Hooray broadcast network game! Over the air HD makes me happy.

Was I the only Farker wondering why the trainer for Phoenix wasn't applying liquid skin to Nash's nose? WTF? They must have tried 4-5 band aids on the sideline and still couldn't get it right. That Nash had to sit the last 4 minutes or so of the game cost Phoenix game 1. My gift to DeAntoni, a buy one get one free pack of liquid skin, courtesy of Walgreen's.

I don't know... does the shaft lead directly to the reactor system? Will a precise hit start a chain reaction which should destroy the station? Hopefully D'Antoni has done his homework.

homerdrew415

QFT. If Nash was in, it could have been a different story...

On that note, go Spurs.

It's a trap!

/got nothin'
//go Suns!

the trainer was apparently trying all sorts of stuff including "medical cement" whatever that is... when you see Nash trying to wash stuff out of his eyes, it's not blood.

he missed 45 seconds of the final minute. Barbosa and Stoudemire both missed shots during that time... does Nash make them? who knows... even if he does, it's no guarantee they win. wouldn't have even been that close if Finley and Ginobili had made all their free throws there at the end.

Barbosa has the potential to be a Spur killer in this series. if i were D'Antonio i would play him until he fell over. instead, they are starting Kurt Thomas... i don't think the answer for the Suns is to get slower, but we'll see.

Suns need a Han Solo to come out of nowhere to save their ass at the last minute. Robert Horry would work, who's he playing for?

There's no reason for the Suns to change the way they play. If they can force Duncan to have to man up on Marion or Stoudemire (spelling?) on D, Phoenix will have a legitimate shot at getting him into foul trouble and off the floor. If there's a team in the NBA that could get the refs to call a non-lopsided game (against the spurs) it's Phoenix. Every time Parker (one of the best penetrators in the NBA) goes to the lane, it's a foul, and they wouldn't do that to Phoenix. The NBA needs the 2 time MVP to stay out of foul trouble.

in the vastly more interesting series:

Cavs in 4.

homerdrew415


if you were paying attention to the last game, you saw that the Spurs had complete control in the third quarter, maintaining a lead of 10-12 points. a series of ticky-tack fouls on the Spurs soon got the Suns back in it and it was close the rest of the way. towards the end they called a charge on Parker when it was clearly a block on the Suns -- even the announcers pointed this out. Bell also commited a flagrant foul on Ginobili but it wasn't called.


the 3rd foul on Amare in the first half was bullshiat, but when people hit the floor, i guess the refs feel the need to call something. beyond that, i don't see where the Suns have a gripe.

why in the world would the NBA fix games for the Spurs? Stern and the people in the league office are probably already shiatting themselves thinking about a Pistons/Spurs rematch in the Finals and ratings going into the toilet.

could it be that Tim Duncan is a superior defensive player?

no, it's a conspiracy. if you freeze the video at 2:17, you can clearly see Tim Duncan standing at the base of WTC7 saying "Pull it!"

Are the Spurs and Pistons playing yet?

Wombatzu: first off you watched through Spurs biased eyes evidently. `Ticky-Tack' foul calling was not why the Suns caught up. That charge on Parker was not `clearly a block' and the announcers said his feet were out but perhaps his body was in and that at game speed the officials made a good call. Bell did commit a flagrant foul but a ref wont call something like that 90% of the time in that situation.

I would say that the game was kept close on both sides by some conveniently slighted officiating for both teams. It seems as if when the Suns pulled ahead by 9 the officials kept calling fouls on both sides to slow the game down, get the Spurs a shot to run at their pace and remove the speed factor.

Now... you can also look that if Nash were in there then Barbosa wouldn't have brought the ball up court and charged into the paint without a care in the world. Any basketball fan with a semblance of sense knows that Nash running the point completely changes the offense for the Suns and the wouldn't have finished the way they did. Missed free throws are misses... they wouldn't have been taken if Nash were on the floor because the whole situation would have changed and perhaps they would have gotten one more basket in that 90 seconds which would have kept them in one possesion range.

I think the NBA will manage to do anything and everything it can to make this series interesting. They know people like watching the Suns and that the Spurs are their nemesis. Milk Milk Milk the ratings Mr. Stern. If Cleveland doesn't make the Finals no one will watch.

/C'mon 76'ers... get that lotto pick!!!!

