Open Gameday Thread - Suns vs Mavericks
by Seth Pollack on Jan 9, 2009 8:13 PM MST
Email
PrintDallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns, Jan 9, 2009 8:30 PM MST
 Phoenix Suns |
 Dallas Mavericks |
|
| 19-13 | 22-13 | |
| 8:30PM Mountain / 10:30 PM Eastern | ||
| TV: FSNAZ HD, ESPN |
||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Steve Nash | PG | Jason Kidd |
| JRich | SG | Antoine Wright (who?) |
| Grant Hill |
SF | Josh "Dude" Howard |
| A'm'a'r'e' S't'o'u'd'e'm'i'r'e' |
PF | The Dirk |
| @The_Real_Shaq | C | Erick Dampier |
After getting stabbed in the eye in the final second of a game (again) the Suns have an opportunity to come back tonight and show some Big Heart and bounce back.
Making the game even more meaningful is the pitiful performance the Suns put up when these two teams last played in a game that prompted The Big Twitter to tweet this question to all Suns fans:
Whatthe hell is wrong wit da suns - @The_Real_Shaq
This last game between the Suns and Mavs (which I somewhere generously described the Suns performance as warmed over dog poo) represented the absolute rock bottom of the Suns season (we hope) and the Valley of the Sun Boyz went on to beat the Jazz and the Bucks before trading Bell and Diaw for Richardson and Dudley.
The 8 and 4 record since that December 4th massacre isn't stellar but let's remember that those loses came to the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs and Pacers and each one was a close and winnable game.
As painful as it is to lose those games, let's use this opportunity to reflect back on just how pathetic our team was playing before this stretch. Remember this and this? Now we are talking about our 13th man and fine tuning the piano. We've come a long way in a month.
Hey, they don't call this the "Bright Side of the Sun" for nothing....oh, and as Blogger Ben points out it's not as if we are failing to meet expectations. Neither of these former title contenders were expected to do much better then Nets or Nuggets and both are scraping for a playoff spot in the crowded West making this game all the more meaningful.
Let's hope Shaq plays and shows some of that will to win that we seem to (still) be lacking when he's not in uniform.
No Pregame Podcast for this one. I was unable to get someone from Mavs Moneyball lined up in time despite some serious cyber stalking on my part. I guess some people are just too busy with their so-called lives to talk to me. Go figure.
Actual Thoughts on the Basketball Game that Will be Played
- I don't watch the Mavs enough to know if they are still playing that iso game or if their offense has become more dynamic with J-Kidd. Anyone know?
- I would have asked the Mavs Moneyball this question on the pregame podcast if they have shown up but I guess the mavericky thing to do was to avoid the filter of the non-mainstream media. Of course the double reverse mavericky thing would have been to call me. Sad Grandpa it is then.
- I do know that there are very few players as unguardable as Dirk. Amare is one of them but on a much less consistent basis. Hopefully, his shot will return and his head will be screwed on tight for this game and he can play Dirk to a draw.
- This game will likely come down to bench production. Terry, Barea, Bass versus Barbosa, Barnes and Amundson (or Dudley or Lopez or...no, I was going to say Dragic but you all would laugh me off the Internets).
- One reason this is a tough match up for the Suns is that the Mavs primary attack comes at our weakest defensive points. Terry and Dirk can really abuse Nash and Amare and there is no other team in the leauge that I've seen run a 4 / 5 high pick and roll pulling Shaq all the way out to the arc.
- They also run a 4 / 2 pick and roll with Dirk and Terry that is equally deadly because you can't switch it or you end up with Raja Bell staring at Dirk's belly button as he elevates for an easy jump shot. At least JRich can jump higher but that will still only give him a nipple eye view which isn't going to bother Dirkelhoff.
- Oh, and that 4 / 2 pick and roll also makes Amare have to make good defensive decisions. Enough said.
- The Suns wing players (JRich, Hill and Barnes) are going to have to have their heads on a swivel and be prepared to rotate over and help. Fortunately, defensive rotations and help defense are a Suns strong suit (I was reading the other day about the power of positive thinking and that if you say your wishes out loud they are more likely to happen)
- Nash at times has had a tendancy to leave his man too much to help giving great shooters wide open looks. Giving J Kidd wide open looks however is a solid game plan.
- On the other end though the Suns have also proven to be an unstoppable offensive machine so it's not as if the Mavs will have an easy time of it either. They do however have two big and experienced bodies to throw at Shaq so hopefully the Big Back Spasm is ready to go because you KNOW Ericka is going to be pounding that lumbar with some serious elbows.
- Mostly though the Suns just need to grab eachother's balls and bounce back with a vengence. This is a statement game not so much to the Mavs but to themselves.
- And to me.
- Make me proud!
- Or else I might type something mean!
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 01/09/09 12:59 PM PST ]
As you've probably heard by now, Shaq's back is back. What you might not know is the specific medical issue that caused his spasms. Listen to this and find out. Then go visit your chiropractor and get yourself adjusted.
You can also hear by clicking this very link right here Shaq talk about how the Suns have blown 12 games so far this season. Considering they have 13 loses I am just curious which one wasn't blown.
