Dudley Sparks the Dogs For Comeback Win Against 76ers, 119-115
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 9, 2009 9:48 PM MST
in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage
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PrintThis game could have easily been tossed out the window. A back to back getaway game on an East Coast road trip, against a young, upstart 76er team. Damn the schedule makers-these things kill an older team like the Phoenix Suns. But Jared Dudley is not old. So we need not worry about that. And Steve Nash, well, he's happy, so his age doesn't really matter.
Dudley sparked the Suns down the stretch, shooting 6-7, (4-5 from three point range) and did his usual junkyard routine, scrapping for rebounds and loose balls. On a night when the Suns were clearly not at the top of their game, a spark was certainly needed. Tonight it was Jared Dudley whose play at both ends of the court gave the suns that extra needed boost to pull this one out.
Oh, did I mention Steve Nash scored 21 points and handed out 20 assists? Yeah, that doesn't hurt. Nor does Jason Richardson pouring in 29 points and picking up 8 rebounds. It is becoming apparent to this writer that the Phoenix Suns do not know how to lose.
The Suns had a difficult time at the defensive end tonight, losing the battle of the boards Andre Iguodola and Marese Speights led the way with 9 and 8, respectively. Jrue Holliday, and Speights impressed. Holliday proved a nightmare for Goran Dragic, while Speights played his former tutor Stoudemire tough.
The Suns found themselves behind, as the 76ers stretched their lead in the second quarter to double digits. But 9 third quarter points by Nash and a resurgent Amare Stoudemire helped bring the Suns within 2 points 86-84. The 76ers fought back though and held an eight point lead in the 4th. That was when Jared Dudley went to work, nailing two three pointers to pull the Suns back within 2.
- The Suns stretch lineup consisted of Barbosa, Dudley, Nash, Stoudemire and Richardson. It's nice to know the when Grant Hill leaves the game Jared Dudley replaces him without any drop off
- Dudley was clearly a hug factor in this game but managed to post a +/- of -3. HMM. I've never liked the statistic. This is a perfect example why, it certainly doesn't tell the whole story.
- Steve Nash lifted the Suns with 9 points in the third quarter. He and the resurgent Amare Stoudemire helped the Suns reduce the 76er lead to 86-84.
- With the Sixers up 102-94 and the Suns badly needing a lift, Dudley hit two three pointers to bring the Suns back within two.
- The Suns continued their torrid 3-point shooting, going 15-30 tonight. Jason Richardson went 6-8 and is in the top three in the league in 3 point makes. On the negative side, for the third game in a row the Suns still found free throws to be confounding as they struggled through three quarters to break the 60% mark.
- Amare Stoudemire was slowed for much of the game but pulled it together in the second half ending the night with a respectable 17 points and 6 rebounds in 40 minutes played.
- Steve Nash had 20 assists in 36 minutes of play. Think about that. He is simply amazing. Between his diet and simply feeling happy, this guy is playing like a 27 year old.
- Everyone see the Nash to Richardson alley-oop, with Richardson throwing down the reverse dunk??? That was as the kids say, totally sick.
- The awesome thing about this Suns team is that every night it seems like someone different comes in to provide a needed spark. Nash has been more than consistent, running the offense (at one point the Suns went 1-11 with Nash out of the game), but one man cannot usually win a game.
- Even though Grant Hill has struggled with back to back games this year, he was still only two rebounds away from a double double tonight. Goes to show you the basketball IQ of this guy. Even if he's not feeling it, he can still contribute and impact the game in a positive way.
- Next up for the Suns is a day off followed by back to back contests with the Hornets at home and the Lakers on the road.
- Game Recap
- Liberty Ballers
- Boxscore
-
SUNS: Postgame Quotes: Suns 119, Sixers 115
“It was a great trip for us and it’s a great start to the season. We weren’t really sure what to expect from this team out of the gates. We were disappointed last year obviously and we want to avenge that. We want to a build a really nice chemistry and a great working environment and play together and play hard at the very least. If that’s good enough to get us into the playoffs, great.”- Steve Nash -
Notes: Suns' Kerr sees team bonding
Frye is going through a process that all new Suns shooters have battled - turning down shots the coaches want him to take. Is Frye OK with firing away after misses? "Heck, no," Frye said. "They have to yell at me about it. I was 2 for 6 (to start Sunday's game), and I felt like the whole Earth was crashing down. They were like, 'Channing, keep shooting.' "I'm still working through it. I think ahead of myself. When I drove and nobody collapsed, I was like, 'Dang, now I have to shoot it,' instead of being aggressive. That's something I'll get progressively better at."
