Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs - Game 1

I am so anxious for this game!! Too many good players on both teams for me to pick the most important matchup. I think Barbosa and Diaw are very important, because of all the attention Nash, STAT, and the Matrix bring.

I do think keeping close with them on rebounds is very very very very important, and keeping STAT in the game (no foul trouble) also. This Spurs team is great at complaining and drawing fouls, especially mystery fouls, that bothers me.

I also think, Suns in 6.

The link to the Article

"I don't see a let down befalling the winner of the Suns-Spurs series.

What I'm saying is, this is a trampoline series. The winner launches itself onto easy street in pursuit of the Larry O.B. Win this series and you're like Mario with a permanent gold star knocking out everything in your path on the way to the flag at the end of the level"

Practice is over (read Lakers) and the real fight has begun.  Suns have got to come into this game and make a point, that they are the real deal.  A convincing win would go a long long long way to cementing a second round W.  The Suns must leave nothing to chance this series and must do anything and everything to assure victory.

As you said Dan rebounds will be key, which by extension means that STAT must own Duncan.  Plus, as I've said for other Spurs games, the Suns have got to stop their 3pt shooters.  It seems like every time the Suns face them that the Spurs end up doin alot of damage from beyond the arc.  Most importantly thoughh the Suns must ensure they keep their tempo goin at all time.

LONG LIVE THE SUNS!!!!

If your a David Blaine fan, you'll get the joke

Couldn't find the add(s) on youtube, but David Blaine has recently done 1 or 2 adds for the nba. I won't say what they are, but I think they're funny, his seriousness reminds me of Steven Wright (comedian). One add features Lebron James and his dunking ability, and the other, (haven't seen, but did hear about it) features Steve Nash and his passing ability.

Holla!

The Spurs are going to go all out for this one. I disagree that they are "underestimating" the Suns. The Spurs are going to do everything in their power to go for an early kill and take Game 1 at the USAC. That's what they did last time they faced the Suns in the playoffs, and I see no reason to think they won't try the same thing this time. Trying it, and making it work are two different things. If Suns fans behave like Warriors fans today (ok, maybe the "We Believe" T-shirts are a little over the top), and the Suns come out like they mean business from the get-go, all will be well. This series isn't going to be easy for either team, and I think both sides are aware of that.

On a historic note this series reminds me of the classic Bulls/Pistons battles in the late 80's early 90's. The Bulls took a few tries before breaking through. Each year they got better and each year Detroit got a bit older and slower.

Great battles but in the end the torch was passed and I think that's what we are seeing here. The Suns are rising - they are young and getting better - while the Spurs are nearing the end of a great dynasty.

In a similar vein it is GREAT to see the return of athletic and fast paced basket ball. Look at the teams that have done well so far in the series: Bulls, Nets, Warriors, Suns. Even Utah in comparison to Houston. We are seeing the end of the era of the Big Slow center and I for one and glad to see it go!

That's what makes this series w/ the Spurs even more interesting. It is a battle of styles and it will be great for the league for the good guys to win. That would eliminate the last Big Center team (by that I mean a team built around the big guy w/ others in support) and guarantee a faster, more athletic team will advance. Even Detroit while a slow down team does it with balance and speed and has great depth in their back court and has the ability to score.

Its a new era baby and it begins today!!!

complaining and floping line...

I agree that Timmy, Pop and Manu have it down to a science but I have a hard time faulting them for it. Our guys do it too and Coach D is as nuts on the side-lines as anyone. The Spurs just seem to do it better but Bell can take a good dive and Amare always complains about calls. Nash even is complaining more this year. This is what competetive players do. Anything to win. I would rather see that desire and pasion instead of the wet noddles that are supposed to be MVP's (and you know who I am talking about Dirk).

I can't fault them for doing anything they can get away with to win. This is the kind of thing that you can hate other guy for but don't mind at all when he's wearing your colors. I lived in Salt Lake during the late 90's Jazz run and watched Malone play and loved it. Of course the rest of the country thought he was criminal on the court. Same kind of thing here.

So, don't blame the Spurs for getting away w/ complaining and flopping blame the refs'.

They just need to be consistent. Call it tight on both ends or let them play. T up guys for whinning or don't. Just be consistent. If they aren't then its the Zebra's fault and not the Spurs.

I have a lot of respect for SA and their players and there's not a one of them that I would have a problem rooting for.

Its just that their time has come and gone and now its the Suns turn.

No more posts until after the game. Nervous energy will go elsewhere for now :)

I don't know much about Bowen "as a person" but the few times I have seen him interviewed I have been impressed. He did a little thing explaining how he plays defense and you got to respect his game. At least that part of it.

I wouldn't "want" him on the Suns b/c I think his game is too 1 dimensional. He is a complete liability on the offensive end. We can "hide" Nash on him or cheat off him on the double team. The Sun's almost always have 5 guys on the floor that can score. Bowen is too easy to ignore on that end of the floor to be effective as a Sun.

This is part of the general trend away from guys that "specialize". Teams are too good and deep to only be a one trick pony these days.

Just one more reason that I think the Suns will win. Manu is about the only guy - and I guess Duncun - that have well rounded games. Bowen, Finely, Horry, Parker, their two other bigs, Barry, Udrich...they all can do only one thing on the floor.

Compare that to the Suns: Barbosa, Diaw, Jones, Kurt, Bell, Marion...all those guys are versitle and can at least do two if not 3 of 4 things on the floor.

The Spurs are like a football team w/ individual players at each position while the Suns are like a...basketball team w/ a bunch of guys that can do a bit everything. I think this is way guys like Banks, Pike, Jermain Jones and Jalen Rose don't get any playing time in Coach D's system. They are good players that would get time on most teams (Banks could have started for the Lakers) but they aren't versitile enough for the Suns.

Amare also!

horrible call by ref on Amare's 3rd foul. Even both announcers said it was the wrong call. Pretty ridiculous, for games in the playoffs, they need to have instant replay. Give each team 4 instant replays to use throughout the game. This call would've been overturned!! Amare's 2nd foul was questionable, Duncan leaned in and made the contact!

Overall, Suns doing well, but can't believe the nba lets mistakes like this happen in every series, when the answer is already being used by other sports! Instead the nba wastes their time with changing the ball material, idiots. I love the nba, but we need some improvements.

Marion is having a quite game and has missed some short shots. We need him to rise up. Did anyone see that Barbosa spin move, he didn't finish, but man that was quick!

Refs called a foul on barbosa, on inbounds play, because the ball wasn't in play, the spurs got a free throw and ball out again. Even the announcers again (not suns announcers, but abc announcers said) that parker sold it, that there wasn't a foul.

Boy is the coach of the suns mad. And he should be. Bottom line though, Suns couldn't score in the end. A lot of misses from the Suns at the end.

I really think we lost a lot of momentum when we were up by 6 with 2-3 minutes left and they called a 3rd foul on Amare which was total bull sh..! The Spurs ended up going into half down by 2? I think we could've stretched the lead to 6-10 with Amare still in there.

There was one sequence in the second half where the Spurs got 3-4 chances in a row (offensive boards). They were long rebounds, it would bother me if they were rebounds under the basket. Not much you can do with shots bouncing 10-15 feet out from the hoop.

I think we were hurt not having Nash in there at the end. We gave Finley a lot of open 3pt shots that he nails today. That needed to be addressed.

Still, above all of this, I really liked the good sportsmanship shown a few times today, and at the end between Parker and Nash. I was telling my wife that they should've burned his cut (Nash), it wouldn't be pretty, but he could go back in. My wife thought that might have been extreme, strange.