Tired? Old? Suns?

by Seth Pollack on Apr 1, 2008 10:59 AM MDT in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage

There's talk on the internets about how the Suns played themselves out of tonights re-match with the Nuggets:

Mike D'Antoni: He managed to coach his team back from a 22-point deficit to a 15-point win over a conference rival and thus pulled his team into a tie for the division lead and within one game of the conference lead.

Here's the "but." D'Antoni rode his starters hard and put them away wet to get 'er done, and they play again in Denver tonight. Technically, he used eight men against the Nuggets, but it was effectively seven men since D.J. Strawberry logged only 36 seconds of PT. I'm not saying they can't win, but I wouldn't want to drag a tired Shaq and company into Denver's thin air on the second night of back-to-backs when most of the main guys are sure to be exhausted.

Good point right? I certainly clamored for Skinner to come in during that lame-ass first half.

But let's just check the numbers:

Suns' Starters

	Minutes Played	Age
Steve Nash	38	34
Shaq	35	36

Amare	42	25
Raja Bell	44	31
Leandro Barbosa	31	25
Total	190	151

Nuggets' Starters

	Minutes Played	Age
Carmelo	34	23
AI	43	32

K-Mart	33	30
Camby	31	34
Anthony Carter	31	32
Total	172	151

The combined age of both teams' starters are exactly the same. The Suns' starters logged a total of 18 more minutes or 3.6 minutes each.

But when you compare Amare at 25 years old and AI 32 which do you think is able to bounce back faster and which means more to their team?

I would take the Sun's chances with a slightly tired Amare (which I am betting we won't see) to the Nuggets with a worn down AI which we did see in the fourth quarter.

I am not saying the Suns are a lock to win, but I don't think playing 7 guys would be the reason they don't.

The Suns have a much more balanced attack and I would expect LB and Giricek to step up their scoring tonight and hopefully JR Smith is like Diaw and can't put two solid games together in a row.

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Comments

I don't think the Suns will be too tired

I think we may lose because we suck on the second night of a back-to-back.

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

by Nobs on Apr 1, 2008 11:13 AM MDT reply actions

I don' t know

I think the Suns are going to come out highly motivated early and play hard. We might lose, but it will be b/c AI and Melo are unstoppable along with either JR Smith or perhaps Klieza.

Where

by Seth Pollack on Apr 1, 2008 11:15 AM MDT up reply actions

Don't you think the Nuggets will be pissed?

I mean, they cannot lose this game, since they blew a big lead in such an embarrassing way. The Suns have to play the same way to come out with a win... And we never do on these back-to-backs...

Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you'll never walk alone You'll never walk alone

by Nobs on Apr 1, 2008 11:39 AM MDT up reply actions

Great points about minutes

and back to back games. I still think the Suns will win, they'll remember the slow start and not allow that tonight. Great that they pulled out last night without Hill. Is Hill playing? Possibly I think?

Nothing in this Verse can stop us!

by jasonsuns1 on Apr 1, 2008 11:44 AM MDT reply actions

I think the argument will be more about

the cumulative wear and tear over this being the 6th game of effectively a 6 game road trip, so all those high-intensity minutes at Detriot, Boston (OT), 76ers who are now no patsies, putting the NETs playoff hopes away, this last Denver game.

I think there's a million reasons to not know what SUNS team will step out on the floor tonight.

I think the fatigue will not be physical, it will be mental. It will not attack our old players, it will carve out the mushy skulls of our youth.

I feel confident about the oldies (Nash, Shaq, Bell) and Amare, but I continue to worry about Meow, Beep Beep and Footsteps...

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 12:04 PM MDT reply actions

great reference.....footsteps haha

Nothing in this Verse can stop us!

by jasonsuns1 on Apr 1, 2008 12:17 PM MDT up reply actions

I think I'm going to start calling Gordan

"Moody Giricek" or Moody for short. You know he is.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 12:21 PM MDT up reply actions

Mental fatigue

Those stats don't tell the whole story. Very often this season, the Suns are playing against themselves more than against the opponent. I believe we can beat anyone if we play our game. I do not believe Denver can beat anyone, because they are fatally flawed. Their coach is too emotional and can be baited, They rely on a fragile psyche, and do not react well when their shot is not working. We have the better team. The only real head case on the team is Boris.