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No drop off?
I’m going to change my screen name to “Tempered Expectations.” I wouldn’t say there’s no drop off between Hill and Dudley. It’s more a matter of whatever JYD lacks in terms of Hill’s prowess he makes up for with hustle and flow. He’s not going 4-5 from downtown every night in case you missed the crater Channing Frye left when he fell back down to earth.
But I totally agree with your assertion that what make this team so resilient and fun to watch is different players stepping it up each night… and tonight was Jared Dudley’s night. Other nights it’s been Lou or Frye. I dig this team and the selflessness we’re seeing. They’re playing as a unit. The only question is whether or not they can keep it up for another 90 games or so.
You could be right, but Dudley has better three point range than Hill while Hill is a better passer and perhaps better all around due to his experience and IQ (not that Dudley doesn’t have a high basketball IQ)
But it’s like you say, they bring different things to the table. In comparison to our D’Antoni era Suns, our reserves are solid every night. When Dudley comes in, we aren’t all thinking, “Ah crap, what’s going to happen now,” as we did with some of our other past bench players.
Trust me man, I am the definition of tempered expectations, even if my exuberance sometimes gets the best of me.
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 9, 2009 10:30 PM MST up reply actions
no bench was the definition of the d'antoni teams
d’antoni would’ve likely won 1-2 titles with the same 4-6 players he had…minus 1 big fact…the suns often got tired and lost leads at the end…due to no bench and no rest for nash, etc…
Look back at some of those playoff games and you’ll see the suns beating the lakers or the suns beating the spurs…only to fade at the end…
Exciting to see our team fight and come from behind!!!
here's a question...
I don’t follow other teams too closely…so before dudley was a sun…where there hints he was such a useful player when he was with the bobcats?
Plus, I was thinking about how so many players have had their stats and reputation go way up while on the suns the last 3-4 years…I’m sure most of us credit some of this to playing with the unselfish Nash…
But I’ like to expand that and say….add Grant Hill to that…plus some bench players with great attitude and a hungry JRich…I really like the chemistry this team is creating…:-)
I’m too lazy to look up stats right now, but I’d say Dudley was in a similar boat as Frye in that he wasn’t getting much of a chance. I think Dudley’s game in Charlotte was much the same, but like Frye, he’s been encouraged to shoot the three as have many other players in the past that had not. I can recall guys like Q, Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, James Jones, even Shawn Marion being told to shoot it if it’s there. In his first season with the Suns, Joe Johnson was infuriatingly hesitant. He learned to pull the trigger under D’Antoni.
The thing about the run and gun Suns since D’Antoni is that they’ve picked up and drafted guys who could play the wing and sink a three. Those players have all been encouraged to shoot if they felt good or were left open. Even Amare has been known to put one up from time to time. When we first picked up Grant Hill he talked about feeling weird putting up threes since he never really tried much in the past and didn’t feel he had the range. Well, now, when he’s left open, he’ll pop one.
What we see now from guys like Frye, tonight being a good example, is that he’s not used to the green light. A second’s hesitation can throw them out of rythm, resulting in a miss. Frye did that twice tonight.
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 9, 2009 10:40 PM MST up reply actions
Dudley was able to work his way into playing about 20 min a game in the year plus he was with the Bobcats. To get that much time as a rookie from a coach like Larry Brown definitely meant that he was doing something right. Some of that can be attributed to the fact that the Bobcats didn’t have a whole lot of talent to put on the floor, but any time a young player produces well enough to get 20 minutes under a pretty demanding coach it’s a pretty impressive feat in my eyes.
by Suns' Sensei on Nov 9, 2009 11:23 PM MST up reply actions
Wow
Color me shocked. I am impressed with the Suns play. If they keep playing with this much tenacity all season long I predict they will be the #2 seed in the western conference and make it to the western conference finals. Go Suns… Thank you for Shaq being gone. Dudley is a better defender at his age than Bell was at the same age. I think we got the better end of the Bell/Boris trade. We got 2 guys that will give you everything they got every night. JRich is been awesome so far. JRich leaves it on the floor every night too.. Boris played when Boris wanted to. Bell would give everything he had but he is on the down side of his career, where Dudley is just starting. Go Suns…………………..
