Raja and Kobe

I've been in the car all day so I missed shockwave sent through the NBA with Kobe Bryant demanding a trade...before being chilled out by Phil Jackson. Kobe may be openly loathed but I doubt there is any basketball fan who wouldn't want the guy on their team. The thought of a Kobe/Nash backcourt could start a seizure.
Sidenote: Remember when Kobe and Ray Allen had beef a few years back. It all stemmed from Ray Allen saying that Kobe forced the team to trade Shaq so he could be the man and when the team struggled he would ask for a trade. Kobe is apparently very sensistive about that accusation.

Kobe's nemesis respected foe, Raja Bell is nominated for PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian and they wrote Ra to pass on the opportunity to VOTE for the Suns' guard. I am a vegetarian personally and I'm all about repping the Suns- but how can you not vote for Mos Def?


I live in Austin, Texas now and during the drive out I noticed some interesting billboards. Manu Ginobili is pushing broadband services with a 'Go for 3' (cable, internet, phone) slogan. I saw another with David Robinson in street clothes in what appeared to be an ad for water heaters. I guess that's consistent with the image of the Spurs- fundamentals. If I see Tony Parker hawking coat hangers, I'm convinced.

UPDATE: I'm stealing wireless internet in the Apple parking lot so I might as well blog. Steve Kerr is now running the front office in PHX. He was the best color guy on TV and now he takes over our Suns. David Griffin is staying to work under Kerr and continue the push for a championship. Kerr is a champion and he knows the current class franchise of the NBA (San Antonio) very well having won two rings there. He was somewhat critical of Shawn Marion during the Spurs series and we'll see shortly how he intends to handle the money, the talent and fragile egos of NBA stars. Two former Spurs guys (Danny Ferry and Mike Brown) got Cleveland to the Finals let's see if another can tweak the Suns to get them over the hump.

Kicked in the lottery balls

So the Portland Trailblazers won the Greg Oden sweepstakes and fans in Boston, Memphis and Phoenix all looked on in disappointment. Atlanta got the three pick and Memphis and Boston fell to 4 and 5 respectively. The Suns won't get the Hawks lottery pick but on the bright side it will be unprotected next year. Since ATL won't get Oden or Durant there is still a good chance they might still suck and the pick might produce something useful in the future.

But f*ck the future, fans want to win now while this team is still among the league's best. We now know two things.

1. San Antonio is still the team to beat. The club thought they did enough by bringing in Kurt Thomas and Raja Bell but Duncan, Parker and Ginobili still went off and the Suns lost. Defense and rebounding is the glaring need and it will remain so even with a luxury tax bill.

2. The help won't come cheap. The best thing about a lottery pick is cheap help. Lottery picks have a set salary so even a budding superstar has to work hard to earn that first big contract. Whatever the Suns can fetch at 24 and 29 will help fill out the roster and may prove fruitful if D'Antoni takes the time to develop a young player (like LB).

This may also mean that a trade becomes more likely. If the Suns brass is so anxious to cut salary, the lack of a lottery pick means a trade would simply be a cost cutting move. Coach D'Antoni was hoping the draft would bring in a talented player that they wouldn't have to spend big money and avoid the free agent market. This is the worst time to have a cheap owner because the club has needs that have to be met by spending money. This will be an interesting summer.

Upcoming Offseason

Well... I know I'm not the only one who thinks the offseason came entirely too soon. I didn't want to have to be writing this post until late June... but here it is, in the middle of May, that the Suns season ends and 07-08 starts.

The first order of business, the order of business that dictates quite a few of the Suns plans for the upcoming season... the draft. The lottery will be run on Tuesday (May 22nd) to determine who gets what draft pick. The actual process of drawing who gets to pick, and where, is a little bit more complicated than it necessarily ought to be, but the order looks like this. The Grizzlies have the highest chance of getting the #1 pick, followed by the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks, the Supersonics, the Portland Trailblazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Charlotte Bobcats. (Everyone else has basically no chance of getting the #1 pick.) Then once the first pick is selected, they select the #2 pick based on the same probability: The worse your record the higher your chances.