So it comes down to this: We have a tendency to let up and come out flat in back to backs. This is infuriating, because our record in the last three years shows we smoked teams on back to backs. I think it may be a mental tiredness, not physical fatigue.

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Apr 1, 2008 1:15 PM MDT reply actions

Moody Giricek

is a headcase waiting to happen. God love him, but he is ticking timebomb.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 1:19 PM MDT up reply actions

More Moody Giricek Nicknames here

http://www.phxsuns.net/archive/index.php/t-552.html

My favorite:

class="blockquote">
misteradiant
03-04-2008, 03:10 PM
i vote for "G-you-better-hit-that-fucking-3-asshole."

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 1:23 PM MDT reply actions

Hey Zona..

Don't know if you read it but thanks a lot for finding that link to watch the game last night! Damn you made my day! (At least in the second half). Is it gonna be the same link for tonight's game?

by PanamaSun on Apr 1, 2008 2:24 PM MDT up reply actions

oh cool!

I had invested an hour to find it... but only because I was trying to find the game on an hour before it started!

I've been learning all sorts of pirate things lately... sopcast... tvants... justin.tv...

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 2:39 PM MDT up reply actions

for tonight...

I don't know yet. there's several channels on justin.tv (alley tv and the one you saw last night).

Incidentally, yesterday's game did come on raptorsnation, which just reprocesses that justin.tv channel link.

We'll look tonight and share notes/links.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 2:41 PM MDT up reply actions

Got it!

Thanks man, looking forward on tonight's game.

by PanamaSun on Apr 1, 2008 2:57 PM MDT up reply actions

The "Croatian Sensation"

"Croatian Chocolate"

http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8120/1/E-New-nickname-Croatian-Sensation.html

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 2:59 PM MDT up reply actions

Going native

Hrvatski Hleb = Croatian bread...kind of like white bread but tougher

Phx - where run and thunder happens

by Seth Pollack on Apr 1, 2008 3:15 PM MDT up reply actions

tougher than white bread huh?

let's hope so!

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 3:17 PM MDT up reply actions

Well - at least chewier

Phx - where run and thunder happens

by Seth Pollack on Apr 1, 2008 3:20 PM MDT up reply actions

hey this is a sports blog

we don't discuss anything "chewy". No effing way.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 3:22 PM MDT up reply actions

hey zonaflash

fans from palm desert CA asking for help!!!is denver-suns will be live tonight? if you dont mind can you send me some link for me and my kids to watch...
thanks in advance and i will appreciate it for the rest of my life...
God Bless and peace.....
go suns go

by wapsobsidians on Apr 1, 2008 3:23 PM MDT reply actions

not sure if I can find a link!

but if I can, I'll post it in the live blog of the game.

cheers.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 3:25 PM MDT up reply actions

BTW, everything I learned

I learned from the good guys that hang out here. So if you need a few tricks, these guys know it!

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 3:27 PM MDT up reply actions

I like the Suns chances

Yes, the Suns have not fared so well on back-to-backs, yes the starters played tough minutes last night fighting out of that hole, but they're even up with the Nugs on that score, as that chart shows.

I'll be surprised if the Nugs don't come storming out, ready to avenge their loss, and you can count on their bench to play better at home, but if the Suns can weather that initial surge and put some doubt into the hosts, they can sweep this mini-series and take back the Pacific lead.

by SoCalSun on Apr 1, 2008 3:50 PM MDT reply actions

Thanks Zonaflash

hey thank you for the tip and help....im not a computer wizard but a "Computer lizard" so how can i get to the "live blog of the game" do i need to check it here? sorry if i ask to many question.

by wapsobsidians on Apr 1, 2008 4:24 PM MDT reply actions

no problems

the "live-blogging" will be here:

http://brightsideofthesun.com/story/2008/4/1/174545/5169

If I can find a link (no guarantees!), I will post it there.

by ZonaFlash on Apr 1, 2008 5:17 PM MDT up reply actions

Online Game

http://www3.myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=basketball

Snoop around this website. In the forums you will find some instructions and may have to download some software but more often than not you will be able to watch the game.

by RealTangiblesGuy on Apr 1, 2008 5:22 PM MDT reply actions