Kings Beat Suns Behind Bibby

by Dan on Mar 26, 2007 9:01 AM MDT in Suns News Comment 15 comments

The Kings are playing for their playoff lives. The Suns are playing for...well, they're playing just to get another game done and behind them. When there are two differing reasons for teams like that, it's no wonder the Suns lost the game - especially when the Suns beat the Kings by 18 points on Friday.

Mike Bibby made 9-12 three point shots and after he made the last one and strutted down the court, that showed me the difference between the two teams. The Suns just didn't have a lot of energy. At one point, Leandro Barbosa scored 17 straight points for the Suns. If he would have had an off day, the Suns would have been blown out.

The Suns starters (except for Diaw) played well. Sure, Nash had a few too many turnovers (7 total, more than half of all Suns turnovers), James had 4 fouls and zero points, the Suns only shot 30% from the three point line and only Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire got to the free throw line.

But even still the Kings had to have a stellar game to even have a chance to win. Mike Bibby shot 75% on three point shots and everyone is up in arms about that. They're saying he's one of the best shooters in the league and the Suns should have stayed on him. I didn't hear anyone saying that the last game when he shot 2-5 on three point shots and only made 8-21 shots on Friday night!

I've heard people complaining that Jalen Rose should have been out there more. Why? He played 9 minutes and scored zero points on 0-3 shooting. James Jones played 14 minutes and shot 0-2 while getting 4 fouls. Kurt Thomas played 11 minutes and shot 0-3.

I think Boris Diaw should continue to come off the bench. He got the start yesterday and played like garbage. Shooting 2-5, scoring 4 points and getting 2 rebounds? That's terrible considering what he had the past two games.

The Suns get to turn around and play the Grizzlies tonight and try to get the taste of this loss out of their mouth. I know people are upset because the Suns lost but to say that they are going to lose in the first round of the playoffs just because they lost this game is ludicrous. Wait until they have something to play for. Then see what they can do.

The Suns have won 7 out of their past 10 games. The Mavericks and Spurs have won 8 out of their past 10 games. It's not like the Suns are falling completely off course. Sure, it would be nice to see them win games but they'll do absolutely fine.

Comments

I'm not upset that the Suns lost

I'm upset at HOW they lost. Yes, I am annoyed at Bibby going off for 9 of 12 from three. Maybe I shouldn't be, but hey, it isn't often there's a good excuse to criticize Steve Nash about anything. LOL. Actually, the fact Bibby went off for so many 3's is likely as much or more because of the game plan as it is Nash's fault. But I'm mad at whoever's idea it was for Nash to keep leaving Bibby wide open again and again to go help out on someone else, even after it became obvious that strategy wasn't working. My beef isn't even that Bibby made a bunch of shots, it's just that after, say, the first 4 or so, maybe it's time to deviate just a tad from the game plan and go chase him off the 3-point line a few times to see if you can throw him off his rhythm. The reason this is upsetting is because the Suns ARE going to face this situation in the playoffs, if they make it to the WCF especially. Jason Terry WILL have a night like Bibby had yesterday at least once during a 7-game series, and it would have been nice to know the Suns have at least some idea of how they're going to deal with that when it happens. So, if they just wanted to keep that plan a secret until the playoffs, then they'll have my most sincere apologies when the time comes. But if not--if it really was what it appeared to be (that the Suns just couldn't care less)--then yeah, I'm a little peeved off at them for not taking the opportunity to get some Terry-stopping practice in.

by TexSUN on Mar 26, 2007 9:29 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

The difference is...

The Suns know that Jason Terry can get hot and won't switch on him like they did Bibby. It's a rare thing to see Bibby get hot like that from anywhere, let along the three-point line. He usually shoots 35%. The plan will be to stick with Terry and switch off of someone else come playoff time (if the Suns and Mavs even meet up, which still isn't set in stone).

I think the Suns know what they're doing. They had to help somewhere and Bibby is known for poor shooting from the three-point line. He shot 75% from the three-point line and 36% from everywhere else. It was a good plan and would have worked if any one of the bench players besides Barbosa or Boris Diaw would have showed up for the game.

by Dan on Mar 26, 2007 10:00 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey, if Amare can get mad, so can I!

Apparently, I'm not the only one who got mad about the (lack of) defense in yesterday's game. Amare did too.

Sacramento had shot 38.1 percent in the previous four games but hit 57 percent in the first half, which ended with Amaré Stoudemire scowling and kicking the air.

"I was upset because we've got to do a better job of locking guys down," Stoudemire said. "We've got to make a conscious effort of playing defense. No time for excuses."

So there! :P

by TexSUN on Mar 26, 2007 10:03 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Amare is also...

2 technicals away from being suspended! You want a technical?!? :-D

by Dan on Mar 26, 2007 12:32 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, ok.

