The Psychology Involved With The Suns Winning The Next 3

[Renz]

you mean games 5 and 6, respectively.

Yeah, right.

 

[btimsah]

I think we will win game 5 at the buzzer. Let the chips fall where they may.

 

[cobbler]

Steve Kerr's guide to GMing:

You trade:

Kurt Thomas, Marcus Banks, James Jones Jr, Shawn Marion, and 3 first round draft picks.

You get:

Shaq and cash.

Ouuuuuuch! It looks so much worse in print.

 

[Irish]

It if far from profound to say the Spurs need to win tomorrow as much as the Suns do. Yes, the Spurs would have two more chances to close it out, but returning to Phoenix with the Suns regaining their confidence would be devestating to the Spurs inate sense of superiority.

 

[nowagimp]

It if far from profound to say the Spurs need to win tomorrow as much as the Suns do. Yes, the Spurs would have two more chances to close it out, but returning to Phoenix with the Suns regaining their confidence would be devestating to the Spurs inate sense of superiority.

the spurs are a battle hardened team, I dont think they need a sense of superiority to win one more game. I think another blowout, like the last one would do the most damage as it may raise the question among the players as to whether they have the personnel to counter the suns adjustments.

 

[btimsah]

It if far from profound to say the Spurs need to win tomorrow as much as the Suns do. Yes, the Spurs would have two more chances to close it out, but returning to Phoenix with the Suns regaining their confidence would be devestating to the Spurs inate sense of superiority.

I like it.. Your focusing on the mental aspect of a series. For instance, when we got obliterated by the Spurs it messed up the Spurs mental state. They thought they could skate through the 4th game and made no adjustments. They thought the Parker pick and roll was good enough to win the game for them again. They were wrong. Now for the 5th game I think were running out of adjustments (as far as players go).

If the Suns can put together a completely game IN SAN ANTONIO they can win game 5 and game 6 at home.

 

[Irish]

There is no way the Suns can win without stops and for the second half of game one and the next two games, they just didn't get stops. It is a terrible burden to have to hit every shot because you can't stop the other team. In game 3, it seemed like the hot shooting of the Spurs took the life out of the Suns. The Spurs were beating them to loose balls, attacking the offensive boards without resistence, and just plain showin far more energy.

 

[ClingingMars]

If it's possible, then why hasn't it been done before?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

If it's possible, then why hasn't it been done before?

Nothing is impossible. However, it is highly unlikely.

You have to forgive people here. They convinced themselves that Shawn Marion was the problem on this team and Shaq was going to be "turn it up a notch" in the playoffs.

Of course none of that is the case. Shaq hasn't turned up anything. He is what we thought he was. A big guy who used to be good, can't jump, and is a turnover machine. But he still gives a great interview youknowwhatiamsayin? (Fans here really care about great interviews. More so than say, defense)

 

[ClingingMars]

Nothing is impossible. However, it is highly unlikely.

You have to forgive people here. They convinced themselves that Shawn Marion was the problem on this team and Shaq was going to be "turn it up a notch" in the playoffs.

Of course none of that is the case. Shaq hasn't turned up anything. He is what we thought he was. A big guy who used to be good, can't jump, and is a turnover machine. But he still gives a great interview youknowwhatiamsayin? (Fans here really care about great interviews. More so than say, defense)

A reasonable Suns fan here? Well I'll be damned, nice to meet ya.

 

[WuRaider]

Nothing is impossible. However, it is highly unlikely.

You have to forgive people here. They convinced themselves that Shawn Marion was the problem on this team and Shaq was going to be "turn it up a notch" in the playoffs.

Of course none of that is the case. Shaq hasn't turned up anything. He is what we thought he was. A big guy who used to be good, can't jump, and is a turnover machine. But he still gives a great interview youknowwhatiamsayin? (Fans here really care about great interviews. More so than say, defense)

What a downer, somebody ban this guy.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Nothing is impossible. However, it is highly unlikely.

