NBA Playoffs, 2005

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat May 28, 2005 3:39 am

sfz_T-car wrote:Back-to-back days with no games at this stage of the playoffs is inexcusable.

Yeah, isn't that horrible? I know they wanted to get the Saturday and Sunday games this weekend, but why the hell did they need to start the Suns/Spurs series on Sunday last week? They killed both teams by coming back on a day and a half rest, while the Pistons and Heat had been sitting around for 3+ days. Dumbass scheduling.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat May 28, 2005 9:41 pm

The Suns are toast...the Spurs are just too good for them, even with Johnson. If the Suns can't stop the Spurs EVER, they can't outscore them. Eeesh...bad bad start.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:14 pm

There's still a half to be played but it doesn't look good for the Suns right now. It would have been nice to see a new team in the finals this year, but looks like the so called experts will be right saying that run and gun without defense won't win in the playoffs.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:18 pm

39 points at the half
10 points in the second quarter.

Hmm... Well Joe Johnson is apparently not the difference maker in this series.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:20 pm

Yeah...JJ is not playin' how he normally does either. The Spurs have that effect on people I guess. The 17 day layoff certainly didn't help. Oh well...

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:25 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:Yeah...JJ is not playin' how he normally does either. The Spurs have that effect on people I guess. The 17 day layoff certainly didn't help. Oh well...

It's not over by any stretch. If the Suns can get hot they can come back in any game. San Antonio was up 2-0 to the Lakers last year.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:28 pm

On a side note would someone kindly gag Steven A Smith. He makes me long for the game to start so I can hear Bill Walton ramble on about nothing.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:50 pm

That hurts...now it's gonna be REALLY tough.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:27 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:That hurts...now it's gonna be REALLY tough.

Well as a Spur fan I hate to give you advice on turning the series around but you could try... Removing your Amare/Suns avatar and change it to the Dolphins. Claim that the series is over and bring out the white flag based on a bet you made on a fictional Suns forum. It worked for the Red Sox when they were down 3-0 to the Yankees.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun May 29, 2005 2:12 am

LOL...I'm no punk. I don't give up on my teams, no matter how difficult the task.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Sun May 29, 2005 4:03 pm

The Suns should be very proud of their season. They exceeded the expectations of everybody. Like most people thought though, their style while incredibly entertaining is hard to win a title with, particularily when you have very good 'traditional' teams to compete against. The Suns will need to solve the same issues, the Kings, and Mavs dealt with over the last couple of years. They need a defensive presence to go along with all that offense and they need some answer to deal with a big man on the opposing side which historically, the Suns have never put much stock in.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun May 29, 2005 4:38 pm

One thing that's striking is the Spurs are limiting Suns' 3-pointer attempts. They're letting Amare and Nash work into the lane but the perimeter guys are staying at home to prevent the kickouts.

So while Amare can rack up points and shot attempts, Richardson, Jackson and Marion aren't as productive as they've been. It's really hurt Marion, not because he's a great 3-point shooter but he can get hot and then when defenders rush him, he takes a big jump step to get a much easier 17-footer or runners which are uncontested.

So the Spurs didn't want to contend with Amare and the 3-pointers whereas the Mavs were giving up big points in the paint (including all those layups and short jumpers to Nash) and wide open 3-point shots. Spurs took away one strength, Mavs took away neither.

But the other side is that Spurs role players are shooting above their heads. Guys like Barry are playing much better than they did in the previous series.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon May 30, 2005 11:07 pm

Could be one of the best clutch blocks in NBA history...that was freakin' amazing. And what the hell was Duncan complaining about...that's as clean as it gets.

At least they didn't get swept...now it's not totally embarassing.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon May 30, 2005 11:27 pm

Shooting percentages are more typical of what people might have expected in this series. Spurs shot 3s well enough to stay close but the ugly FT shooting doomed them.

That and the Suns shot well including getting enough 3-point attempts.

They limited Duncan's shot attempts with aggressive doubling. That should continue, along with putting him on the line until he proves he can hit at least 50%.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue May 31, 2005 12:23 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:Could be one of the best clutch blocks in NBA history...that was freakin' amazing. And what the hell was Duncan complaining about...that's as clean as it gets.

At least they didn't get swept...now it's not totally embarassing.

They knew I picked the Spurs in 5. It was a great block but he also had a great elbow to Parker that was not called a few minutes earlier.

If the Suns win game 5 I would not be suprised to see them take it to 7. If it gets to 7 they will win.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue May 31, 2005 1:25 am

You cannot possibly be complaining about the flopping your team is GREAT at. The biggest bunch of sissies I have ever seen. Ginobili is a joke. LOL...but they still are a better team regardless.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue May 31, 2005 2:29 am

Having to repost this... The forum apparently ate my last post and said there was an error when editing it?

dbdynsty25 wrote:You cannot possibly be complaining about the flopping your team is GREAT at. The biggest bunch of sissies I have ever seen. Ginobili is a joke. LOL...but they still are a better team regardless.

A pox on you for the Manu crack. As for the "biggest bunch of sissies you have ever seen" comment apparently you are apparently dazed and confused due to the Suns "W". I do not relate a team of sissies with one that rebounds well and plays defense. The offensive rebounds and second chance points alone kept the Spurs in the game tonight. If by "sissies" you are referring to flopping and complaining then you missed by a longshot.

