Archive for the ‘Phoenix Suns’ Category
Monday Morning Gumsmacking
Posted 10 May 2010 — by spechater
Category Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Category Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Slaughter
The four-time champion San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs last night in shocking fashion, being swept 4-0 by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns were able to finally avenge the countless playoff series losses to the Spurs throughout the past decade, winning the last two series games in San Antonio. It would appear the Spurs are officially heading towards the rebuilding stage. Tony Parker definitely has productive years left in him and Ginobili should be able to play at a high level for a couple more years, barring injury. But Timmy D looks to be slowing down and is definitely not the dominate force he used to be. Oh yeah, it’s safe to say that the Richard Jefferson experiment did not work out. Look for the Spurs not to re-sign him when his contract is up. Just not a good fit for the Spurs.
Rage on Rondo!
Can anyone on the Cavs stop Rajon Rondo? So far this series, the answer is a resounding NO. The long-armed PG has by far been the best Celtic in this series, in the playoffs in general. There is no longer a Big 3 in Boston, it is the Big One. He is putting up numbers in this series that your Create-A-Player would have in the old school NBA Live games. Triple doubles are pretty much expected at this point. If the Cavs don’t find a way to stop Rondo from running circles around their defense, they will continue to be relegated to the moniker of “Regular Season Champions”. They must attack him on offense and seriously think about putting LBJ on him. Anthony Parker and Mo Williams ain’t the answer!!!
Someone’s Goin Fishin Soon
The Atlanta Hawks were destroyed in Game 3 by the Orlando Magic, who are 7-0 in the playoffs. And, there is absolutely no indication that this series will not be a sweep. The Hawks are clearly unmatched and have no fight in them. And, this for the team that wants to be considered to be one of the elites for the East. This for a team that had to go to Game 7 to beat a depleted Milwaukee Bucks team in the first round. Personally, I don’t think Mike Woodson is a good coach. He doesn’t seem to be able to motivate these guys. They just don’t respond to him. If the Hawks have any shot of beating the Magic in Game 4, Joe Johnson has to step up.
Where Did He Come From?
Although the Lakers have a commanding 3-0 lead over the Utah Jazz and will win this series, I have been impressed with undrafted free agent Wesley Matthews. Honestly, I never heard of him in college, but this guy works hard and can play ball. He seems like he loves the challenge of guarding Kobe, is active around the basket, and has a nice stroke on the perimeter. His approach to the game fits in well in Jerry Sloan’s system. I guarantee that come contract time, there will be other teams trying to pry him away from Salt Lake City.
NBA Playoffs: (Day 23 Recap)
Posted 09 May 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
After the worst loss in Celtics playoffs history Boston had more then ego to make up for. In Game 2, and 3 the home team was blown out, Game 4 the Celtics became the first home team this series to lead by double digits. But the performance put on by Rajon Rondo was too much for the Cavaliers to handle. 29 points, 18 boards, and 13 dimes. His fourth triple-double of the playoffs and an incredible performance by the Celtics All-Star point guard. Rondo had more rebounds then the other 4 starters combined. Boston also got a huge contribution from Tony Allen who scored a playoff career-high 15 points in 26 spirited minutes.
Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett scored 18 apiece and Pierce continued to struggle, managing only nine points in 31 minutes. Fouls were a constant throughout the game as the both teams combined for 79 free throws. The Cavaliers did not generate a single second-chance point and hauled in only three offensive rebounds. Boston registered 13 second-chance points behind nine offensive boards. LeBron James scored 22 points, but oversharing led to a seven-turnover performance. Shaquille O’Neal added 17 points, his high for this postseason.
A seesaw series tilts back to even as we shift back to Cleveland for Tuesday’s Game 5. The Celtics absolutely needed a win Sunday and got it. While Cleveland still has the homecourt edge, Boston at least guaranteed this series will come back to Boston on Thursday. Series tied 2-2
NBA Playoffs: (Day 21 Recap)
Posted 07 May 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
(Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Coach of the Cavaliers Mike Brown was upset with his teams effort in Game 2, he cursed, and screamed and vowed that the Cavs would play better in Game 3. Well the Cavs played better then better, they were supreme, authoritative, commanding, domineering. Cleveland handed the Celtics the worst playoff loses at home embarrasing them 124-95 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
LeBron James and his right elbow have been the focus of everyone, and in Game 2 he didn’t help to quiet the skeptics about how hurt he was. LeBron’s Game 3 stat line should at last silence all talk of his elbow, 38 points, 8 boards, and 7 dimes. He had 21 in the 1st quarter as the Cavs pulled away early up 36-17 after the 1st. All 5 starters for the Cavs finished in double figures including Delonte West who had 14 points.
The Celtics had based majority of their success on defense, but it was absent early, and only Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo appeared to be present mentally and physically. The Celtics missed 10 of their first 13 shots, hitting just 27 percent in the first quarter. Rondo finished with 18 points and 8 dimes, KG lead all Celtics with 19 points. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for only 18 points.
