Suns Hope for Undefeated Season Ends in Orlando

by Wil Cantrell on Nov 4, 2009 10:56 PM MST in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage

We all saw this coming from far away. The cards were stacked against our beloved Suns from the opening tip. They clawed their way to victory in a rugged game last night in Miami. Tonight they were up against one of the best teams in the league, the Orlando Magic. Only an astounding effort could have put the Suns over the top tonight and while Amare Stoudemire did his best, putting up 25 points and 14 rebounds, the rest of the Suns couldn't follow his lead.

Perhaps tonight the Suns were simply tired. Or perhaps we have seen our first glimpse of one of the Sun's potential Achilles heals already: age. For the second night in a row the Suns rebounding leader, Grant Hill looked tired.

Steve Nash wasn't much of a factor as well as the Suns bigs found themselves in foul trouble early on and fell behind an angry Magic squad that dropped a game in Detroit they should have won the night before.

Funny thing was, for much of the game, Dwight Howard wasn't his dominant self. Howard did manage to put up 25 points, but finished the first half with a technical foul, 3 personals, and only 2 rebounds while the Magic led 56-52.

It was efforts from Ryan Who? Anderson, (20 points, 10 rebounds), the infamous Matt Barnes, (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists), and Jameer Nelson (16 points and 10 assists) that did much of the damage for the Magic.

Oh and let us not forget the Suns helped out with cold shooting: (45% FG, 31% 3PT), and for the second night in a row, hovered near 50% from the free throw line for much of the night, finishing at 65%.

But enough of the negative. There was some good that came out of tonight's game besides Stoudemire's performance: the bench once again proved solid, even before garbage time:

Goran Dragic once again played well, adding 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds
Jared Dudley scored 17, and played like his usual junkyard self
Earl Clark saw action and looked confident, going 4-6 from the field and pulling down 5 boards
There was a T-Griff sighting HEY-OH!!

Amare Stoudemire's recovery appears ahead of schedule. Alvin Gentry has been reminding us all that Sun Tzu will need 15-17 games to get back to form, but he looked very good for the first half of this game. Perhaps he felt at home in Florida, or perhaps he's feeling good and seeing dollar signs, either way he was a monster for the Suns tonight.

"It’s tough on Grant (Hill) back-to-back, but I never fault his effort or anything that he does. I’ll go to war with him every single night and most of the time we’re going to win. It was just a tough situation. He and J Rich (Jason Richardson) struggled tonight. You can’t have your two wing players struggling against these guys. You’ve got to play well, but I think we’re going to be okay. Obviously we were missing LB (Leandro Barbosa). LB can change the course of a game like this in that he gives us so much speed and he just gives us another weapon out on the floor. And there’s very few times where you’ll have LB (Leandro Barbosa), J Rich (Jason Richardson) and Grant (Hill) where they’re struggling. Usually two of those three guys are always playing pretty good. But I don’t want to take anything away from Orlando. They did a great job.” - Coach Gentry

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Comments

This is what happens to works in progress...

I didn’t see this game.. why did we collapse in the 2nd? Was it simply fatigue on our part, or a lack of cohesion on the floor?

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

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 5, 2009 12:00 AM MST reply actions

Offense...

we just coudn’t sink those baskets to answer back… As for defense well lets just suns need a lot more work to do, the effort was there but cant get those stops after the half. Also Ryan Anderson had a good game.

by Larfleeze on Nov 5, 2009 12:32 AM MST up reply actions

ok...

people talk about man defense, but the key to defense is communication. That’s why someone like a Battier or Pippen is so important to a good defense, because they can act like a traffic cop, and direct the defense, similar in spirit to the way someone like Nash runs an offense.

It sounds like we just had one of those games where all our on-floor communications, on both ends, broke down. That’s bound to happen sometime with this team, at this point in the season. Sounded like it was pretty ugly, though.

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

by Pliny the Elder on Nov 5, 2009 3:12 AM MST up reply actions

That's exactly what happened.

For one very good reason. We were tired and mentally we were never really in this game, and I think we came out in the third having pretty much given up in the locker room.

Someone last night said Back to Backs are gonna sucks, and I am going to agree.

One incident like this means nothing to me, though. If it happens routinely it’s cause for serious concern, but for now I’m calling it a learning lesson. Let’s play hard Friday. Every game STILL counts!

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Nov 5, 2009 4:31 AM MST up reply actions

Back to back's suck

Especially when the 2nd night is against a team who’s good enough to make the final….

We were never going to win this game. but that’s okay, you can’t win them all, just win the ones we should win and we’ll be in the playoffs.

by Chucko on Nov 5, 2009 2:58 PM MST up reply actions

Literally they had no legs.

I think most of our threes came from the bench. Our starters with the exception of Stat where simply run down. After playing hard for 4 games I highly expect this to happen last night or Friday.

Secondly Fry obviously had to deal with Howard in the post and that was simply a nightmare. We ended up putting Collins on him most of the night and in that you give away some of your offense.

Third – They played pretty decent perimeter defense and kept Nash and company from taking exactly the shots they wanted. (however we did take a lot of open looks that just wouldn’t fall that did fall in the previous games). Had we had that good 3rd quarter of decent shooting we would have been in a closer game.

I would have to say those are the basics of last nights game. Fatigue coupled with defense lead to poor shooting and we just never really got it going.

Based on what I saw last night with big men we are going to have trouble with larger teams. At least until we get our legs under us and can run consistently through the game. We will HAVE to wear them down in order to compete. I’m not expecting much from the Boston game either. I wouldn’t be worried if we drop that one tomorrow.

However I do expect 2 wins after that in the very least.

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 5, 2009 7:09 AM MST up reply actions

Anybody ever read the quotes from suns.com?

I read them. I get kind of frustrated but at the same time am very impressed with our teams professionalism.

Regardless of the outcome of the game we always give credit and praise to the other team. If we beat them by 50 we acknowledge they had a bad night and we took advantage of them. Then we give them credit in saying that they are a great team and next time wont be so easy. If we don’t win we give them credit for playing great and beating us.

On the flipside. Nearly every loss the team that beat us gives us more or less the shaft. If they win it’s because they played great and really gave us a hard time due to how great they are. If the Suns win it’s not usually because we played well as the Suns is because they had shortcomings and failed on their own.

I do appreciate that aspect about our team. It makes me feel like win or lose we are better as a team and individuals. A real class act.

Just my 2 cents. If it’s even worth that :))

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 7:21 AM MST reply actions

Forgot to mention

Those quotes are obviously edited. And I understand that there are a lot missing and the context could be misrepresented.

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 7:23 AM MST up reply actions

I was just going to point that out

There’s a lot said that doesn’t make it into those quote. Mostly, I think they do a good job of hitting the main points though.

Usually all coaches will credit the other team at some point but it is totally natural that coaches, players and fans focus on themselves.

Really good teams believe they can beat anyone if they are playing well so when they lose they almost have to think that it was something they didn’t do versus something the other team did.

Great players don’t credit a defender if they can’t score. They just assume (usually with merit) that they needed to find a way to adjust or do something else to get it done.

So yes, it is classy to give credit but it isn’t really a bad thing either to for the team to be focused on itself. It just means they believe they can and should win every game and that’s what you want. That’s how champions think.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 7:37 AM MST up reply actions

Its true.

Nice guys finish last. That’s how it goes right? But that’s ok.. I like our nice guys.

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 10:22 AM MST up reply actions

+1 to Phoenix "Champ" Stan

by Gorilla Game on Nov 5, 2009 10:24 AM MST up reply actions

I disagree

I believe a team can credit the opposition while still believing that they can change what they did in order to win.
I.e. “I was beaten tonight because the defense wouldn’t let me go right” but then a champion also thinks “The defense wouldn’t let me go right, so i’d better practice going left as well”.
I think that you don’t have to be a self absorbed arrogant ass in order to be a champion, you just have to focus on bettering your game, and the game of those around you.

To summarise, I think bettering your own game, and crediting the opposition for playing well are not mutually exclusive.

by Chucko on Nov 5, 2009 3:04 PM MST up reply actions

oh I totally agree with that

It’s a balance and like I said just b/c these quotes you read don’t always include it doesn’t mean credit wasn’t given.

OTOH – if all a team did was blame their loss on the other team being great that would be a concern too.

You have to believe that you can win and that if you didn’t win that you can get better and win next time. You don’t have to be an ass about it but there is an inherent arrogance to winning.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 3:33 PM MST up reply actions

It was always

going to be difficult to beat Orlando on the road in the 2nd of a back to back (even though they also played on the road the night before)

Orlando is very good. They are my pick to win it all this year.

But I am disappointed in that 3rd quarter effort from the starters. Hill being tired I can live with but zero points from Richardson?

There were games like this back in the day when Amare would carry the team like he did last night being a younger guy and JRich needs to do the same. Especially w/ LB out. That’s not acceptable for him to disappear.

Frye – I think we all better accept – is going to be very streaky. He did this in the preseason too going 80% one night and 20% the next. I like the effort but when he’s not hitting that outside shot the Suns are going to struggle.

Great work from the bench. They brought the Suns back in the 2nd quarter but it was too much to ask of them to do it again late.