"Why should I care, the Suns had the 2nd best record in the regular season. We aren't even in the lottery!" you yell loudly at me in between sobbing and thoughts of suicide. (Don't do it!) Well, before Bryan "Big Pimpin'" Colangelo left us, he ensured that we'd have quite a few options this upcoming year by acquiring a top 3 protected pick from Atlanta. Bryan figured that we needed the pick more than the Hawks, who would undoubtedly draft a young and raw athletic small forward with it, so we might as well take it off their hands. So... we have the Atlanta Hawks pick as long as it's not the #1, #2, or #3 pick. They are currently seeded #4 in the lottery pull, so they are pretty much perfectly situated to give us the exact pick we want them to get... the #4 pick. However, the lottery rarely works out like the ping pong balls would dictate, and the Hawks have a very good chance of landing in the 1-3 range picks, and also have a good chance of landing in the 4-6 range of picks. We want that #4 pick, a whole bunch, because if the Hawks get a top 3 pick in this particular draft, chances are they won't suck so bad next year, and will end up giving us a high lottery pick next year as a best case scenario. (Next year the pick is completely unprotected, as a note.)

From there, we have a few salary issues coming to play. Our owner is relatively poor, as NBA owners go, and he is forced to be fiscally responsible. (He is also a big fan and has done basically everything he could to make us very good team, from a financial aspect, going out there and spending money that he didn't have to.) Our biggest problem is... Pat Burke... his contract is done. And... *sniff*... he may not be coming back. I encourage the Suns to resign him though, as for a minimum player he's a great locker room and practice guy, and the fans love him. And, on a more serious note, with all our draft pick contracts to sign, along with the extensions that are kicking in, we are looking at paying $12,000,000+ in luxury tax, while still having two roster spots to fill (assuming we don't pick up our 2nd rounder). The financial difficulties, along with the fact that the Suns are a bit flawed as a team (sad as it may be), we have some holes to fill and some financial problems to fix, which means we should expect a couple big moves in the upcoming offseason.

Our first problem? Luxury tax... which has to get dealt with, unfortunately. There are some interesting trade scenarios to throw out there, but a couple things should be known:
1) Nash and Stoudemire are basically untouchable, mostly due to the fact that nobody will be willing to throw an offer at the Suns that the Suns will be willing to snatch up. Nash and Stoudemire's value are both much higher in this system than they would be in most teams systems and it's unlikely that anyone will be able to put forth an offer that the front office will snatch up.
2) The two people we extended last offseason, Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw, are unlikely to be traded. In Leandro's case, it's because we landed a great player with a great attitude and a great upside who is also great for our system for bargain bin prices on his long-term extension, so it's unlikely that the Suns will be willing to part with him. Boris Diaw, however, will be hard to move for the exact opposite reason... the entirety of last year he stunk it up, put up one game worth mentioning the entire season/postseason. (Vs. Golden State, when he had a triple double... I went to that game. The Suns ought to look into having me attend all home games so Boris Diaw can have a triple double every night.) I'm sure management will throw Diaw's name into deals to see if we can get rid of that awful deal, but I doubt anyone will bite. $9,000,000 a year for the next 5 years doesn't sound too enticing for a guy who averaged 9.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.8 APG in 31.1 MPG.

Okay... so here are some feasible trade scenarios that the Suns may or may not look into. In all trade scenarios both teams must come within 25% of each other when all the combined salaries are shown, with a $100,000 chunk of leeway.

#1) Paul Pierce ($16,360,095) for Shawn Marion ($16,440,000) and James Jones ($2,904,000, player option for 08/09) and the #24 pick (Cleveland's pick, by way of Boston). The Celtics get a player who can rebound (a bit of a problem for them), shoot (a problem for them...), play defense (A problem...), moves well off the ball (A pattern seems to have emerged here, as this is also a problem...), and doesn't need to dominate the ball to be effective. They also get an athletic swing man in James Jones who can shoot and play good team defense, both glaring weaknesses for the Celtics, plus a 1st round pick in an extremely deep draft. The Suns get a wing player who can actually create his own shots, is a decent rebounder at the SG/SF spot, is a good shooter and isn't a defensive liability. They also clear up a bit of the luxury tax issue we'll be facing next year.

#2) Kevin Garnett ($22,000,000, player option for 08/09) and Eddie Griffin's contract ($2,900,000, he has already been bought out of this contract but it's still on the books and can be traded for) for Shawn Marion ($16,440,000) and Boris Diaw ($9,000,000), the #4 pick, and/or the #24/#29 picks. If they don't want Boris Diaw it would be possible to package James Jones and Marcus Banks with similar impact. There's a good chance that the Suns may catch Kevin McHale on one of the rare days that he's competent and they may want to unload an unsavory long term contract (such as Mark Madsen, $2,420,000 through 09/10, or Trenton Hassell, $4,350,000 through 09/10, maybe even Mark Blount, $6,737,500 through 09/10. If I were Suns management, I wouldn't touch the Marko Jaric or Mike James contracts with a 40 foot pole.) This deal is unlikely, but everyone in the league is probably making bids for Garnett, so this is the most likely one that we'll see. Garnett is probably the most talented all-around player in the game, able to play both ends and has no real weaknesses to his game... I'd take him on the Suns in a heart beat. He wouldn't even be forced into being the #1 option, which is a great thing for him as he's a bit too passive to be a true #1 option, despite really being able to score at will with those insane fall away jumpers that he hits, which are impossible to guard by the way.

#3) Marcus Camby ($8,000,000 through 09/10) and Eduardo Najera ($4,952,382, next year is a player option which he'll probably end up taking, expires after next season) for Kurt Thomas ($8,091,187, next year is a player option that he'll probably take, expires the year after.), Erick Piatkowski ($1,219,590, expires next season) and James Jones ($2,904,000 through 08/09) and the #24 and/or #29 pick. This trade gives the Suns a monster interior shotblocking and rebounding presence, which we desperately desperately need, who can hit the midrange jumper and won't interrupt the flow of the offense, and Eduardo Najera, a guy who plays presentable defense, is a decent shooter, and can finish at the hoop, and his contract expires next year. The Nuggets get an expiring contract in Kurt Thomas, who is a downgrade from Marcus Camby, but is a better man-to-man post defender and has a lot of playoff experience. They also get James Jones, a proficient outside shooter, which the Nuggets desperately need, who also plays good team defense and can block shots, which the Nuggets also need. They also get Erick Piatkowski in the deal, who is a veteran presence on a somewhat immature team who can hit the outside jumper, which the Nuggets are desperately looking for and desperately need. They also no longer have to worry about Marcus Camby's long, long, long list of injuries, and won't have to worry about having an $8 million dollar man riding the pine. It's a risk/reward situation for the Suns that I'd be willing to take.

#4) Sign and trade for Rashard Lewis (Unsure, as he'll be testing the free agent market next year and has already expressed his desire to opt out of his contract next year with his player option. Chances are he'll command at least a $12,000,000/5 year contract, but very few teams have that kind of cap and he will probably have a sign-and-trade situation going on so the Sonics don't lose 'Shard for nothing.) Johan Petro ($1,077,120, team option after next year) and Luke Ridnour ($6,500,000 through 09/10) in exchange we send Marion ($16,440,000) and Boris Diaw ($9,000,000 through 11/12). The Suns save quite a bit of cap on the deal, and the Sonics get two proven players in Marion and Diaw instead of losing Shard for nothing. If they were just going to straight out lose 'Shard to free agency, it would be the same as Luke Ridnour and Johan Petro for Marion and Diaw, so I can definitely see how they would be winners in this deal as well. Rashard Lewis provides a 6'10 wing player who can shoot, create off the dribble, has a very refined post game, and isn't horrendous at defense. (He's not good... but he's not a liability, mostly due to his length and speed.)

Those are some of the deals that make the most sense and are feasible as the players are actually available. (Not sure on Marcus Camby's availability, come to think of it, but he's not *off* the market so I imagine the Nuggets would move him for the right package.) Any interesting trade ideas? Offseason moves? (Like making Iavaroni the head coach and letting D'Antoni run the front office?) Opinions on the state of the Suns in general? Well... throw them in the comments, I promise I'll read them... can't promise that the Suns front office will read them though, but maybe that's a bit too much to ask. Maybe.

Fade to Black (SAS wins 4-2)

First, I had fun writing on this site and connecting with more fans and the writers.

The Spurs ended the Suns' season 114-106.

I didn't see the game but I did hear it on the radio while driving to Austin where I'm writing this post. I was tempted to swing by the arena and see if I could get a ticket but with my destination only 70 miles away- I drove on. The Spurs radio crew described the action and I listened as the Suns' promising season faded into a second-round loss.

The big question now is 'what's next?' While everyone knew the series was ruined and pretty much over after the suspensions, we held out hope the Suns could recover and force an even strength Game 7. That didn't happen and I am officially done watching basketball this season. While I had fun blogging and following my team, this has to be one of the worst NBA seasons on record, regardless of how the playoffs turn out.

The two best teams had nightmare playoff runs, the defending champ was a trainwreck, the league's poster boy coasted through the season and yet his team got one of the easiest playoff draws ever, the most interesting player was hurt in the last month of the regular season, the refs seemed to get worse, defense is just flopping and the commissioner has now fully transformed into an evil emperor.

I would like to write something substantial about this season but it would be a waste of words. I had to get NBA League Pass to watch my team play this year because I moved 99 miles away from PHX. Watching well over 200 basketball games has soured me on the NBA and the annoying end to the Suns/Spurs series was the icing on the shit cake.

So what do the Suns do now? We'll never know if they could have beaten the Spurs straight up because they didn't have the chance. The fact is the team is over the luxury tax number and they have big money tied up in their frontline. They potentially have three first round picks in the upcoming draft. The draft lottery drawing on Tuesday will be closely watched by the organization and fans and that pick could play a key role in the club's future plans.

This current roster has really only had one shot at it because Amare Stoudemire was out last year. However, Nash and Marion have had three chances and it is highly possible that we hear plenty of trade talk this off-season as the high speed attack hasn't stayed healthy or gotten the breaks needed to win a championship. The question the front office must answer is do they want to be an entertaining, profitable team who doesn't win in the post season or do they want to pay for a championship by loading their roster with stars?

We'll hear about Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, mid-level exceptions and all the stuff that comes up in the off-season. The team is flawed and they need more size, guys who can create their own shot and depth that Coach D'Antoni actually trusts. For whatever reason, none of the free agent signings contributed anything this season regardless of how talented they may have been. More executives and coaches will continue to leave the organization this offseason and I find it hard to believe that D'Antoni won't become the sole target of deserved criticism for burning out his players. While he wasn't outcoached in this series, he was outcoached this season by Greg Popovich. The Spurs rested their stars all year and got supreme effort from throwaway role players. When the Suns cranked up the defense, the Spurs stars took it to another level, the battle tested role players stepped up and the Spurs beat them. This pattern can't continue for too much longer in the 'win now' NBA. Let's hope this team doesn't follow the trajectory of the Sacramento Kings.

Great season Phoenix Suns, but you cannot save the NBA.

* (SAS 3-2)

Not much to say. Close game, somewhat expected result. Great shot by Bowen. On to Game 6.

Thuggery Wins, Fans lose

Amare and Boris out a game, Horry out two.

2-2

UPDATE: What was Game 4?
Was it the key win? Was it a season or roster defining win?

We'll only know as this epic series delivers it's fantastic finish.

Something happened in the fourth quarter of Game 4. The Suns became the team we've grown to love... and want them to be.

They got stops. Marion was everywhere.

They hit shots. Would you want anyone other than Nash leading a comeback when a game gets wild?

They won in San Antonio. The end of that game has given the NBA the biggest crisis they've faced this decade.

Do they suspend a 1st Team All NBA player for a pivotal game of a playoff series because he walked toward an MVP teammate who was slammed into the scorers' table.

Regardless of how you see it, you have to admit the NBA is at fault for this dilemma. The 'leaving the bench rule' was created for the Knicks guard Greg Anthony's (now annoying nightly on ESPN) brawl-inducing attack on Suns guard Kevin Johnson (while Anthony was in street clothes). Four seasons later the Knicks would lose a playoff series they lead 3-1 due to multiple suspensions from a Game 5 brawl where Charlie Ward was bodyslammed into the crowd.

The NBA just went through this three years ago where Richard Jeffferson (Nets) and Ron Artest (Indiana) got different results when leaving the bench during altercations. Fact is, the NBA will lose fans if they suspend Diaw and Stoudemire and the Suns suffer a stiffer penalty than San Antonio. An excessive hard foul has created a controversy in their showcase series.

If you only read hoops blogs, you know this has become the DVR series. Not only because it is possibly the best matchup we'll see- everyone is rewatching the game and plays to look for fouls that aren't being called. Everyone has turned into Mark Cuban.

All the Cubanites felt some vindication when Joey Crawford got Sterned and had to miss the playoffs for making himself the star of a Sunday afternoon showdown. He tossed Duncan for glaring and laughing and sent a message to the world hasn't gotten til now. Duncan is refereed on a level beyond any other player in the NBA because he is so active in both ends of the floor. Yet he still tries to intimidate officials. So now there's a potential beef with the Spurs and the refs because of Crawford's heavy suspension.

For all the snide comments from fans, Stoudemire stirred the pot by saying the Spurs played dirty. It called attention to the guy who has the highest profile job in this series- Bruce Bowen, who is guarding Steve Nash.

So now you have millions of people testing out the slow-motion on the remote. You have sports writers talking about whining and chippyness. You have the Phoenix Suns trying to keep their cool only to see the hoarse Mike D'Antoni watching the scoreboard- hoping the refs can keep up. You have the San Antonio Spurs trying to slow down one of the best offenses in the last 10 years and trying to work the officials for a little more leeway.

In the ebb and flow of Game 4, the Suns found a way. We saw the Steve Nash that wouldn't let the team lose, like the classic in Dallas. We saw the Shawn Marion that makes a play in every frame of crunch time. We saw the Amare Stoudemire that can't settle on a nickname because he's breaking people off like leprosy.

We saw Robert Horry cross the line.

All the complaining would be seen as normal whining without that foul. Stoudemire's quote wouldn't be so annoyingly prophetic without that foul. All the chippy plays would be seen as great playoff basketball without that foul. The Suns steal a win in San Antonio without that foul.

Now Game 4 becomes something else. The web, talk radio, youtube. The fallout from a few seconds of the most pivotal 2.5 hours of the season could become a nightmare that ruins a series that showcases the BEST things about basketball. Instead it could just become another instance of the NBA putting it's foot down and squashing something that is a byproduct of inconsistent officiating. Somewhere Joey Crawford is glaring at a bowl of ice cream then laughing at it.

UPDATE 2: Steve Kerr and video confirm Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen left the bench when Francisco Elson tangled with James Jones after a dunk. How many players will get suspended? The buildup to Game 5 might make a lot of fans sick.

Spurs win slugfest (SAS 2-1)

With the long buildup between games and all the talk about dirty play, it was clear Game 3 would set the tone for the rest of the series. In a physical game, the Spurs got big performances from their big three and wore down the Suns in 108-101 victory.

The Suns started well. After Amare Stoudemire picked up his second late in the first quarter, the Suns got a boost from Boris Diaw off the bench. Boris looked to score and found some success inside. Raja Bell got a couple good looks from three. Leandro Barbosa bounced back from a couple bad plays with an and1 to end the quarter and the Suns hit 30 and had a five point lead.

The Suns pushed the lead up to 10 in the second as the Spurs continued to shoot poorly and Raja Bell stayed hot. However that lead was in spite of Nash not hitting a shot, Stoudemire sitting in foul trouble, Kurt Thomas struggling on offense and Leandro Barbosa looking rattled. The Spurs despite missing jumpers, had Tim Duncan dominating and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili getting warm with drives to the basket. As the Spurs turned up the intensity, the Suns began to fade. Nash was trapped every time he penetrated into the lane and he was goaded into turnovers. The Spurs ended the second on a 16-5 run and took a two-point lead into halftime.

In the third, the Spurs surged ahead and the officials lost control. Stoudemire picked up two cheap fouls on a seemingly clean block and a flop by Oberto away from the ball. Nash was kneed in the balls by Bowen. In a key sequence, Spurs hit three straight three-pointers to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead. The first came when Raja Bell gave some quick help defense and Brent Barry fired a quick, long three. Marion fumbles away a sure dunk. Bowen hits a corner three. Nash rattles out a three. Marion blocks a Parker layup. Duncan clearly fouls Marion on a layup, no call. Bowen hits a corner three.

The Suns would cut the lead to one but then Manu Ginobili took over. After getting hit in the eye by Shawn Marion on a no call, he briefly left to get the bleeding stopped. Ginobili scored the last 10 points of the quarter to put the Spurs up 80-72.