Cavs lead series 2-1
NBA Playoffs: (Day 19 Recap) Los Suns-Spurs
Posted 05 May 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Category NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Phoenix ran a pick and roll between Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire the entire 4th quarter. The Spurs could not stop it and the Los Suns won 110-102, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs.
Suns owner Robert Sarver issued a statement saying the team would wear “Los Suns” on their jerseys, to celebrate diversity on Cinco de Mayo but also to protest the immigration bill passed by the Arizona legislature and signed by Gov. Jan Brewer. The bill has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and others, including President Barrack Obama, who called it “misguided.” Obama even mentioned the issue at a news conference Wednesday, referring to the series between the Spurs “and Los Suns of Phoenix.” Many thought the Suns would be distracted by the whirlwind surrounding their political statement but their was no sign from the team that it was getting to them. Amare Stoudemire had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Steve Nash and Jason Richardson scored 19 apiece and Grant Hill added 18. Channing Frye made 5 of 6 three pointers and the Suns out rebounded the Spurs 49-37, 18-7 on the offensive boards.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
San Antonio now down 2 games, face an uphill battle that they aren’t familiar with. Tim Duncan had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Richard Jefferson finished with 18 points and 10 boards. Tony Parker added 20 points, and Ginobili had 11 points and 11 assists. The best-of-seven series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday night, and I’m sure Coach Pop will have them prepared. Los Suns lead series 2-0
NBA Playoffs: (Day 17 Recap)
Posted 04 May 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
Category Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
After Game 1 it was obvious that the Celtics could hang with the Cavaliers, but couldn’t keep them contained as they went on a run late to win. In Game 2, it was the same scenario only this time the Celtics lead was large enough to keep the Cavs at bay, holding on to win 104-86,
LeBron James accepted the MVP trophy before the game but was treated to an Olajuwon-Robinson type treatment by Rajon Rondo who had 13 points and 19 dimes, tying a franchise record. Rondo had more assists then the entire Cavs team(17). LeBron may have set the bar too high finishing with 24 points, 7 boards, and 4 dimes. He also was 10 of 15 from the free throw line, the entire Celtics team shot a combined 18 free throws.
Celtics had 6 players in double-figures including 17 points from Rasheed Wallace. Cavaliers had only 3 players to score more then 9, James, Jamison, and Hickson. Mo Williams played a great Game 1, but returned to his normal playoff output with 4 points on 1 of 9 shooting. Boston leads the league in technicals this postseason. “That was our goal,” Rivers joked. “We are an emotional team.”
Celtics now have home-court advantage. Series tied 1-1
NBA Playoffs (Day 13 Recap)
Posted 30 Apr 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs
Category Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs aren’t the normal 7th seed. The Spurs Big 3(Manu,Parker,and Duncan) knew that treating Game 6 like a Game 7 would help to motivate the team to finish off the Dallas Mavericks. Thats exactly what they did. Manu, Parker, and Duncan combined for 53 points and the Spurs came out early with an intensity that was lacking in Game 5. After leading by as much as 22 points the Spurs let the Mavs back in the game, but circled the wagons and pulled out the win 97-87. San Antonio is only the fifth No. 7 seed to win a first-round series, and the first since the opening round became a best-of-7 in 2003.George Hill had 21 points, and now the Spurs face long time playoff rival Phoenix Suns.
Down and Out..Again! (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Before the trade-deadline the Mavericks made a big trade getting Brendan Haywood, and Caron Butler costing owner Mark Cuban an extra $30 million. Two players that were brought in to add toughness, and the pieces they needed to defeat the Lakers. Unfortunately the Mavs might have been looking to far in the future and not concentrating on the team in front of them. Dirk was Dirk, 13 of 21 for 33 points. Butler had 25 points and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois was the only other player in double figures with 16 points. Mark Cuban once again has a long summer ahead of him. Mavs have had 10 seasons of at least 50 wins and only one trip to the Finals to show for it. In many ways the Mavs havent been the same since the Heat came back to beat them in the Finals 4 years ago.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
If I told you that the Phoenix Suns got 10 points, 6 assists and 7 turnovers from Steve Nash, and won the game you wouldn’t believe me. Well in Game 6 on Thursday night thats just what happened. The Suns got 28 points from jason Richardson and 22 from Amare Stoudemire in a series clinching win 99-90. Phoenix is 32-4 this season when Richardson scores at least 20 points. Both Phoenix and Portland attempted 23 threes, while the Suns(12) made just one more then the Blazers(11). Now two old playoff rivals face each other once against the Spurs and Suns face off in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Portland has never won a series that they have trailed 3-2. Portland scared the Sns in Game 1, but was unable to recapture the magic that help them win that game. Brandon Roy had 14 points for the Blazers in his first start of the series. Martell Webster had 19 points for Portland, which failed to advance out of the first round for the second straight year. C Greg Oden was at Portland’s shootaround earlier Thursday. The 7-foot former No. 1 draft pick broke his left kneecap and required season-ending surgery early in December. Oden addressed reporters during Thursday’s shootaround, saying he was not yet doing any court-related workouts
NBA Playoff: (Day 10 Recap)…it keeps going and going….
