Post Game Thread: Spurs take Game 1
by Phoenix Stan on Apr 19, 2008 4:48 PM MDT
in Game Coverage
51 comments
Being a fan of professional sports is not for the faint of heart. If you get too emotional invested in your team then a loss like we saw today can leave you feeling like the dog is in need of the Michael Vick treatment.
To combat this and avoid the Michael Vick sentence, I try and remember that professional sports at the end of the day is entertainment.
Today, we were entertained despite the result. This was a classic playoff battle and kind of makes you wonder why we can’t figure out a way to make all 82 games this meaningful. This was a game that will be on ESPN Classic very soon.
That little bit of mental gymnastics should keep the dog safe for at least a few more days.
From the Dark Side
There are many Suns fans who are going to blame the coaching, ref’s, flops or Amare for today’s loss.
Certainly, it seemed like the Spurs made the better second half adjustments and threw a few different looks at the Suns. And while overall the officiating was balanced, it’s hard not to be frustrated with some concerted flopping (by both teams) and the impact the whistle had on the game.
I don’t watch basketball to see how well one team works the ref’s or to have the outcome determined by what angle a ref had on a play. I am a HUGE fan of the grassroots movement to change the foul out rules.
But no whining here - the ref’s didn’t decide this game.
Not being able to keep Shaq, Amare and Diaw out of foul trouble
Letting Finely get open for a 3
Leaving Duncan WIDE open for a 3
Not being able to get stops while up by 5
Not being able to get crucial buckets to ice a close game on the road
Those are the reasons the Suns lost a very winnable game.
At the same time, Finely and
Full credit given to those Spurs who sacrificed small virgin animals to whatever dark deities are worshiped in that locker room.
Today, their gods were more powerful then ours.
On the Bright Side
Despite the blown opportunity I don’t see how anything has changed in this series. The Suns took their best punch and still came awfully close to stealing one.
The effort was fantastic and at one point I swear that I was ready to wallpaper my house with Boris Diaw posters. Vive la Diaw!
I am not in least bit concerned about the Suns having any kind of hangover from this lose. If anything, I would expect the opposite. This team will come out even stronger just like they did last year when they bounced back from a tough game 1 loss to deliver a beat down in game 2.
I would look for Grant to play better – he definitely didn’t look right based on how he was used and his minutes and would to see a little more Giricek. He does a great job breaking down the defense and makes timely entry passes to Shaq.
Key Adjustments
The most notably adjustment from Popovich was going away from Bowen on Nash and recognizing that he needed more offense. He played Finley, Manu and Parker together with his bigs. This forced the Suns to stay home a bit home and helped Parker and Ginobili get into the lane.
That, combined with the foul trouble on the Suns bigs gave the Spurs a bit more offensive punch then they had shown in the first half and in previous games. It was a good adjustment and in response Nash had a big second half and showed tremendous heart taking both charges and big shots.
End of Regulation Key Plays
I’ve seen a lot of questioning of the Suns playing Barbosa instead of Hill at the end of regulation with the Spurs down by three. But I don’t think Hill could have done anything different to contest that shot. Especially since I don’t think Hill was moving all that well.
Finely came from the weak side down the baseline and used a (moving) baseline screen by Parker to get separation. Barbosa was knocked off balance by Parkers hip check and as he chased Finely was again screened by Oberto who backed into him to create even more separation.
The defensive lapse by the Suns on that play goes to Amare. He was simply standing around watching and didn’t recognize Finley coming towards him and switch off Oberto to contest the shot. Perhaps he was surprised that they were setting up Finely for that shot so early in the clock.
The Suns then had the ball with about 15 seconds and the tie. They set Amare with
The play they ran was a pick and roll with Nash and Diaw trying to expose Oberto guarding Diaw and likely also trying to confuse the Spurs by not going to Amare. I guess if it had worked it would have been brilliant but since it didn’t...
Both Spurs guards collapsed leaving Barbora open at the top of the key and
The Highly Coveted BSoS Player of the Game
Crazy Eye’s drew a few fouls including a great defensive play on Amare in OT and generally was an anchor in the middle next to
Nod of the Head to Steve Nash
Steve’s shot wasn’t falling early but he sure was clutch at the end of the game. The Suns year long plan to run the offense in different ways so that Nash could be Nash in the clutch worked to perfection. He was fantastic and of course lost in all this was the amazing 3 he hit to tie the game at the end of the second OT.
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I'm feeling good about the series now
I still think that for the W next game, we must score quickly, then steal a ball, hit a 3, and BOMB Timmy out of the court. When under stress I repeat myself, when under stress I repeat myself... :)
by Nobs on Apr 19, 2008 4:58 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
tuesday
by noonoo on Apr 19, 2008 5:05 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Hopefully...
