T-Wolves Devour Suns: 107 - 117

by Seth Pollack on Jan 23, 2008 10:00 PM MST in Phoenix Suns: Game Coverage

Let's all just stop and marvel at the awe inspiring performance of your Minnesota Timberwolves. Fans, its time to join this band wagon before all the seats are taken. We just witnessed a dominating performance shooting 50% from the field and a +25 on the glass combined with the all star performance from our young stud and a defensive smothering of the all purpose Frenchman - holding Diaw to only 4 pts and 2 rebounds in 23 minutes.

Not buying that one?

Ok, how about the simple answer. The Suns in the back to back forgot to pack their "give a damn" in the gym bags and rolled out on the floor ready to stomp a JV team and instead got schooled by the cheerleaders in the powder puff game.

Let's forget the game for a minute and get to the real question here. Do we give `em a pass for playing a crappy team on the road having to deal with a 79 degree temperature swing (59 in Phx vs. -20 in Minny) or do we go back to questioning this team's heart, character, chemistry, roster and intro music ?

You will have to answer that one folks because I am looking on the bright side:

We get to enjoy loads of fun headlines in tomorrow's papers like: "Wolves bite Suns" or "Suns get frost bit" or "Suns play like dogs"
We did manage to shoot 56% which will increase our already league high average FG% from 48.99 to 49.01. Wohoo! Over 49%!
Amare was an incredible 14 of 16 shooting with 6 huge rebounds in 32 minutes. That's right 6. Double Marion's 3 and one more then Hill's 5 and two more then LB's 4. And that spells trouble folks with a capital T
We might be eligible for some kind of kick back from Al Jefferson's agent
The team gets to enjoy a well deserved day off in Cleveland. Golf anyone?
The Lakers lost (thanks Kwame!)
We didn't lose by 36 (thanks Wiz!)
And the best of all! Circle April 4th Suns fans. Its revenge time! Tickets on sale now.

Player of the game:

~~I think I'll pass.~~ Upon further reflection I am awarding this to me for an outstanding rookie posting and blogging through the pain of a swollen ankle (rolled it Saturday). Does anyone doubt that my effort exceeded that of all Suns not named Nash?

Stat of the game:

Ok, seriously now. It's minus 20 fringing degrees in Minnesota. I don't think people appreciate how cold that is if you live in Phoenix where I was wearing shorts today. I am going to Minneapolis next week and my toes shiver just thinking about it. That has to count for something right? Brrrrrrrrrr

Boxscore NBA.com Recap Arizona Republic

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Enjoy

my first game in the show but don't get used to this level of effort.

All those links take forever!

Orangutans are this year's Lemurs

by Seth Pollack on Jan 23, 2008 10:06 PM MST reply actions

Awesome!

The recap was much more entertaining than the game. Thanks!

by TexSUN on Jan 23, 2008 10:08 PM MST reply actions

agree there

thanks srp, love the bold 6 REBOUNDS BY AMARE

haha (but 14 for 16 is awesome )

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 23, 2008 11:11 PM MST up reply actions

glad i missed this one

the recap was just enough for me to imagine how angry i would be if i would have been able to watch the game... but also had enough "bright side" not to ruin my night. thanks srp.

by brian13 on Jan 24, 2008 12:33 AM MST up reply actions

Wel Played Sir, Well Played Indeed

Nice post game post.

Sure I'm pissed about this game, just look at the posts i made on the game board. But in truth this loss is just anoying rather than worrying.

THe Suns are starting to adjust with Hill back in, which also means Diaw must adjust to losing his staring role. That's one problem.
Another problem is that Marion was nowhere to be seen tonight. 4 rebounds from a guy who usually pulls down 12 or more is a big big big big problem, and probably one of the main reasons we lost.
I wish I could have seen the game but those are the two points i'd like to make.

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating your enemy without ever fighting." Sun Tzu

by Turambar on Jan 23, 2008 10:19 PM MST reply actions

i love the suns...but

It's pretty clear we don't have the heart as a team,
(that was the hardest thing I've ever had to type while blogging here)

It's like superman when his father died and superman
still a teenager says
"I have all these powers...and I still couldn't save him"

bet this is how Nash and Hill feel about now...