Awesome guys, awesome :D
I’m truly thrilled for ya :D Good to see you guys faring well, still. Keep at it!
- Dirk van Boxtel, the wandering Celtic fan.
"I spread the love all around the league, for my greatest love is Basketball. And yes, basketball is green."
@DaarisDirk
Rough game for Goran
really his first bad game of the season….it will be interesting to see how he responds. Can he bounce right back or will he go into a slump.
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
I vote bounce back.
Everybody has that game and Goran is surrounded by positive thinkers and attitudes so it appears on the outside. I don’t think they will let him feel a lack of any confidence on this team. They know they need him to stay up beat and hustle regardless so I’m sure they will be all over it knowing what they know about his confidence.
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"
Holliday is pretty talented. He gave Goran trouble.
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 10, 2009 8:05 AM MST up reply actions
Goran
always has a really tough time with guards who play tight and constantly pressure – It seems to me that he gets very frustrated because he’s worried about running the offense – but he can’t pay as much attention to the floor and directing traffic when he’s constantly being tapped and lunged after by the opposing PG – I think it will be something he will pick up with more time and experience and some sound advice from Nash … hopefully
They say "don't swim with the sharks", but I'm faster than sharks so it's not a big deal...
I can't believe I.m about to say this, but
I think Goran will be alright…the guy is really showing me that he can play at this level…now PLEASE OH PLEASE LET SOME OF THAT PIXY DUST RUB OFF ON SIDESHOW ROB
Who is sideshow Rob? Am I missing something?
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 10, 2009 8:13 AM MST up reply actions
Hello. Some of us call Robin Lopez “Sideshow Robin (Rob, Lopez, etc.)” because his hair is reminiscent of the Simpsons character Sideshow Bob. Hollinger used it too, last season.
by species8473 on Nov 10, 2009 12:31 PM MST up reply actions
Good win
Suns did appear sluggish through stretches of the game. Frye couldn’t make a 3, Dragic looked really slow against Holliday, Stat I believe had 5 pts at the half, and still pulled out this game.
How in the world is Dudley a -3 for this game. I get more impressed by his effort everynight. He and Nash stole this game late. This team truly enjoys each other, and it shows on the court. This could not of been said the last two years.
Couple of things. It is early we all know that, however does this team trump the Coaching of D’Antoni.? What I mean this team with less talent I think, seems to be doing as well if not better than the Marion, Bell, Diaw, Stat, Nash led teams. Credit to Gentry and take away credit to D’Antoni IMO, due to the use of the bench and trusting your whole 12.Thats my take. The Knicks right now are horrible. Funny what a short Canadian point guard can do. I am sure D’Antoni has many sleepless nights, and to think everyone in New York thinks James will come to save them, not on that horrible team.
Also would anyone take the trade of Spreights and Holliday for Lopez and Clark?. I know on draft day the last two years, speculation had the Suns drafting both of these players. I wanted Holliday not Clark. It is early in the careers of these players, so time will tell.
And look at New York now
They number 7 pick in the draft has played 2 minutes. That is not per game, but for the whole season. Jordan Hill was a beast at Arizona, but Dantoni is playing him behind Darko. Gentry really is working with the bench and sees the positives even if they are not scoring. I love how he leaves Amare or Jrich in with the second unit. There is always someone who can score, shoot, and finish in the game. I also like the idea of Nash and Dragic getting a few minutes at the same time. It allows either of them, but especially Dragic the opportunity to play a little bit more of the scorer type. I can’t wait till Dragic gets a little better at finishing. He seem sto be able to get to the hole, but has had some trouble finishing. When we is confident, you can see an amazing upside. This team is only going to develop more and more. The hustle of the bench is rubbing off on the starters. Now we need a little of the talent to rub off on the bench.
by Suns Fan For Life on Nov 10, 2009 8:11 AM MST up reply actions
hill struggled.
mightily in the preseason/vegas.
he’s got one helluva motor, and i think he’ll pan out to be a decent player, but i don’t think he’s got what it takes to bang with the bigger PF’s in the NBA.
i still like him, though. i hate UofA, but they had a few players i didn’t mind. also, once players get to the NBA, the college rivalry thing goes away. at least with me it does.
by Trevor Paxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:29 PM MST up reply actions
Jrue and Marese for Lopez and Clark?
