Suns Dethrone Kings for 5 in a Row, 114-102
by Wil Cantrell on Feb 6, 2010 12:23 AM MST
in Game Coverage
84 comments
5 in a row. Pretty dang nice. A good old fashioned butt-woopin' in Sacramento.
Something's happening with the Phoenix Suns. That something is good. And forgive me for getting sentimental, but Nash to Stoudemire nearly brought a tear to my eye tonight. The two even hooked up for an alley-oop. You gotta be kidding me. Makes a guy want things to stay the same.
But enough of that emotional garbage...The Suns came out tonight in the SAC and took care of business. The final score doesn't do the Suns justice. They were in full control for the duration of the game tonight.
To summarize:
- Steve Nash: 23/10/8
- Amare Stoudemire: 30/9
- Grant Hill: 10/5/3
- Robin Lopez: 10/7/2
- Jason Richardson: 16 (points)
The bench put in some good work tonight as well: Goran Dragon Dragic added 10 points, Jared Dudley, 7, Channing Frye had an awesome put back dunk, and Louis Amundson pulled down 7 rebounds before later fouling out.
Numbers:
FG: Suns 48%, Kings 44%
Rebounds: Suns 44, Kings 42
Assists: Suns 18, Kings 10
Points in the Paint: Kings 54, Suns 44
More:
- The last time the Suns swept a road trip of at least four games was in December 2006
- The Suns have scored 100 points in 11 straight games and 23 of their last 24.
- The Suns began the game with runs of 11-0 and 9-0 in the first quarter, outscoring the Kings 39-24.
- Some guy called Donte Greene went 31/7 for the Kings
- The trio of Hawes, Evans, and Martin were a combined 9-26 from the field and -70 on the +/- scale.
Paul Coro: Suns Continue Surge With Win Over Kings
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Amare
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."
Good game
They got a lot of time to rest up and think about shit before next game. SHould be interesting to see what plays out in Suns land.
Great win
Donte Green said
For us, we are just not hitting shots and they were hitting everything. It was just one of those nights."
Doesn’t it seem like every team the Suns beat say the same thing Donte said?
Steve Nash plays D!!
Funny comment
especially from Greene, who was on fire
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
Moment of the Game
when Lopez fouled Greene at the start of the third and then subtly threw the ball at him when he was on the floor. Did anyone else catch that?
I preferred...
the moment where Goran Dragic got the ball in transition, saw a break and brought the ball up… and completely ignored the fact that Steve Nash was on the floor with him. Hello, confidence!
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
I hope Kerr doesn't let the recent play affect his Amar'e decision
If we keep him because of the whole seasons play and because Kerr believes he can be an integral part of the suns future then thats a good thing.
If we keep him simply because Kerr is afraid of fan backlash for trading Amar’e during a 5 game win streak then thats a bad thing.
A stretch of 20-10 games before trade rumours affected his play for 5-6 games and then
averaging more than 20-10 for the last 4 games.But let’s just focus on focus on the games he played badly because of the trade rumours.
Even Coach Gentry and Dudley have been quoted in game reports how trade rumours are affecting the players. I have already provided links to the reports in previous posts.
Amare is also recovering from an eye injury but as stats show he is almost as good as the best forwards in jumpers and finishing around the rim this season.
Oh yeah, this year he has improved his defensive game as well, while playing at Sun’s neck breaking pace…
But to some people here, that will never be enough.
Even Dwight Howard can’t do everything every night i.e. his poor and erratic offensive showing this season as he focuses on defence and rebounding.
But are people urging to trade Dwight?
Amare is often criticised as injury prone, even while he suffered his injuries playing for the Suns as Sun’s only option (for many seasons) in the paint against double and triple teams. It’s not like Monta’s accident with a moped in the off-season…
And I see nobody criticises the management and fans for being disloyal by using such injuries as an excuse to trade him…
Sheesh.
by magenta on Feb 6, 2010 8:03 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
I didn't say we should trade him
If we can get him to stay for a reasonable deal i’m all for that. I said that i hope Kerr doesn’t disadvantage the team in the long run by making a decision based on 5 games and because he’s concerned about fan backlash for trading a player during a succesful stretch.
it's been such a hot and cold season
it’s weird. Because if the suns could (big if on could) bring that type of effort consistently, I like this team.