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 23, 2008 11:15 PM MST up reply actions

Luckily....

they still have lots of time to find themselves as a team. Hell, they could even thrive on the pressure of the playoffs for all we know. The point is that the team as we see it is disjointed, but not bad enough where it cant be fixed. Any number of things could still happen to get this teamed kicked into 6th gear, it just hasnt happened as of yet.

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating your enemy without ever fighting." Sun Tzu

by Turambar on Jan 24, 2008 12:01 AM MST up reply actions

i agree

your right on your comments, this team isn't that far away, but what's the fix? I was excited about seeing a few very good games in a row from Diaw. And from the very start, and still, how can anyone not be excited about Hill. It's the silent games from some of our players that worry me...and with our loss against the spurs last year in the playoffs, yeah we got some very poor breaks, (one or 2 self inflicted), but we also had 1-2 players play invisible in a few games.

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 24, 2008 8:09 PM MST up reply actions

Get used to it.

I think Phoenix will exit in the first round this year because they can not beat a bottom dweller for the life of them. Want to beat the Suns? Just drive a big man at Amare and it is all over. Have you noticed that someone on every last team has had a career scoring night against the Suns? Dumping Thomas was really a smart move, right???

Another subject: Last Thursday, TNT announced they were taking over www.nba.com and it has been off-line ever since. That doesn't matter too much but you can not get into www.suns.com either because it is really www.nba.com/suns
Way to go Sir Charles!

by OneSunsFan on Jan 23, 2008 10:42 PM MST reply actions

hey One SunsFan

2 things...

1...wish I could argue your first point, but I can't....sad huh

2...I've been using www.nba.com every day for at least 3-4 minutes with no problem. Could be a couple of things, very weird though, it sounds like your internet is working but not www.nba.com

Wish I could help..nights like tonight make me wish my connection to nba.com was down..

later

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 23, 2008 11:22 PM MST up reply actions

Pathetic performance

Since the game was not on TV in Dallas, I did not have to view this debacle of a game. Also, I am not home on Wednesdays, so I did not have to suffer through internet postings and GameCenters.

However...

This is what I cleaned from the stats and recaps. It appears Nash, Amare, and Bell had decent games, although Nash's shooting could have been better, and Amare needs to bring it for the whole game. Someone said he scored 14 points in the first quarter or something. That should have been a 45 point game.

Shawn Marion was atrocious. He should be ashamed of hmself. In the New Orleans game I think Shawn laid an egg also. I remember calling him out and wondering if he should be traded. He responded with a couple of good games, but it seems he is back to his old tricks. I think it is time to seriously get his butt out of Phoenix. They need to package him and Banks to Denver for Camby and some expiring contract. Seriously. I am sick of his disappearing act. To those who say I am panicking, Shawn has had three or four horrible games this year. A max player doesn't shoot three times. A max player doesn't get 4 rebounds.

Barbs and Diaw were ineffective also, and where was Skinner? Isn't he supposed to help on Jefferson?

I only see five players I want to keep on this team - Nash, Amare, Bell, Hill, and DJ.

That's all I have to say.

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Jan 24, 2008 8:01 AM MST reply actions

yep

it's a shame because the matrix has some fantastic games, but his quiet games (disappearing acts) have hurt us before and will again. I agree, if we could get someone like Camby, for Marion-Banks.. we need to pull the trigger. Problem is, couldn't marion screw that deal up also?

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 24, 2008 8:12 PM MST up reply actions

Let's Get One Thing Straight

I'm mainly against the persons in the intro, not the music. I kind of like the music. I think Asia's "Final Countdown" (a song that is not generally well-recognized for the greatness that it has) is particularly appropros -- given the "planet" theme. The Alan Parsons Project is nostalgiac, but we've can't linger -- we've got live in the now, man.

Stoudemire and Jefferson were both unstoppable on the offensive end. Difference was that Stoudemire took 16 shots (hitting 14), while Jefferson took 29 (hitting only 15).

