Open Gameday Thread - Suns vs Spurs
Phoenix @ San Antonio
![]() Phoenix Suns |
![]() San Antonio Spurs |
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| 0-0 | 0-0 | |
| 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern | ||
| TV: My45 HD/ ESPN | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Steve Nash | PG | Tony Parquer |
| Raja Bell | SG | Michael Finley |
| Matt Barnes |
SF | Bruce Bowen |
| Amare Stoudemire |
PF | |
| Shaq | C | Mr. Tim Duncan |
Game On!

I have a lot's more to say about this game later but in the mean time chew on this
Audio provided by Sports 620 KTAR
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 10/29/08 3:36 PM PDT ]
Delayed (and Rushed) Keys to a Magnificent Opening Night Game Against the Gosh Darn San Antonio Spurs
- Sit back and take it all in. The season is a marathon and tonight is only the first step on a long journey. Relax and enjoy watching our boys play again.
- It's all new to me (and them). One of the great joys in following a team closely is getting to know them so well that you can predict what they are going to do next and immediately spot when they do something unusual. Tonight everyone is starting over. We are watching a new team play a new type of game and it will all be unfamiliar. It will also be unfamiliar to the team so this is a learn as we go situation. Put your thinking caps on and have your Tivo remote ready. School is now in session.
- Same faces / New faces. Going along with the new style of play are lots of fun new faces to keep an eye on. And because two of those fresh faces are rookies we will have the chance (that we haven't had in years) to really grow with them as the season progresses. I am looking forward to meeting our new Suns and watching our more er...senior...players adapt to the Porter Way.
- Damn Spurs. Once again the Spurs are rolling out a line up that barely looks better then the mid-tier Eastern Conference wanna be. But we know better Suns fans don't we. I am done counting these zombies out until The Night of the Live Dead is truly over. No Manu. No Oberto. No Horry. No Barry. No funeral yet.
- X's and O's. From the Suns offense you can look for off the ball movement, screens and cuts with fewer pick and rolls and drive and kick. The ball will spend more time in the post and (hopefully) more time in Amare's hands where it can be sent home
- Defense. That's where you try and stop the other team from scoring.
WARNING: This Phoenix Suns team is very much a work in progress
DO NOT PANIC if there are early season losses and a general look of discombobulation
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47 comments
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I have to admit
Bowen vs. Barnes sounds like a good tussle. Too bad they’ll probably be cross-matched.
Can any Sun Starter last 70 games?
by ZonaFlash on
Oct 29, 2008 11:39 AM MDT
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bound to happen
They’ll get crossed up at some point this season. Bowen is too shady a character, and Barnes’ fuse isn’t what I would classify as long.
Hey, get your mind out of the gutter!
by Black Jesus Disciples on
Oct 29, 2008 3:13 PM MDT
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Very Excited
Have no idea where this season will go but Im very much looking forward to this game.
Ginoboli is still out right?
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
by Turambar on
Oct 29, 2008 12:56 PM MDT
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Ginobili is out and I just got a text
that Oberto is out as well. Some kind of heart problem. Haven’t had time to track it down…
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 1:13 PM MDT
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And i thought I was gonna break the news first!
Can any Sun Starter last 70 games?
by ZonaFlash on
Oct 29, 2008 2:25 PM MDT
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Still nuts over here
Still can’t get free long enough to right a real game preview….sorry!
If anyone wants to give it go my all means do it! Do it now!
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 3:05 PM MDT
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Good luck to you guys tonight and this year. Phoenix Stan, you have Duncan as our center. Everybody knows Oberto is our center. Fab isn’t playing anyway though.
Tonight will be interesting to see how you guys play in your new style and to see how we play without Manu. Strangely, we are woefully short on bodies to start the season. I think we will only have 10 guys available with 3 of our 6 bigs missing. Our third and last big tonight is Bonner. Yuck.
by AusTechSpur on
Oct 29, 2008 4:02 PM MDT
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Thanks. You too
….and Mr. Duncan is a center btw. Every day of the week unless he’s hiding from someone like Howard or Shaq…
I kid. I kid.
…but he’s still the center on that team which is why he won’t be guarding Amare for most of the game.
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 5:19 PM MDT
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Excited but..
I really don’t know what to expect from this game besides the fact that if we play great and win, a lot of people will jump back on the bandwagon. If we look confused out there and lose, we’ll be hearing gloom and doom for a while.
by brian13 on
Oct 29, 2008 4:03 PM MDT
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This is October basketball. The game really means nothing in the scheme of things. But, beating the Spurs has been and always will be a special event.
by RD74 on
Oct 29, 2008 4:19 PM MDT
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I think it's way too much to ask...
…for our guys to come out of the gate dominating over the first 15-20 games of the year. Amare and Barbosa missed nearly all of the preseason, we’re adjusting to a new coach, offenses and defenses, it’s going to take time for our new guys (Barnes, Lopez, et al) to get used to playing with a guy like Nash, etc.
I’d be really happy if we split our first 20 games and then went on a tear. The bandwagoners will flee in droves, but they’re useless anyway.
by Genesius on
Oct 29, 2008 4:28 PM MDT
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What a crap day
to be so busy—- need to explain something simple to our sales manager. Why do sales people need such hand holding? And then need to manage a project manager through laying off a team member – NO FUN there.
hang tight – promise a game preview will appear before the game does!