I’d probably do it. I think Jrue has more upside than Lopez. Speights and Clark may be a wash. But Clark is too young to know which way he’ll go. Still, Speights will be a beast, and Clark a Garnett Jr. at best (I stress at best). Obviously Speights is much more developed than Clark at this point (and he went to Amare’s camp in FL. I didn’t even know he ran a camp)
My only caveat in this deal is that it’s tough to find an aggressive big man like Lopez for as cheap as he comes. I doubt he’ll be any more than a role player-on the optimistic side, an active stopper in the middle who could average 10/10, which certainly helps. But he won’t be a dominant 5 like a young Shaq or some equivalent.
by Wil Cantrell on Nov 10, 2009 8:11 AM MST up reply actions
and lets not forget chemistry
this league is filled with super talented guys that can’t play on a team….from what I saw last night that pretty much describes the entire 76ers roster
I still stick by my theory that you can’t judge draft picks in the 1st 3 years (other than the top 3 or 5 guys)
Blair looks like a stud now but that won’t mean anything if he’s knees fall off next year and Jennings is putting up huge numbers for the Bucks but so did Talfair when he played on those bad Blazers teams.
There is far more to winning basketball teams than having the most talented guys…that said – both Jrue and Speights are very impressive
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
by Seth Pollack on Nov 10, 2009 8:33 AM MST up reply actions
Draft night...
I was PISSED when we passed on Jrue for Clark…I really wanted Jrue Holiday. However, Clark does have talent the thing that worries me is that during the scrimmage before the season started he looked almost disinterested – I worry about his competitive drive. But, playing with a guy as competitive as Nash you hope that that will rub off on him. If he ever gets to the point where he wants to destroy whoever’s in front of him on the court he will be a beast.
as well as the competitive edge of the rest of the team.
have you seen dudley on the court lately? that dude sweats competitiveness.
by Trevor Paxton on Nov 10, 2009 10:31 PM MST up reply actions
On Clarke
I think we need to get Clarke some minutes with Nash. It would really help his confidence. He would be set up in good opportunities. The second unit really doesn’t run as much as the first and I would love to see Clarke finishing on the break. Getting a couple of easy finishes and dunks would help him out. Maybe just seeing the rim up close would help see how much easier it is than shooting from 18 feet. The most potential i see in Clarke right now is defense. He has quick hands and feet. He also jump and seems very long. He just can’t seem to get his hands on the ball for rebounds. Maybe we could also get him some minutes at the 3 or 4 with Amare and Nash. Maybe even most of the starters. This would really open up the court for him. He would be able to see how fluid this offense can be. No offense, but smooth does not describe our second unit.
by Suns Fan For Life on Nov 10, 2009 9:52 AM MST up reply actions
Really? You think Earl Clark might become Kevin Garnett Jr.?
by species8473 on Nov 10, 2009 12:33 PM MST up reply actions
I agree
Clark and KG in the same sentence? Sorry. I hope Clark works out, however I saw enough of him in the Big East to think that he is going to be a OK player. It will take time however, just like it did when he was in Louisville. Clark really did not get his game until his junior year.
No practice today
I was looking forward to seeing how the team talked about being 7-1, etc…but I guess a day off is in order.
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @phoenixstan
I still can't get over it!
THE SUNS ARE 7-1! We went 4-1 on one of our toughest road trips of the season! WOOOOO!
Obviously, theres still A LOT of games to play. But what’s not to love about how we’ve been playing?
I still can't get over it!
THE SUNS ARE 7-1! We went 4-1 on one of our toughest road trips of the season! WOOOOO!
Obviously, theres still A LOT of games to play. But what’s not to love about how we’ve been playing?
Suns Start
Phoenix has definitely surprised everyone with the 7-1 start, although people don’t think about what bad could happen (injury, trade, etc.). On My45, they had a poll about the Suns final record. 47% said 56+ victories. It’s great Phoenix is supportive (We’ve always been that way!), but I think we’re overconfident. The saying “Never judge something (originally ‘somebody’) on first impression.” Even if it’s a positive thing. Even if Phoenix started 7-1. I’m not saying I am not excited about this wonderful start, but there’s a reality to it. It’s only the beginning! Feel free to call me a Suns hater, but I’m just saying it’s only the start.
by Stoudemire12829 on Nov 10, 2009 4:18 PM MST reply actions
Thats why I +1 on SunD
Enjoy what it is as it is right now. Maybe next game won’t be so great. But right now and for a few days… WE LEAD THE NBA …. tomorrow? Maybe not.
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"
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