In the fourth, the Suns could get no closer than six thanks to Duncan (33 pts, 19 reb, 4 blk). He hit bank shot after bank shot facing single coverage, scoring 13 in the fourth. In a key sequence with the Suns down six with 90 seconds to go, the Spurs brought back Finley. To me on my couch, the play is to lure a help defender off of Finley, who has (as I've written numerous time in this webspace) become a standstill jumpshooter. Parker drives at full speed, Nash helps off Finley, corner three. Ball game.

Positives
A little more balance from Marion (26 pts, 7 reb, 4 blk, 2 stl), who held Parker to two points in the second half.

Concerns
Raja Bell (12 pts) did not attempt a shot in the second half. Single coverage on Tim Duncan doesn't work. 18-27 Free throw shooting.

Thoughts
I really don't like to complain about officiating but as expected the Spurs got some homecooking. Their consistent physical style makes it hard officials to call every foul but some obvious calls were missed. With all the chatter and cheap shots on both sides, the officials clearly lost control of this game. Duncan should have fouled out in the third quarter. He committed three clear fouls during the pivotal 10-0 run. 1. On the fastbreak after Marion's block of Tony Parker, he bodies and hits Marion across the arms on a layup, no call. 2. Nash has position on help defense takes clear charge, the exact same play as a charge called in Game 2, blocking foul on Nash. 3. Nash drives in for layup, Duncan pushed him in the back, no call and Tony Parker grabs the net with the ball still on the rim.

The Spurs bodied Nash on the perimeter and slapped at the ball whenever he entered the lane. Anyone who's watched Dwyane Wade play knows, those are fouls. Why is it however that the 2-time MVP and highest profile point guard doesn't get those calls? Thinking about it is frustrating because the Spurs don't adjust and the referees don't adjust. 5 on 8 means it's the Phoenix Suns who have to adjust. Some possible adjustments:

1. Tim Duncan. Yes he laughed at the thought of this being a physical series. It's not physical for him, no hard fouls on him and he's getting away with murder inside. Single coverage isn't working and he's scoring 30 a game.

2. Speed. STAT, LB and Marion have a speed advantage and they all need easy buckets. The quick ball movement has given way to Nash creating all the half court offense. With the traps the Spurs are using, an extra pass will produce a good shot.

3. Find a way. Last season this team thrilled fans by finding a way to win again bigger, more physical teams. They showed heart and hit numerous clutch shots when the team was labeled as a finesse team that didn't play defense. After a great season, the Spurs stand in the way. If the championship is the goal, they have to find a way to beat a team that is what they want to be.

4. Run

Enjoy

UPDATE: Amare calls Spurs dirty after a couple plays in Game 2. The most blatant is Bruce Bowen kicking him on a dunk.

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.

No Doubting Thomas

I'm paying special attention to the Kurt Thomas effort tonight. My observations will be in the comments.

UPDATE: KT was awesome. Great move Coach.

Spurs steal Game 1 (SAS 1-0)

Winning on the road is a necessity on the playoffs. I watched this game on the road, in Reno on my way home from my grandmother's funeral. The Spurs outexecuted the Suns down the stretch and earned a 111-106 to steal homecourt advantage.

This recap will be short because I need sleep after all the driving.

The Suns looked good in the first half but Tony Parker started hot and continued drive and hit jumpers the whole game. A turning point came late in the half when Amare Stoudemire picked up his third foul on terrible call after a stop with six point lead. The Spurs finished with a spurt and the Suns were up two at the half. The Suns inexplicably came out flat in the third and the Spurs took an eight-point lead.

The Suns rallied behind Leandro Barbosa (18 pts) at the end the third to setup a fourth quarter slugfest. There were 11 lead changes in the fourth quarter alone as neither team seemed to flinch. Parker (32 pts) continued to slice up the Suns' defense. Shawn Marion got his shot going with a few easy pick n' roll buckets and big three. This was looking like the battle of elites we were expecting and hoping the Suns could pull away and win.