Maybe I should stop watching afternoon games after around mid-March or so. I'm sure I wouldn't be nearly as peeved off about this if I hadn't rearranged my schedule to accomodate watching the game. That said, does anyone think the Mavericks (who have even less to play for than the Suns at this point) would have allowed Mike Bibby to shoot 9 of 12 from three? Or the Spurs? These are the two teams we're supposed to be better than if we're going to win a championship, and I can't see either of them taking a such a "we just don't give a ...." approach to a nationally-televised game, whether the win had any real meaning or not. But maybe I'm just being grumpy.

by TexSUN on Mar 26, 2007 1:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed...about SA & DAL

TexSun,

I agree- I cannot imagine SA or Dallas have such a lackadaisical attitude toward any team (although SA did lose to Milwaukee and Celtics). This Mavs team scares me- they just don't lose, no matter how anybody plays. This is what Nash has been preaching all season- about building the right attitude, but we are not seeing it from this team. I don't believe they can just switch it on, come playoff time.

by Vash01 on Mar 26, 2007 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look at the records...

Dallas got blown out by 17 against Golden State before they lost to Phoenix. They let Al Harrington shoot 7-7 for 16 points, Andris Biedrins shoot 8-8 for 16 points and Mickael Pietrus shoot 6-9 for 20 points. They let 6 Golden State players score in double figures and let the entire Golden State team shoot over 57% from the field. They had 23 turnovers in that game and were down by 29 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

San Antonio got beat by Milwaukee on the road and by Boston at home. They let Michael Redd shoot 13-20 for 29 points. They let Milwaukee shoot over 53 percent and got outrebounded by 20 in that game. Against Boston they shot 37% and allowed Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson and Delonte West to score a combined 73 points.

So to answer your question, yes I do think that yesterday either San Antonio or Dallas would have allowed Mike Bibby to shoot 9-12 from three. He got hot and there was no one who could stop him. Why does Kobe Bryant get accolades when he is on fire but when Mike Bibby did it, it's because the Suns played poor defense? Why do the Suns get a bad rap for having a poor game and get held up to Dallas and San Antonio for role models when all three teams have had crappy games in their past 10?

by Dan on Mar 26, 2007 3:18 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bibby...

and Nash have gone at it for years, even when nash was in Dallas, and they had those great battles agianst each other in the playoffs. Bibby's numbers are definately down from his glory days, but loves to play well against nash because of the history they have together dating back to when nash was in Dallas. Once bibby gets traded, he has the potential to once again be a great point guard in the league again.

by Toddy on Mar 26, 2007 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

The rumor on phxsuns.net is...

...that both Nash and Amare were seen out late Saturday night partying in separate locations. If it's true, that might explain a lot... :)

by TexSUN on Mar 26, 2007 3:19 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

It's a bunch of rumors and that is all...

You're telling me both Steve and Amare were in Phoenix on Saturday night while the rest of the team had already flown to Sacramento for an away game? Didn't happen. Getting a flight to Sacramento would have been nearly impossible and they wouldn't have gotten in until 3 or 4 in the morning. There's no way the team would allow them to stay in Phoenix to party while the rest of the team was already in Sacramento.

by Dan on Mar 26, 2007 3:36 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nash

...partying out late? That's laughable. This is the funniest rumor I have heard lately.

by Vash01 on Mar 26, 2007 4:27 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I posted that as a joke

...but somebody really did put it up on phxsuns.net.

by TexSUN on Mar 26, 2007 5:23 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Phxsuns.net

I have not been to that site- well, may be once or twice- but that sounds like another crazy site. May be I will visit it just to have a good laugh, as long as they don't get real nasty.

by Vash01 on Mar 27, 2007 8:21 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Actually...

That site is by far the best forum site (as opposed to blogging sites like this one) I've found. It's closed registration--you have to get the site admin to manually add you. But they have fans of all types there, including lots of other "remote" fans like myself. There's a few fans of other teams there too, but they are always on their best behavior as far as I can tell. None of the "trolling" that goes on at AZCentral happens there, and "trade Marion" cries are almost non-existent (although a few people are upset with Mike D'Antoni right now for various reasons). Of course like any forum site, there's always the occasional "nut ball" type. And also like any other sports forum, people get out of sorts when the Suns aren't playing up to their potential. In all honesty, as long as it doesn't get too out of hand, I have no problem with that at all. I think it's perfectly normal to get upset at your sports team when you think they're losing for lack of effort. I guess Dan and I will have to agree to disagree on this point, and in the future, I'll try to do a better job of keeping my complaints off of his site since I know it's not what a place called "bright side of the sun" is supposed to be about. But anyway, getting back to phxsuns.net, it's a LOT different from AZCentral, and I wouldn't let a bad experience with AZCentral prevent you from checking them out.

by TexSUN on Mar 27, 2007 10:50 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the info

TexSun, that sounds encouraging. I will check them out. I should also try to avoid writing negative stuff on this blog because that is not 'bright', although sometimes it is really difficult to feel positive when the Suns don't put the effort into their game, and I do have my misgivings about Dantoni's approach. It sounds like I could post all my complaints on that other site, LOL.

by Vash01 on Mar 27, 2007 10:55 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs