Official Spurs-Suns 2008 Playoffs Thread

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Wow that was a complete and utter beatdown. With Authority.

In the inimitable words of Sean Elliott.... "Spankin', shellacking, smackdown, rape, total pwnage, however you want to put it. Bruce Bowen was clinging to Lil Stevie like a cheap suit... he had Nash in a straight jacket the whole game. The Spurs really threw everything at the Suns this time, including the kitchen sink."

Tony was.... well....

"Le Magnifique"

Whoa did you see that shot of Amare just staring up at the basket at the half ? I need to get that pic.

The Suns just fell completely apart under the onslaught. I can't believe how Planet Orange were booing their home team, though -- what a bunch of a-holes.

I smell toast.

Hey now, a little graciousness.

The Spurs have a long way to go.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Hey now, a little graciousness.

The Spurs have a long way to go.

Huh ???? It was Suns fans booing their own team (after enthusiastically cheering for a flagrant foul.) What a bunch of poor sports.

I said yesterday that Phoenix had a decent chance of winning last night. Not my fault they folded -- that's just the cold hard truth. I also agreed that Steve Nash is a classy guy and a great player, and this would be a great series. AND I said the Suns probably should've won Game 1, only they blew it.

I already gave the Suns a lot more respect than their own fans did last night. So I don't know what else you want to hear from me -- that they put on an impressive performance in Game 3 ? It was a beatdown and that's just the truth.

There's still a chance the Suns could go down in NBA history as the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. But yes I *do* smell toast and I'm not the Lone Ranger.

Of course there's a very long way to go to the Finals -- I never said the Spurs will go all the way this year. Guess what -- it was ME again who said there's a whole lot of basketball to be played. Boston is very scary, so are the Lakers, and so is Dallas. I'm not taking ANYthing for granted -- the playoffs are usually full of surprises.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Hey now, a little graciousness.

The Spurs have a long way to go.

Huh ???? It was Suns fans booing their own team (after enthusiastically cheering for a flagrant foul.) What a bunch of poor sports.

I said yesterday that Phoenix had a decent chance of winning last night. Not my fault they folded -- that's just the cold hard truth. I also agreed that Steve Nash is a classy guy and a great player, and this would be a great series. AND I said the Suns probably should've won Game 1, only they blew it.

I already gave the Suns a lot more respect than their own fans did last night. So I don't know what else you want to hear from me -- that they put on an impressive performance in Game 3 ? It was a beatdown and that's just the truth.

There's still a chance the Suns could go down in NBA history as the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit. It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. But yes I *do* smell toast and I'm not the Lone Ranger.

Of course there's a very long way to go to the Finals -- I never said the Spurs will go all the way this year. Guess what -- it was ME again who said there's a whole lot of basketball to be played. Boston is very scary, so are the Lakers, and so is Dallas. I'm not taking ANYthing for granted -- the playoffs are usually full of surprises.

Phoenix does have lame fans, it's true. I'm an old fashioned sports fan and do think that booing is bad form under nearly all circumstances, exceptions including appalling behavior on the part of a player (egregious intentional foul leading to injury, or perhaps throwing at a batter's head in baseball, for example). I sadly agree that the Suns fans' behavior was embarrassing. There are better ways of expressing frustration with a team's disappointing performance--which the Suns certainly have displayed. With the exception of Game 1, the Suns just aren't playing like they want it, and the Spurs most certainly are.

That said, I wouldn't call an opposing team's fans a-holes, for example, while gloating over my team's glorious victory. I would consider it, ironically, bad form. (I admit that I reserve the right of every sports fan from New England to curse the Yankees and everyone who supports them.)

