Suns Start Season 3-0 With Win Over Timberwolves
by Seth Pollack on Nov 1, 2009 10:20 PM MST
in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage
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The Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis thought his team played well but as a young squad weren't prepared to deal with the Phoenix Suns style. He was pleased with his star center Al Jefferson and played him more minutes (33) than his team doctors advised.
Jefferson started the game hot, going 5 for 8 for 11 points, and was his usual dominant self in the post. From that point on, Rambis thought he looked winded at times and he was only able to score 4 times in his next 15 attempts. Without Jefferson getting high percentage baskets, the Timberwolves struggled to score and finished the game with a 46% shooting average after going 57% in the first quarter.
The Suns, and mainly Amare Stoudemire, did a better job defensively than we've seen in the past. At one point, Frye over played Jefferson's left hand and forced him baseline. When he spun off and went to the rim, Amare was waiting for a fantastic block. One of two he recorded on the night.
Jefferson even appreciated the rejection and gave Amare his props with a friendly forearm bump.
Offensively, the Suns shot 50% from the field and 54% from behind the line, mostly in part to Channing Frye's 6 of 10 three pointers. In just his third game as a Sun, Frye has set a career season high for made three-pointers. He's now 13 of 20 on the season.
Frye said he began working on increasing his range when he was traded to the Portland Trailblazers, where he knew he might be paired with bigger post players. He is still adjusting to the Suns system and mostly to the idea that he's being counted on to take those open shots.
"It's early in the season so we will see how defenses start to play me. I think a lot of teams weren't going to play me as a shooter I thought I was, but now I'm kind of establishing that. I just need to continue working on my game and stay humble," said Frye.
On two occasions during this game Frye put the ball on the floor and was able to get the rim and score. Like he said, as teams adjust they aren't going to leave him as open and he will need to both drive but also pass the ball well to the open man.
Neither Steve Nash nor Grant Hill think the Suns offense is close to reaching its potential. Not only do they feel that Amare will continue to improve, but that the entire team is still searching for the rhythm and timing that will come with more time.
"We're not there. We're still scoring points. On offense we can be better. We are scoring because we've got guys that can put the ball in the basket but it's not, it's not what I think it could be," said Grant Hill about where the team was towards reaching its potential. Click here for the full answer
The game was close through the first half but the Suns were able to pull away and build the lead to 17 points at about the 8 minute mark of the fourth quarter. With Steve Nash going cold and missing all 4 of his attempts in the 4th period, the Timberwolves battled back and cut the lead to 5 with only 3 minutes to play.
With his shot not falling Nash penetrated into the lane and found Grant Hill open in the corner. Grant hit the shot giving Nash 1 of his 14 assists on the night and essentially sealed the win.
The Suns now leave for a difficult five-game east coast road trip that includes two back-to-backs. Winning the first three games of the season was a nice start, but this road trip (with both Boston and Orlando on the schedule) will be a true measure of where things are. If the Suns can come home having won 3 of 5 that would be fantastic. 2 of 5 is more realistic. Anything less than that would be a disappointment.
Game Links
- Timberwolves vs Suns recap
- Timberwolves vs Suns boxscore
- Canis Hoopus
- Timberwolves vs Suns coverage
- Frye, Suns take down T-Wolves
The Suns improved to 3-0 on the season with a 120-112 win over Minnesota Sunday in Phoenix.
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Suns Keep Winning Despite Being Out Rebounded
Tonight’s Phoenix victory against the Timberwolves is particularly good news for those in the peanut gallery who believe that the Suns can overcome their lack of rebounding prowess by keeping-up their field goal percentage – especially when it comes to long bombs from outside the arc. Indeed their 120 – 112 win was propelled by the Suns hitting nearly 54% from behind the 3-point line – enough to overwhelm their rebounding deficit (T’wolves – 46, Suns – 42).
This makes Channing Frye’s outside play essential to changing the rhythm of the game and giving Phoenix a shot at generally stronger teams like the hated LA Lakers and those pesky Spurs.
So – to those who have been waving the white flag of surrender due to the Suns supposed problem with boards – we say hold on. It isn’t over ‘til it’s over and the fat lady can’t even come near Frye’s outside swish.
From the folks at www.sunsstufft.com.
Don't get too excited
It’s awesome the Suns are 3 and 0 at the moment. A victory over the Timberwolves isn’t a whole lot to brag about, they will lose more games than they win most likely this year as they usually do.
The Suns have a tough road trip coming up. Frye has been playing great for sure and Grant Hill of all people has been coming through as a monster on the boards. Let’s hope his body holds up
I am cautiously optimistic for the Suns. Rebounding is very important if we can shoot 60% from 3 pt land all year then yeah we don’t have to worry about rebounding so much. If our shooting percentages normalize out we will be wishing we had a guy like Dajuan Blair.
Channing is a class act on and off the court
I’m glad he went to one of my favorite non-portland NBA teams. If Coach McMillian never fell in love with Travis Outlaw, I’m confident that Channing would have still been a Blazer and a productive one at that. He was never really given a chance to succeed here with the spot minutes he was getting. Whenever he had the starting job or substantial minutes he would always produce.