The problem is this
Let me set the table
I don’t care what you guys say about JJ, he did not do enough to merit a max contract. A good shooting 17 ppg and a poor shooting 16 ppg season do not merit max money.
That said, events now show that if we had rolled the dice and put faith in him, we probably would have been rewarded with a superstar SG to pair with Nash and who would have allowed us to trade Marion for a nice piece (not Shaq).
Fast forward to now. It IS possible that we give Amare his money and he steps up and gives us a 25/10 guy who leads us deep in the playoffs. But it IS a gamble. Is Amare the kind of player like JJ that responds when you take a chance on him?
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
The age is a big diference
between the two. Having faith in JJ at that point in his career than having faith (5 or 6 yrs at $115-$135m) at Amare’s age with his knee history…
I love Amare and hope he stays but only if he’s reasonable about his value. 3 or 4 yrs. $70m to $80m max. And 4yrs/$80m feels like a lot to me.
Once we find out what the Suns offer we’ll know how serious they were. If they low ball him w/ something like 3 yrs / $50m then they never wanted him to stay. If Amare rejects a more reasonable offer to test the free agent waters…well. that’s on him. The Suns simply can’t afford to invest too much in Amare and make him a $20m player for the next 4 or 5 yrs. The risk is too high.
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
by Seth Pollack on Feb 6, 2010 11:41 AM MST up reply actions
yes, but
JJ was shaky until Nash showed up. Another thing – he has shown in Atlanta that he can step in and be a playmaker at times. He never did that here. If he could, we wouldn’t have had such a drop off when Nash had to rest.
I understand the injury thing, but my point is, Joe showed nothing before ’04-05 to justify the contract the Hawks offered. He was all potential.
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
oh I don't remember it that way
JJ was the backup PG and clearly was showing how good he was. Sarver to this day regrets not keeping him
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
I agree.
But I think a 3 year deal would be a little on the short side. Amare is likely going to want max time (if he doesn’t take max dollars), especially with the new CBA likely changing everything drastically.
I think a 4 year/$65m deal would be reasonable, and if we throw a 4 year/$70m deal at him, I have no doubt in my mind that he’d accept that. That would be basically extending him at his current value, and he has to know that he would be stupid to reject that. Sure, he’d take a pay cut the first year (by about a million), but I think he’d have to do it.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:00 PM MST up reply actions
I like that phelps clone guy they use at the 5
But he gets dunked on and blocked by pretty much everyone around the league
interesting.
Dude. That Amare-Nash ally-oop was absolutely nasty! I haven’t seen them do one like that in a long time. Wow. Sick. I am really excited about their play and would love to see Amare here and extended. However, they have 4 days until their next game and its at home which means that instead of action they will be sitting around. Sitting around makes one think. Thinking can be bad. I just hope Sarver and Kerr don’t do anything stupid or bored sports writers bring up things that distract people…
Reading is good...
Amar'e is a beast
I’ve not participated in the trade talks cause I freaking hate them. He’s playing out of his mind and even when he sucks I’m still rooting for him. Keep him.
"Basketball doesn't build character. It reveals it"
Championships and talent
If we trade Amare, we are not serious about a Championship. <- Period
Not matter what his short comings, a player of this caliber is not traded. <- Period
Can any one think of examples where a top tiered player was traded out and the team went on to win a championship in their next 2-3 years?
Our Suns problems on the court have almost always been the lack of a 7 foot center. One who plays defense, bother shots, collect rebounds, make free throws and has some offense. This lack has lead to all sorts of issues.
1. EVERYONE gets beat off the dribble in the NBA. A team needs the big man to help when that happens. Otherwise you defense looks porous, and is porous.
2. The tallest players are the best re-bounders. (I know Not always true but…) When you are closer to the ball while standing, you are more likely to get the board.
3. BIG guys take up space. Defense is often about position, it is easier to remove offense of options when you are bigger.
So, having been a Suns fan since 1970, and having watched the great teams over the years, I think our “bad defense” has always been the lack of a big man in the center.
And from what I have seen lately, Robin Lopez is the best big we have had since.. mmm… EVER. (Sorry Alvin)
Now that Lopez is holding his own, look at what a talented power forward can do.
The upside on this team is BIG, HUGE.
Breaking up this team is a bad idea. Horrible idea.
