I've been trying to ignore basketball after the diaster of last weekend. In scanning some of the posts of the last few days, I'm surprised how little attention is being paid to what it will take to beat the Spurs.
Obviously the serieis might have gone differently if Nash was less of a bleeder and Amare stayed off the court. Still, the thrid quarter of game 6 should give us pause. As currently constituted, the Suns simply don't match up well against the Spurs.
The hardest part for the Suns is that they are so used to teams packing the paint to stop Amare. Against the Spurs they really struggle with a team that presses the three point line and contests all their shots. It seems like the Suns players lose their poise when they stop getting their usual open looks and began rushing their shots with diasterous results. Perhaps with more experience and some adjustments to their offensive scheme, they can improve but right now that's a huge problem.
Another problem is that the Suns (other than Amare) don't go hard enough to the basket. Duncan's blocks got so bad that the the Suns were losing concentration on layups. The Spurs physical defensive style clearly effects the Suns psychology.
One big problem has been the inability of the Suns to dribble in traffic. Some of the problem is that the Spurs never have reach in fouls called, but an equal problem is that the Suns seem to stand to much upright rather than crouching when dribbling. They don't use their bodies well enough to keep the ball away from tight defenders.
The fact that Bowen was allowed to manhandle Nash was discouraging, but it is something the Suns will have to be able to deal with if the team is going to win.
Overall, the Suns played the Spurs tough on defense, but it is clear the Suns have a long way to go if they are going to be good enough to beat the Spurs. Unfortunately, the Suns ran into three major problems and couldn't solve any of them:
--- Couldn't stop Duncan without fouling. It was hard because in game 6 KT was getting destroyed and doubling teamming did not work at all.
--- Struggled to keep Parker and Manu out of the paint. None of the Suns are quick enough to stop Parker and Marion could not stay up on him to keep him from shooting.
--- The Suns were routinely leaving shooters open and the Spurs didn't miss for a long period.
Obviously not having a classic low post defender and shot blocker is a real problem when playing the Spurs. Without one, the Suns are simply going to have to find a way to play better on offense.
Summer Work:
More than any other player, Boris Diaw is the one guy who could jump his status a lot if only because he didn't play well this season. He really needs to work on conditioning, strength training, dribbling in traffic, and long range shooting.
Marcus Banks needs to participate in the Las Vegas summer league and really work on his shooting and play making. He's a guy who MIGHT surprise if for no other reason than his very low expectations. Even small improvements in his offense might permit D'Antoni to use him to deal with a Tony Parker.
James Jones needs to become automatic from beyond the arc and develop more of an all round offensive game. He also needs to work on strength and rebounding, because he is a below average rebounder for his position.
Leandro Barbosa needs to keep working on his play making skills and decision making. In the Spurs series, it seemed like he was rattled and made a lot of mistakes. He should be better next season, but it is something he needs to work on.
Marion needs to work on improving his mid range game. He's never going to be a great three point shooter with that wacky stroke, but he should be better at mid range shots and even low post moves. He began to show some willingness to make entry passes, but he's not there yet.
Amare needs to develop some back to the basket moves (Boris looks better at back to the basket moves than Amare). In particular, he needs to develop a crossing move and a short hook. He's quick enough that he should be able to beat most defenders and force a double team.
I don't expect much change from Nash, Bell, and KT although Nash and Bell were not shooting well.
Off Season Personnel Priorities:
1. Another low post defender. The Suns were very close in Game 6 until KT got his fourth foul. As soon as he went out, the Spurs hit a slew of three pointers and took over the game. The Suns really do need someone who can at least make Duncan work hard without just fouling.
2. Another shooter/defender. The Suns offense works best when Marion is at PF, but putting Bell at SF and Barbosa at SG makes the team very small and vulnerable on defense. Jones is a nice player, but he does not play like a starter on a championship team.
3. A backup point guard who can play man defense. It is not clear there is anyone available who can do the job, but the Suns need to keep looking.