What happened defensively? During the fourth, Coach D's anger-induced time-out was directed at Marion for a slow double-team on Jefferson -- the next defensive possession, Marion did it properly, BTW. Throughout most of the game, though, Stoudemire was letting Jefferson go baseline when the double-team was coming from the middle. Major miscommunication on defense.

On the offensive boards? Well, the rebounders were frequently out of position because they were over-reacting to penetration. Here's a thought on that:

http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba/nba-articles/blocked-shots-and-bad-defense-ar46895.html

On the other hand, Coach D said they didn't have "grit" and therefore cannot win a championship. I think it has to do with getting your props in the opening video. That's why it needs to be changed.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jan 24, 2008 8:57 AM MST reply actions

great article i think

thanks for the link

by jasonsuns1 on Jan 24, 2008 8:25 PM MST up reply actions

As opposed to

Europe's "Final Countdown"?

by AZSEAfan @ Bright Side Of The Sun on Jan 25, 2008 11:33 AM MST up reply actions

Are you sure?

I'm pretty sure it is Asia. It's the video with a spaceship and stuff.

That's what happens when you try to remember obscure bands

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jan 25, 2008 2:22 PM MST up reply actions

which is it?

So which is it, a bad video or bad players?

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Jan 24, 2008 9:09 AM MST reply actions

It's Both

It's inappropriate to have Banks highlighted in the video.

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jan 24, 2008 9:33 AM MST up reply actions

No Banks

I agree. Probably the same guy who wanted to sign him made that decision.

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Jan 24, 2008 9:48 AM MST reply actions

Would you rather see...

...Banks in the intro or Banks in the lineup?

Maybe his presence in the intro is a bone to make up for him never getting to play.

by TexSUN on Jan 24, 2008 10:05 AM MST up reply actions

Reading too much into this?

I had kind of thought this thread was sort of half joking but now I am not sure...

The intro was clearly done before the season started and based on previous years isn't going to change. I highly doubt in the scheme of things Marcus is sitting on the bench fuming about being in the intro but not getting any playing time....

Orangutans are this year's Lemurs

by Seth Pollack on Jan 24, 2008 10:10 AM MST up reply actions

For the record

My comment was half-joking. The most likely explanation for the intro is that Marcus was available when it was shot. Besides, I can't really talk intelligently about something I only saw once. :)

by TexSUN on Jan 24, 2008 10:17 AM MST up reply actions

Thread direction

I thik the thread about the intro somehow leaked over into this one about the game. I was kind of half-joking, but it is clearly a sore subject for some. I never even heard the intro until someone posted it. Us away-from-home Suns fans don't get all that promo stuff.

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Jan 24, 2008 10:21 AM MST reply actions

Steve Kerr speaks

...or writes, rather.

The latest blog from the Suns GM:

http://suns.marqui.com/blog/suns01_01230802.aspx

by TexSUN on Jan 24, 2008 10:21 AM MST reply actions

Kerr blog

Wow, those questions are tough. At least we know Kerr is aware of the problem, not like GM D'Antoni, who put his head in the sand. Kerr has got to know we have a big problem, being an ex-analyst and all. What would Steve Kerr the basketball analyst be saying about the Suns now? He'd be ripping us up one side and down the other.

'07-'08 Suns: It's clobberin' time!

by Hawk42 on Jan 24, 2008 10:32 AM MST reply actions

One Word: Oy!

More annoying than concerning, but there are a couple of very bad signs here:

Hit the boards and you can beat the Suns. Clearly this is the major weakness for this team.
These losses really could cost the Suns in the standings as the playoffs are seeded. This is 4 games in the loss column that really should have been wins.

by SoCalSun on Jan 24, 2008 11:02 AM MST reply actions

Amare's (lack of) defense

I didn't catch it all.. but the local news sports guy seemed disgusted with the game as well. Leading up to the recap he said something to the effect of "Amare, can you please play some defense?"

by brian13 on Jan 24, 2008 11:58 AM MST reply actions