I could have listed a bunch of other teams but the Utah Jazz so easily came off the top of my head and was such a no-brainer that listing the rest were moot.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue May 31, 2005 3:15 am

Yes I am referring to the flopping and complaining. I've never seen an entire team do it so much. I will say that Stockton/Malone were the masters, but they are no longer in the league, so that leaves us Manu and the rest of the Spurs. And what exactly was Tim Duncan complaining about when he got swatted? Goaltending is about all I can imagine and unless Amare goes through the hoop, it's impossible to get that call on a dunk attempt.

And no, I'm not dazed and confused...I ended that post about the "sissies" by saying they are still a better team that the Suns. I'm not stupid and I know when my favorite team is overmatched. No one rooted for the Nuggets and the Sonics more than I did, because I knew it was going to be VERY difficult to get out of the west if the road was through San Antonio. I just cannot stand watching them flail and flop all over the place. Go ahead and beat the Suns, but do it legitimately...it looked like Manu got shot when Amare kinda pushed him off. Geeze...everytime that guy gets touched it looks like he's trying to win an acting contest. I guess it's the Euro in them...trying to be like a soccer player or something.

Anyway, it was a good game, and Amare just dominated the last 2 min like he's supposed to. Now if they can get that kind of effort for 48 on Wednesday, we'll really have a series.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue May 31, 2005 4:20 am

Go ahead and beat the Suns, but do it legitimately...

The new, kinder, gentler forum poster inside me whipspers to put the 10 foot pole back in the garage and not reply to this.

On to game 5.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:27 am

It's the stupid dotted circle rule. All teams will try to draw charges because if an NBA player gets a running start at the rim, most of the time the only way to stop him is to try to draw the charge.

There isn't a team that doesn't try to draw charges because if they attempted to block those shots, your shotblocker gets in foul trouble.

One thing you have to say though is that Amare gets to play with more contact than just about anyone except Shaq. He's of course very talented and aggressive but he's initiating a lot of the contact when he gathers himself and uses his shoulder to create space before going up with his shot. He also is very active in loose ball situations, trying to trap guards in the back court and such. How many big men get cheap fouls in those situations?

And as many pick and rolls as he's involved in, when is the last time you saw him get one of those cheap offensive fouls they give out to big men trying to screen all the time?

I'm not saying being able to play more aggressively because of favorable officiating is the only reason for his success. But being able to fling that big body around is an advantage. By contrast, Duncan, for a player of his stature, doesn't get nearly the same level of respect. That was always the case when he faced the Lakers.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:34 am

Parker's play on a Amare was a flop. Good no call on the refs part, but I would have called it a blocking foul on France.

Amare's block on TD was sick. And to repeat DB's words, WTF was he claiming for a goaltend?

BTW, Bowen and Manu flop alot, but good defenders do that from time to time.

Bowen is a great one on one defender, and Manu is decent.

But Parker? The guy can't stay in front of his grandma, he NEEDS to flop.

But hey, his g/f is ridicously hot.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:26 am

Javi, notice I never singled Bowen out. That guy is just a good defensive player...that's all there is to it. I appreciate what he does on the defensive end of the floor...Ginobili I do not. That guy just irritates the sh*t out of me.

And BD...that statement came out wrong. I meant, don't try to get all the ticky tack flopping fouls. Don't pretend you got shot when Amare just touches you....and stop your goddamn complaining. I've never seen a team complain as much as the Spurs. You are dominating the series and yet you complain EVERY SINGLE TRIP DOWN THE FLOOR. That's what I meant...not that they weren't playing fair or anything.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:29 am

And what the hell are you talking about Wco...Ginobili purposely cut in front of Amare and then fell with minimal contact (goddamn flopper) in the first minute of the game and Amare was on the bench with 9 min. left in the first quarter with his 2nd foul. Amare gets all kind of ticky tack fouls...watch more Suns games.

You may say he gets away with more contact, but dude gets hammered on the offensive end all day long and they call 'some' of them. No one takes as much abuse as him...remember, he's also going up against guys that have a few inches and some pounds on him every night.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:56 am

I appreciate what he does on the defensive end of the floor...Ginobili I do not. That guy just irritates the sh*t out of me.

I guess he brings something to the court. He just so happens to be is the only player in basketball history to win the European Cup, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA title. He irritates all of the teams he plays against worldwide. You can argue with success and question his tactics all you want. If he was on the Suns you would love him like a brother.

And BD...that statement came out wrong. I meant, don't try to get all the ticky tack flopping fouls. Don't pretend you got shot when Amare just touches you....and stop your goddamn complaining. I've never seen a team complain as much as the Spurs. You are dominating the series and yet you complain EVERY SINGLE TRIP DOWN THE FLOOR. That's what I meant...not that they weren't playing fair or anything.

Yep, you put it in CAPS to show just how strongly you feel. I do not recall any of these "Spurs are the greatest compliners/floppers/crybabies" in the history of time, BEFORE THE SERIES STARTED (wee CAPS are fun). I also do not recall you forwarning us that all this flopping/crying to the officials could possibly be the downfall of the Suns.

Oh well on to game 5...

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Tue May 31, 2005 12:07 pm

Well I've never really had a vested interest in a series against the Spurs...when the Suns played them three years ago...Ginobili was a rookie and didn't play as much.

I also didn't forwarn you about the flopping because I was hoping that the Suns wouldn't have to play the Spurs...

Not to mention, it's not like I brough any of this up when the Suns were getting beat in the first three games. I don't make excuses when my teams get beat by teams that are better than them. This past game was just a nice example of how bush the Spurs are when it comes to over reactions and flopping. Might want to muscle up and stop someone, not flail and flop everytime you get touched.

That's my issue. And I absolutly would not like Manu to be on my team.