Recap: 2nd Half Surge Allows Suns to Wipe Out Raptors, 113-94

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 29, 2009 8:15 PM MST in Game Coverage Comment 32 comments

Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh put up big numbers for his team but it wasn't enough to stop the red hot Phoenix Suns.

The Suns played 3 good quarters of basketball and that was enough to blow out a misfiring Toronto team. The Suns came out of the 1st quarter looking good. They continued their torrid shooting (65%!) streak. Steve Nash countered a weak 1-6 shooting performance by dishing 6 assists to his hot, hot, hot teammates. The Suns also held a slight edge on the boards, outrebounding Toronto 11-9 and "held" the Raptors to 33% shooting. I put that in quotes only because Toronto missed a boatload of open jumpers throughout the game. However, as Phoenix Stan astutely pointed out in the Game Thread, the Suns refused to double Chris Bosh in the post, opting to stay at home on Toronto's dead-eye shooters. Bosh would make them pay in the 2nd quarter.

After watching his team get outrun and out gunned for the first 12 minutes of the game, Bosh came alive in the 2nd. He followed his quiet (3 pts, 0 rebs) opening stanza with a monster second, finishing with the half with 19 points and 6 boards. It was Phoenix's turn to watch their shots go off the mark as the Raps "held" them to 35% shooting. Not helping the Suns' cause was an apparently unengaged Amare Stoudemire. Despite scoring 8 points in 13 first half minutes, Amar'e tallied 0 rebounds and 3 personal fouls (including a flagrant after getting torched by Bosh on a drive to the hoop) which further limited his ability to contribute. Keyed by Bosh's strong play, the Raps erased the Suns 8 point lead to go into the half only down by 1.

The Suns came out hot in the 3rd, going on a 13-2 run 2 minutes into the 2nd half, from which the Raptors essentially never recovered despite making a couple of mini-runs in the 3rd and 4th quarters, with the Suns slamming the door for good with a 15-7 stretch in the 4th to go up by 15 with just over 4 minutes left in the period. And now, the bullet points...

Credit Amar'e Stoudemire for mentally checking back into the game. After his reboundless first half, STAT hit the boards hard finishing with 7 for the game.
Steve Nash is just steadily brilliant. When his shot wasn't falling, he found his teammates all over the place. When his team needed a boost in the 3rd, he scores 11 points on 5 shots to help bury the Raps. And for the 5th time this season, Nash finished with more assists (16) than the entire Raptors team (15).
It's hard to describe how bad the Raptors' shooters were from range, but I think this stat does it pretty well: 26-48 (54% FG) in the paint, 10-44 (23%) from everywhere else. They simply couldn't hit water falling out of a boat.
After debuting so strongly the other night, Robin Lopez showed he has a ways to go before being the player the Suns hope he can be. In 6:30 of play, RoLo managed 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 4 turnovers and 2 personal fouls. Defensively, he got burned badly by Bargnani and Turkoglu on drives to the bucket. Patience is the order of the day with the big fella. Some of it is conditioning and footwork that will be regained with practice and playing time, but some of it is a questionable basketball and body control IQ.
Wingmen get theirs, too: Grant Hill and Jason Richardson led all Suns with 9 rebounds a piece.
Jason Richardson continues to be essential to the Suns offense hitting big shot after big shot when the Suns' scoring threatens to stagnate.
Early in the 4th quarter Leandro Barbosa stuck a 3 pointer but then came down on Hedu Turkoglu's foot and injured his ankle. League pass didn't show the bench shot of his injured ankle, but by all accounts it was huge and gruesome, so we probably won't be seeing LB for a couple of weeks.
Check back later for more notes. This was a much more interesting game than the 19 point margin would indicate. I'll be re-watching the game and updating the re-cap.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/29/09 8:15 PM MST ]

Post Game Links and Audio

Suns vs Raptors coverage
Suns vs Raptors recap
Suns vs Raptors boxscore
Raptors HQ
NBA.com - The Game Happens Here
Triano admitted his team was at a loss for how to handle Nash. "We went under [screens], trapped, we tried everything we could," Triano said. "I think for the most part we surprised him on the first possession of each change defensively, they either missed or we got the ball, but the second time he recognizes what you did." Nash = Borg
Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire, Charlotte Bobcats' Tyson Chandler fined for in-game tweets - ESPN
The NBA fined Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire and Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyson Chandler $7,500 each Sunday for posting to their Twitter accounts during games in violation of league rules.
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Barbosa out at least 2 games
Coro's Suns dish: Suns guard Leandro Barbosa will sit out for at least the remainder of this road trip, which continues Tuesday in New York and Wednesday in Cleveland. Barbosa sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 113-94 victory at Toronto. Barbosa...

