The Race for 2nd

[cly2tw]

Right now the Spurs would face the Lakers in the first round which is ideal for us.

This would be my hopeful standings at the end of the season:

1. Lakers
2. Suns
3. Nuggets
4. Dallas
5. Utah
6. Portland
7. Oklahoma
8. San Antonio

That would be ideal.

Lakers eliminate Spurs
Mavs eliminate Jazz

Suns eliminate Oklahoma
Portland eliminate Denver

Mavs eliminate Lakers
Suns eliminate Portland

Suns vs Mavs WCF

I agree with you on the ideal part. Yet, Mavs with the easiest remaining schedule will remain #2 or #3. So, I'd like see:

Spurs eliminate Lakers
Denver eliminate Jazz

Suns eliminate Oklahoma
Portland eliminate Mavs

Denver eliminate SA
Suns eliminate Portland

Suns vs Denver WCF

 

[devilalum]

I think knowing the Suns history of ironicly bad luck, they will kill the rest of the regular season, get the #2 seed and face the #7 Spurs.

And we have seen that movie before...

Ending the Spurs dynasty would be pretty sweet.

 

[Sunburn]

Right now, we're in the fourth spot and we'd be playing 5th seeded Denver in the first round. I'll take home court in the first round with Denver all day.

 

[Black Jesus]

I WANT to play the Spurs.

We are much better than them and who better to beat them- this rivalry is too lopsided.

In fact, Spurs would argue its not a rivalry at all.

 

[jagu]

I just want no part of San Antonio because the refs give them all the calls against the Suns all the time. We'll have a tough time beating SA in the first round.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I WANT to play the Spurs.

We are much better than them and who better to beat them- this rivalry is too lopsided.

In fact, Spurs would argue its not a rivalry at all.

some of y'all are true gluttons for punishment.

 

[HooverDam]

Im hoping the Suns can end up playing the Thunder in the 1st round. As awesome as I think Kevin Durant is, they don't have a lot of depth, they have no answer for Amare up front, and they're inexperience will hurt them Im sure.

 

[Black Jesus]

Im hoping the Suns can end up playing the Thunder in the 1st round. As awesome as I think Kevin Durant is, they don't have a lot of depth, they have no answer for Amare up front, and they're inexperience will hurt them Im sure.

On the same token, Nash struggles with athletic guards like Deron Williams, Rose, Paul... He would have to guard either Westbrook or James Harden.

Then we'd have to put Grant Hill or Amare on Kevin Durant- mismatch.

It would be a tough series for us, where as with the Spurs...

Parker and Nash
Ginobili- JRich
Hill- Hill
Jefferson-Amare
Duncan- Lopez.

Like those matchups for the most part.

 

[Proteus]

On the same token, Nash struggles with athletic guards like Deron Williams, Rose, Paul... He would have to guard either Westbrook or James Harden.

Then we'd have to put Grant Hill or Amare on Kevin Durant- mismatch.

It would be a tough series for us, where as with the Spurs...

Parker and Nash
Ginobili- JRich
Hill- Hill
Jefferson-Amare
Duncan- Lopez.

Like those matchups for the most part.

The Thunder don't have a massive mental stranglehold on us like the Spurs do though.

 

[Black Jesus]

The Thunder don't have a massive mental stranglehold on us like the Spurs do though.

I wouldn't call JJ's broken face, Amare's microfracture, Amare+Diaw suspensions and a Tim Duncan 3 pter a mental stranglehold.

They have just been the recipients of the Suns misfortunes.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I wouldn't call JJ's broken face, Amare's microfracture, Amare+Diaw suspensions and a Tim Duncan 3 pter a mental stranglehold.

They have just been the recipients of the Suns misfortunes.

Until we beat them, they have a stranglehold.

 

[chickenhead]

It would be nice to beat the Spurs, but crowing about a victory over them now would be a little embarrassing, since we wouldn't be beating them in their prime and they already won all the series when we were top contenders. But beating anyone will be great.

 

[Lorenzo]

At this rate that last game in Utah might decide the 2nd seed with the loser getting the 3rd seed. Denver and Dallas are in a tailspin. Denver is without their coach and have a brutal schedule. Dallas' schedule is about average but they are losing to bad teams right now. If you had to ask me how it shakes out right now I would call it like this. 2) Utah, 3) Suns, 4) Dallas, 5) Denver

what bad teams for dallas? New York Knicks yes, but they were the streak breakers? There's no shame in losing to Boston, at Portland and even at N.O. with chris paul back in the lineup. Dallas 17-5 since the all star break. they may be in a tailspin compared to winning 13 straight. but they have plenty of impressive wins in that span including at ORLANDO and ATL. and against the Lakers, suns, and nuggitz.

I think dallas will lockup the two spot. whoever they play will be tough whether it's SA, Por, or OKC.

 

[Lorenzo]

It would be nice to beat the Spurs, but crowing about a victory over them now would be a little embarrassing, since we wouldn't be beating them in their prime and they already won all the series when we were top contenders. But beating anyone will be great.

I thought that two or three years ago as well, yet the spurs knocked out the suns again(the TD three pointer lol). so a victory over the spurs would be great if i were a suns fan.

 

[Lorenzo]

I wouldn't call JJ's broken face, Amare's microfracture, Amare+Diaw suspensions and a Tim Duncan 3 pter a mental stranglehold.

They have just been the recipients of the Suns misfortunes.

also the recipients of 3 or 4 titles as well. I wish the mavs had one...

the problem I have is that the spurs have bounced the suns out in 5, 6, 4 like fashion. that's hard to argue about injuries and suspensions being the difference between a stranglehold when the suns can't even take them the distance. I remember a game 6 when amare played against the spurs and the suns still got blown out and lost the series. but this is an old arguement so no real points being made here i guess.

oh and amare's microfracture was the year that the mavericks beat the spurs in the playoffs. not the suns they didn't play SA that year.

