The Post Up: Spurs Steal From The Clippers
While Houston and Utah take care of business.
Good Morning!
The news of the day (at least in my Golden State-infused world), is that Stephen Jackson signed a 3-year extension with the Warriors yesterday. I had originally changed my facebook status to, “Holly is happy Stephen Jackson is locked up in Golden State for 3-years.”
Yeah, had to go back and change that one after thinking about it for a moment.
Very happy for Captain Jack and his extension.
Not so happy to see McGrady go down again last night. “Aggravating his knee” in the second half of the Houston victory over Oklahoma City, who knows what is up with Tracy. Wishing him well, from the Post Up, though.
Roger Mason’s big three to win the game for San Antonio was nice last night. Really pretty shot. I’m 
sure there are only three of you who saw the game, but those of you who did, it was nice, wasn’t it?
The Spurs are so funny to me. Take away Gin, take away Parker and sure they will stumble, but they will also find ways to win the games that they are supposed to.
K.G. suspended for the slap/hit/connection with Bogut’s face on Saturday night. I love K.G., but this was the right decision. After the Calderon taunt, he has been bursting at the seams with intensity, even more so than usual (which I didn’t think was possible, but hey, impossible is nothing, right?), and he definitely has a tendency to go overboard, if not reined in.
Consider this his time-out.
Andrei Kirilenko with back-to-back blocks on Shaquille O’Neal. Kind of makes me sad to see Shaq not have the lift that he used to have. Kind of makes me happy to see Kirilenko have his back.
I don’t really know what to think of the Suns at this point. One game they look good, the next their chemistry seems messed up. I like seeing Amare be the aggressor, I miss the run and gun game. I’m also not entirely sure that they know their thoughts on themselves right now, either. What are yours?
Houston 100 Oklahoma City 89
Things just get rougher for the Thunder as they dropped their eighth straight game last night. While the Rockets took the 100-89 victory over Oklahoma City, they did not leave unscathed as they lost Tracy McGrady to an aggravated knee in the second half and Ron Artest left the game in the final minute with what appeared to be an ankle sprain. McGrady did not return to the game, but it didn’t matter as the Rockets were up six at the half and extended that lead to as many as 19 points in the third. While OKC would come back in the fourth and cut the deficit to single digits with a 14-3 run, they would get no closer than eight as Ron Artest scored 17 points and hauled down 11 rebounds. Yao Ming added 19 points and 12 boards and Luis Scola scored 23. Kevin Durant had 29 points for the Thunder while Jeff Green scored 16 and Russell Westbrook added 14 off of the bench.
Utah 109 Phoenix 97
With Deron looking nice on the sidelines, the Utah Jazz were able to take down the Phoenix Suns last night, 109-97. The win kept them undefeated on their home floor, making their home winning streak the longest in the NBA. While they were without Williams, they had Andrei Kirilenko back and he made his impact felt, blocking consecutive shot attempts by Shaquille O’Neal in the fourth quarter as the Jazz used a 17-2 run to burst to close out what was a tight game. Carlos Boozer and CJ Miles each scored 21 points for the Jazz, with Boozer also grabbing 15 boards. Kirilenko had 19 points off of the bench and Paul Millsap added 11 points and 9 rebounds as well. Amare Stoudemire scored 30 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Suns as Matt Barnes had 19 points and Steve Nash scored 14 to go with 8 assists.
San Antonio 86 LA Clippers 83
Having earned only one victory this season, the Clippers were looking to grab their second against a depleted San Antonio Spurs team. Of course, San Antonio did not envision this happening and although it came down to the final seconds, they were able to close out the Clippers and take another precious win. While the two teams battled throughout the first three quarters, the Spurs were able to go ahead by as many as 11 in the opening minutes of the final quarter thanks to a 9-2 burst to start, but the Clippers quickly came back in the final two minutes of the game, thanks to consecutive baskets from Chris Kaman and a three-pointer from Cuttino Mobley. With the game tied, it was Roger Mason Jr. who drained a three-pointer, with 8.6 on the clock. While the Clippers would get the ball back, Baron Davis would attempt a three that missed everything and the Spurs won their third straight. While Mason was big finishing with 21 points,Tim Duncan’s had a line of 20 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Michael Finley also added 19 points for the Spurs. Kaman had 17 points and 13 rebounds for LA while Mobley scored 18 and Baron Davis added 11 and 8 assists in the loss.
- Game Notes: Spurs at Lakers
- Jordan Flipsyde
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- Fantasy Basketball, Week 16
- All-Star Giveaway!
- The Best to Never Be an All-Star
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- Kaman Replaces Roy on All-Star Team
- Boston Celtics Slammin’ Trivia: A Celebration of Black History Month
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In Steph’s World
Starbury would be king.
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The LeBron and Shaq show starts now!
Are we all in agreement with that now?
Just curious because that was kind of taboo to discuss for a why.
You know, the amazing leap in his productivity based on an increase in pace and talent around him. Not that he wasn’t an all-star, but surefire Hall of Famer?
Cool.
I think I did.
Yes, I am gloating.
They have a great big man rotation, Nash is still a great point guard when he’s not over dribbling and they are playing much more solid on defense. They are a legit contender in the West.
I think Porter needs to incorporate a few more side pick and rolls with Amare and Nash and things will be fine.
I don’t think I’m a hater.
The system is working pretty well so far in New York.
Just saying.
This is a longstanding argument on this site and one I’ve had in many other places. I agree with your point completely, but that hasn’t been the argument on this site and many other places.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter. The Suns have great talent right now. They are deeper, have longer rotations, have backups for Nash, can rebound and can defend.
