The Spurs Series Was Awfully Close

[azirish]

Game 1 - Suns lose 106-111
Game 2 - Suns win 101-81
Game 3 - Suns lose 101-108
Game 4 - Suns win 104-98
Game 5 - Suns lose 85-88
Game 6 - Suns lose 106-114

In game 1, Amare gets early fouls and has to play passively as Duncan ends up shooting 12 of 24 while Parker shoots 14 of 22.

In game 3, the Spurs won dispite a good defensive game by the Suns who held the Spurs to 43.9% shooting and just 7 of 20 for three. The killer was the Spurs "created" 16 turnovers by the Suns.

Game 5 was amazingly close considering how short handed the Suns were.

In game 6 the Suns closed to within 5 before losing in the last few minutes. Once again, the killer was turnovers (five more by the Suns) and the Spurs got a lot more free throws.

Despite winning four of six games, the Spurs stats are not that overwhelming.

Overall, the Suns shot better 47.4% to 45.7%, shot three's more accurately 41.6% to 36.1%, shot free throws more accurately 79.7% to 73.9%, had more assists 20.3 to 18.5, were only 1.7 rpg lower than the Spurs.

What is remarkable is that stats like blocks the Spurs were only 0.1 blocks per game better and only 0.3 fewer turnovers per game better (although the Spurs were much better at getting steals by 2.7 per game).

The only players to have a terrible series were

--- Barbosa, who shot only 35.5% and just 11.8% for three (2 of 17)
--- Diaw who shot only 42.9% for just 5.6 while shooting a horrible 12 of 28 from the three point line
--- Jones who averaged only 1 rebound a game

I think it is premature to panic.

 

[Muggum]

Diaw 12 for 28 from the 3 point line? Sure you mean that?

Overall I agree!

 

[arwillan]

seems like a pretty accurate write-up. if we get amare/diaw in game 5 we go to game 7. i like our chances in a game 7 at home even if its against the spurs. so we dont have too much to be concerned about, but every team has room for improvement. the rediculous trade ideas have cooled down since the loss and so you can see people really arent that worried. theres always room for improvement, however so who knows that moves the suns can make now

 

[az1965]

I agree. Barbosa's performance was really a killer. We could not get anything out of him in this series and that really hurt us. Consider Barbosa performance equivalent to Lakers series and we probably win in 5!!

 

[arwillan]

I agree. Barbosa's performance was really a killer. We could not get anything out of him in this series and that really hurt us. Consider Barbosa performance equivalent to Lakers series and we probably win in 5!!

consider the laker's defense and consider the spurs'. conisder the inside presence of tim duncan compared to that of kwame icantbetraded brown. theres the answer. there were some shots he took that he usually nails, but i think duncan being in the paint altered some of the layups he took

 

[elindholm]

Championship teams don't count on being "almost" good enough. They give themselves a margin for error.

 

[BuddyFranklin]

Championship teams also have a continual chemistry built from atleast a few seasons together. This team has basically one, two at the max at playing together.

You can't expect to win it all if you chop and change every season. The Suns are close. A few tweaks and we might just get over the hump.




This team needs one more season.

 

[azirish]

Diaw 12 for 28 from the 3 point line? Sure you mean that?

Overall I agree!

Free throw line.

Of course Eric is right, close doesn't get it done. But it is tempting to overreact and blow up the team and I'm not sure that's justified.

Clearly, the Suns are not good enough to beat the Spurs on a consistent basis with so many guys not producing.

 

[dodie53]

Championship teams also have a continual chemistry built from atleast a few seasons together. This team has basically one, two at the max at playing together.

You can't expect to win it all if you chop and change every season. The Suns are close. A few tweaks and we might just get over the hump.




This team needs one more season.

i agree with you 100%

 

[pokerface]

The Spurs are awfully close to four championships. Champions figure out a way to win...awfully close or otherwise.


The Spurs own the Suns...everything else is fantasy!

 

[Muggum]

Michael Jordan didn't win a championship until he was 27. Amare is 24. The Bulls lost again and again to the Celtics/Pistons before finally breaking through. We can do it. WE CAN DO IT. We shouldn't do more than tinker.