The Suns defense which had been ok, started to lose shooters because of Parker and Duncan (33 pts, 16 reb, 3 blk). Horry and Finley hit a couple threes and it was clear the Spurs had all their weapons locked in. The key play of the fourth quarter happened with 2:53 left. Nash reached for Parker's dribble and their heads collided. (Of course the foul is called after he motions that he is hurt.) Nash by far got the worst of it, with a large cut on his nose. Suns trainer Aaron tried to stop the bleeding without stiches with very little success. The cut continued to bleed and even though Nash was able to return to hit a game-tying three, he had to sit out a few crucial possessions where the Suns were unable to score in the final minutes. Leandro Barbosa and Amare Stoudemire looked a little tight and couldn't convert plays with the game on the line. Stoudemire misses two shots at the rim and LB commited two bad fouls. As the Suns unraveled, the Spurs pulled out the win.

Positives
Nash (31 pts, 8 ast) set the tone and took what the defense gave him.

Concerns
Inability to make plays with the game on the line. Uneven energy and effort. Marion and Stoudemire seemingly forgot dunk attempts are better than floaters at the rim.

Thoughts
It may have been the sound in the sports book where I was watching but it seems like the Suns have a quiet crowd. It doesn't help when the team starts the third with no energy against a team that capitalizes on mistakes. I was in Oakland when the Warriors upset the Mavericks and that crowd was a huge advantage. Sure the team had been bad for a long time but those fans made sure the team had energetic support. Even the people I was watching with were yelling at the TV.

The Suns fans seemed to be like the gamblers I was watching with in the casino. The ones who bet on the Suns had taken the over and the point spread. So they needed the Suns to win by five and for both teams to score over 100. The response to Suns baskets was celebratory but nothing close to passionate- even with money on the line. That's how the Suns crowd seems to me. Unless the team is up by 25, they just aren't a factor. Losing home-court advantage in this matchup may not be a big deal because the Spurs crowd might be worse. They have the same sober, methodical approach as their team- we'll turn it on down the stretch.

This loss doesn't mean the series is over but it highlights the importance of winning on the road. The Suns have to win a game in San Antonio if they are going to win this series. They have to put someone on Tony Parker who won't concede numerous layups and has the quickness to stay with him and some strength to foul him hard (Marcus Banks?). Parker has killed the Suns this year with the drive and his jumper. Perhaps guarding like Shaq (different looks, using fouls) will help because Parker isn't a playmaker, he's a scorer.

This Spurs team is more reliant on their stars than their title teams. While Ginobili was held in check, Duncan and Parker had their way. Michael Finley has become a standstill jumpshooter but he was repeatedly left open. Defensive adjustments are necessary because the Suns need swarming defense to make the game chaotic and to setup chances to attack the Spurs in transition.

The Spurs are built upon executing against all attacks. Much like Dallas, they can play any way but they don't have the athleticism to match the Suns in a full-court game. While Game 1 was high scoring, the Suns didn't have the pace advantage nor the three-point shooting advantage they normally have. The Spurs lull teams to sleep by hanging around and then turning into a basketball clockwork orange in the final two minutes. The Suns didn't have their leader on the court for much of crunch time. The Spurs smelled blood and pulled out the win.

Closing Out the Series - 119-110 Suns (Series 4-1, Suns)

Game 5, and the Suns showed up to play. I expected them to play a bit lazy, I expected them to come out a bit slow... but not so much. The game started with a four point play from James Jones and a quick 8 points from Raja. The Lakers fought hard the whole game, but the Suns really just put them down and kept them down the whole time. Only three players came to play for the Lakers, and Jordan Farmar really isn't talented enough that him coming to play really made a big impact. The Suns had it clicking from nearly all angles, even with Nash having an off game.

Spirit fingers!

First, let's start with the player of the game: Amare. Amare really forced the Lakers to respect him, and even when the pulled up on him, he was still killing them. He wasn't finishing as good as he normally does, his jumper was a bit shaky... but none of it mattered, because the Lakers simply couldn't contain him. Amare went off for 27 points (6/16 FG, 15/21 FT) and 16 rebounds (4 offensive), along with two steals. (Something that Amare has really been getting after of late, actually. You look at nearly any box score and Amare has at least one steal, and quite often he ends up with 3-4.) Once again, Amare crashed the boards, played fairly good defense (until he got into foul trouble and let Ronny Turiaf school him), and most importantly got the entire Lakers front line into foul trouble. (Luke Walton: 6 fouls, Lamar Odom: 6 fouls, Ronny Turiaf: 4 fouls, Brian Cook: 4 fouls, Kwame Brown: 3 fouls (in 20 minutes, Philly J pretty much pulled him after he got 3 quick fouls because he was playing like crap.)) Overall, Amare cemented his status as a big time playoff performer, carrying over from two years ago.

