Suns Pull Away, 101-81 (Series Tied, 1-1)

An anonymous zombie-witch hybrid screams at the officials.

I'm sure everyone out there is thinking "Hey, I wonder what Zei thinks about the game tonight!", and I'll not disappoint! ... Nobody is wondering? Nobody? Okay... but I'm still going to tell you. The Suns played with energy and really wanted the game... so, the final result was that they beat the Spurs. All the problems we had in game one got turned around and made into strengths. In the end, that's the problem with the Suns in nearly any loss: They just stop playing part way through the game. Not tonight. Even when the baskets weren't falling, which included the entire first quarter, the Suns managed to stay in the game and keep their focus. Even after they took over the game, they kept it up, which has been a serious problem in the past. Mental lapses are the reason the Suns don't do this every night, but tonight... no mental lapses. (From a purely talent-based perspective, it's hard to make a case for any other team being as flat out gifted as the Suns, which is why they stop playing so much... because even when they aren't trying they can still beat teams.)

Kurt made life difficult for Duncan all night.

First things first... my personal choice for player of the game... Kurt Thomas! Kurt Thomas! I can't say this enough, Kurt Thomas! He was the real difference maker in the game, playing Duncan tough and forcing him into tough shots and, more importantly, allowing the Suns to play him with single coverage. (And equally important, allowing Amare to stay out of foul trouble.) On top of which, he kept Duncan from hitting the boards and provided much needed hustle the entire game. As an added bonus, Kurt's mid-range shot was automatic, and the Spurs kept giving the shot to him. He finished the game with 12 points (6/7 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and most importantly... 28 minutes! In those 28 minutes he made Tim Duncan's life miserable, and for this, he's my choice for player of the game.

After a slow start, Amare went nuts.

The 'Official' player of the game shows up big time, yet again. Amare started slow, having trouble getting his shots to fall. (Which was aided by him taking shots that he really shouldn't be taking unless it's late in the shot clock.) Then in the third quarter, he really stepped into his comfort zone. He started moving without the ball more, worked for position, and finished strong, through the contact, whether a foul was called or not, and put the ball in the hoop. A few monster jams and good moves in the post put him in a rhythm, and he never got out of it. (Though, to be fair, he didn't barely even play in the 4th quarter, but he hit the shot he got in the 4th.) He finished with an impressive 27 points (10/16 FG, 7/8 FT), 9 rebounds, and 2 steals in 35 minutes. Also, his presence on the boards was felt a whole lot more than the 9 rebounds in the box score would suggest, as he was doing a good job boxing out and in the first quarter he was grabbing basically everything that bounced off the rim. Great game Amare... But you're 10 points off of your average from two years ago. Shoot for the stars! Hit Duncan where it really hurts... and you can take that literally or figuratively, I don't care.

Through all this, it's really easy to lose sight of Steve Nash, as he just brings absolute excellence with every game, and this was no different. On every possession he made the right decision, he forced the defense to guard one thing and he'd do something else. There's no way to guard the man. The 6'8 and incredibly physical Bruce Bowen just couldn't do anything with him. He's quick, he's smart, he's an incredible ball handler, and he's stronger than a lot of point guards (That's something you don't hear much about, but he can flat out push around a lot of PG's in the league.) Nash finished with a dazzling 20 points (7/17 FG), 16 assists with just 3 turnovers. Nash took over the game through the end of the second quarter to the end of the 3rd quarter. The M-V-P chants are more than well deserved... too bad the trophy will probably end up going to Dirk. I wonder where they will be presenting him with the trophy anyway... I think game 3 in the Jazz-Warriors series in Oakland would be an appropriate place.

On to the supporting cast in tonight's game. First of all... Boris! Hallelujah, Boris isn't playing like he forgot everything he knows about basketball. Over the last few games he's gradually gotten better and better and, tonight, I was legitimately impressed. He made two passes that very few people in the entire league could set up tonight, and reminded the Suns a bit of what he was doing last year. He finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block and, perhaps most importantly, he didn't play like he was scared to be on the floor. Shawn Marion, though his offensive impact was limited, did exactly what I said he needed to do to limit Tony Parker- play up on him. He's quick enough to stay with Parker most of the time, and the rare time that Tony can blast by him he'll still be right there, ready to swat the shot, and bare minimum giving him a long target to shoot over. If he's getting screens set on him at the 13-15 foot mark, there's no time for him to recover and Tony has a free lane to the basket. I'm glad the Suns made the adjustments, because Marion's biggest achievement tonight was Tony Parker's stat line... or the lack thereof, if you want to get technical. Tony finished with just 13 points (5/14 FG, 3/6 FT), 2 rebounds and 3 assists, with 4 turnovers in 36 minutes. Marion himself put up 5 points (2/4 FG), 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal. A lot of the time when Marion isn't getting his touches he tends to be a lot less active out there, but not tonight, and the Suns benefited from his

tremendous defense.

Leandro keeps on proving he's faster than Tony Parker.

Raja Bell came out firing tonight, hitting good shots, getting in the lane, and providing tough defense on whoever he was guarding. (Especially Manu Ginobili, who is being shut down in this series.) Raja finished with 18 points (6/9 FG, 5/6 FT), 3 rebounds and a steal. And Leandro, once again providing a spark off the bench, albeit not as big as we've become accustomed to of late, here in the playoffs. Leandro hit some tough shots and pushed the pace when other players started looking sluggish out there, and he had a good impact out there on the floor, most notably playing some good defense on Tony Parker. Leandro finished with 13 points (6/13 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a block.