Mentioning that the Spurs have a long way to go was just an economical way of noting that such gleeful trash-talking (perfectly acceptable, by the way) because your team is in a favorable position to win the first round may be a bit premature.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Phoenix does have lame fans, it's true. I'm an old fashioned sports fan and do think that booing is bad form under nearly all circumstances, exceptions including appalling behavior on the part of a player (egregious intentional foul leading to injury, or perhaps throwing at a batter's head in baseball, for example). I sadly agree that the Suns fans' behavior was embarrassing. There are better ways of expressing frustration with a team's disappointing performance--which the Suns certainly have displayed. With the exception of Game 1, the Suns just aren't playing like they want it, and the Spurs most certainly are.

That said, I wouldn't call an opposing team's fans a-holes, for example, while gloating over my team's glorious victory. I would consider it, ironically, bad form. (I admit that I reserve the right of every sports fan from New England to curse the Yankees and everyone who supports them.)

Mentioning that the Spurs have a long way to go was just an economical way of noting that such gleeful trash-talking (perfectly acceptable, by the way) because your team is in a favorable position to win the first round may be a bit premature.

LOL... and they just keep proving my point about being the whiniest fans in the NBA....

LMAO at "gleeful trash-talking" and "gloating." I don't think you even begin to understand what the terms mean. *This* is an example of some trash talk -- Shaq: “The Spurs are a great WNBA team.”' Or "the Spurs symbolize dirty basketball" (a little sample in this very thread which was apparently just fine with you.)

You yourself just called Suns fans "lame" and "embarrassing," but your feathers are all ruffled over *me* calling them a-holes ???

They BOOED their OWN TEAM in the THIRD quarter !!! These are the same hooligans that threw a water bottle at Brent Barry on the court last year. And they're the same jerks who gave Shaq a STANDING OVATION for that flagrant foul on Manu (who just picked himself back up and went on to score 2 free throws.) That's a-hole behavior -- no doubt about it.

If your feelings get so hurt over someone pointing out the obvious, I suggest you stay very very far from national sports commentators this week (not to mention Phoenix' own beat writers.) In fact the whole country is laughing at these bandwagon sore losers having a meltdown -- Van Gundy even put Planet Orange on blast right there "live" during the broadcast, essentially calling 'em idiots on National Tee Vee.

So word up: stop focusing your disappointment and frustration on anything except that which is causing it -- the Suns' inability to play D due to abysmally poor management decisions on personnel, and some very crappy coaching. Like Phoenix' own bloggers are admitting -- the first step is admitting there is a problem:

Game 3 Recap: Eating Crow Edition

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/

"It's not working, is it?" Nash said. "So we should probably adjust."

Jeez do you THINK ?? Or check this out:

At the very least, you wish our sixth man from South America (Leandro Barbosa) could be more like theirs (Ginobili). You wish our French player (Boris Diaw) had the drive and motor of their French player (Tony Parker). You wish our defensive stopper (Raja Bell) were more like their defensive stopper (Bruce Bowen), the one who put Nash through the ringer in Game 3.

But as you look about the Spurs, there are other poignant faces attached to our struggle, such as Kurt Thomas'. The Suns once acquired him as an antidote to Duncan, let him go for cost measures, and then he resurfaced in San Antonio as a defensive option against Shaquille O'Neal.

By the way, Kurt seems very happy to be missed so much.

There also is Brent Barry and Michael Finley, players the Suns courted in recent years when they desperately were trying to keep their championship puzzle intact on the fly and on the cheap, with a constant eye on the budget. They all are symbols for what is happening here in Phoenix, and it's not pretty.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DanBickley/22444

The problems in Phoenix run all the way to bone -- all the way up into the management. It's very strange in a way because Steve Kerr, Alvin Gentry and Vinny Del Negro all worked with Pop and they all got an insider's look at what a strategist he is and how quickly he changes his game plan to react to each situation. But they don't seem to be able to do the same thing.

There's no way Kerr is going to take the fall for the Shaq blunder. That's why I suspect D'Antoni will be looking for a new job this summer. Phoenix better do something fast, because next year could be Nash's last real chance.