 

[cly2tw]

Michael Jordan didn't win a championship until he was 27. Amare is 24. The Bulls lost again and again to the Celtics/Pistons before finally breaking through. We can do it. WE CAN DO IT. We shouldn't do more than tinker.

What are you talking about? The last thing I heard of Amare was that he was hated on this team for his selfishness and would be shown the door in trade for KG or Gasol. His championship at age 27 will be with somebody else, but not the Suns!

 

[azirish]

The Spurs are awfully close to four championships. Champions figure out a way to win...awfully close or otherwise.

The Spurs own the Suns...everything else is fantasy!

And here I thought it was the refs they owned.

 

[pokerface]

And here I thought it was the refs they owned.

Refs?? How you figure?

 

[azirish]

Refs?? How you figure?

The Spurs strategy was to foul Nash and foul Nash and foul Nash - and then foul Nash. Yet somehow, Nash averaged fewer than 5 fouls shots per game and that included taking some technical free throws.

OK, the Spurs didn't own the refs. Maybe they just rent.

 

[pokerface]

The Spurs strategy was to foul Nash and foul Nash and foul Nash - and then foul Nash. Yet somehow, Nash averaged fewer than 5 fouls shots per game and that included taking some technical free throws.

OK, the Spurs didn't own the refs. Maybe they just rent.

If the NBA is rigged then why even care about next season?

 

[azirish]

If the NBA is rigged then why even care about next season?

Just so we can irritate you.

 

[pokerface]

Just so we can irritate you.

Really though...why care about a fixed game? No matter what the Suns do it would seem of no consequence...

 

[pokerface]

Maybe the refs dont respect a finesse team

 

[azirish]

Maybe the refs dont respect a finesse team

Why should they want to reward thugs?

In any case, the Suns are not quite the finesse team everybody accuses them of being. Is Amare a finesse guy? Kurt Thomas? Raja Bell?

The fact that the Suns don't buy into the idea that thuggery is better than basketball does not mean that are just finesse guys. In any case, if Marion was allowed to grab and hold Parker the way Bowen did Nash, the Suns could shut the Spurs down too.

 

[pokerface]

But the whole strategy of the Suns is not to foul much to keep a fast paced game moving. That in essence makes them a finesse team despite having players that can get physical.

The playoffs are physical. The Suns are not geared to play that type of game. The refs are going to continue to allow contact in the playoffs. Either the Suns adapt or they get bounced again and again. Hating on the refs isnt going to change things.

 

[azirish]

But the whole strategy of the Suns is not to foul much to keep a fast paced game moving. That in essence makes them a finesse team despite having players that can get physical.

The playoffs are physical. The Suns are not geared to play that type of game. The refs are going to continue to allow contact in the playoffs. Either the Suns adapt or they get bounced again and again. Hating on the refs isnt going to change things.

IF THEY CALLED THE GAME THE SAME WAY FOR EACH SIDE. They don't.

Duncan gets away with vastly more body contact than anybody else. But he's Duncan and Duncan never fouls so don't complain about all the ticky tack crap that gets called at the other end.

 

[pokerface]

Ahhhh...but ya know...where does this all lead us? Every fan complains about calls...nothing much can be proven and it leads to nowhere. Maybe the Suns dont foul right...maybe they arnt known to be physical so they dont get the calls.

 

[azirish]

Ahhhh...but ya know...where does this all lead us? Every fan complains about calls...nothing much can be proven and it leads to nowhere. Maybe the Suns dont foul right...maybe they arnt known to be physical so they dont get the calls.

So?

My original point is that the Suns are as talented as the Spurs and play them better than anyone else (barring a super human performance by LeBron). The Spurs are a very good team, experienced, well trained, etc.; but Suns are well able to beat them with well officiated games where calls are made the same way on both ends of the floor.

All of the speculation in the world about WHY doesn't change that. (Bribery is probably not true, but the theory that the refs are idiots is not easy to accept either).

In any case, blaming the Suns for the way the refs call the games is not reasonable. Yes, the Suns have to learn to fight through the crap, but it is still crap and no dancing around it will change just how bad it smells.

 

[pokerface]

The refs didnt cost us the series. They were only one factor of many factors. The better team wins in a seven game series and the Spurs were clearly better. I dont know what your bottomline is besides we're good enough to beat the Spurs and the games were close.

Big deal we lost...again.