Lakers crush Suns, 106-132

by PanamaSun on Feb 27, 2009 12:00 AM MST in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage

Oh boy, I wish I could pull a "Clipper Steve" on this one. As painful as it might be I'll have to pull it through, so here we go.

Yeah, I knew it was going to be tough but I did not expect The Suns to play like this. Give credit to the Lakers who didn't sleep on us. They came focused and determined to put us away early in the game.

The surprise of the night was Gentry putting Tucker as a starter. He did play with a lot of confidence during the first minutes of the game and did his best to guard Kobe who was hitting shots from everywhere on the field.

Let's move on to the game notes. I promise to keep it short

The Suns started the game with good energy. LB was running the show and seemed really comfortable doing so. Three point shots were falling, behind the back passes, lay ups, dunks. We where up by two and Phil Jackson called a timeout. The Lakers were not playing defense during that stretch and he let his team hear it. After the timeout Kobe and his crew decided to actually start playing defense and that's the story of the game.

You can see what happens when Nash doesn't play. We are 6-16 playing without him since he came to town. Everyone looked lost on offense, they just couldn't create anything. On the other end of the floor they couldn't defend to save their lives, The Lakers shot 57% from the field and seemed to create high percentage shots at will.

One of the things I mentioned in the game preview was that the Suns needed to avoid high scoring nights from the Lakers' bench players. Fail. Their bench scored +50 points on us.

I know we are short-handed and all, but I expected more from the Suns. Jason Richardson scored only 13 points and shot 6-14 form the field. This is a guy that is supposed to take over games like these. Right?

Grant Hill has been struggling as of late. Is the injury in his foot really bothering him? He's outside shot is not falling. He seems to have slowed down. I really hope he gets better for our sake. We can't afford another injury in this team.

Let me be clear, this was not a "must win" game for us. I would have felt better if we had at least showed up and played hard. At least the bench got to play a lot of minutes...I guess that helps or something. On the bright side, Tucker looked really good out there, although most of his buckets were in garbage time.

Let's put this game behind us. The Suns have to regroup and prepare for a very tough stretch. They'll have another shot at the Lakers on Sunday.

Pregame Q&A With Malice * Box Score * Gentry Post Game Quotes

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Comments

Hill didn't look too bad

except scoring the ball. But it does seem like some injury is nagging at him.

And the team is now 6-17 without Nash, just to pile on.

by Azreous on Feb 27, 2009 12:11 AM MST reply actions

Wow

I really don’t know what to say, I think a lot of us are looking and viewing the game a lot differently. I just don’t see this team as a playoff team with the whole squad active and healthy.
Sarver and Kerr ( and to some extent D’Antoni) have put this team were it is at. Major changes need to be made. The eight teams ahead of the Suns are better and have a better future than this Suns team.
The sad part is our bench could not beat there bench team last night.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on Feb 27, 2009 4:17 AM MST reply actions

Don’t know a lot about the lakers bench but with the exception of Barnes I’d bet the lakers bench has been in the league longer and probably got more minutes this year by a long shot?
If thats the case the bench played pretty well judging by the box scores.

by overthere on Feb 27, 2009 5:04 AM MST up reply actions

Oh

… I guess the Mavs have a great future? Yep. And the Lakers havn’t beaten good teams this year. We are the only folly and should have blown them out? We expected a loss with Nash. Why wouldn’t we expect a blow out with out him?

" I'm going to root for the Suns when they are winning or losing, but when losing I will point and blame the failing economy on the Referees."- Me.

by antiw0rm on Feb 27, 2009 7:25 AM MST up reply actions

You are right

But I’m trying to stay positive here. I’m really doing my best. I thought that players like Barnes and Richardson were going to play better with two of the alpha dogs out. This is when you have to step up and play hard. Just like they did the last time they faced the Lakers.

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

by PanamaSun on Feb 27, 2009 7:34 AM MST up reply actions

Mavs

have Dirk and I would trade him for Amare in a minute. Cuban jacked the Harris trade, however they will be in the playoffs the next two years and we will not, so how is that.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on Feb 27, 2009 1:47 PM MST up reply actions

Ugh

Did anyone else see Lopez getting boxed out of the building? I’m shocked that his +/- was only -5, but maybe that’s cause he was in when all of the Lakers starters were getting rest?

And I don’t think it was lack of offense that lost us this game. Again, defense is the axis the world turns on and we are a wobbling, axis-less piece of frozen ice in the far deep beyond the kuiper belt. Scoring 106 (26/29/26/25) points should be enough to win games. The problem is we gave up 132 points (39/31/32/30), and of course we’d need Nash and the best goddamn offense the world has ever seen to beat that, and overcome our lacking defense. The funny thing about it all is that between Nash and Stat, our two weakest links on Defense didn’t even play.

One thing I CAN take away from the game that is good is Dragic. 14 points in only 17 minutes, 1 foul, 50% shooting and 2/3 from behind the arc. He only had 3 assists but he also only had 17 minutes, and he was doing a lot more shooting than passing, as he should have been because he was making his shots (please take note, Nash).

Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.

by SunDolphin on Feb 27, 2009 6:38 AM MST reply actions

Lopez is a

disappointment at best. Maybe the biggest for me of the year. I really expected his size to contribute to our plans as a team and really he just hasn’t had it. Lopez might end up being a great player, but not in the time frame we are looking at.

Dragic was VERY shaky to start off with. He only cleaned up his act in garbage time. He did look good but it would have been better to see in the second quarter.

They beat us by not missing. That’s what it came down too. They sustained their shooting and we did not.