Robin Lopez is the best center in team history?
Really? Alvin Adams averaged 20 points a game and was the rookie of the year.
Hell, Tom Chambers has had not only a better career than Lopez, but Amare.
Saying Robin Lopez was the best big in Suns history should disqualify you from making emphatic statements. <- Period
Walk was better than Lopez. He once score 43 points on Kareem!
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
Mark West, too.
And there was that O’Neal guy. I believe he was an All-Star on the Suns? That happened too, ya know.
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
+1
Mark West is the best center in Suns history. He may not have put up the numbers that Alvin put up, but still. He was one of the most consistent, and one of the most underappreciated players in Suns’ history.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:02 PM MST up reply actions
Robin Lopez 7 feet
Really.
Sorry to be nit picky but ..
Alvin Adams was 6 feet nine inches, play high post.
Chambers was 6 10 and a power forward.
When have the Suns had a 7 foot center which could run the floor, play defense and was not a total failure on offense?
Shaq, really?
Shaq?
If we had him in the 1990’s, I would agree.
But in 09 he was slow, and a complete liability on offense. POP showed that when we played the Spurs. Hack a Shaq in the 1st quarter. In a close game when you need your BIG on the floor. Ugh.
So I ask again:
When have the Suns had a 7 foot center which could run the floor, play defense and was not a total failure on offense?
Foul trouble comes with the territory
Foul trouble comes with the territory.
Also, I think he is getting some rookie calls.
When he earns his rep, there will be few calls.
Nick Vanos
Many in the Suns organization thought Vanos was going to make a Lopez-like leap in his 3rd year with the Suns… but then he was killed in a plane crash in the offseason.
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
Fouls do come with the territory
But committing a foul every 6 and a half minutes does not. That’s how often Robin makes contact. Compare that with Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins, Andrew Bynum and Nene who commit one foul for every 9-10 minutes of playing time.
I’m all for the Lopez Leap, but there is PLENTY of room for improvement. It’s way too early to anoint him the best anything in Suns history (except maybe, fouler and/or glass door shatterer).
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
Haha...I like it.
Robin Lopez: Best Glass Door Shatterer in Suns History
He should have a plaque for that.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:04 PM MST up reply actions
I can remember all of the horrendous centers over the years,,, Robin Lopez looks like David Robinson to me.
I didn’t catch the game but I saw the box score, why did he only get 18 min last night?
It is exciting
Where is the limb? I think I’ll dangle out there some more.
The defense is sooo much better when he is on the floor. He is changes offense players path to the rim, players jump away to get shots off and he is rotating when the guards/forwards get beat.
When he is on the floor, there are fewer double teams on Amare, and leaving him 1 on 1 is a mistake.
I love it!
thats right
if he can stay on the floor for 30 min (i know his conditioning has to improve) and continue to progress as a player we have a front court that can match or even outperform LA, Denver, SA
Changing the game
A NBA game margin of error is less than 5%.
If you loose on a net 5 possessions, you loose by 10 points or more.
We have lost lots of games by fewer than 10 points. If Lopez is accounting for a +3 on possessions, then all things be equal, a game we loose by less than 4 points is a win.
I suggest we may be seeing that now.
Foul trouble.
He picked up 2 fouls, which took him out of the first, and by the end of the third, he had 5. At least I think it was by the end.
Rephrase…at SOME point in the third, he had 5 fouls.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:05 PM MST up reply actions
good points
i’ve read and heard this exact thing many times…that shaq made our defense worse! As he does with cleveland…that wasn’t the case with younger shaq
I think its a little early to be calling Lopez the suns best ever center
however he does have the potential to be.
I’ll settle for “best center in recent memory” or “best center since Kurt Thomas.” Better than The Big Failure (O’Neal), better than Steven Hunter, better than the underappreciated Jake Voskuhl, better than the bust Jake Tsakalidis…
A little early
I know.