You have to forgive people here. They convinced themselves that Shawn Marion was the problem on this team and Shaq was going to be "turn it up a notch" in the playoffs.

Of course none of that is the case. Shaq hasn't turned up anything. He is what we thought he was. A big guy who used to be good, can't jump, and is a turnover machine. But he still gives a great interview youknowwhatiamsayin? (Fans here really care about great interviews. More so than say, defense)

Wait a second - so you believe we stood a chance to win it all pre-Shaq trade? Don't you remember how big men kicked the crap out of us with that lineup? Remember our record against the Western teams that mattered? We didn't stand a chance then, so the dice were rolled. Things haven't been perfect, but it was a risk worth taking IMO. Shawn was going to reup after this year, and next year we would have had the same crap...

Talk about revisionist history. Get off your 'high-horse' Chris.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Wait a second - so you believe we stood a chance to win it all pre-Shaq trade? Don't you remember how big men kicked the crap out of us with that lineup? Remember our record against the Western teams that mattered? We didn't stand a chance then, so the dice were rolled. Things haven't been perfect, but it was a risk worth taking IMO. Shawn was going to reup after this year, and next year we would have had the same crap...

Talk about revisionist history. Get off your 'high-horse' Chris.

I have gone over the trade repeatedly and I have not waivered in my opinion. It was a joke of the deal at the time and it still is. Our GM got bent over. You know when 90% of the people who cover the NBA for a living say "Wow that sucked", it probably does.

Like Elindholm I believe our championship dreams were over the moment we decided that money mattered more than winning. No coach is going to change it.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

To be more precise:

If the Suns had not made the deals that are in my signature, then yes they would have stood a chance. They would have a deep team that was playoff tested for the playoffs.

They actually would have had a bench and thus guys like Hill would have played less minutes.

If they had kept the roster what it was and we struggled, then yes blame the coach. Turnover 1/3 of your roster and get jack and crap in return. Blame your management.

 

[Cheesewater]

To be more precise:

If the Suns had not made the deals that are in my signature, then yes they would have stood a chance. They would have a deep team that was playoff tested for the playoffs.

They actually would have had a bench and thus guys like Hill would have played less minutes.

If they had kept the roster what it was and we struggled, then yes blame the coach. Turnover 1/3 of your roster and get jack and crap in return. Blame your management.

Whoa there. What makes you think we have Hill if all that other stuff in your sig goes back where it was? And there are probably several other "oh no you don't"s in there. I don't think hindsight works.

 

[nowagimp]

Whoa there. What makes you think we have Hill if all that other stuff in your sig goes back where it was? And there are probably several other "oh no you don't"s in there. I don't think hindsight works.

I think Hill would have come aboard, but perhaps not GG or skinner. The presence of Banks, KT, JR wouldn't have deterred hill and marion was already here.

still:

KT/amare
diaw
Hill/marion
Bell/barbs
Nash/banks
JR
Would have been a pretty deep team(10 deep), and Hill wouldnt have had to play alot of minutes in the regular season. Sure could have used JR's 48% 3pt percentage and D this year. I wonder whos decision it was to give him up, Kerr? Perhaps one year too soon.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Hill was already coming here because there was a spot for him. Skinner and Giricek would be the maybes. Giricek seems like because D'Antoni was begging for him and we still would have needed a backup 2.

 

[btimsah]

If it's possible, then why hasn't it been done before?

Because in past situations the team that was down 3-1 just wasn't at the same talent level as their opponent. In this situation the Suns and Spurs are very similar and any team can win.

That, and finally Dantoni is focusing on matchups!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

turn to your cyber right, turn to your cyber left, those are kings fans on either side. we are the new kings. our window is shut and many refuse to recognize it. i'm sad. fire dantoni. blow it up where possible. sigh as the sonics use our great draft pick in 2010.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

turn to your cyber right, turn to your cyber left, those are kings fans on either side. we are the new kings. our window is shut and many refuse to recognize it. i'm sad. fire dantoni. blow it up where possible. sigh as the sonics use our great draft pick in 2010.