They are a much more complete team right now than they have been at any time since Nash first got to Phoenix when Joe Johnson was still there.
And I’m tired of people hating on Shawn Marion. What’s funny is that nobody ever hates on Joe Johnson for doing the exact same thing. Weird. People just don’t like Shawn Marion.
I think many, many players in the league can be great if the system is built around their skills. How often does that happen though?
Truly great players appear great no matter what in my opinion.
I think it would be grating on me if somebody else was constantly given credit for my success by the media and fans. That’s what Marion was dealing with. People kept saying that Nash “made” him. They ignored the fact that he had been putting up at least 17 and 10 since his SECOND year in the league! True, he played with some great points like Kidd and Marbury, but he still got his numbers. Nash and the system helped him be more efficient, but I can understand it being a problem being told somebody “made” you.
That’s insulting. His complaint about endorsements seems petty, but I think it’s tied to the fact that he felt like people were downplaying the hard work and effort he gave to be great.
Totally agree, “truly great players appear great no matter what”, but you have to admit you dont see that often a system (D’Antoni’s) so perfect for a player (Nash)!!! Yes, “many players on the league can be great if the system is built around their skills” but how often do you see that??? I think that was the real strenght of the Nash & D’Antoni runaway train… finally some coach able to bring a system just rightly right for his main player (I know, Amare is a beast too)!!! That system even allowed Diaw to shine a bit, thats great adaptation to your players, isn’t it???
Yeah, Shawn seems overly sensitive and weird. You add the media’s constant dickriding of Nash and belitting of Marion’s talent to that mix, and well, it’s going to be volatile.
I’m not absolving Marion of blame, just saying it seems like people give him a lot of grief for not wanting play with the Suns when Joe Johnson did something very similar. Joe got offered a huge contract and told the Suns he’d rather go do his own thing on the ATLANTA HAWKS. Joe Johnson got clowned for a little while, but it died down pretty quickly. Yet, people still seem to make snide remarks about Marion and how he left a great thing.
It’s just strange. I think it’s because people can look at Marion and see that he’s not a really “great” individual player who is going to carry a team. So, fans assume that he should be content to be a role player and get his money. Only, some people aren’t like that. Scottie Pippen had the same damn problems and the Bulls were winning rings!
Some of it is on Marion and some of it is on some other folks.
As I’ve said, I don’t think you can win a championship if you’re constantly outrebounded and can’t get key stops. The Suns haven’t proven otherwise. You guys talk about the run n gun thing but gloss over the lack of d and manhood under the boards. Nash and Amare are terrible defenders. Amare is a below-average rebounder. Those are your two main guys.
Running has never prevented a team from winning a chip, Lakers did that in the 80s. Get real, people.
Are you sure that Joe Johnson was offered more money by Atlanta? I can’t really remember, but I do know that the Larry Bird rule allows the team you’re currently with to pay the most money to resign you. I thought the Suns and Hawks offered Johnson roughly the same amount of money and he said that he just wanted to get out and do his own thing.
Bryan
Terry Porter has said they can run on bad shots and turnovers. He does not believe in quick threes on semi-transition and he’s not fond of quick threes on the break. Raja and Nash have of course gotten used to doing that for years and so they are having trouble adjusting. You’re right that you can run and play halfcour, the Lakers did it years ago with Magic and Kareem. But the Lakers were also very, VERY strong defensively. That led to steals, turnover and bad shots that allow for fast breaks. The Suns are not there yet.
The Suns need to so whining about their coach. This is current team is the one best suited to making it to the Finals. They have everything they need. Now is the time to just shut up and sacrifice. I can’t believe most people don’t see this. Right now is the Suns big shot in my mind. Shaq is still capable, Amare is a beast and they have a deep team.
Nash has to learn to play his game with a center. That’s been the biggest problem. Since Shaq came Nash has struggled to get everyone involved while also getting his points. He needs to concentrate on making Raja better, making Grant Hill and Diaw better.
I agree with your points on Marion, although he’s not garbage.
But, this thing about Terry Porter “holding back” Nash is utter bullcrap.
Did Don Nelson hold back Steve Nash? Because he’s putting up the same numbers now that he put up his last year with Nelson.
The coach is not the problem in this case. The coach is trying to make the Suns into a complete team that can defend and rebound.
I’m not a fan of Porter. I really don’t know much about him. But, I have seen Raja Bell and now Nash complaining about the shots they used to take and the shots they have to take now.
There is a difference between improving shot selection and preventing your team from running. The playoffs have shown that when the game slows down and defense and rebounding are at a premium, the Suns have some issues. Now, you could chalk that up to the fact that the Suns had to face the Spurs multiple years and that was the perfect team to beat them. I think that’s a good point.
But, the fact remains, they had to get better at rebounding and defense. They have done that, and they have a pretty good point differential. I say the Suns players and their fans need to give Porter more time and buy into his system.
We already see in New York that D’Antoni’s system can produce points, but we also see the same problems with rebounds and defense. Nobody thinks the Knicks will have a real shot unless they improve on defense. Sound familiar?
How are you?
This talented guy plays on the worst team in the league, let alone have a WNBA team name.
Poor Kevin. Someone start a fund or something.
The “Lets Get ‘Em a New Name” Charity.
still….we can but watch and enjoy.
I just like the fact that both the Spurs and New Orleans are average (at best) so far this season….makes us Suns fans feel that chances look a little clearer to meet the Lakers in the Western conf. finals.
There’s always one constant during Steve Nash discussions….
_______________________________________________
The finger licking!
…Nash is awesome by the way.
fav. player by far…
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