I am stretching out there, but the requirement is
7 feet
run the floor,
play defense
not a total failure on offense
Here is memory lane:
Neal Walk 6’ 10"
Alvin Adams 6’ 9"
Danny Manning 6’ 10"
Mark West 6’ 10"
Dan Santiago 7’ 1"
Jake Tsakalidis 7’ 2"
Jake Voskuhl 6’ 11"
Kurt Thomas 6’ 9"
(Who did I miss?)
good catch
Neal Walk 6’ 10"
Alvin Adams 6’ 9"
Danny Manning 6’ 10"
Mark West 6’ 10"
Dan Santiago 7’ 1"
Jake Tsakalidis 7’ 2"
Jake Voskuhl 6’ 11"
Kurt Thomas 6’ 9"
Luc Longley 7’ 2"
Shaq 7’ 1"
Joe Klein!
Also (in)famous for being Barkley’s drinking buddy of choice in Phoenix.
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
infamouse for getting his
face bashed in by…Karl Malone? Danny Fortsam? Both?
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
I want to say...
that Klein was with Barkley when he got in a fight at some Scottsdale bar that may or may not have ended with someone going through a plate glass window. As you can see, my recollection of the incident is crystal clear.
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
Espera! Espera!
Don’t forget Horacio Llamas, the first Mexican player to play in the NBA!
Twitter: @MikeLisboa
Best ever
thing was obviously over the top a bit but I totally agree w/ the point.
Robin is giving the Suns something we haven’t seen in a long long time (note vague historical context to avoid sharp shooting replies).
I was skeptical before the season when Frye was announced as the starter and then Robin broke his foot which set things back really until mid to late Dec (allowing for some recovery time).
Now we really are seeing this kids potential and how he is not only changing the team now with his energy and presence but we are seeing his offensive possibilities as well that no one gave him credit for.
Except me. So there. Envision me sticking my unguent out and saying “nah nah, told you so”
I am excited to see where things go with Robin but all that said he could easily regress. I like that he’s getting meaningful minutes but is still being brought along slowly.
I am not a fan of the Iggy/Daly trade for other reasons (Iggy) but I wouldn’t mind having Dalembert around for another year to play with Robin. He’s only barely in his his second year. Another year playing behind a vet like Sam isn’t a bad thing and probably will help in the long run. It lets both guys be more aggressive b/c they don’t have to worry so much about fouls and staying on the court. You could split the minutes between them so Robin is still playing 20+.
In fact, the thought of having those “twin towers” for a full season next year is kind of exciting. The thought of locking up that much future cap space on Iggy…not so much. I could be proven wrong there and would go into it with an open mind if it happens but still
I was talking yesterday to our 76ers blogger, Jordan Sams, about this deal and we agree that it really doesn’t make much sense for them.
If they are doing it for Amare’s expiring contract than giving up Iggy and a starting center for cap space is way too much. If they hope to keep Amare (as they are currently hinting at) then they are nuts. Why would they want to replace Iggy’s long term deal with a more expensive long term deal for Amare to play next Brand who is locked up for ever plus they have Speights who does all the things Amare does (but not as well – but for way less money).
The 76ers are MUCH better off trading w/ the Mavs for J-Ho and Dampier is they can do that.
This might be want the Suns want but it really doesn’t make sense for Philly…
Wow-that went in about 12 different directions. Happy Saturday
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
you were not the only one, btw..
and if we’re tooting horns, let me just say I called this run back at the end of November
bow, etc… :)
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Feb 6, 2010 6:23 PM MST up reply actions
oops..
sorry, called it here, in mid-December
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Feb 6, 2010 6:28 PM MST up reply actions
The requirement is 7 feet?
How many current starting NBA centers are actually seven feet tall?
1. Shaquille O’Neal
2. Roy Hibbert
3. Chris Kaman
4. Andrew Bynum
5. Marc Gasol
6. Andrew Bogut
7. Brook Lopez
8. Nenad Krstic
9. Robin Lopez
10. Spencer Hawes
11. Andrea Bargnani
12. Brendan Haywood
That’s just over a third of the teams in the league. You don’t have to be seven feet tall to play center. So why is being seven feet tall a requirement for being the best Suns center in history? I agree with running the floor (though, what if the Suns weren’t a running team back in the day? Would they still have to be as mobile as we need them to be now?), good defense, and passable offense.
I still think Mark West is the best center the Suns have had. He never cracked the 30 minute mark in a season where he played more than 30 games (in the 87-88 season, he averaged 31.6 minutes, but he also only played in 29 games. Had he played close to all 82, we don’t know if those minutes would have stayed the same.)
