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Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Lakers: Game 5

Ok everyone.  Here's the game thread for tonight's game.  I had big plans to write good stuff over the past three days.  Then my gallbladder decided differently and I ended up in the hospital Monday through just a few hours ago with no Internet access.  I don't really want sympathy about it.  I'm doing fine and a gallbladder is one of the easiest things to have out (or so I'm told).  But I don't really feel like writing anything yet.  I'll be lucky to stay up for the entire game!  I just wanted everyone to know I haven't forgotten the Suns.

Anyway, Mike D'Antoni is saying this is a must-win game for the Suns and Raja Bell may not play because his wife is having a baby.  This is definitely a winnable game even without Raja.  But it will be interesting to see how Kobe plays tonight.  Will he be geared up for the game now that he knows Raja won't be there?

I'm excited for this game.  What are your thoughts on the game?

0 recs  |  Comment 22 comments

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Raja is playing
Jason broke the news, and they've also posted it on Suns.com now.

For any mothers on this board: How would you react to your husband leaving you at the hospital with your new baby while he went to play a game? :) I guess if I were a Suns fan, I'd probably be ok with it, but then I've never had the pleasure (if that's the right word for it!) of giving birth myself. I can't see my sister reacting well if, say, for example, her husband had decided to go into the office right after she gave birth to one of her kids. Maybe in the sports world it's different? :)

by TexSUN on May 2, 2007 7:05 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I would think it would be ok
He is only going to be gone for a few hours and she'll still be "with" him while watching it on TV. :-)  Plus, won't they get more time off and be home more if they win tonight and he doesn't have to go back to LA?

by Dan on May 2, 2007 8:22 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

my wife is pregnant, 5 months, ...
She loves Raja Bell, I asked her about this question and she said as long as he was there for the birth, that she'd be fine with him going to the game (playoffs only)

by jasonsuns1 on May 3, 2007 6:57 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Give them nothing, but take from them everything!!
Time to put away the trash tonight.  Our boys have got to put things away tonight.  Once again they must leave nothing to chance as they face the Lakers at home.  In truth I think we'll be fine, once our 3pt shots start to fall.  I mean they gotta fall sometime right?  I'm actually looking for Bell to play with some passion tonight.   He just had a kid and he sure as hell has something big to play for!!!!  I dont expect a blowout, but I'm certain our boys shall take care of business.
"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating your enemy without ever fighting." Sun Tzu

by Turambar on May 2, 2007 7:34 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

strategy
Great start for the suns, but it looks like the Lakers are trying some new things, including posting Nash in the block. Also looks like they may be trying to run with the suns. Kobe's forcing things.

by Ridiculous Matt on May 2, 2007 8:58 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Farmar
has gone right at Nash twice. Looks like they're trying to exploit Nash's defense. Hmmm... a high scoring game? Probably not the best plan of attack for the Lakers.

by Ridiculous Matt on May 2, 2007 8:59 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Turiaf
Acts like he's dunking to put the Lakers up by 1 every time. I mean, I appreciate going with intensity, but he looks kind of silly when his team is getting smoked by 15.

by Ridiculous Matt on May 2, 2007 9:44 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Maybe he's auditioning?
I hear the Lakers are due for a shakeup.

Speaking of which -- Dan: Do you have any control over the links that appear in the newsfeed column? Reason I ask is there's another one there that's ridiculous. Or at least completely not worth talking about while the Suns are in middle of a championship (hopefully!) run. Check out that "Pacers: The Jermaine Trade" link currently at the top of the newsfeed. Yet another sportswriter speculating that the Suns will trade Amare in the offseason. Do you have control over those at all, or do they just automatically come in view an automated news feed? I'd hate to think we're giving that guy any extra hits on his blather. :)

by TexSUN on May 2, 2007 10:05 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Unfortunately, no
I don't have control over those.  It's something that was added by SB Nation and I don't think I'm allowed to change them.

by Dan on May 2, 2007 10:57 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kobe should be ejected
Is anyone else noticing what the refs are letting Kobe get away with?  Amare would have received two technicals and ejected from the game for doing what Kobe has done in the past several minutes.  He's getting right in the ref's face, swearing and flailing his arms.  Stephen Jackson got ejected for clapping yesterday and they let Kobe just do whatever he wants?  That's just stupid.

by Dan on May 2, 2007 10:58 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Now that I'm thinking about it...
I wonder if Kobe is trying to get ejected so he doesn't have to play anymore and then he can blame the series loss on the reffing.  So maybe it is better they just let him complain.

by Dan on May 2, 2007 10:59 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

LOL
Phil Jackson is going on and on about how "resilient" the Lakers are on his post-game. Uh, Phil, "resilient" is coming back from 1-3 down like the Suns did last year. I don't want to hear about all of your team's injuries.

That said, I know he's a Laker, but I really became a fan of Lamar Odom in this series. The guy's basically playing with one good limb (including an injured shooting arm), and still giving it everything he has. I bet he would LOVE to play for the Suns if given the opportunity.