Again though, I do appreciate Shaq's attitude here. He wants to win and he's in a full blown no-excuses mode. No excuses. No acceptable loses.
As for the Coach, Terry has a clear message for Amare when it comes to defending Dirk. Man up.
Audio provided by Sports 620 KTAR
126 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
GO SUNS!!!
We need this game in a bad way. TIme for the Suns to show up and crush these guys!!!
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
I'm .667 with people coming over to watch games...
lets get it up to .750 Suns! Don’t let your Los Angeles transplants down!
Take no prisoners
I live in Dallas, so I get a steady diet of biased Mavs coverage. I hate them almost as much as the Cowboys or the Spurs. It is about time we hand them their heads on a platter. There is no way they can hold Amatre under 40 points unless Amare himself tanks it.
I would like to see someone (Lopez?) knock Terry to the ground a few times.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
go dallas
mavs, don’t lose by 20 please…
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
Let's hope the "good" Suns show up...
I’m gonna throw in with the Big Cactus and say most of the Suns losses have been blown games. Missed defensive assignments, rampant turnovers, and flat-out failure to execute. Both of those last minute, how did you put it Stan, “pokes in the eye” were preventable, at minimum there could have been someone (anyone? Bueller?) within 5 feet of the shooters.
Here’s hoping that last poke in the eye got their attention and they come out with some fire and focus. I expected them to be rusty against the Pacers, but they hung in there and were in position to get that one.
Phoenix Suns – Dallas Mavericks
LIVE
http://www.iddaliyim.tr.gg/Canli-Mac-izle-_-salon-2.htm
www.iddaliyim.tr.gg
lebron stop talking
lets tip off in phoenix!
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
Remember a few years back?
When we went to the WCFs against the Spurs, we romped through the Mavericks along the way, with Amare averaging about 35 per game? Dirk is tough to guard, but who’s going to guard Amare? Fat Ericka is going to be holding onto a lot of Shaq-love, and 6’7 J-Ho isn’t going to cut it either. Brandon Bass actually has the best chance to slow Amare but there’s no way he’s starting over Dirk. With footslow Dirk guarding him, I’ll be devastated if Amare doesn’t get 40. He failed us yesterday with mortal-ish numbers. It’s time for him to man up!
“23” points? Don’t bring that weak stuff in here, Amare!
Leave that to bench players and 36 year olds.
Bring back the goggles!!!
Nice, Dampier is an idiot
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
i told ya stan
6 pts already for jho
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
Shaq
Saw the team was flat and decided to turn the clock back ten years.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
its dampier
no one is impressed…
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
I know. It’s sad, but it’s true. I remember Stan talking about how Stat would get the MVP this season and everything would go through him. Stat decided to go into producing and Shaq decided to dominate. I’ll take it, it could have been worse.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
do you guys feel dirty
and gross when you cheer for matt barnes?
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
Not half as dirty and gross as I’d feel with an owner like Mark Cuban ;)
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
yah it def sucks
having an owner who is as passionate as some of his die hard fans… fuckin sucks…
i wish donald sterling was my owner…
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
I don’t get why he just doesn’t put sign himself. Maybe he can play better than he can GM.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
well hes not the gm
donnie nelson is the gm who F’ed this up
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
And Jerry Jones and Al Davis are silent partners.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
yah not a cowboys fan
so sure
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
I thought the most likely response was going to be “not half as dirty and gross as I’d feel cheering for Bruce Bowen”.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Jan 9, 2009 9:19 PM MST up reply actions
i agree with
that ;)
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
that was a nice block by barbosa… too bad they didn’t finish it by getting the rebound
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
is that how he’s spelling his name these days? i’ve lost track
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
Noonoo
Let’s suit up there and show the team where the three-point line is.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
HUGE THREE BY BARBOSA
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
Lovin Barbosa
Nice game so far…….Amundson is the worst shooter I have ever seen. He wishes he had my jumpshot. That said, he is having a really nice game….Even Lopez has been some what effective tonight. Lovin Barnes snapping out of his cold streak… Nash needs to bring some offense 2 points , kinda weak. Shaq hitting freethrows……..bring on the hackashaq, but I have a feeling the hack a Amundson would be more effective.
I’m liking the way we’ve come out in the third.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
Did Howard break his wrist?
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
FINALLY!
A hand in a three-pointers face.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
It's turning into a clinic
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
well good win
payback is a bitch
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
You've got to get to the playoffs first
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
i was talking regular season payback
im not ready to talk playoffs… and neither should yall
"I may not be a class act, but I'm an American."
-- Ron Artest on wanting to play for the Olympic team
that was probably the most beautiful basketball ive seen from them in a while
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
Porter/Shaq said something to them since the last game against the Pacers. And this is just more proof that if we play with the intensity of a championship calibur team, we most definitely have the talent of one.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
And I don’t think Dallas has been playing badly. They’ve just been outplayed.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
look at old man grant working his ass off trying to deny nowitzki the ball!
