Spurs-Suns

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Where'd all the Phoenix fans go ?

8:30 central time..... let's end this soap opera tonight...

[Cassie 8]

Go Phoenix!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbs:

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Go Phoenix!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbs:

[JODO 2]

GO PHOENIX

<----HATES DIRTY PLAYERS

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

Where'd all the Phoenix fans go ?

8:30 central time..... let's end this soap opera tonight...

Hey! I'm here, but afraid! I really really hope the Suns can pull it off with the series, but I'm realistic to know it can go either way. I'm proud that Suns can keep up with the Spurs who are one of the best defensive teams in the league.

I'm scared that if Phoenix doesn't go all the way this year - they may not have the same squad for next year.

[Cassie 8]

Go Phoenix!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbs:

That's my boy!!!!!!

No offense, but pictures of Steve Nash partying won't cause me to stop cheering for him. I'd rather see that then the dirty play San Antonio seems to be resorting to lately. They didn't used to be like that -- I am saying that as a former fan of the team.

Nice try though!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

LOL much better to be losing dirty while pretending you're "clean"....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoAXg2pOG5s

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

This one cracked me up...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

That's my boy!!!!!!

No offense, but pictures of Steve Nash partying won't cause me to stop cheering for him. I'd rather see that then the dirty play San Antonio seems to be resorting to lately. They didn't used to be like that -- I am saying that as a former fan of the team.

Nice try though!

I'm not trying to make you stop cheering for Steve Nash. He's a great player.

But the "dirty" story is a bunch of whining direct from the Suns front office, which was then picked up by the media to hype a game that not too many care about (outside the immediate circle of fans.)

Spurs: NBA's new villains

by: John Hollinger

posted: Wednesday, May 16, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY -- You know what I love about this suspension stuff in the Spurs-Suns series? Finally, the Spurs are the villains. Took 'em long enough.

How long were these guys going to roll up 60-win seasons and make deep playoff marches before somebody got angry about it? Usually a team this successful provokes almost instant, visceral hatred -- think of the Yankees, Lakers and Cowboys of recent times.

Yes, the Spurs are in a pea-sized market, so we're not constantly swarmed by obnoxious Spurs fans. But other small-market teams have provided a lot more animus for the rest of the league. Certainly nobody was a big fan of Oakland's Bash Brothers, for instance, and the Jazz were public enemy No. 1 throughout the West for much of the 1990s.

In this case, however, the Spurs were such nice guys that nobody could get upset about it even while they were getting their brains beat in. David Robinson? Sean Elliott? Steve Kerr? Avery Johnson? It's tough to cast guys like that as the enemy.

So in a way I'd like to thank Robert Horry for giving us something to get riled up over. Even now, the Spurs' case as villains is a bit tenuous -- they don't do the smug, we're-better-than-you thing that's expected from the enemy, and their personalities couldn't possibly be more vanilla. After a decade of dominance, about all they have on their villain resume is a shot to the crotch, a wayward kick and one hard foul.

But sometimes, that's all it takes. After countless years of seeing the Spurs crush all comers, it seems Western Conference fans are finally getting angry about it. Denver fans had it in for Manu Ginobili in the last series; now Bruce Bowen and Horry are the chosen ones in Phoenix. If the Spurs advance, I have no doubt the raucous Utah crowd will have a favorite target, as well.

None of this may matter a wit on the basketball court, but in a weird way it's a good thing for the NBA. The league does best when there's at least one dominant team that everyone either loves or hates, and the decline of the Lakers has left a void in that department the last few years. Maybe San Antonio is finally ready to step up to the plate as the bad guys.

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

All hype aside...a lot of respected players and coaches around the league believe he (bruce bowen) deliberately tries to hurt his opponent. Even one of top executives of the NBA called Bowen about how he appears to place his foot far out in front of himself.

Edited May 18, 2007 by Steven_and_Jinky

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

All hype aside...a lot of respected players and coaches around the league believe he (bruce bowen) deliberately tries to hurt his opponent. Even one of top executives of the NBA called Bowen about how he appears to place his foot far out in front of himself.

And there are plenty of respected players and coaches around the league who *don't* agree with that assessment.

Bowen gets paid to play hard physical defense. And that's what he delivers. This Sports Illustrated article looked at the issue in depth:

Let's say Bowen defends the other team's top scorer each night, and that the scorer attempts 20 shots per game. If Bowen actively contests half those shots, he's looking at 820 times per season (10 shots x 82 games) where he's flying out at his man trying to get a hand in his face. Over the span of five years, that's 4,100 plays.

"How many times has he been accused of [sticking his foot underneath] over that time span? Four or five? Out of [4,000] plays?," the GM notes. "When you look at it like that, it doesn't seem like it's intentional."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writ...tion/index.html

Ultimately, it's the league that gets the final say on flagrant fouls and suspensions. And the NBA has never seen fit to punish Bruce. End of story.

We're having pizza for the game... how 'bout you ?

Edited May 18, 2007 by wife_of_mahmoud

[Jenn! 918]

We're having pizza for the game... how 'bout you ?

I'm making fish. Nothing better than fish and basketball! Woohoo!

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

We're having pizza for the game... how 'bout you ?

I'm making fish. Nothing better than fish and basketball! Woohoo!

Are you eating fish but thinking pizza?

[dalegg 143]

Can someone tell me what's up with those ugly azz Orange uniforms the suns wear?

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

Can someone tell me what's up with those ugly azz Orange uniforms the suns wear?

I like 'em.