This is an even year. The Spurs have never won a championship in an even year. This puts the odds in favor of your fervent desire that they go down. Hey maybe they'll even have an injury too -- so look on the bright side !

Anyway I'm counting on a quality Playoff Show today.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Phoenix does have lame fans, it's true. I'm an old fashioned sports fan and do think that booing is bad form under nearly all circumstances, exceptions including appalling behavior on the part of a player (egregious intentional foul leading to injury, or perhaps throwing at a batter's head in baseball, for example). I sadly agree that the Suns fans' behavior was embarrassing. There are better ways of expressing frustration with a team's disappointing performance--which the Suns certainly have displayed. With the exception of Game 1, the Suns just aren't playing like they want it, and the Spurs most certainly are.

That said, I wouldn't call an opposing team's fans a-holes, for example, while gloating over my team's glorious victory. I would consider it, ironically, bad form. (I admit that I reserve the right of every sports fan from New England to curse the Yankees and everyone who supports them.)

Mentioning that the Spurs have a long way to go was just an economical way of noting that such gleeful trash-talking (perfectly acceptable, by the way) because your team is in a favorable position to win the first round may be a bit premature.

LOL... and they just keep proving my point about being the whiniest fans in the NBA....

LMAO at "gleeful trash-talking" and "gloating." I don't think you even begin to understand what the terms mean. *This* is an example of some trash talk -- Shaq: “The Spurs are a great WNBA team.”' Or "the Spurs symbolize dirty basketball" (a little sample in this very thread which was apparently just fine with you.)

You yourself just called Suns fans "lame" and "embarrassing," but your feathers are all ruffled over *me* calling them a-holes ???

They BOOED their OWN TEAM in the THIRD quarter !!! These are the same hooligans that threw a water bottle at Brent Barry on the court last year. And they're the same jerks who gave Shaq a STANDING OVATION for that flagrant foul on Manu (who just picked himself back up and went on to score 2 free throws.) That's a-hole behavior -- no doubt about it.

If your feelings get so hurt over someone pointing out the obvious, I suggest you stay very very far from national sports commentators this week (not to mention Phoenix' own beat writers.) In fact the whole country is laughing at these bandwagon sore losers having a meltdown -- Van Gundy even put Planet Orange on blast right there "live" during the broadcast, essentially calling 'em idiots on National Tee Vee.

So word up: stop focusing your disappointment and frustration on anything except that which is causing it -- the Suns' inability to play D due to abysmally poor management decisions on personnel, and some very crappy coaching. Like Phoenix' own bloggers are admitting -- the first step is admitting there is a problem:

Game 3 Recap: Eating Crow Edition

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/

"It's not working, is it?" Nash said. "So we should probably adjust."

Jeez do you THINK ?? Or check this out:

At the very least, you wish our sixth man from South America (Leandro Barbosa) could be more like theirs (Ginobili). You wish our French player (Boris Diaw) had the drive and motor of their French player (Tony Parker). You wish our defensive stopper (Raja Bell) were more like their defensive stopper (Bruce Bowen), the one who put Nash through the ringer in Game 3.

But as you look about the Spurs, there are other poignant faces attached to our struggle, such as Kurt Thomas'. The Suns once acquired him as an antidote to Duncan, let him go for cost measures, and then he resurfaced in San Antonio as a defensive option against Shaquille O'Neal.

By the way, Kurt seems very happy to be missed so much.

There also is Brent Barry and Michael Finley, players the Suns courted in recent years when they desperately were trying to keep their championship puzzle intact on the fly and on the cheap, with a constant eye on the budget. They all are symbols for what is happening here in Phoenix, and it's not pretty.

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/DanBickley/22444

The problems in Phoenix run all the way to bone -- all the way up into the management. It's very strange in a way because Steve Kerr, Alvin Gentry and Vinny Del Negro all worked with Pop and they all got an insider's look at what a strategist he is and how quickly he changes his game plan to react to each situation. But they don't seem to be able to do the same thing.