As a Phoenix Sun (and excluding his final season where he only played 22 games and averaged 5 minutes per game), he averaged:
7.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, .5 APG, 1.8 BPG, .4 SPG, 61.4% FG, and 60.1% FT. And those averages come from 22.1 MPG, on average. Not too shabby. He was a model of consistency while he was here, and for that, I call him the Suns’ best center.
Robin has the chance to be much better, but as for what he did for the team, Mark West was the best.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:29 PM MST up reply actions
i don't think he's saying it's a requirement to be 7ft and good
but obviously it helps, especially if that guy can move and has a little bit of an attitude…I love that about lopez!!
first-round opponent?
If the Suns keep playing like this and retain their current position in the West or any similar position, they will stay right in the middle of the playoff seedings, and their first-round opponent will probably be Utah, Dallas or San Antonio.
Look at the schedule
San Antonio, Utah, Portland, and even the Lakers will all fall in the second half due to their road heavy schedule. Heck, the Spurs have 22 of 34 left on the road, and Utah has 20 of 34 left on the road. Since the Mavs have a better road record than home, they won’t be affected in the standings much, neither will Denver. The Suns, however, have 17 of 30 left at home.
IF, and it is a big if, the Suns are better reperesented by the current 5 game win streak than the disastrous 4 game road trip, then they might even sneak up to the #3 seed.
But if this streak is fool’s gold, then we are a #8 or a lottery team. I know you guys are pumped by the recent play, but which is it?
I also think the upcoming game against P-town is going to be telling. We will have plenty of rest and time for preparation (BTW, isn’t our last week before the break some strange scheduling?).
April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?
I think, if we don't trade away Stoudemire, we'll wind up the #4 seed.
But, if we do trade away Stoudemire, we’ll have a shot at the #8, but we likely finish #9 or 10.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 12:30 PM MST up reply actions
I wish we could trade J-Rich, Barbosa and Collins to the 76ers for Iggy and Dally, but I’m not sure if Philly would do it because they would have to wait a little longer to get all that financial relief and I’m not sure Sarver would do it because thats a lot of cash they would take back. It works though and would make us contenders for the next 3 years. Hey, I can dream right? Just imagine;
PG Nash\Dragic
SG Iggy\Dudley
SF Hill\Amundson
PF Amare\Fyre
C Lopez\Dally
I would try and do a lineup of
PG: Nash/Dragic
SG: Iguodala/Dudley
SF: Hill/Clark
PF: Amare/Frye/Amundson
C: Lopez/Dalembert
But I really don’t want Dalembert. Lopez is improving each day, and taking on another big that basically does the same thing might take a hit on his growth.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 1:10 PM MST up reply actions
Earl Clark
I do not feel impatient about Earl Clark, because he should get at least as much time to develop as Dragic and Lopez; but I really wish he would get thrown into the fire with heavy minutes. I know he hasn’t done a damned thing to earn minutes, but he can’t earn minutes unless the coach lets him.
He's done a damned thing.
From the reports I’ve heard, he works his ass off in practice. That alone should warrant more minutes. You can’t gain experience until…well, you get experience.
Bright Side of the Sun, where Suns basketball never looked so good.
by iamtrevorpaxton on Feb 6, 2010 6:09 PM MST up reply actions
We are still competitive,
At the point Clark gets heavy minutes is the point where we give up on the season…
I agree with that
He’s still not a better option at the 4 than Amundson or at the three over Dudley…potential is there but right now he’s hurting the team when he’s on the floor
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
What's the rush??
I’d just point out to everyone that Steve Nash got 10.5 mins/games as a rookie (compared to 8.5 mins/game for Earl>), and he turned out just fine.
"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".
by Pliny the Elder on Feb 7, 2010 1:30 AM MST up reply actions
exactly!!!
as I argued the other day, I am fine w/ the where Earl is right now but at the same time, he’s not (yet) the better option than the guys ahead of him. He will be next year though.
Earl is a far better basketball player than Dudley – it’s just going to take a little longer to play out
Blogging Suns Basketball . twitter: @sethpo
I know you all think Clark is the second coming of Marion
With the hideous jump shot, long arms, similar styles of play, but I am not too high on that kid I hope I’m wrong and he actually is the Marion Messiah…
What reason do you have to be down on him?
by hcblankscreen on Feb 6, 2010 10:33 PM MST up reply actions
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