| 05 May 2010
For the third time this season the Phoenix Suns donned their Los Suns jerseys and for the third time this season they won. This time beating the Spurs 110-102 to go up in the series two games to none.
Alright, I admit the title is a little deceptive, but I like to think of it as potential foreshadowing for the upcoming game in San Antonio on Friday night. So far, the series has gone according to the plan: Win at home. The Spurs aren't out of it yet, but they are one game away from having their backs against the wall. Actually, for the next two games they'll be playing with that wall just a step or two behind them.
Please click "Read More" to continue reading--
I'm not sure how many times we can give a positive nod to the second team, well, I guess I have to start referring to them as the bench players. Coach Gentry has been mixing up the formula a bit in the playoffs and no longer can we tell who is on the court simply by checking the period and the amount of time left to go. At the start of the second quarter when most of the starters were sitting after an abysmal first quarter the bench players came in and starting taking bites out of San Antonio's nine point lead. Jared Dudley, in particular, made an impression by striking three times in the paint to score and get the foul.
Overall, the Suns (42.4%) were out shot by the Spurs (50.6%) but the difference in the game turned out to be the aggression with which the Suns took the ball to the hole. Their efforts resulted in 18 offensive rebounds (a 9-9 split between starters and bench players) to the Spurs 7. The relentless onslaught resulted in the Suns going to the line 37 times, fifteen more than the Spurs. George Hill fouled out for the Spurs, while Duncan picked up his 5th with four minutes to go, and Ginobli picking up his 5th a minute later. A fact that only encouraged the Suns even more as they ran the pick and roll down the stretch on nearly every possession.
For every bit that Dudley elevated the team in the first half, Channing Frye came out blazing in the second half as he put away five of six from behind the arc. Overall, the Suns went 9 of 19 on the three pointers. A vast improvement over the first game where neither team did terribly well from long distance.
Let me not knock the starters. J-Rich and Nash each had a light evening with 19 points a piece. Okay, nothing special there, but Richardson did go 3 for 6 beyond the arc while Nash remains the leader of the team and both bring a lot of intangibles to the court as well. Speaking of intangibles, Grant Hill, whose value can rarely be measured by the stat book, managed 18 points of his own while shutting Ginobli down to a mere 11 points. Last, and certainly not least, Stoudemire scored a team high 23 points and 11 rebounds. He was the sturdy pillar everyone needed him to be in this game as he scored more than 1.5 points per shot.
I suppose I could make my criticisms: Barbosa played like he was completely estranged from basketball. Since he's come back, there have been times when it is obvious that he no longer knows his place on the team and this game was one of those games. I can make excuses for Dragic having a poor outing, though he did manage 4 rebounds (two of them offensive), 3 assists, and a steal while going 0 for 5 from the floor and scoring no points. I can chalk that up to growing pains of a second year player being the playoffs for the first time. Barbosa, on the other hand, has been in the league for seven years and he still has games where his impact is randomly detrimental. I can't help but wonder if the Suns are going to be thinking about trading him in the off season.
All in all, another solid game by the Suns wearing the Spurs down with their own brand of fast paced defensive basketball.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