There's no way Kerr is going to take the fall for the Shaq blunder. That's why I suspect D'Antoni will be looking for a new job this summer. Phoenix better do something fast, because next year could be Nash's last real chance.

This is an even year. The Spurs have never won a championship in an even year. This puts the odds in favor of your fervent desire that they go down. Hey maybe they'll even have an injury too -- so look on the bright side !

Anyway I'm counting on a quality Playoff Show today.

*sigh*

Feathers not ruffled.

Condescension not necessary, speaking of trash-talking (I meant yours toward Suns fans--I do understand the concept of trash-talking but thanks for the example). And you're absolutely gloating by anyone's standards.

If there was anything in my posts that suggested I was hurt

(are you kidding me?), I think you're reading them creatively.

I was just trying to chide you a bit because your posts border on the hysterical.

Your approach to posting in forums reminds me a little bit of my combative brother--even though I'm agreeing with you for the most part, you still want to argue with me.

I shall leave you to your gloating and trash talking...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

***Listens to a collective Planet Orange clenching their fists and punching the air while screaming "How does it feel, Spurs fans ????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"***

LOL Ka-Zaaaaaaam

Well shux no brooms for us. That was an absolute blowout. We started off weak and got progressively worse. No contesting of shots, no D -- the Spurs completely took the day off. Finley guarding Amare ?!

Great performance by the Suns, though.... Shaq was hitting his free throws and even mostly remembering not to commit the lane violation.

Meanwhile, strangely enough, Pop was hardly even yelling. He lets our Big 3 sit on the bench for more than a quarter, apparently telling jokes and just watching the Suns run up the score.

Well I guess there was nothing to do but laugh at that point -- the Spurs laid a giant egg.

But I did notice this bright note -- halfway through the 4th quarter, with a 21-point lead and a sea of Spurs' scrubs out on the court, D'Antoni sends Amare and Bell back in to help Diaw (who hadn't been to the bench at all.) I was like whoa -- he actually thinks his team could still lose ! Only a guy in complete terror of the Spurs would risk his stars like that...

And then he gets tossed out for crying that the refs were throwing the game in favor of the Suns

So.... great job by Phoenix -- they saved face and didn't pull a Dallas Mavericks. Actually I think this may be the first time Shaq's been down 3-zip and managed to avoid elimination, but I'll have to double-check. Well done, Suns !

Hope we plan to show up for Game 5. We need to close this out -- we sure don't want to go back to Phoenix. Those Suns fans may start calling in death threats to the hotel again.

Good thing we still have our secret weapon, the Red Rocket

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Yay, Suns! (that's my educated analysis!)

(Are those Shaq underoos?)

Coincidentally, my aforementioned combative brother resembles the Red Rocket, although not quite as tall.

[simple_male 1]

I think, Spurs will win by 4-1. It is interesting that Hawks won 2 home games to cancel out Celtics' 2-0 lead.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Tonight's refs

Joey Crawford, Derrick Stafford and Greg Willard.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Tonight's refs

Joey Crawford, Derrick Stafford and Greg Willard.

Why, that sonofa...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Tonight's refs

Joey Crawford, Derrick Stafford and Greg Willard.

It should be interesting!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I really don't think Crawford would pull anything like that again -- the league threw the book at him for it last time. In fact, I expect squeaky clean officiating tonight

But we better watch out for that Sean Marks -- he looks pretty angry.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I really don't think Crawford would pull anything like that again -- the league threw the book at him for it last time. In fact, I expect squeaky clean officiating tonight

But we better watch out for that Sean Marks -- he looks pretty angry.

I predict Stoudemire will do well tonight.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Some interesting First Half stats:

From the floor -- Spurs 44% Suns 39%

Rebounds -- Spurs 28 Suns 23

Free Throws -- Spurs 12-12 Suns 11-24

Time Outs -- Spurs 6 Suns 5

If the Big Sweaty Cactus would learn how to hit free throws -- ooooo scary.