" I'm going to root for the Suns when they are winning or losing, but when losing I will point and blame the failing economy on the Referees."- Me.

by antiw0rm on Feb 27, 2009 7:29 AM MST up reply actions

He looked lost and scared

when he first came in. He turned the ball over twice in less than 2 minutes. He did play better later…when the game was out of hand.

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

by PanamaSun on Feb 27, 2009 7:37 AM MST up reply actions

Doesn't matter...

He stepped on the court – caught the in bounds pass – picked up his dribble – threw the ball directly to the Lakers – Kobe for 2.

I’ve had it. No more…

by JohnnyyGo on Feb 27, 2009 10:18 AM MST up reply actions

Re: Doesn't matter...

*referring to Dragic

by JohnnyyGo on Feb 27, 2009 10:20 AM MST up reply actions

Thats his best move! =)

In Nash we trust - for better and for worse...

by ZonaFlash on Feb 27, 2009 11:18 AM MST up reply actions

A friend of mine

totally called that play happening seconds beforehand. It made the wings a little less tasty.

by Azreous on Feb 27, 2009 11:57 AM MST up reply actions

Way to hang in PS

and deliver the recap….guys. It is hard to write about games like this.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Feb 27, 2009 7:34 AM MST reply actions

I’ve been so sick (of the literal variety; the hacking up a lung, aching body, exploding head kind of sick) that I just couldn’t find the energy to bring myself to care about the game.

I need a doctor. Of the medical variety.

I'm just like you, only ten times better.

by noonoo on Feb 27, 2009 9:06 AM MST reply actions

Barbosa!

I think what happened during that first timeout was that Jackson said something like, “Barbosa is the only guy on the floor hurting us. Why don’t you idiots try guarding him?” Up to that point, Barbosa probably had about 6-8 points and 2-3 assists (in 6 minutes). There was just no one else on the floor delivering. The Lakers began crowding Barbosa and no one else stepped up.

I was happy with Barbosa for six minutes and can’t really fault him for no one else coming to play. Barbosa nearly out-rebounded Shaq.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Feb 27, 2009 9:10 AM MST reply actions

btw

Kobe started guarding Barbosa instead of Fisher…just saying

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Feb 27, 2009 10:48 AM MST up reply actions

Everyone guarded Barbosa

Kobe picked him up early, but I thought it was pretty clear the game plan (after the 6 minute mark, at least) was to shut Barbosa down and make Dragic, Tucker, Dudley, et al. beat them.

I guess that’s why Phil is a genuis.

Later in the second or third, Gentry tried running Barbosa off the ball — having Hill, Dragic and others bring the ball up but the Lakers stayed on Barbosa.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Feb 27, 2009 10:54 AM MST up reply actions

Remember when Kobe did that in the Olympics

he shut barbosa down hard!

In Nash we trust - for better and for worse...

by ZonaFlash on Feb 27, 2009 11:17 AM MST up reply actions

He shut everybody down

he was USA’s top defender. He wasn’t even concerned about scoring.

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

by PanamaSun on Feb 27, 2009 11:48 AM MST up reply actions

Actually he was

He badly needed it to rehabilitate his image. He was chucking up shots left right and center, and also gambling for steals way too often. Wade was the real best defender for team USA. Kobe was a distant second. He locked down when he had to, but the team only needed that lockdown D because of Kobe’s mistakes before that. Especially against Spain in the final, he let Juan Carlos Navarro rape him for 30, and got blown past at least 10-12 times by the Spanish guards after gambling for a steal. He also took a lot of contested threes that missed(obviously) and let Spain close the gap on the lead that Wade and Lebron had built. The fact that he dominated and locked down and stuff when it came to “crunch time” doesn’t matter so much when he was the worst player on the court for at least 20 mins prior to that.

by felixthm on Feb 28, 2009 3:49 AM MST up reply actions

But are you just counting the Spain game?

Because I saw other games and he defended really well.

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

by PanamaSun on Feb 28, 2009 6:42 AM MST up reply actions

Barnes

Barnes sucks. Do not give him the ball. Ever. Total fluke in GS and we’re stuck with this piece of $&!t. Only Dragic is shooting worse. Barnes will have the lowest FG% by the end of the season. What a joke!

by JohnnyyGo on Feb 27, 2009 10:15 AM MST reply actions

What do you expect for $1MM? I don't know who else we could get!

In Nash we trust - for better and for worse...

by ZonaFlash on Feb 27, 2009 11:17 AM MST up reply actions

RE: What do you expect for $1MM?.....

Good point. I concede.
See my post re: March 1 Lakers @ Suns

by JohnnyyGo on Mar 1, 2009 5:24 PM MST up reply actions

Veteran with a low salary..

I’m happy that we have him. I’m not happy that he acts like he’s the #1 scoring option. He needs to step up and start playing the type of defense that got him to this point in his career.

by brian13 on Feb 27, 2009 3:08 PM MST up reply actions

He doesn't have much choice, indeed...

“We’re going to have to play a lot of young guys, a lot of inexperienced guys,” Gentry said. "But in the NBA nobody cares.

"We don’t get a stimulus package where they all of a sudden send us Kevin Garnett for a couple of games.

“You have who you have, and you try to do the best you can.”

I like that Gentry it embracing this instead of complaining about it. The young guys, especially Dragic and Lopez looked rough last night, but I like that they’re being forced to step up their games. The Suns have nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting a heavier load on their shoulders.

by Mike Lisboa on Feb 27, 2009 12:00 PM MST reply actions