Yep

 

[Irish]

I guess the easiest thing in the world is to blame the high priced guy. When was the last time the Suns were competative on the boards? In the 2007 playoffs the Spurs outrebounded the Suns by 1.7 rebounds a game, even with KT. Over the course of the year the Suns were outrebounded by -2.3 per game.

With Shawn Marion this season the Suns were something like -5 in rebounding and after the trade were close to +2. In the Dec 17th loss in San Antonio, the Spurs outrebounded the Suns 49-38. In the Jan 31st loss in Phoenix, the Spurs outrebounded the Suns by 6.

After the trade: on Mar 9 the Suns outrebounded the Spurs 52 to 44. On Apr 9 in in San Antonio, the Suns outrebounded the Spurs 40-36

In game 1, the Spurs outrebounded the Suns by 1 rebound
In game 2, the Spurs outrebounded the Suns by 3 rebounds
In game 3, the Spurs outrebounded the Suns by 1 rebound
In game 4, the Suns outrebounded the Spurs by 1 rebound.

The trade was a gamble, but it was clear to me that the entire run and gun style was just not working for the Suns any more. The Suns had a horrible record against the West including 0 of 4 against the Hornets. IMHO, the Suns had to get bigger and no one without an ugly contract wanted Marion.

I think the run and gun style it COULD if the Suns had better shooters who could make their own shots. That was the real loss when JJ left. As it was, the Spurs showed they could just shut down the Suns catch and shoot outside game while permitting no fast breaks.

The sad truth is that the entire Western Conference got much bigger this season and the Suns were set up to road kill if they did not get a serious big man.

IMHO, the real problem in this series was that the Suns simply could not afford to be without a healthy Grant Hill. Ironically, his injury had nothing to do with his gimpy ankles, which was the main concern when he signed. Hill gave the Suns a solid defender who could bother Parker as well as an offensive player and rebounder. When he went down in Game 1, the Suns all but fell apart.

IMHO, blaming Shaq for the fact that the Suns could not replace Hill is just wrong.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

You are over focusing on rebounding.

We gained in rebounding and have suffered horribly in Turnovers and Steals. This has been brought up repeatedly by a lot of great basketball minds. We did nothing in the term of overall possessions and lost in defense.

It was a lateral move at best and that was crystal clear to everyone not a Suns fan. You can call it a gamble, but it was like a 20-1 longshot.

 

[btimsah]

Those against the Shaq trade then, are using this series as evidence that it did not work. But really, I ask you, if we'd had Marion would we have miraculously won game 1, 2 or 3? Probably not. Nothing in those games was won or loss by one player. So in my opinion it has nothing to do with the Shaq trade.

Having Shaq helps us on the boards, and in team defense. Also he is a presence on the offensive end. More importantly he's a true center, which almost seems impossible to find anymore. Oh and the turnovers are more on Nash turning it over on the pick and roll now. Again, little to do with Shaq and/or not having Marion.

I really disagree with anyone who says the trade was bad. They got a true center. This team just got off to a bad start in this series and had an epically bad game 3.

 

[Phade]

ya everyone was hating the shaq trade at first.. then we started getting some big wins and everyone absolutely LOVED the shaq trade even the haters came back and said ya i was wrong..

now that we are about to be ousted from the playoffs everyone hates it again..

holy **** you people are some sheep.. get a backbone..

 

[Da_Spurs_Fan]

I think alot has to be said that the Spurs played like complete crap and threw in the white flag early because the team just didn't have it that night. As a Spurs fan, I've seen this happen in almost every series. The Spurs go up in a series and get complacent and have a bad game to let a team's foot back into the door.

But the Spurs have won so much that this loss is not going to ruin their psyche. They tend to bounce back well after a loss in the playoffs, especially at home.

I expect a competive game on Tuesday with the Spurs playing really aggresive offense AND especailly defense in the second half.

The Suns can't hope or rely on SA to have another poor outing. If they want it, they need to come to SA and take it.