D'Antoni should have played Hill at the end of regulation on defense, which allowed Finley to make the tying 3. Then he should have had the Suns foul Ginobili at the end of the 1st OT.
D'Antoni also should not have had Barbosa and Diaw take shots at the end of regulation and OT. Nash should have had the ball in his hands. And lets not forget the senseless charge by Amare when he had an open 12 foot jump shot, or the pass underneath to Shaq. If he does either, game over.
Regardless, this game will either be a wake up call for the Suns, and hopefully a rallying cry, or it'll serve as yet another setback and a sign of things to come. Game 2 is a MUST win!
by Aluminum Foyle on Apr 19, 2008 5:12 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Agree and Disagree
Fould Ginobili: Agreed.
Barbosa shot: Agreed. STAT should've taken the last shot. PNR with Boris? STAT was in the corner to clear TD out of the lane, but you've got to give the ball to your franchise in that situation.
Diaw shot: Disagreed. Up until that point he was putting out the Full French Effort and he beat the Mavs 2 years ago with that one.
Amare's charging foul: Unbelievable. Dumb move. Dumber move getting two stupid reach-in fouls to make that his final play. Could've used him in the rest of the game.
by JSun on Apr 19, 2008 10:51 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
“And lets not forget the senseless charge by Amare when he had an open 12 foot jump shot, or the pass underneath to Shaq. If he does either, game over.”
Hit the nail on the head. That was pretty much what we said over at the bar, too. There was nothing positive that could be gained from barreling into Kurt Thomas instead of hitting that open 14-footer.
But Game 2 certainly is important now.
By the way, I’m new around here. Been lurking for a long time, and was going to cave and sign up a couple weeks ago before all this 2.0 stuff started happening. Then I figured I’d wait, since signing up at multiple SBNation blogs is much easier now. So hello!
by Azreous on Apr 20, 2008 10:05 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Helloooo!!
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on Apr 20, 2008 10:10 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
o...k
on another note, i dont think i will be speaking for the next couple of days... my poor throat
by noonoo on Apr 19, 2008 5:29 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
There are a lot of things I want to say..
We are hurt, but we gotta look forward, focus on the next game, It wasn´t ment to be today.
by PanamaSun on Apr 19, 2008 5:31 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Next Game
by Turambar on Apr 19, 2008 5:41 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Instant Classic, just needed a better ending!
The Suns took the Spurs best shot, and the Spurs flat out escaped. I'm not surprised to see Finley or Manu make clutch shots, but Duncan for 3? Are you f$@#ing kidding me? Un-freaking-real. Still, if that's what it going to take the Spurs to beat the Suns I guess you've got to live with that. If you're going to leave somebody open for the long ball, that's the guy you'd leave.
Other thoughts, just off the top: even with Duncan's 3, the Suns had multiple chances to close the deal and frankly choked them away. Nash's final 3 to tie in the 2nd OT illustrates the point: why wasn't he taking the big shot at the end of regulation and the 1st OT? The pass to Amare on his foul out was the right play, but Amare got greedy--either take the jumper or just run the clock! Oy. Going to be a long wait until Tuesday, and they'd better get the split.
by SoCalSun on Apr 19, 2008 6:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Instant Classic
Seeing Timmy knock down that 3 is a nightmare. Hearing him like it's nothing was a dagger.
Truth, we have only nash to counter parker-ginobili-duncan. Amare has some moments were he's out (Was he trying to dunk on SA like Lebron on the west ?).
LB, Boris and cast are just not reliable enough right now. Sorry, I'd love for it to be diferent but it's not.
We still win in 6 though.
Yay
by lobsang on Apr 19, 2008 6:03 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Some bad luck & some bad decisions
- Absolute freakish 3-pointer by Duncan
- The Suns had about 35 offensive fouls in this one. Gotta be smarter against a team that WILL get between you and the basket. Post guys like Amare and Shaq are gonna get fouls down low, but probably 6 of their 11 total fouls were offensive. That's just not smart. Shaq even had 1 or 2 dead ball fouls, and Amare's so good at adjusting his shot in traffic that he needed to do that a bit more.
by SunsFanInVA on Apr 19, 2008 6:23 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
For those of you...