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
Okay, here's the deal announcer dude
He’s talking about offensive shows and what not. Look, 33 points isn’t that much for an NBA team in one quarter. What is impressive, especially when you talk about the Suns, is that they’ve given up just 14 points. D is the reason why we’re dominating this quarter.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
true, but
you also gotta give it up for offensive consistency. 104 points after three quarters? holy s***
No doubt
I’ll take the offense, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the D that’ll get us to the finals. I’d rather see an 80-60 game with a win than a 119-123 game with a loss.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
even though I've been watching the game
I havent been home to watch it. That is, until now. So now I can watch and discuss with my fellow fans.
What a game! We are playing some great ball…even though we started the game looking a little sloppy. But picked it up and have played with a lot of intensity.
Barnes is the only NBA player to throw for 200 yards a game. How many TDs does he have? I love the long throws. As long as they’re accurate, anyways.
was wondering where everyone went. it felt like it was only me and sundolphin
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
Probably went to the game and stuck us with the trolls.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
Yep!
I took the light rail and saved paid $2.50 for a round-tripper (vs. $10 for parking downtown). However, it took me an hour to get there vs. the 20-30 usual minutes. I kind of liked the light rail except for the drunk transient-looking guy next to me on the way back after the game.
Great game and nice to see a whooping put on Dallas! Everyone seemed to play well. I love seeing AmundSun flying all over the place as usual, but Amare in foul trouble yet again was disappointing. Shaq and his made-free throws was a thing of beauty too.
Do you live close
or did you park somewhere along the line?
Blogging Suns Basketball
by Seth Pollack on Jan 10, 2009 8:09 AM MST up reply actions
when was the last time we had a 40 point quarters without giving up 30 ourselves? what a beautiful quarter
I'm just like you, only ten times better.
And now comes the dreaded 4th
It seems almost impossible to screw up that bad. Play solid ball through the 4th and close it out. THIS is how we’re supposed to play…all quarters, all games, all season.
Porter
Sounds like a 5 year old when he talks. It’s fun. Everything is fun right now.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
I think Lou is past being a fan favorite
He’s getting close to being a legit NBA star. He’ll never show it on offense, but his defense is incredible.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
nevermind, that was a nice back door.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
his D is incredible
but its his fanastic hustle on both ends that gets the job done. Whether its away from the ball or not. He makes it happen. His D will end up getting him plays on the other end. He just needs to learn to shoot the ball and then he’ll be a legit NBA star.
It's all about the hustle
and that’s exactly what this team was lacking. DEFENSIVE HUSTLE
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
wow
great assist by amare. his passing impresses me alot at time, as long as hes not turning it over
A question
Are there any better slashers in the league that Barbosa? I think of Tony Parker, but that’s it.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
It's all about his confidence
When he starts making shots early in the game, you can expect a good game out of him. He has been amazing today. I hope Porter gives him even more minutes from now on.
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
DRAGIC
I’m hoping against hope he finds “It”
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
Dallas bench
It was nice to see all of those glum looks. And from the look on Carlisle’s face, they’re in for some whipping on the practice court.
And what’s with that wimpy ass Mav fan posting on here? I thought the exterminator got all of the cockroaches. That’s what happens when you pay less for goods and services.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
I took care of him
mwhahaha
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
infestation
What’d you have to do, whip out the Black Flag?
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
He was an idiot
I told him Cuban wanted a cup of coffee and he hasn’t been back since. It was total Bugs Bunny. I wasn’t going to kiss him though. Won’t ever risk bringing that bad Mav vibe over here.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
HELL YEAH!!!
Nothing like a big helping of pwnage to cap off a long day.
"Yeah I could have been king, but maybe I already am king. Hail to the king baby." Ash from Army of Darkness
Dudley
We have to get some points for Dudley. He’s the only one who hasn’t scored.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
There he goes!
Way to go Jared. and I am expecting good things now that Tucker is finally playing.
And what do you think of Amundsen? He is getting a lot from a little talent. Maybe amare is paying attention.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
Wish we had more minutes for Alando and Dudley
Hope we can hold onto those guys for the post Nash era.
by hcblankscreen on Jan 9, 2009 10:50 PM MST up reply actions
comparison
Stoudemire 26 min 5 reb 0 blk 2 TO 3 PF
Amundsen 21 min 7 reb 2 blk 0 TO 0 PF
If I was Amare, I would be embarrassed and maybe delete my all-star vote video.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
GREAT GAME!!!!
Players played well. Fans rooted well. Together we form voltron and come away with the W.
We blogged well too
noonoo and I were going to go stand on the three point line to try to gaurd some but we didn’t have to when the third quarter came around.
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
There can be only one...
Superman!
Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.
This team is starting to look deep.
Hell yah what a win……Nice to see some available scrap time for the bench….
Nice win
I could eat my words of this team being a 9 seed. They come out like this in the majority of there games they will be a tough out in the playoffs.
"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Friend Us On Facebook
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Roy Hibbert tap-dances to Maine
- Grizzlies Valentine’s Day cards are the key to love
- Kevin Love would like the NBA to take the MLB’s approach on All-Star games
- Kobe Bryant fires a few hilarious salvos at Jeremy Lin
- Brandon Jennings states the obvious regarding his 2014 free agency, everyone goes nuts
Follow us on Twitter
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