Posted 26 Apr 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
Category Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
For the fourth game in a row Dwight Howard got in foul trouble, played less then 30 minutes, and the Orlando Magic won. The Magic dominated all four of these games making Charlotte look completely different from the team we saw all season. The pressure of making it to their first playoffs, or Michael Jordan sitting next to you could have been to blame for Charlotes poor offense output. In only 106 minutes Dwight Howard had a playoff leading 20 blocks. The Magic now await the winner of the Hawks-Bucks series which is now tied 2-2.
Photo by Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images)
As disappointing as these Playoffs have been for the Bobcats the future is bright. Michael Jordan is the owner, they have a nice amount of cap space to get a needed point guard and Larry Brown said that he’ll only coach for Bobcats owner Michael Jordan. “I’m not coaching anywhere but Charlotte,” Brown said. “Now am I going to go home and talk to my wife and kids? I’ll be 70 years old with two young kids. Am I going to talk to them and find out what I need to do and am I going to talk to Michael? Yeah, absolutely.”
Continue reading “NBA Playoff: (Day 10 Recap)…it keeps going and going….” »
NBA Playoffs: (Day 8 Recap)
Posted 24 Apr 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
Category Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
The Bobcats are disappointing Michael Jordan and making him look bad in front of his girlfriend. The Magic on the other hand are impressing everyone.
In Game 3, the Magic once again played the majority of the game without their Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard. For some reason Dwight continues to set-up in the post with his arms high, ramming them into poor Tyson Chandlers face, and drawing offensive fouls. For the third straight game and two days after Orlando was assessed $70,000 in fines for complaining about the officiating, Howard played about half the game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. The Magic haven’t looked shaken by the lose of Howard and instead have gotten amazing performances from Jameer Nelson, who finished with 32 points.
The only good news for Charlotte is the crowd of 19,596 was the largest to see the Bobcats in their 5-year-old arena.Magic 3-0
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
Big emotional boost for the Blazers from the return of Brandon Roy who had surgery eight days ago. He scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and the Portland Trail Blazers evened their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns at two games apiece with a 96-87 victory on Saturday. “I just didn’t feel right sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute — so I just had to keep begging coach,” Roy said afterward. McMillan said it was a “long, sleepless night” in deciding to play Roy, the team’s unquestioned leader. He even brought owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, in on the discussion.”All kinds of things went through my head, thinking about the risk of him reinjuring himself,” McMillan said. “But our doctors didn’t feel like Brandon could hurt himself.”
LaMarcus Aldridge was key with 31 points and 11 rebounds. I wish he and Amare Stoudemire who had 26 points, could just play one-on-one for the series. Back to Phoenix for Game 5! Series Tied 2-2
NBA Playoffs: (Day 4 Recap)
Posted 20 Apr 2010 — by Phillip Pyle
Category Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
Category Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trailblazers
- The Milwaukee Bucks are going to need a miracle. Salmons played better in Game 2 but Brandon Jennings went from 34 points in Game 1 to 9 points in Game 2.
- Josh Smith had 21 points, 14 boards and 9 dimes. Atlanta’s last triple-double in a playoff game was by Mookie Blaylock (14 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) in 1994
- Look for Milwaukee to gain confidence from the Home crowd, but sadly the Bucks are nearing summer vacation
- Hawks played everyone but Jason Collins for the second game in a row, that’s funny.
- Hawks won a Game 2 for the first time since a best-of-five series against Detroit in the opening round of the 1999 playoffs. Hawks 2-0
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
- No KG for the Celtics, no problem. Ray Allen shoots 7-9 from long range finishing with 25. The “Ticket Stub” Glen Davis fumbled to the rim for 23 points.
- Celtics have won the last three games they played against the Heat without Garnett.
- The Heat aren’t making a good case to keep Dwayne Wade in Miami. Every Heat player not named Dwayne shot 18-59! Wade finished with 29 points on 11-18 shooting.
- Boston outrebounded Miami 60-37
- In the first half the Heat had just one offensive rebound and took just four free throws while Boston tried 16. Celtics 2-0
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
- Grant Hill and Jason Richardson combined for 21-27 shooting for 49 points. They are a combined 66 in age.
- Steve Nash ad 13 points and 16 assists, 12 at the half.
- Suns have not lost two in a row since Jan. 26
- Blazers need a good dose of the Rose Garden to reclaim the magic from the first game. Marcus Camby blew easy layups and Andre Miller finished with 16 points after getting 31 in Game 1. Suns-1/Blazers-1
- Kobe seemed determine to put on a show, maybe it was the critics or his Dad sitting court side. Kobe had 39 points in a game the Lakers were trying to lose.
- Ron Artest’s defense on Kevin Durant was stellar once again, but he has to start making open jumpers, going 2-10 from the field with 5 points.
- Pau Gasol was nearly unstoppable with 25 points and 12 assists.
- Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 19, making all eight of his free throws.
- Thunder squandered points early on missed dunks, and layups. Heading home will be comforting but alas, the end is near for the Thunder. Lakers 2-0