Senior Asian ambassador of Blazers Edge
by Philthyanimal on Nov 2, 2009 2:36 AM MST up reply actions
no doubt
I always wondered why they didn’t move Outlaw and get back a backup PF banger type. Hell, you could have traded Outlaw and LaFrenz contract for Marion when he was still in Miami
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
they didnt bc they overvalue outlaw
Senior Asian ambassador of Blazers Edge
by Philthyanimal on Nov 2, 2009 9:54 AM MST up reply actions
I thought we had the rebounding advantage in the first two games. It felt like it.
Fanaticism is not logical
Scary victories
I’m pretty thrilled that the Suns got off to a 3-0 start. Considering their opponents over that 3 game stretch have a combined record of 1-8, these are the games the Suns need to win if they plan on making the playoffs.
While the Suns have more than held their own on the boards, they continue their trend from last season of turning the ball over at a high rate, even accounting for their increased pace of play. They are also allowing opponents to shoot the 4th highest field goal percentage in the league. It’s only a matter of time before a good team, like either the Magic or Celtics, (both of whom the Suns play this week) makes them pay for these shortcomings.
On the bright side, I don’t think we’ve seen this squad firing on all cylinders just yet. Amar’e Stoudemire is still playing himself back into shape and seems to have added a couple of dimensions to his game. As red hot as Channing Frye has been, I think there’s more to his game than 3 point bombing as demonstrated by a couple of nice drives to the hole tonight.
Unfortunately, Barbosa’s wrist injury could set the team back a bit. And while the Suns are sporting a heft 12 point scoring differential in their 3 wins, I haven’t seen the defensive cohesion (despite their middle of the pack defensive efficiency) that gives me the confidence to say they’ll continue to win this way on a regular basis.
Phoenix Stan is right about one thing. After a nice easy start to the season, Suns fans should brace themselves for some potential ugliness. To borrow from our schedule analysis…
November 3, @ Miami; November 4 @ Orlando; November 6, @ Boston; November 8, @ Washington; November 9, @ Philadelphia (NBA TV) – 2 back-to-backs. 4 playoff teams. 5 games. 7 nights. As far as road trips go, this is the biggest ugliest one the Suns have all season.
November 11, vs. New Orleans (ESPN); November 12, @ LA Lakers (TNT) – Back-to-back games on national television? 1 day after the aforementioned east coast barnstorming tour? For those of you keeping score, that’s 1 NBA Champion, 1 NBA Finalist, 3 back-to-backs, 4 At-Large Playoff Teams, 6 road games, 7 total — in the span of 10 days. If the Suns manage to be at or above .500 at this point in the season, they should really get a parade and automatic play-off berth. However, if recent history (an 18-23 road record last year and an absolutely abysmal record* on nationally televised games) prevails, this stretch of the schedule could be hide-your-eyes ugly.
The real season is about to begin.
cautious optimism..
as you say, our offense isn’t all there yet, and neither is our defense.
However, the last three games were the kind of games we’d have lost or struggled to win, last year, so the fact that we’re beating the teams we’re “supposed” to beat, with some ease, is a good sign, imho.
What I like about this team, so far, is that they’re making the right shapes on the floor. Players (including Amare) are communicating and boxing out, freeing space for their teammates to get boards. Spacing the floor on offense, so Frye and others can take high quality shots. That we seem to be playing smarter, across the board, and that it should tighten up in the not too distant future.
What I dislike is that we seem to be misfiring during our 1st quarters, and that adjustments are needing to be made. I love that those adjustments seem to be working (cf. Al Jefferson, last night, started 5-7, and ended up 9-23), which is a sign of good coaching.
As we proved in 05-06, and Houston proved in 07-08, with their run, you don’t always need a team stocked with superstars to do well in the NBA, provided you have cohesion on the floor, and in the locker room. Last year, we didn’t have that, and consequently we didn’t have one of those 10→15 game winning streaks we’ve become accustomed to, over the last few years.
Still, we’ll have games where we’ll get hammered.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Nov 2, 2009 9:07 AM MST up reply actions
On the board in the locker room
before the game yesterday one of the notes was to “jump on them early” and start strong
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
by Seth Pollack on Nov 2, 2009 10:20 AM MST up reply actions
alas, saying something and doing something are two different things..
On my office white board, under my to do list, it says: Have a threesome with Halle Berry and Megan Fox.
Words to live by, I know, but easier said than done.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Nov 2, 2009 8:34 PM MST up reply actions
Is Channing the starting center?
or is he filling in for someone in the meantime? What happened to Lopez? Sorry, I’m not up to speed on the Suns.
Senior Asian ambassador of Blazers Edge
Lopez is out for a while
Injured foot I think.
Steve Nash, the league's MVP, is a longhaired Canadian who spoke out against the war in Iraq and reads The Communist Manifesto. Quentin Richardson declared after a game-winning shot that it "was like Hamlet. It was a suspense thriller, and I killed them at the end." Amare Stoudemire, when asked to comment on a 22-point third quarter against the Kings, said, "I've got a tendency to jump over some guys' heads and throw it down."