The best part of Nash's injury was when Parker crumbled to the floor in a heap and Nash barely budged despite being the one who was actually injured.

I predict the Spurs to win the series with their fast-paced flop action and unstoppable whine percentage.

Fierhauk


i don't remember the part where the refs intentionally slowed the game down but i missed part of the first half. people's perceptions are affected by rooting for a particular outcome(Ric Romero reporting)so who knows. i thought overall the officiating was even. i just kind of marvel at all the people who say that the Spurs are coddled by the refs when i've seen them get screwed over as much as anyone else and there is absolutely no reason the NBA would want that going on.


as for Nash, yeah, totally different game with him in there, but no guarantee of a Suns win... Spurs had a handle on most of the game with him in there.


i predict early foul trouble on the Spurs and a blowout win by the Suns tonight. and everyone will see the difference between Poppovich and D'Antoni tonight when Pop doesn't spend the post-game interview complaining about "breaks."


plus Finley is having back spasms and this is dire for the Spurs unless Barry can get it going.

I'm just a poor lonely Warriors fan who is hoping that the Basketball gods lay the smack down on that Tabernacle in Salt Lake City...In all seriousness though, it's really frustrating to watch post players like Carlos Boozer, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, etc. get happy endings from the NBA refs any time they touch the ball inside with a defender within a yard. This doesn't even begin to describe the number of over the back calls they get away with. It's like the over the back call only applies when a superstar post player doesn't try for a rebound.

I thought the Spurs' strategy of headbutting Nash to keep him from closing the game was great. Guy had to get 8 stitches on his nose, vertically.

I wish the Western Conference games were on earlier. They're way, way more interesting that the Eastern yawnfest.

tenhigh


i agree Nash showed what a tough son of a biatch he is...


as for whining and flopping, i just don't see it... Ginobili still flops every once in a while but not as much since he doesn't get the calls anymore. as a team, the Spurs don't do a lot of flopping. as for whining, the Spurs don't do it anymore than any other team -- probably less so. this has just become something fashionable to say. maybe if Tim Duncan would scream and yell and throw shiat and knock people around or play air-guitar like Nowitski, then maybe people wouldn't say he's a whiner.

Wombatzu: why in the world would the NBA fix games for the Spurs?

You realize that no one's saying that the NBA is fixing the games for the Spurs. The only point is that the Spurs get the benefit of the doubt on calls (because of their reputation as great defenders and as 3 time champions).

Fierhauk: Now... you can also look that if Nash were in there then Barbosa wouldn't have brought the ball up court and charged into the paint without a care in the world.

This is true. I love Barbosa when he's hitting his shots, but that dude takes way too many crazy shots and doesn't involve the rest of the team nearly as much.

Wombatzu: could it be that Tim Duncan is a superior defensive player?

It could be. It could also be that he is helped on defense by his reputation, and that he is not as good as he is allowed to be by "benefit of the doubt" officiating. It's not a "we need to fix this game for the Spurs" thing, it's a "this guy is acknowledged to be a top defensive player and a champion while the guy he's facing is known to be a younger, more raw and aggressive player" thing.

T.rex: in the vastly more interesting series:

Interesting as in the dreams you have while sleeping through it are interesting. Was the Cavs/Wizards series "interesting"?

Wombatzu: the 3rd foul on Amare in the first half was bullshiat, but when people hit the floor, i guess the refs feel the need to call something. beyond that, i don't see where the Suns have a gripe.

well if something should be called, it certainly should've been on Duncan, since he DID pull Stoudemire down on him. That call right there could account for the point differential in the game (took away a likely 2 for Phoenix, who had a 4-on-2 break, gave the Spurs 2 on Duncan's free throws, and was the cause of the T on the Suns that gave them another point). Oh, btw, that happened when the Suns were up 6 and looking to make a run at the end of the half. Instead they went to the break up only 2, and having the feeling yet again of not only having to defeat a team that's nearly insurmountable when the officiating is even, but having to deal with crap calls that put Stoudemire in foul trouble.

Phoenix isn't deep enough that they can absorb a lot of BS fouls.

Fierhauk: If Cleveland doesn't make the Finals no one will watch.

Cleveland is no more watchable than Detroit. Much less so, I'd say.