Now Nash is on. Reporter: "San Antonio plays pretty good defense don't they?" Nash: "You've been watching." Translation: Ask a stupid question.... :)

by TexSUN on May 2, 2007 11:57 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Great Game!
I was at the game last night and haven't had a chance yet to watch the recording but here's some things that I noticed: 1) I pointed this out to my wife - at every opportunity from warm up to free throws to time outs the Suns were slapping hands and generally doing the man-touching thing that good team mates do. Amare when he was on the bench after 2 fouls was all over the place cheerleading and would leap off the bench when the clock stopped and run out to greet his team mates. The Lakers on the other hand seemed on the verge of fighting with each other. The only Laker that I saw do any of that kind of stuff was Turioff (and that guy played great and would look very nice in Orange and Purple). 2) Were the ref's as horrible as it seemed from sec 215? Clearly they were calling a tight game but boy they seemed to blow a lot of calls - both ways. I don't want to complain about ref's but I HATE when the game is dictated by the guys in stripes and not the guys we pay to see. 3) Odom was a super stud. That guy was the only reason the Lakers were in the game. Getting him his 5th foul early put this game away for good. You have to give him credit for playing that well in a big game. But then again, as I heard someone say why did he only have two 30 point games all season? My answer is #24 not getting him the ball. Turioff played w/ more energy and determination then anyone on the floor for at least a few minutes. There were some rebounds that he just stole from Amare and that's saying something b/c Amare looked totally pumped all game and played great. 4) The crowd was kind of disappointing. I guess I was expecting more from my 1st playoff home game this year. In the 3rd quarter in particular when the Lakers made a push the fans were quiet. I don't know if the crowd feeds off the team or the team feeds off the crowd but the fans are going to need to step it up as well against the Spurs. Maybe its just Lakers fatigue and the same kind of complacency the team gets when playing against an inferior team. In the 4th quarter though both the team and fans stepped it up and when LB hit a couple of 3's and on the back-to-back Nash to Marion lob slams the place went nuts. And before all those plays the fans were already loud and energetic. It sure felt as if the crowd energy infused the team in those crucial minutes. I want to see that happen when the Suns are down though and in a little slump. That's when the crowd needs to come through. Looking forward to round 2! I have either game 2 or game 7 depending on my friends travel schedule.

by Phoenix Stan on May 3, 2007 9:22 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

formatting
sorry about that. I some how messed up the formatting so that long post is all run together...

by Phoenix Stan on May 3, 2007 9:23 AM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

The crowdq
I was at the game and kind of agree that it was somewhat subdued, maybe because it was basically a done deal that the Suns weren't going to let the Lakers win another game.  Plus there were far fewer Laker fans than at the first 2 games to hassle during the game.

Nash was definitely off last night, but Amare and everyone else played great. I'd rather have Nash have an off night against the inferior Laker team than against the Spurs, so I imagine he will come out Sunday looking very Nashty!

Oh, and I don't have any kids, but if I did, I don't think it would be such a big deal if the new father left for a few hours to play in a playoff game, kind of a different set of circumstances than most people are in.

by TwinnerA on May 3, 2007 10:39 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

crowd
I think the Suns feed the crowd, usually. Occasionally we see the crowd helping the team, like the in the Washington game after the snow storm. Also in game 2 the crowd helped the team. When the crowd goes silent, usually the announcer tries to pick it up.

I am impressed with the crowd in Oakland, although I did not go to the game. It really came across as GREAT on the internet and on the TV. of course they have been hungry, almost starved, for a playoff game. I think we have seen the Lakers too many times in the last couple of years of playoffs. That may have made the crowd a little quiet. I know that I did not mind missing that game that much since I had already seen 4 playoff games against this team in the last 2 seasons.

by Vash01 on May 3, 2007 11:08 AM MDT reply actions   0 recs

too much LA
I totally agree. I actually almost passed on going to this game for just this reason. Laker fatigue.... I was just hoping though that the crowd can get it together to lift the team when it was needed in the 3rd Qtr. Maybe like Nash the crowd will show up for the big game and hit the big shot in the form of an energy burst when its needed. Btw, I was at that Washington game after the snow storm that broke the streak. That was the best non-playoff game crowd I have ever seen. What a fun game even if we did lose.

by Phoenix Stan on May 3, 2007 12:31 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Come on!
I can't believe what I'm reading! If I had the opportunity to see the Suns close out a playoff series on their home floor, you'd better believe I'd move heaven and earth to be there I don't care who they were playing!

by TexSUN on May 3, 2007 12:42 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

I did end up going :)
but my comment is really about how sick I am of seeing the Lakers. They are a boring team to watch and we have now played them a total of 8 times in just over a month and the outcome really wasn't in doubt. My next dilema is that today I managed to snag online face value lower level seats to Game 1 on Sunday. With my share of our season tickets I have either game 2 or game 7 depending on my friend's schedule. Game 7 is supposed to be mine in the normal rotation. I can sell the Sunday Game 1 tickets and clear over $400 which would make a nice mother's day gift...hmmmm

by Phoenix Stan on May 3, 2007 9:00 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

Come on over
Hey TexSun,

You need to book your plane ticket to be here when the Suns are about to close out a playoff series next time...just kidding.

Along the same lines, I changed my return ticket from the bay area to a morning flight so that I can go to the Suns' game 1 against SA on Sun. It cost me $100 more, but I just could not miss the Suns' first game in the 2nd round. I will go directly from the airport to the USairways center.

by Vash01 on May 3, 2007 2:16 PM MDT reply actions   0 recs

Actually....
Had this game been on a weekend, I just might have done that! I thought about doing it anyway, but being in the middle of the week was about the worst day it could be. I'm anxiously awaiting the Round 2 schedule, but if it lines up right, I might make a trip out there, or maybe go back to SA for one, assuming I can snag a ticket.

by TexSUN on May 3, 2007 2:29 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

ticket
Going to SA would be easier for you, obviously.

If you are thinking of attending the game here and are having difficulty getting a ticket, you can send me a PM.  I may be able to help. No guarantees, but a good chance.

by Vash01 on May 3, 2007 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions   0 recs

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