Dragic’s confidence continues to grow. His line was impressive: 15pts (50% FG), 6 asst and 4 reb. He’s also directing traffic and being aggressive. You will notice teams playing off him and showing him much more respect then they did last year.

He’s still basically a rookie (1st half of last season is a wash) and he’s going to making mistakes but he plays under control and and his assist to turnover ratio is a healthy 2.57 which is the exact same as Nash, Kidd, Paul and many others.

He’s 7th in the league in assists per 48 minutes ahead of Paul, Williams, Curry, Parker, etc…

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 7:29 AM MST reply actions

Didn't get to see the game

but I agree J Rich can’t disappear – It’s frustrating to see Hill not make a single basket as well – I don’t know how many nights we’ll see such a poor collective scoring effort from our starters, but I hope it’s not often.

Sounds like Amare was a beast – and the bench stepped up. I’m happy Dragic continues to improve!

Hey, if we can win 4 games out of every 5 that would be a 65+ win season!! Haha

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 5, 2009 9:00 AM MST up reply actions

Kinda saw this coming

Let’s just hope we do a little better against Boston. These are two early season measuring sticks for where this team is.

by Mike Lisboa on Nov 5, 2009 7:29 AM MST reply actions

yup

Bouncing back is key. Only Amare played big minutes and 34 isn’t really big for him. Nash, Hill, Richardson and Frye should be well rested.

I won’t cry over a loss to Boston but I certainly hope to see a close game

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 7:38 AM MST up reply actions

In a way, this was a good ass beating. We needed to return to earth, both fans and team alike. The fact that Nash and Hill got some rest is a positive. LB got another day to recover. J-Rich is getting older, but he’s not old. He shouldn’t be tired. This is where I start thinking about the money he’s making and get frustrated.

by Wil Cantrell on Nov 5, 2009 8:01 AM MST up reply actions

I agree Stan

I don’t look or expect a win. Boston is right there with Orlando. Let’s face it we are probably going to lose unless Boston has some lapse in memory. I’m sure they remember we are a soft team and will pound us like Boston did. BUT putting up a good faith effort is key. Not giving the game away by 15+ points is key. I can smile if we give them a run for their money and at least make them sweat for 3 quarters.

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 10:27 AM MST up reply actions

Last year^

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 10:28 AM MST up reply actions

Suns were tired.

Did everybody else hear the commentary about the team arriving late 2-3 am local time due to flight delays. Its the nature of the beast and you could tell first few minutes of the game that they did not have there “legs.” Here is to the first loss of the season, next stop 81-1 :^)

by Gorilla Game on Nov 5, 2009 10:23 AM MST reply actions

+1

81 – 1 … lets do it.

by antiw0rm on Nov 5, 2009 10:25 AM MST up reply actions

Re: Ryan Anderson

The Magic is a team I have really liked for a long time and as a result, follow them as well. (fun fact: Boston is an other one. Right now, the fans of these two teams are vying for each other’s blood). ryan Anderson was a supposed throw-in inthe summer Carter trade, but he has been killing it both in the preseason and since the beginning of the regular season. he plays PF/SF and rebounds well as well as shooting 3s at an insane clip. Seriously, he’s been amazing since August.

Libertarianism is just Anarchy for rich people

by Murcy on Nov 5, 2009 3:03 PM MST reply actions

Anderson

This shouldn’t be a total surprise. Anderson had a great rookie season last year and was doing exactly what he’s doing now but on a bad team.

Anyone that called Anderson a throw-in in that deal wasn’t really up-to-speed on the players and that’s on them.

Similar to Dudley coming over from the Bobcats in the JRich – Bell – Diaw deal. Kerr said just yesterday in fact that getting Dudley was a big part of that deal and that it wouldn’t have happened without him involved.

Just because a lot of people didn’t know much about him didn’t mean he wasn’t important.

Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 3:36 PM MST up reply actions

+1

by Suns' Sensei on Nov 5, 2009 10:36 PM MST up reply actions

Duds is awesome.

And definitely a deal breaker/maker. With Bell getting old and Diaw just Diaw, and of course JRich being what he is, Duds is more and more becoming my favorite player out of those four.

I wonder how they’re doing, anyway…stuck in Charlotte.

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Nov 6, 2009 6:28 AM MST up reply actions

I looked at their stats

Duds is puting up better stats than Boris through the first few games. Long season to be played, but with 16 less minutes a game Dudley has just three less points, 1 less board, the same three point percentage, and less turnovers (though it wouldn’t be much less if Dudley got the same minutes).

So definitely a great point Murcy and Stan. Those “little” known players can sometimes turn out to be pretty good.

Fanaticism is not logical

by SunDolphin on Nov 6, 2009 6:38 AM MST up reply actions