Wombatzu: Barbosa has the potential to be a Spur killer in this series. if i were D'Antonio i would play him until he fell over. instead, they are starting Kurt Thomas..

Stoudemire played about as well as he can against Duncan last game and Duncan got 30 and Amare was in foul trouble a lot of the time. Thomas is a good interior defender and as good a shooter as Jones is, if not better. I like the move and I don't understand why they weren't doing it more.

I don't understand why they're putting Marion on Parker. He CAN guard a 1, but he's not nearly as effective. I'd much rather see Bell on Parker, Thomas on Duncan, have Marion on Finley/Horry, Amare on whoever the Spurs put at center, and Nash on Bowen or whatever. Not scared of Bowen at all on offense, so go ahead and give him the worst defender (btw, Nash usually at least gets a hand in a guy's face, I don't think he's as terrible as everyone says he is)

That's our best defensive lineup, IMO, and I'll take Marion over Finley, Nash over Bowen, and Stoudemire over C on offense. Thomas is pretty decent, and if he can pull Duncan out to his jumper that he nearly always makes, then Stoudemire and Marion should be able to crash the boards a little better.

/of course, i doubt they'll put Duncan on Thomas
//really, why the hell does Parker hit everything from the outside? I know he's not really THAT good with jumpers.

I thought the Spurs' strategy of headbutting Nash to keep him from closing the game was great. Guy had to get 8 stitches on his nose, vertically.


Nash reached in... Parker had just stolen the ball from him on the other side of the court and Nash wanted it back. didn't work out so well.

Wombatzu: Nash reached in... Parker had just stolen the ball from him on the other side of the court and Nash wanted it back. didn't work out so well.

Yet Parker's the one who flopped to the ground

Just like he flopped for that "foul away from the ball" on Barbosa at the end.

of course, the foul away from the ball didn't matter, at that point the Suns weren't coming back. Probably should've been a foul...but they didn't need the extra free throw for fun.

tenhigh-

Agreed...that moment really sums up both the class ( going over to check on parker) and toughness of Nash..

go suns!

homerdrew415: This doesn't even begin to describe the number of over the back calls they get away with. It's like the over the back call only applies when a superstar post player doesn't try for a rebound.

True. and last night, if the game wasn't really really close, I was sure Stephen Jackson was going to kill everyone in that arena for the complete lack of calls EVERY time he was driving the lane.

Wombatzu: i predict early foul trouble on the Spurs and a blowout win by the Suns tonight. and everyone will see the difference between Poppovich and D'Antoni tonight when Pop doesn't spend the post-game interview complaining about "breaks."

I've never seen early foul trouble on the Spurs in any game I've ever watched of theirs. (then again, it helps that they have a 10 person bench, so even if they do, they're not really in trouble, unlike the Suns with their 7 man rotation (8 guys play, but Jones hasn't been real useful).

But I'll take a win any damn way we can get one at this point.

And D'Antoni didn't say anything that wasn't true. In fact, everything he said was more damning towards himself! That the Spurs play better collectively despite having less talent pretty much just says that he's not doing the job he needs to as a coach!

/and Popovich was pissed at the refs, too. For what, I'm not sure.
//didn't go as crazy as Lindy Ruff (hockey) Now that shiat was hilarious, seeing him go crazy at the refs after a WIN.

OMG CLEVELAND AND NEW JERSEY ARE GONNA BREAK 20 POINTS IN A QUARTER!!!

The West coast bias is amusing. I think i remember the West claiming to be better the last few years now.

There might be 10 good West teams, but only one of them will face the best East team, and you know what? They might not be able to match up with that particular team.

Wombatzu

True. I guess the only real problem i have with the spurs is that the suns have such a hard time with them... Although i am getting a tad sick of Duncan's wide-eyed, i-can't-believe-you-would-have-the-audacity-to-call-me-on-that facial expression everytime the refs say something he doesn't like.

T.rex: The West coast bias is amusing. I think i remember the West claiming to be better the last few years now.

There might be 10 good West teams, but only one of them will face the best East team, and you know what? They might not be able to match up with that particular team.

That is exactly true. So why claim that the East is more interesting?