There is no way Channing doesn't start if he keeps playing like this.
If Lopez comes off the bench, so be it. Until he gets in the game and shows he’s even better than Superfrye.
Fanaticism is not logical
What I'm liking about Amare
Is that he’s not bringing his Gorilla Game in the First Period. He’s not really bringing it in the 4th, either, but that’s where he’s scoring most of his points. I think he had 12 of 19 in the 4th last night. I think that’s been somewhat of a pattern (if you can call it that) after 3 games.
I’d like to see him rebounding and playing defense in the first half, playing smart and not fouling, but then coming in to be the clutch scorer at the end of the game. He doesn’t need to average 30 points a game for the Suns to win. He only needs to average over 10 in the 4th for the Suns to win.
Mmmmm ... Guinness
The most impressive stat....
look at how balanced the scoring and the shot attempts are. A sign of a very unselfish team. A team that just might understand “The Secret” (you understand if you are reading Bill Simmons new book). I would now like to see how the “D” performs against a upper tier team.
Talk about short attention span....
The book came out on 27th October.. i.e. less than a week ago.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Nov 2, 2009 8:36 PM MST up reply actions
amare
i didnt get to watch the game last night, but on the replay vids there was one play where it looked like he was just kinda standing there on defense. then the suns turned the ball over and the timberwolves got on the fast break. amare barely moved, just kinda watching as jrich and a couple other suns ran over to try and defend the break at the other end. the twolves scored easily.
i was wondering if amare still occasionally gets into his lazy habits, and if so how often? i havnt been able to watch alot of the games this season and cant tell. everyone seems to be liking what they see from him tho.
Don't mean to sound mean
but if you only look for deficiencies in someone’s game (or personality)… you’ll always find them.
They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...
a fair point,
but i wasnt looking for deficiencies. im a big believer in amare and only had a chance to see the 6 plays on nba.com’s video, and that stood out to me (without me looking for it). so i just wanted to hear from ppl who got to see the whole game.
glad to hear it sounds like amare is doing well. i really would like to see him and nash develop a strong co-leadership like the nuggets have with anthony and billups
quietly optimistic
Amare seems to be getting it. Last night he dove for a loose ball, he fought for rebounds, and at this point doesnt seem to be calling for the ball. All of this might change once he is is back to full game speed.
Amare offensively
feels like defense are collapsing on him which is a big reason Channing is so open. Gentry agrees – he’s said a couple of times that Amare deserves “hockey” assists for creating the open shots even if he’s the pass before the final pass.
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
what might be interesting
is to see what happens when Frye can’t hit an outside shot. Those games will happen.
Do they try and put Channing in the post and pull Amare outside? We’ll see
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
by Seth Pollack on Nov 2, 2009 2:36 PM MST up reply actions 1 recs
Thats what I have been wondering
Frye is doing well and we all love it (he is on my fantasy team so I LOVE it) but he won’t shoot this way every night. In fact, he might start to level out significantly. I mean, to average 4 threes a game would be sick…almost unreal. So what does happen? I think they still continue to look for the three from Frye but will start to pull them both toward the 16ft range. I think you are right. Frye hits the boards while Amare head ups the long 2.
Go read a book!
Amare in the 4th
What I’ve seen … and I don’t want to get too excited … is that he moves the ball around and it gets to Frye, but when the team needs a score, he gets a score or gets to the line (getting to the line, mainly, which is good b/c of his FT%). He’s not forcing the early offense, which means he’s more calm on defense, which means he can play defense without getting stupid fouls. Amare seems mature enough to realize this — he had it for a while with a lot of long-range bombers, but lost those teammates about when he was getting smarter. Now, he’s got some bombers back on the team.
Mmmmm ... Guinness
I enjoyed the game
And I’m looking forward to trying to go 4-0. It’s unlikely, but a big winning streak to start the season would be awesome. We never won more than 3 games in a row last year, am I right? Maybe toward the end we reached 4. Never let up. I know it’s so difficult to do, but the “team” cannot have a down night, even if a player or two does. Fight it out and give up no easy wins to the opposition.
So far there are improvements to be made but that’s to be expected. Everything really looks solid and pointed in the right direction. I hope the Suns just strive to be a little better every night than the night before. If they can, we’re gonna be some happy fans.
Fanaticism is not logical
I dont know...
I think Miami is good but they aren’t that good. If we sick JRich and his defense or Hill on Wade they dont have much else. Beasley is waaaay overrated and I am totally glad we didn’t trade for him last year when people were clamoring for it. Who else do they have? Now dont get me wrong, Wade is a great player but if we can keep him on his toes defensively and slow him offensively we can build a solid lead to break em down.
Go read a book!
Wow, I missed that. We were going to trade for Beasley? I wanted Curry SO BAD!
Fanaticism is not logical
It will be a pretty good
measuring stick for us – I just can’t bring myself to believe we will get blown out by Boston again as bad as we did last year…
They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...
if we lose by less than 10
to either of those teams, I will be happy. Or as happy as possible considering that we would have just lost two games. Those teams are stacked.
by Suns' Sensei on Nov 2, 2009 10:36 PM MST up reply actions
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