 

[Cheesebeef]

also the recipients of 3 or 4 titles as well. I wish the mavs had one...

the problem I have is that the spurs have bounced the suns out in 5, 6, 4 like fashion.

actually, it was 5, 6 and 5... but point remains the same. The fact that we could never take them distance and had HC in 2 of the 3 series and STILL couldn't even take them the distances signals mental stranglehold to me.

Do you guys realize in those series our home record was 2-6 against them? That's just BEYOND pathetic.

 

[Chaplin]

I'll keep saying it--a perfect matchup would be Spurs/Lakers. Either one would be tough for us if we ended up facing them, but I'd rather face only one than the possibility of facing both. (Another reason why resting Nash for mulitiple games is a bad idea--seeding is EVERYTHING in the West)

 

[Lorenzo]

actually, it was 5, 6 and 5... but point remains the same. The fact that we could never take them distance and had HC in 2 of the 3 series and STILL couldn't even take them the distances signals mental stranglehold to me.

Do you guys realize in those series our home record was 2-6 against them? That's just BEYOND pathetic.

my bad I wasn't sure about that last year. either way those spurs wern't that good and I thought the suns could beat them and was surprised to see such a short series.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'll keep saying it--a perfect matchup would be Spurs/Lakers. Either one would be tough for us if we ended up facing them, but I'd rather face only one than the possibility of facing both. (Another reason why resting Nash for mulitiple games is a bad idea--seeding is EVERYTHING in the West)

I might even have to watch a game or two of this series if it occurred. SA plays tough in the playoffs. Certainly SA would not be in awe of the Lakers.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'll keep saying it--a perfect matchup would be Spurs/Lakers. Either one would be tough for us if we ended up facing them, but I'd rather face only one than the possibility of facing both. (Another reason why resting Nash for mulitiple games is a bad idea--seeding is EVERYTHING in the West)

Does it really matter? Does anyone really believe we will win a playoff series let alone 2 series without Lopez and with Nash at his current level? You're right, we might as well let Nash play his way into injury-related retirement so we can give the home fans an extra game before we get bounced by whomever we draw.

Seeding is NOTHING in the west! A healthy Suns team can handle any of the other teams playing at or near their best except for the Lakers. Healthy, we can beat the current Laker incarnation but not the Laker team that took the floor for most of this season. We need a relatively healthy Nash and Lopez or our season ends shortly after the season ends.

Steve

 

[Cheesebeef]

I'll keep saying it--a perfect matchup would be Spurs/Lakers. Either one would be tough for us if we ended up facing them, but I'd rather face only one than the possibility of facing both. (Another reason why resting Nash for mulitiple games is a bad idea--seeding is EVERYTHING in the West)

I disagree. I think health is everything in the West. Look at all the teams right now... The Nuggets without Kenyon are mediocre, the Lakers without Bynum are beatable, the Spurs without Parker are just ok... and all of those teams are still gonna be effected somewhat in the playoffs by those guys.

Meanwhile, while healthy, with or without HC, I'm confident this team could beat ANYONE in the West and at least give the Lakers a run. But with a dragging ass Nash I see us getting bounced in the first round.

Seeding is nothing this year, especially when this team has consistently shown that they aren't world beaters at home in the playoffs anyway.

Get healthier than the rest of the league, drop to the 6 spot, get out of the Lakers way and hope someone else beats them before we have to.

Healthy this team could do some major damage. But with Nash dragging, i think we'll see another quick exit.

 

[Chaplin]

You guys don't care whether you face the Blazers or the Lakers? Are you kidding? With or without Nash, I wouldn't want to face the Spurs or the Lakers in a series. Sure, the Suns can beat anyone, but their chances of beating OK City or Portland is much better than the Lakers. That's just a fact.

 

[mojorizen7]

some of y'all are true gluttons for punishment.

LMAO, ain't that the truth. A classic study in sports psychology would start with the unfathomable,complete pwnage of what is: SPURS and SUNS.

The SUNS(D'Antoni,Nash,Amare,Hill,Barbosa,all former SUNS under D'Antoni) have been and are currently struck with Murphy's Law and mentally weakened the moment the SPURS were/are presented as a challenge.

A roadblock of the most ridiculously formidable kind.

 

[Cheesebeef]

You guys don't care whether you face the Blazers or the Lakers? Are you kidding? With or without Nash, I wouldn't want to face the Spurs or the Lakers in a series. Sure, the Suns can beat anyone, but their chances of beating OK City or Portland is much better than the Lakers. That's just a fact.

where the heck did we say that? I just think resting Nash for a couple games (like tonight, a game we could win anyway) might give us an L or 2 but it wouldn't drop us to 8th.

 

[AzStevenCal]

You guys don't care whether you face the Blazers or the Lakers? Are you kidding? With or without Nash, I wouldn't want to face the Spurs or the Lakers in a series. Sure, the Suns can beat anyone, but their chances of beating OK City or Portland is much better than the Lakers. That's just a fact.

Right now, minus Lopez and playing with an ailing Nash do you really think the final outcome would be all that different regardless of opponent? We've looked very beatable since Lopez went out and unless Nash returns to nearly full health we'll continue to look very beatable. Perhaps we could have survived the loss of Lopez or the diminished play of Nash but not both.

Right now, we have no chance in the playoffs IMO. If we rest Nash and IF that rest helps him recuperate we then might have a chance. Worrying about seeding/opponents right now is a lot like complaining about the odor when you're stuck upside down in a room full of manure. Find a way to breathe first!

Steve