The West had 8 of the 9 or 10 best teams in the playoffs this year. So yeah, the West has much more interesting and fun series to watch. The East may win the title again, but it's comparable to one fighter having to run through a briar patch, rose bushes, and a hive of bees to get to the finals while the other fighter from the east gets to take a walk through the park where women flirt with them, men tell them they're awesome, and they're handed a pair of brass knuckles...and those two fighters meet in the finals. Obviously the team from the East has an advantage.

IAmRight OMG CLEVELAND AND NEW JERSEY ARE GONNA BREAK 20 POINTS IN A QUARTER!!!

Point taken. The West doesn't play defense. We already knew that. You don't have to keep harping on the fact that the West doesn't play D because we already know that. It'll cost them, too.

T.rex: Point taken. The West doesn't play defense. We already knew that. You don't have to keep harping on the fact that the West doesn't play D because we already know that. It'll cost them, too.

The best defensive teams in the league are in the West, too ;) You lose.

From the other thread:

West playoff teams against the East: 161-79
East playoff teams vs the West: 118-122

oh, and West playoff teams vs. East playoff teams: 82-46 (skewed because Washington was significantly better when they played the West teams than they were at the end of the year and GS was significantly worse when they played the East than they were at the end of the year)

What is Cleveland's stats against the West? That is really the only thing i care about. We swept your crybaby Spurs. Cleveland is best defensive team in the playoffs.

my bad, it's not Nets/Cavs, it's the Vince Carters/LeBron Jameses, based on who has the ball for 75% of the time for each team.

T.rex: That is really the only thing i care about. We swept your crybaby Spurs. Cleveland is best defensive team in the playoffs.

I hate the Spurs, and you got annihilated by my Suns. Cleveland was the best East team against the West, though, at 19-11. Only 9-7 against the West playoff teams. And my Suns pounded them hard, and LAUGH at the "best defensive team" claims, since they scored an average of 112 points on Cleveland...and would've scored more if they didn't have such huge leads that they put in the backups for much of the 4th quarter. lemme know when you can get within 15 of the Suns.

These are the facts,
Spurs - good solid team, flop like Italian Soccer Players, cry like Republicans.
Suns - good team, have to love that broken nose.
Warriors - God's team, the way basketball was meant to be played.
Jazz - good team, Sloan is the best coach in the NBA ever.

East:
Pistons - like the Spurs, less flopping but more sense of entitlement.
Bulls - young, could be the Jazz of the East.
Nets - VC is the Randy Moss of the NBA. Jason Kidd is under-rated.
Cavs - I'll start to care when LeBron starts to care.

homerdrew415 I'm just a poor lonely Warriors fan who is hoping that the Basketball gods lay the smack down on that Tabernacle in Salt Lake City...In all seriousness though, it's really frustrating to watch post players like Carlos Boozer, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, etc. get happy endings from the NBA refs any time they touch the ball inside with a defender within a yard. This doesn't even begin to describe the number of over the back calls they get away with. It's like the over the back call only applies when a superstar post player doesn't try for a rebound.

The refs were bad for both sides. They probably didn't show it on TV, but at halftime, Jazz fans stood up and booed the refs continuously until they left the court.

I've only seen that happen once before.

Yes, the refs were bad. No, they didn't favor any one team.

Komplex
Warriors - God's team, the way basketball was meant to be played.

desperately, with wild shots that go in based on the strength of the crowd's prayers?

tenhigh: desperately, with wild shots that go in based on the strength of the crowd's prayers?

they sure score a lot of points for such "wild shots". Third best FG pct in the playoffs, too. That Warriors presence in Utah and Dallas must've been pretty powerful, too.

/btw, the Magic should apparently just start chucking it at the basket next year, since they shoot 47% from the field in the playoffs, best in the NBA...and 57% from the line, by far the worst in the NBA (playoffs)

tenhigh: desperately

yes, basketball should be played with desperation, like you want to do everything it takes to win.

i was just trying to make a joke. but remember, they barely made the playoffs and now they're on fire so i'm thinking Baron Davis sold his soul to satan.

The runandgun phoenix suns are even saying that they need to play something called "defense" after the last game.

tenhigh: i was just trying to make a joke. but remember, they barely made the playoffs and now they're on fire so i'm thinking Baron Davis sold his soul to satan.

well, they've been pretty awesome since the all-star break/since they got stephen jackson and al harrington for dunleavy, some other white guy, and ike diogu.

/they closed the season on a 16-5 run. Not half bad.