Amare with the monster cram straight around, over, and through Ronny Turiaf.

And speaking of playoff performers, Leandro Barbosa! 18 points (6/12 FG, 3/7 3PT, 3/4 FT) off the bench, and a *ton* of headaches for the Lakers. His impact went well beyond the 18 points he had. When he got buckets, they were demoralizing and debilitating. Four Lakers are back on defense, Nash just chucks the ball up court and expects Leandro to run past them and get it. And he did, too, he got the ball and got the bucket. There's nothing anybody could do about it either, and that clearly upset the Lakers who were starting to make a run. He opened up the floor, forced the defense to collapse on him, and drew superstar type of attention whenever he made moves to get to the bucket, opening up the floor for Diaw to get the ball wide open at the 18 foot mark, dribble around for a couple seconds and throw the ball somewhere else (As he's very prone to do.), which doesn't sound good, but the ball movement and floor spacing made it so that everyone on the floor could get a good look nearly at will. I can't stress enough how big Leandro has been this series, and I expect him to continue with the big performances, we'll definitely need them against the Spurs.

Kobe being a good sport, a few words of encouragement for Leandro.

Speaking of people we'll need against the Spurs, how about Shawn Marion? (How do you like that segue, eh? Good stuff right there.) Once again, he showed up in Matrix form instead of Marion form, and the whole team benefited. Shawn's off-ball movement caused headaches for the Lakers all night, and he was also part of the most impressive series of events from game 5 when he caught two consecutive alley-oops from Nash. The crowd went nuts, and everyone watching at home presumably went nuts. (I know I did.) An impresesive line with 26 points (11/21 FG), 10 rebounds (3 offensive), 3 steals, 2 blocks, and a three whole bags of hustle. (You can only buy hustle in bags, by the by. If someone tries to sell you a case of hustle, it's fake.) Keep it up, Shawn. We can't beat the Spurs without you.

Shawn glides in for the dunk. But... what is Odom doing?

Oddly enough, Nash really wasn't in sync the whole game, which is why it's so surprising that we were in control the whole game. Nash finished with 17 points (5/15 FG, 7/8 FT), 10 assists, and an unusual 7 turnovers. Nash made some uncharacteristic mistakes and didn't seem to be all there mentally for periods of the game, so I'm glad we could pull the game out with Nash being a bit off. The Suns have definitely matured in that aspect, and a lot of that is thanks to Amare being out there and dictating the offensive flow with his aggressive moves in the post. Because of Amare and Leandro, Nash can have an off game and the Suns aren't doomed in the process, it's very refreshing.

I can't make this one any funnier...

On the Lakers end, Kobe and Lamar both had exceptional games. Kobe finished with 34 points (13/33 FG, 2/8 3PT, 6/7 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 turnovers. Kobe had a very good first half, but in the second half he was just harassed by double and triple teams. He got trapped and collapsed on every time he put the ball on the floor, and that's really all you can hope for is to contain him. 34 points (13/33 FG, 2/8 3PT, 6/7 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 6 turnovers. Kobe had a very good first half, but in the second half he was just harassed by double and triple teams. He got trapped and collapsed on every time he put the ball on the floor, and that's really all you can hope for is to contain him. Lamar Odom had a monster game with 33 points (13/21 FG, 6/9 FT), 10 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block. The whole series I've been yelling at the TV "FORCE HIM RIGHT! FORCE HIM RIGHT!" They did so once today, and then they didn't box him out after he missed (He'll never make it going right!!) so he got the offensive rebound and put it back up. If the Suns organization is interested, I'll do the scouting reports for them. I'll do it for very little money and the personal satisfaction of knowing that I'd be helping the Suns organization. ... What? Nobody from the Suns organization reads this blog? Total jip.

So here's to a good series from the Lakers. They definitely made it interesting, and they definitely made it entertaining.