Suns Game 2 Adjustments

Amare needs to mix it up, and use the pull up 8 footer a few times soThomas doesn’t just camp out waiting for the inevitable charge. I agree that Nash needs to attack more. Also, I would like to see Skinner set a few solid picks in his 10 minutes. Make Floppy know he’s been hit. I liked the play of Boris, but he still hesitates a fraction of a second going to the hole. I think he doesn’t like getting hit.

We played great last game. I don’t see any major changes that are needed. As the you link you provided pointed out, we need to make sure Ginobili goes right. Amare and Shaq need not to waste fouls on offense and loose ball scenarios. We need to be aware of the hack-a-Shaq/Skin. The hack-a-skin especially cost us last game late in the first half.

Other than that though, I don’t see how we can’t be satisfied. We shot our norm (50%). The Spurs shot well above their norm (50% as opposed to 45%) and we only lost by two because of an unlikely shot.

Keep’em shooting twos and we’ll win. By a lot.

Did anyone hear one of the ABC announcers (it may have been Mark Jackson) come up with this beauty:

“This is a classic matchup. There’s a good chance one of these teams loses in the first round”

I almost fell out of my chair. I haven’t laughed like that in a while.

I can’t wait for more triple flops. When KT sets the screen for Ginobili who has Bell on him. KT will move a bit to draw the contact, so will Raja, and once Ginobili feels a fly land on him he will hit the ground as well. It’s like a small explosion on the court. Glorious.

Look guys, I’m really not that surprised that Manu made that shot. He has done it a bunch of times, gotta tip your hat to him. I don’t care who was on him, as soon as I saw him get the ball, I froze in terror. The point is, we should have never left the window open for them to make the last shot, most of the times they take advantage of this, Unlike the Suns.

I also agree with what Spurs Fans on this blog are saying…In the playoffs, it all comes down to mental toughness and being focused and determined, it’s not about skills, talent or age.

24 shot clock violation?
Offensive Foul?
Not rotating on Defense?
Not knowing that you don’t have any timeouts left?
LB trying to penetrate when he had a clear shot?

These are all mental mistakes, all of them caused by the fact that they (Suns players) wanted the game to be over before it was over.

We are a better team, no doubt about it. But we still have to show that the whole team is mature and that we have enough concentration and focus to shut the door on close games.

was worse. With a little under three minutes to go, D inserts Skinner who promptly:

1) Blows a PNR coverage
2) Misses an open jumper
3) Requires a double team to cover Duncan: Parker misses open shot
3) Misses two free throws
4) Requires double team assistance to cover Duncan; allows Barry 3
5) Is beat by Duncan in single coverage; fouls Duncan
6) Is Hack-a-Skinned; makes one of two
7) Is beat by Parker in the lane on PNR
8) Is substituted for Giricek

I love Skinner, but he was awful Saturday. I know that Duncan was in the game but couldn’t we have used that to our advantage and gone small ball earlier? I understand D putting him in, but only took two possessions to see how out of place he was. And if D was going to be doubling Duncan with Skinner on him, why not just have Grant Hill guard him anyway? We would have at least been more potent on offense.

Instead, Skinner stays in and the Spurs go on a 9-3 run and get the ball at to begin the third.

For some reason, D’Antoni inserts STAT with only a minute to go. STAT picks up his fourth foul (albeit on an egregious KT flop). But what is he doing in there? Duncan wasn’t even on the floor.

To make matters worse, we get the ball with 44.0 seconds remaining, so a clear two for one, right? Especially since we get the ball at the beg. of the 4th.

Nope. We hold the ball for 18 seconds and Raja misses a jumper on the curl. Parker comes down, holds till the end of the shot clock, makes a lay up with 1.7 seconds left.

Yck. Bad, bad, bad.

Come on – the best thing about Beep Beep and Boris is that they play better when they start.

If you got a hole in your starting lineup, you get a bugger boost by putting one of those two guys in.

Hill off the bench is a great idea! Manu? Manu? Are you there, buddy?

Finley and Duncan’s 3s aside, this game was lost by the Suns more than won by the Spurs, on several errors by the Suns, as Rosewood noted.

Up 3 with the ball—the absolute minimum you should get out of that is a shot at the basket, and the Suns failed to do that. This offense has always been about taking the open shot when you have it, and while I get that they want a good (or better shot), both Amare and LB passed up open jumpers well within their range, one resulted in a tougher miss than the jumper, and the other was a critical 6th foul.

The Suns controlled the entire game and overcame brutal foul trouble, they just needed to keep their heads and close the deal.

As for D’Antoni and the non-foul, it sounds good to foul and go for free throws, but anybody who has watched much NBA hoops knows that the refs love to make the continuation call on those dramatic game winners, and the players all know to throw it up and try to get that call. The sound play is to just play your good defense and make them hit the tough shot with a hand in his face, or make them go for the worst option. Amare fell asleep on the switch on Finley (there’s your stupid mistake), and leaving Duncan was, unfortunately, the right play.

The Suns are (finally) bigger, deeper, and more talented than the Spurs, but this year it’s about what’s in their heads, and THAT is what Shaq is supposed to be providing, along with his newly strengthened ass muscles.