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 4:28 PM MDT
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Sales Guys ...
Because they pay absolutely no attention to even the smallest detail until the customer asks even a slightly educated question.
Mmmmm ... Guinness
by JSun on
Oct 29, 2008 5:58 PM MDT
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They all count--Suns missed the 1 seed last year by just 3 games
Sure hoping the Suns can get started on the right track with a win, and it won’t mean one thing less that’s it’s over a wounded Spurs team. Anybody remember those debacles in Minnesota last season? Those 2 games stick out, and there were 2 or three other “gimmes” that really should have been in the win column last year—get those and Mr. Duncan isn’t canning a 3 in the playoff opener.
A win over the Spurs is good stuff any day of the year, let’s set the tone for the rest of the year!
by SoCalSun on
Oct 29, 2008 5:16 PM MDT
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A SEASON OF TORMENT
Okay, it’s just one hack-a-Shaq. Still funny.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 6:16 PM MDT
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Amare?
Amare’s starting slow…
Nash has the ball more then I was thinking he would.
Spurs offense isn’t all that impressive
Both teams barely working up a sweat so far
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 6:18 PM MDT
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Nice.
Like to see Lopez working the offensive glass early on.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 6:29 PM MDT
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Is Amare still part of the offense?
What has he gotten? 2 touches?
by brian13 on
Oct 29, 2008 6:32 PM MDT
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Is this really our motion offense though?
Everyone is standing around watching. No one is cutting. Just 1on1 basketball.
by brian13 on
Oct 29, 2008 6:38 PM MDT
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Yup
I agree. I am surprised by the offense we’ve seen so far. Not sure what’s up w/ that.
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 7:15 PM MDT
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As usual
ball moves much more smoothly with Nash back on the floor. Couple nice assists for a quick 8-2 run.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 6:49 PM MDT
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More Shaq hackery.
Goes 5-8 from the line though, and gets a small shot in on Udoka to boot.
49-46 Suns at the half. Considering the abysmal shooting early, there’s a lot to be happy about here.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 7:08 PM MDT
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Oden
I am going to miss Oden Saturday night and the next 2-4 weeks. I was really looking forward to seeing him.
Is this guy cursed or what.
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on
Oct 29, 2008 7:17 PM MDT
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Kurt Thomas flopping
is still really annoying when he’s not on our team.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 7:37 PM MDT
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I have a thought.
When Tony Parker is surrounded by Bowen, Bonner, Thomas and Mason, get the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat you.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 7:55 PM MDT
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Still...
Hill drains a long three at the buzzer on an inbounds play and the Suns lead by one after three. Gonna be an interesting fourth quarter.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 7:56 PM MDT
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D'Antoni
wins his first game as Knicks coach.
by RealTangiblesGuy on
Oct 29, 2008 8:16 PM MDT
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Heart Attacks in NY
Relying just as much on solid defense as D’Antoni’s uptempo offense, the Knicks seized control late in the second quarter, opened a 23-point lead in the third, then held on after the Heat got within three points in the final minute.
http://www.nba.com/games/20081029/MIANYK/recap.html
Mmmmm ... Guinness
by JSun on
Oct 29, 2008 10:01 PM MDT
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Its the Eastern Conference
NY only needs 37 wins to make the playoffs. They can beat the rest of the dregs of the league. The best of the worst.
Kind of like Pat Burke going back to St. Catherine’s.
Mmmmm ... Guinness
by JSun on
Oct 29, 2008 10:42 PM MDT
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STAT
dunks on the entire Spurs team.
by RealTangiblesGuy on
Oct 29, 2008 8:29 PM MDT
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Atta boy Timmy.
Keep launching that three when the game’s on the line.
by Azreous on
Oct 29, 2008 8:34 PM MDT
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solid win
Good first game.. We’re gonna have to get better to beat them next time when they have Flopoboli back.
by brian13 on
Oct 29, 2008 8:41 PM MDT
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Good first win...
…some solid defense throughout the game. And we showed that we can still run n’ gun when we need to.
I really hope this stays a constant throughout the season.
Dragic had a strange game, hope it’s just the opening night gitters.
by Genesius on
Oct 29, 2008 9:19 PM MDT
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A nice start.
Can any Sun Starter last 70 games?
by ZonaFlash on
Oct 29, 2008 9:23 PM MDT
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It's not how you start that matters, it's how you finish.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on
Oct 30, 2008 5:38 PM MDT
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Nice!
Everyone played really well. Grant Hill was awesome aswell as Barbosa.
I still think Porter stayed too long with Dragic on the floor, he seemed lost and nervous.
Did anyone miss a heart beat when Tim shot the three?
Tony Parker is a pain in the ass….and will always be.
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
by PanamaSun on
Oct 29, 2008 9:32 PM MDT
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Missed the game
due to an appointment but was able to check in periodically online, so here it’s almost 10:30 pm and have only gotten through the 1st quarter on tape so far. I had almost forgotten how much I hate the Spurs. Will be there tomorrow night to see the home opener vs. N.O. Go Suns!!
by TwinnerA on
Oct 29, 2008 11:25 PM MDT
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