http://deadspin.com/344492/the-utah-jazz-had-more-fun-on-new-years-eve-than-you-did
by Aluminum Foyle on Apr 19, 2008 6:38 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Shaq making excuses already
-Shaq
Come one get over it, Duncan is a better player. Look, all media BS aside, the Spurs ARE NOT BORING, THEY ARE NOT TOO OLD, etc... How many times do the Spurs have to win like this to prove that they are the best? Duncan, being Duncan. This is nothing new to us in SA. But that three, even I as a die hard Spurs fan, was freaked and still am. WOW! Great series lets see what happens next.
by bigdog2000 on Apr 19, 2008 7:03 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
There were some flops
Stoudemire hitting Ginobili on the pick and Thomas flailing (he never got those calls when he was a Sun)
Those were the only real bad two ...
by JSun on Apr 19, 2008 10:54 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
No problem
You won't see all that foul trouble moving forward and if Shaq can actually stay in there then Duncan's not gonna go buck wild like he did today. Even with all that the Suns almost won on the road anyway. Can't help but feel like that was the Spurs' best shot today. We'll see if my prediction above is right.
by WildYams on Apr 19, 2008 7:10 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Hard headed never learn
by bigdog2000 on Apr 19, 2008 7:17 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
BigDog
I am really hurt that you didn't like the banner I made for you!
I wouldn't have made it if I didn't like you and didn't want to be able to easily spot your posts.
Sure there's some good-natured ribbing in there, but I did include trophy pics, logos and Eva. Over 9 different pix all on rotation.
Check it out!
Anyway, you have to keep your signature picture smaller than 100 pixels by 400 pixels or the blog will become unreadable.
Feel free to reduce the ugly Nash Gash picture to the size you want.
As a Tools fan on the Suns board, we reserve to right to change and modify your signature anytime we want. But we'll adopt you treat you better than any other Trolls that show up!
by ZonaFlash on Apr 19, 2008 7:24 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
No problemo
by bigdog2000 on Apr 19, 2008 7:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, we like you -
It;s our team leaving Mike Finished open for 3's that we don't like!
by ZonaFlash on Apr 19, 2008 7:31 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
credit
BUT the suns had multiple chances to put it away tonight and made alot of mistakes that werent direct results of spurs defense. duncan is a beast, no doubt about it, but i have a feeling that you will see more beast out of shaq and amare on tuesday and beyond. shaq's pride had to have hurt today by having a subpar, and if amare wants to be considered mvp he will have to exhibit more clutchness and composure not to foul out, which i think he will do.
there was alot of luck involved as well, but then again that happens in every series and is not a valid excuse. you're 100% right about all the coulda shoulda woulda, because in sports those don't count for sh**. but let's wait until at least a game or two after a double OT, 2-point playoff opener before we start celebrating things one way or another.
by the way, i think your picture of nash's bloody nose shows a real lack of class.
by yanyanman2 on Apr 19, 2008 7:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
See - I don't see it that way
So, I say leave the pic of Nash and remember who in that collision was down on the ground and who was fighting to get in the game and win.
by Phoenix Stan on Apr 19, 2008 8:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
I love Nash
by bigdog2000 on Apr 19, 2008 8:57 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Never makes it at the end when it counts?
You mean he missed that three - falling out of bounds, off balance - to tie it before Manu made the game-winning layup?
Damn, I hate it when Steve misses clutch threes that he makes.
by Azreous on Apr 20, 2008 10:02 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
the way I think about it
by najmsh on Apr 19, 2008 9:07 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
No way not the better team
by bigdog2000 on Apr 19, 2008 9:18 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
What a game
I wanna cry though
by slyguy183 on Apr 19, 2008 9:10 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm just surprised that no-one thought that..
Anyhoo, as far as losses go, I don't feel too bad about this one, except we missed an opportunity to pressure the Spurs.
by Pliny the Elder on Apr 19, 2008 9:19 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
tough loss
to have so many opportunities to win and not is really tough. If i was a pessimist I could say the Suns as a team lack the smart decisions that the spurs seem to always make (including the coaches). If I was a positive person I could say to be this close and really push the spurs on their floor is a great indicator that this series is there for the suns taking….
but so was last years series..
There were 2 fouls on shaq which I totally disagreed with, and why didn’t we learn from our end of game mistake and not force 2 ff while up by 3!! Seriously, I haven’t heard one good answer for this…besides what fits, we’re a dumb team sometimes, I love the suns, but we’re a dumb team. I just think to be outplayed is one thing, but to beat ourselves is just tragic.
by be-the-ball on Apr 20, 2008 1:30 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Excellent Game
Despite the loss I still feel good about our chances.
BTW nice new blog
Also I have noticed quite a bit more trolls as of late. Somewhat annoying, but expected.
"I have heard that in war haste can be folly, but have never seen delay that was wise." Sun Tzu The Art of War
by Turambar on Apr 20, 2008 2:08 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Tim Duncan.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on Apr 20, 2008 3:39 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
D'Antoni out coached
I cannot keep quiet about this one.
Mike D’Antoni was out coached in this game and should simply own up to it. He has more talent to work with than Pop, he had the lead the whole game, his players were playing well…
The team is up by 3 has a foul to give and D’Antoni still doesn’t get it done. FOUL! It is only two shots and you get the ball back. FOUL! Ditto; OT1.
By contrast,
Pop immediately fouls skinner, TWICE. Before D’Antoni wakes up.
Shaq in, FOUL him.
At the end of regulation, POP calls a play where our 2 worse defenders are the main focus, STAT and Barbosa. The result is a wide open three. What is LB doing in the game on a defense play! WHAT!
This is the long term issue with Mike. LB is one of the fastest people in the league, he is lanky, he has been in the league for 5 years. He should be a great defender. I mean that, great, not good. He is neither. Why?
Bottom line; Mike needs to understand the defense aspects of the game or find some one who does that he will listen to. He is a great offensive coach. He needs to play the rules like POP does.
Pop is out coaching him all the time.
If near history is any indication; we need a 15 point lead going into the 4th to win any games against this team.
by GoSuns on Apr 20, 2008 6:34 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Did the Spurs play well in game 1?
It’s funny that all we hear is the mistakes that the Suns made. How come no one talks about whether the Spurs can win the series by continuing to play the way they did in game 1? Do they really think they can win 3 more games with miracle shots???
How can the Spurs adjust and play better? That’s what I want to know. I certainly know what the Suns need to do…
by sonicking on Apr 20, 2008 8:01 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Spurs Played Well
I thought the Spurs played well in the 2cd half. !st half they look slow.
I thought the Suns played well most of the game.
You are right about the miracle shots. Not a confidence builder.
by GoSuns on Apr 20, 2008 9:21 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Guys...
You’re right, miracle shots are not confidence boosters. But what does build confidence is the “We will find a way to win this game no matter what” mentality. Also, coming back from a 16 pt lead after watching Phx control the entire game….builds confidence. What builds confidence is knowing that Pop will out coach Dantoni time and time again.
As far as how the Spurs played. We played terrible the first half. Only Duncan was making his shots and we kept turning the ball over like GS. Obviously, the 2nd half, we were a different animal. Focused and ready. Now I will admit that we have a history of dropping game 2 in blowout fashion. But I’m pretty confident that we have learned from that.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on Apr 20, 2008 11:45 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Confidence issue
I also think it is really quick for the sports commentators to question whether the Suns will lose the confidence after letting game 1 slip away.
If the Suns win game 2, what would people say about the Spurs confidence? They also needed more than one miracles to win game 1. If the Spurs can’t win game 2, everyone would be questioning the Spurs because they are having troubles to win at home.
In my opinion, game 2 is a MUST win for the Spurs, not for the Suns. But given how close game 1 was, the Suns will probably want it more…
Remember in 2006, the Spurs was lucky to escape game 1 from Dallas at home. Then they lost 3 straight games before battling back to lose the final game 7 (at home).
If I were a Spurs fan, I pray to God that Duncan will keep hitting his 3’s….
by sonicking on Apr 20, 2008 8:15 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Well...
I don´t think there will be a confidence issue as you mention. The Suns will even up the series. I can´t believe this Spurs trolls, they barely beat the Suns in THEIR house on the FIRST game, Needed a MIRACLE three from Duncan and they are running their mouths like they beat us by 30 points. If I were them I would feel happy but not confident. They dodged a bullet there.
Was it heartbreaking? Yes..
Would have been a huge Win?? Yes…
Does it show that the Spurs are better? Hell No…
I will not complain about Amare or Shaq being in foul trouble, That´s part of the game and we played well when they were sitting and its on them to be smarter and avoid silly fouls.
I´m not worried, they can turn this around…we almost had the first game… they can come back home with homecourt, There are still a lot of games to be played.
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
by PanamaSun on Apr 20, 2008 9:32 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well said Panama Sun!
I agree. Even towards the end of the game, I was thinking that it was a win / lose in that if we won it would be huge but if we lost that it took game winning miracles (all credit given) to beat us in their house for game 1.
Winning game 2 is all that matters now. Drop that one and maybe we can start looking for the life rafts…Win that one and we are right back were we started but with home court advantage for the remaining 5 games.
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Phoenix Stan on Apr 20, 2008 9:41 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
If I were a Suns fan
I would pray that Manu doesn’t start hitting his 3’s, which he most likely will.
Game 2 a MUST win for the Spurs? It’s a MUST win for the Suns, and you know it.
by 4Him on Apr 20, 2008 9:53 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Expectation
I think everyone (even the Spurs fans) expected the Spurs to lose in game 1, so they were all very happy that the Spurs actually won. That’s why you hear all the talk about how the Spurs are still the defending champs…(as if people had already written them off before game 1)
Give me a break! The Spurs should win these home games with ease, but they barely escaped game 1. I would be truly worried if I were a Spurs fan.
by sonicking on Apr 20, 2008 9:40 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Everyone expected the Spurs to lose Game 1? Who are you trying to kid?
The Spurs should win these home games with ease? Look, there’s actually not much difference ability-wise between the two teams, no matter where they play. Do you know what will make the real difference in this series? MENTAL TOUGHNESS, just as it did last year. You can count on the Spurs being mentally tough – they have already proven themselves. The real question is: Can the Suns pick it up in this all-important area? If they can, then they will have a chance to win. But that’s a big ‘If’.
by 4Him on Apr 20, 2008 10:04 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Couldn't agree more.
I laughed when I read this…”Everyone (even the Spurs fans) expected the Spurs to lose Game 1”.
Well you can go back to my posts on here and see that I never thought Phx would take game 1. The reason everyone on this site was “drinking the kool-aid” is because people are posting things like…
“Duncan vs. Shaq – We got this one. Duncan will be defended by either Shaq or Amare depending on foul situation.”
and…
“Bowen on Nash – Solved. The Spurs have unwisely overused Bowen on Nash in an attempt to wear Nash down. In the last game, Nash was completely unfazed by Bowen’s defense.”
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on Apr 20, 2008 11:56 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
i’m a spurs fan, post over at pounding the rock.
i didn’t want to comment here, but i’m so amped from the game that i though, why not? maybe we can talk about basketball without fighting over who has the best job after all.
i think we can all agree it was a great game. a great competitive game.
after a great competitive game, neither team is going to be ultra-confident going into game 2. the spurs can feel good that they stepped up, played hard for 58 minutes and came away with a gutsy win. the suns can feel good that they had an early 16-point lead and nearly put away the spurs at home.
but, i think the strongest lesson for each team is they have to play some of the best games of their lives to move to just the second round.
i wouldn’t call that a confidence-builder so much as an epiphany. it’ll be awesome to se how the teams respond on tuesday.
quick note, though. if you are convinced this was the spurs best punch, you are way way way off. we had almost 10 turnovers in the first quarter and our role players hardly had any offense.
it was amazing spurs win, but it only had the drama because the spurs played a terrible first half until their late second quater run.
you ain't a beauty but hey you're all right.
by kalone on Apr 20, 2008 11:36 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
kalone..
I agree with you, I also think it wasn’t the spurs best punch, especially in the first half. But, to respond to that, our best players weren’t even on the court much of the time. 4 mins for shaq in the first half…
I know your a spurs fan, but you can’t deny that the suns blew this one, twice they had a 3 point lead with time running out and didn’t foul and send you to the line for 2 to prevent the 3’s you made. Not that …that would’ve been the game for sure or anything, but this suns team clearly needs a smarter coach. Can we still win with D’antoni, sure, but it’ll not be because we’re a smarter team, it’ll be because we have more skill
by be-the-ball on Apr 20, 2008 11:54 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
the suns made some big mistakes to lose, and the spurs made some big plays to win. it was a good, if improbable, win for us.
about your players, call me old fashioned, but i hate bringing the refs into it. while basketball suffers because of the subjective rule-making, i have yet to see a game that was completely decided by the officials. and if anyone wants to bring us last year’s playoffs, i would remind them how stupid amare played at the end of yesterday’s game, and ask them if they see a pattern emerging.
my point is, refs can swing momentum, but they can’t take a win away from a team that will not lose.
about your players, though, some of the fouls at the beginning was bullshit, on both sides. the refs thought they could control the game, but they players were too into it, and eventually they let go of the reins.
as in, let shaq stay in at the end when he could have fouled out three or four times across both overtimes. and he ended up playing 30 minutes, which i’d imagine is pretty close to his season average and nearing his limit, too.
in that 30 minutes he got something like 11 points and 5 boards. playoff shaq, huh?
you ain't a beauty but hey you're all right.
by kalone on Apr 20, 2008 12:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
is it tuesday yet?
that tingly feeling? it isn't my spidey sense sensing danger... it means it's the playoffs, baby!
by noonoo on Apr 20, 2008 12:17 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
One more day my friend!
Almost there!
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
by PanamaSun on Apr 21, 2008 8:30 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
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