Post game audio provided by our friend Holly MacKenzie from The Score and NBA.com

Gentry Post-game

Nash Post-game

Raptors Coach Triano

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Comments

Stoudemire

This can’t have been the only stretch of a game in which Amare Stoudemire was unengaged, and personally, I am tired of it and tired of him. His injury can perhaps excuse his being outscored and outrebounded by Chris Bosh, but it can’t excuse his not playing very hard. He should not also be outrebounded by every other Suns starter except Nash, but it happens all the time.
I don’t know what drives him, but I’m not sure it’s an intense desire to win. He’ll probably never be as great a player as he could be—just another great scorer.

by species8473 on Nov 29, 2009 4:20 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Who Knows What the Deal Is.....

Stat never really got it going, but he was getting double teamed. I don’t know what to say about his defense other than he either can’t move his feet for whatever reasons or he’s just lazy.

Thing is, teams have to deal with him. He can take virtually everyone one on one. But it seemed tonight after he began 4-4 he was doubled and it took him out of the game.

Keep in mind he’s still averaging 19 pts a game, which leads the team. he’s not really demanding touches or taking shots away from anyone else.

It is disappointing, however I’m not real concerned about it now. The Suns are winning.

Blogging Suns basketbal. Twitter: @willcantrellphx

by Wil Cantrell on Nov 29, 2009 7:12 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Guys

Amare is playing solid all around. A couple of bad quarters now and then isn’t a concern

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 29, 2009 7:25 PM MST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs

+1

He can’t put up the big numbers in the first half of the game…. in fact he can’t put up any numbers in the first half of any game if he gets into foul trouble as fast as he has in the last few games.

A couple points I would make, especially to the frustrated fans like species8473 -

Say what you want about Amare’s injury excuse being overused but as Amare regains his explosiveness and his quickness in the paint (which is the process we are currently observing) he will once again need to find the perfect balance so as not to take it to the rim out of control on the Pick and Roll or Slip and Roll and pick up the tacky offensive fouls that have spelled death for him in the past. This is an aspect of the Amare-game that really does only improve with more game-time experience. The most encouraging thing I’ve seen all year from Amare so far has been in the last few games where he has been in foul trouble early – the guy doesn’t mentally check out and he converts the burning emotions of frustration into solid basketball plays and concentration later in the game. In the past he would let his emotions get the best of him and he’d either pick up more silly fouls or just emotionally check out – I haven’t seen him do that all year.

Credit the Toronto defense for quickly adjusting after an early timeout in the first quarter – If you recall, Nash and Amare were effectively exploiting the switch on the pick and roll and amare scored 3 or 4 quick high percentage shots in the paint… but after a timeout by an easy Amare jam the Toronto interior defense tightened up and that’s when our perimeter shooters took over. It wasn’t that Amare was unengaged – it was that the Raptors played pretty solid team defense on his game – plus the two mid range jumpers Amare tried didn’t fall so with his outside shot not falling his only other option is the post play (which Toronto took away somewhat). By comparison – Both aspects of Bosh’s game were spot on – he was shooting well and his post play was crafty and too much for his defenders, his confidence was a lot higher because he was on fire. Amare never really caught fire and still he put up very respectable numbers.

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 30, 2009 1:46 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Um.

I understand tonight was maybe not his best example. But there is a reason the smaller guys are getting the rebounds. … I think that flaming Amare isn’t the correct course of action here.

TO THE NBA - " Yeah, you have created a rift within me ; Now there have been ; several complications ; that have left me feeling nothing ; I might say, you were ; wrong to take it from me ; Left me feeling nothing " - Disturbed, "Numb"

by antiw0rm on Nov 30, 2009 7:59 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

The reason

is that STAT is doing a much improved job at boxing out his defenders. Both Channing Frye and Amare have really done this well this year and it’s not something that shows up on their stat line per say… but it is reflected in how many rebounds the wing men are pulling down each game – THIS IS GANG REBOUNDING. In theory – if gang rebounding is the name of the game we won’t see too many games where any one player has more than 10 rebounds.

Thus – while people are getting sick of the ‘same-old-Amare who doesn’t rebound’… what’s getting old to me is how people are not realizing or accepting that STAT IS performing and the basketball style we play doesn’t need STAT to be pulling down 12-18 rebounds a night.

They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...

by Eutychus on Nov 30, 2009 1:50 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

well said...

by Fritzy on Nov 30, 2009 2:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

if Amare is happy to do that, then he needs to be recognized for it.

we’re a better team when we all play as a team.

