| 26 May 2010
After my last post complaining the end of the season may just be on the horizon, I have to say, the horizon is no closer, but at least we now have options! After winning two games on our home court we are a mere two games from the NBA finals. Unfortunately, the Lakers find themselves in exactly the same situation.
Before I start making congratulatory remarks for the Suns, I have to tip my hat to Kobe Bryant. Jackson effectively played a six man rotation for game four, but it may as well have been a one man rotation. Kobe single-handedly kept the Lakers from being embarrassed in this game. He stayed on the floor for 45 minutes, and for the second game in a row he scored over 35 while dishing out 10 or more assists. This man may as well be inducted into the Hall of Fame right now. Honestly? What are we waiting for?
Those other guys on the Lakers team. Well, they should be putting a portion of their salaries in a tip jar and handing it over to the Big Man on Campus while thanking him for covering their collective asses night in and night out every time they don't feel like showing up.
The Phoenix Suns on the other hand, are mighty different beast all together!
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While Kobe was out working his deadly jump shot for 45 of 48 minutes, the Phoenix starters took about half the night off. Stat, Nash, and J-rich each played 30 minutes, while Grant Hill played 20 and Lopez played 13. Of course, this is nothing new to Suns fans. We've been seeing this since late January. Every 3rd or 4th, sometimes 5th game, the bench decides its their time. They come out and walk all over another team's starters. The Phoenix bench played 48% of the game minutes, effectively holding their own as they scored 47% of the team's points.
At this point it's practically blasé. Despite TNT's coverage acting like it's the first time this has happened in the history of mankind. But you know what? I still love every freakin' minute of it! I can't miss a Suns game for one reason: Fear of missing the beginning of the second quarter. Those bench players come out with such enthusiasm and grit I love it when these guys get it clicking. And best of all, the only people who love watching the bench players succeed more than me, are the Phoenix Suns starters.
To start the second period, Gentry played a full bench squad, including Amundson. Sweer Lou hasn't seen a lot of floor time in this series and I have been wondering why. Is it a coincidence that the first time he's given significant minutes the bench explodes? Maybe. Maybe not. But after the first six minutes of the second period, those bench guys outscored the Lakers 21-11.
Up to this point Kobe had been shut down. No points in the first 16 minutes. In the last 8 minutes of the half, he scores 15 points off 6 jump shots, each over twenty feet. Yes, the zone forced the Lakers to shoot from the outside, but tonight, Kobe was the only one who had a jump shot.
Honestly, I think this the main problem with Jackson's big mouth. He feels content to criticize everything. At his age, after all his accomplishments, maybe he has the right to do so, but I think his comments about how his players ought to think before taking open jump shots cost him tonight. Outside of Kobe's shooting, you could see the tentativeness in Artest's shot. He did adequate shooting 5 for 8 from two point land and 1 for 5 beyond the arc, but he hesitated early on a few and had to pass off. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown came off the bench and choked their stroke going 2 for 12 between the both of them. Throw in Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol matching Artest's mediocrity pound for pound and you have a night where Bryant has to do it all.
Third period comes and goes, the Suns starters lose 8 points of the 9 point lead the bench earned and the starters kept until half time. I don't want to belittle the starters. Lord knows I love those guys, but tonight the accolades go to the back-up squad. So moving on to the fourth...
The fourth period begins and in comes that all bench squad once again to show the Lakers how it's done from downtown as Frye, Barbosa, and Dudley connect hitting three three's in a row. Add in some timely scoring from Amundson and Dragic (along with 3 fourth period assists) and the starters don't even have to make an appearance until Nash comes in with 3:05 left to play.
After having to endure some criticisms about how the bench hasn't come to play in this series yet. Grit, hussle, and determination is how they rolled from beginning to end in game four. That's how the entire bench squad gets the post game interview with Craig Sager. Admittedly, not much of a reward considering that man's outfits, but at least the Suns get to go back to L.A. with the series tied 2-2.
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