Obviously the serieis might have gone differently if Nash was less of a bleeder and Amare stayed off the court. Still, the thrid quarter of game 6 should give us pause. As currently constituted, the Suns simply don't match up well against the Spurs.
The hardest part for the Suns is that they are so used to teams packing the paint to stop Amare. Against the Spurs they really struggle with a team that presses the three point line and contests all their shots. It seems like the Suns players lose their poise when they stop getting their usual open looks and began rushing their shots with diasterous results. Perhaps with more experience and some adjustments to their offensive scheme, they can improve but right now that's a huge problem.
Another problem is that the Suns (other than Amare) don't go hard enough to the basket. Duncan's blocks got so bad that the the Suns were losing concentration on layups. The Spurs physical defensive style clearly effects the Suns psychology.
One big problem has been the inability of the Suns to dribble in traffic. Some of the problem is that the Spurs never have reach in fouls called, but an equal problem is that the Suns seem to stand to much upright rather than crouching when dribbling. They don't use their bodies well enough to keep the ball away from tight defenders.
The fact that Bowen was allowed to manhandle Nash was discouraging, but it is something the Suns will have to be able to deal with if the team is going to win.
Overall, the Suns played the Spurs tough on defense, but it is clear the Suns have a long way to go if they are going to be good enough to beat the Spurs. Unfortunately, the Suns ran into three major problems and couldn't solve any of them:
--- Couldn't stop Duncan without fouling. It was hard because in game 6 KT was getting destroyed and doubling teamming did not work at all.
--- Struggled to keep Parker and Manu out of the paint. None of the Suns are quick enough to stop Parker and Marion could not stay up on him to keep him from shooting.
--- The Suns were routinely leaving shooters open and the Spurs didn't miss for a long period.
Obviously not having a classic low post defender and shot blocker is a real problem when playing the Spurs. Without one, the Suns are simply going to have to find a way to play better on offense.
Summer Work:
More than any other player, Boris Diaw is the one guy who could jump his status a lot if only because he didn't play well this season. He really needs to work on conditioning, strength training, dribbling in traffic, and long range shooting.
Marcus Banks needs to participate in the Las Vegas summer league and really work on his shooting and play making. He's a guy who MIGHT surprise if for no other reason than his very low expectations. Even small improvements in his offense might permit D'Antoni to use him to deal with a Tony Parker.
James Jones needs to become automatic from beyond the arc and develop more of an all round offensive game. He also needs to work on strength and rebounding, because he is a below average rebounder for his position.
Leandro Barbosa needs to keep working on his play making skills and decision making. In the Spurs series, it seemed like he was rattled and made a lot of mistakes. He should be better next season, but it is something he needs to work on.
Marion needs to work on improving his mid range game. He's never going to be a great three point shooter with that wacky stroke, but he should be better at mid range shots and even low post moves. He began to show some willingness to make entry passes, but he's not there yet.
Amare needs to develop some back to the basket moves (Boris looks better at back to the basket moves than Amare). In particular, he needs to develop a crossing move and a short hook. He's quick enough that he should be able to beat most defenders and force a double team.
I don't expect much change from Nash, Bell, and KT although Nash and Bell were not shooting well.
Off Season Personnel Priorities:
1. Another low post defender. The Suns were very close in Game 6 until KT got his fourth foul. As soon as he went out, the Spurs hit a slew of three pointers and took over the game. The Suns really do need someone who can at least make Duncan work hard without just fouling.
2. Another shooter/defender. The Suns offense works best when Marion is at PF, but putting Bell at SF and Barbosa at SG makes the team very small and vulnerable on defense. Jones is a nice player, but he does not play like a starter on a championship team.
3. A backup point guard who can play man defense. It is not clear there is anyone available who can do the job, but the Suns need to keep looking.
In all seriousness, guys like Ime Udoka, Mike Pietrus or Matt Carroll (even if he can't really play defense) are available. Or try to trade with the Bobcats for Gerald Wallace and/or Walter Herrmann.