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 30, 2009 8:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I think gang rebounding is working as evidenced by the fact that our rebounding differential is okay!

But the reason I don’t like “gang rebounding” is because I feel as though it limits our fast-breaking opportunities. Boxing out to let Hill/Richardson get the board? Good. Boxing out, grabbing the board and throwing it to a streaking Hill/Richardson? Much better, IMO.

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."

by rsavaj on Dec 1, 2009 12:19 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It does do that.

However, 10 fbp or 10 offensive boards for the other team leading to 20+ points? I’ve said before if we shoot the ball as many times as the other team it has to be a really bad night for us not to win.

by antiw0rm on Dec 1, 2009 7:12 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

what you have to pay attention to is...

the percentage of misses which become offensive boards. An average team will get generally between 1/4 and 1/3 of their misses as offensive boards. The aim of a good defensive team is to reduce that percentage to under 25% (1/4 of available offensive boards).

So a team that lets an opponent get 10 offensive rebounds from 20 missed shots, is playing less well defensively than a team that allows 12 offensive boards from 48 missed shots.

Of course, in all of this timing counts, so when you allow a rebound matters.

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Dec 1, 2009 9:08 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

This is true.

by antiw0rm on Dec 1, 2009 12:01 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

amare has been playing well so far for being out all summer with the eye injury. I really think/hope the monster amare will show up in the second half of the season but I’m not too worried quite yet.

by TheBlur on Nov 29, 2009 8:21 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Steve Nash.. Point Borg...

well, it made me laugh.

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 8:47 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

It’s not as though I disagree with you—resistance isuseless—but I don’t see why it’s so funny.

by species8473 on Nov 29, 2009 9:31 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

P.S.

Actually, the Spurs are more like the Borg than Nash or any of the Suns.

by species8473 on Nov 29, 2009 9:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nah, they only look like the Borg..

the Spurs don’t have the Borg’s joie de vivre

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 10:21 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

the idea of a point borg is funny to me, s'all

some lumbering wired semi-robot dribbling down the lane. it’s a vivid image.. we’re talking some deep geek shit, btw..

But the analogy is apt, and the way he adapts to what the opposition offers is unique. Neither Kobe, LeBron or Chris Paul play that way. Instead they try to force their will onto the opposition, and beat them down. Which is fair enough, but different to how Steve plays.

I was going to put up a post about why I think Nash is still the best player in the league. The basic argument was going to be something along the lines of “if Kobe is the kid getting an A average on a regular calculus class, but Nash is a B+ student in the advanced calculus class, how do you tell who the better student is?”.

Here’s my point: Nash plays a different kind of game to everyone else in the league, where he treats each teammate as an extension of himself, and makes more correct decisions on the fly, than anyone else. And I think Mike or Stan’s Borg comment sums it up perfectly. The only people to compare him to are people like George Best, Pele, Gretsky and Montana.

When history looks back, in 20 or 30 years, people will recognize Nash as an NBA pioneer, worthy of being mentioned with the likes of Cousy, Russell & Dr J, in terms of how they changed the way the game is played.

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 10:19 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

well the way I see it, it's pretty simple

everyone else on the floor is playing basketball, Nash is playing chess.

by Fritzy on Nov 29, 2009 10:39 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe that's why he can't defend well.

Preparing for the Ruy Lopez or Sicilian, isn’t going to do you much good when LeBron comes charging down the lane… :)

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 10:42 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

oops.. the Sicilian is a defense in Chess..

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 10:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

:) Talking some deep geek ****? Nah, not really—this, from a former proud nerd. Star Dreck—and, to some extent, the Borg—are too popular and too mainstream to seriously call geek domain. The Daleks, now…if you compared Steve Nash to them, then your conversation would have descended into nerdhood.

by species8473 on Nov 29, 2009 10:35 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I'll see your Daleks, and raise you one Quatermass..

I would never compare Nash to the Daleks, because they are evil, want to conquer the universe, and have problems getting up a staircase. OTOH, they do both talk funny, so I’ll give you that.

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 29, 2009 10:40 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I believe Bowen and Horry would qualify...

EXTERMINATE!

PSN ID- presbot

by presbot on Nov 30, 2009 9:01 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

what are you guys talking about?

huh? =(

"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"

by PanamaSun on Nov 30, 2009 11:57 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

damn

I am sorry I ever mentioned “borg”

and yes, I was talking about Steve’s ability to adapt. Reminded me of the Borg who you can shot once but their shield or armor or whatever would adapt…

Note to self. No more sci-fi references ever again

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 30, 2009 12:40 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs