggled some more without Nash) while other teams vying for the final playoff spots keep winning. Guys who needed to step up did not. Now, even if Frye returns soon, it may very well be too late to try to rediscover whatever it was that made the Suns win games before Frye went out.

 

[slinslin]

Should have begun tanking 2 months ago and we would be in a good position to rebuild.

But yeah wasting a first round pick that could have been Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight or Nolan Smith for a questionable upgrade of Brooks for Dragic who on top of that is FA and will probably ask for a deal of at least 4-5M$ per season is really awesome.

 

[Griffin]

The Suns are currently 1 game in the loss column behind Memphis for the final playoff spot, with 14 games remaining. With Memphis owning the tie-breaker, this is essentially 2-game lead, same as New Orleans (7th place) whom the Suns will still have to play twice, which will determine the tie-breaker.

The problem is, Utah and Houston are right there too. 7 teams vying for the final 4 spots. There is really no margin for error anymore.

9 of the Suns 14 remaining games are against teams with winning records, including games at Lakers, at Chicago, at San Antonio, and at Dallas. The Suns will also host SA and Dallas in that stretch. 4 back-to-back sets. Basically, if the Suns want to make the playoffs, they are going to have to come up with some of the biggest wins of the season. Hopefully they'll have more to play for than some of their opponents.

 

[sunsfan88]

We own the tie-breaker over Houston and Utah though right?

 

[FArting]

We own the tie-breaker over Houston and Utah though right?

Utah Yes 3-0

Houston Yes 2-1