[fearless]

Was this playoff positioning?

1) The Suns almost certainly will not overtake the Lakers. So while 'the world' sees a tight playoff race, the Suns may not see it that way.
2) After 3 quarters it must have been clear to them that they can have Dallas any time.
3) New Orleans is the team that has had the Suns number. New Orleans is in the number one playoff spot in the western conference.
4) Dallas has a much better shot at beating New Orleans than Denver has. So why not give the Mavs a little help?

[5) Some bad blood between Suns and Nuggets. After two battles between the teams last week. With Carmelo Anthony bating Raja Bell into a technical; quickly followed by another technical for Bell for smiling at the ref.]

Just a thought.

The reason I'm going there is that there was not a moment of anger among the Suns in the 4Q. Normally, if things don't go there way, they use anger to get back in it. Today, nothing.

I have the same feeling about that game. The Suns got outscored 27-9 in the fourth quarter at home! That would never happen naturally, ever. I think it was a give away game.

The thing that always comes to my mind concerning these matters is this: why wouldn't some of these players give a tip to a family member or a friend to take a trip to vegas and make a wager on the game... talk about easy money! Then I wonder how the cumulative effect of this (along with fixed games, etc.) wouldn't break the bank in vegas. Obviously, after all these years things work out fine for the casinos but I don't really see how when there must be fixed games almost everyday in the major sports.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again for the great running account, Dark Horse!

[justbet]

the ones that can actually make a difference are making way too much money to bother risking it gambling

[fearless]

the ones that can actually make a difference are making way too much money to bother risking it gambling

Don't you remember that NBA ref who was caught? Just imagine all the stuff that goes on behind closed doors and is never public.

I don't see why a player can't call up their down on their luck cousin and give them an occasional tip. A guy could make a nice living on such tips....

Can't you imagine player's degenerate gambler family members begging the players for inside info. How could the players refuse? That's one scenario of how could go down.

[Dark Horse]

OK, we're a few minutes into the Spurs game. Could see this one coming a mile ahead. Spurs players flopping all over the place to get Amare a quick two fouls. And they got 'm! Game tied early, but I always look for the two quick fouls on a key scorer/big man as a major indicator of where the game is going. Most of the time you might as well not play the rest of the game.

[Dark Horse]

Absurd zebras. That's the problem with the NBA. First they call a phantom 4th foul in Shaq early in 2H, then they add a phantom 4th foul on Amare a few minutes later. And now the Spurs can pretty much start making layups. Basketball has nothing to do with it.

I think I've seen enough of this sport. The real deal, my friends, is hockey. The refs hardly factor in at all on the ice.

[Dark Horse]

Suns bench stepping up huge. Diaw, Giricek, and Barbosa! 72-68 after 3Q. Ugly game. Nowhere near playoff intensity, but the usual Spurs trickery to get opponents into foul trouble. They even managed to turn former Sun Kurt Thomas into a master flopper. So it's the culture for sure.

Shaq back in for 4Q. Mini hook working to perfection. Suns up 79-70 with 8:32 left. Time out. Wonder what Pop will cook up now. More trickery, or some real basketball?

[Dark Horse]

This game is big for PHX, because this is why the Suns got Shaq. Spurs have no answer for him...

[Dark Horse]

Wow. Suns up 92-73 with under 4 minutes left. To be realistic, Spurs shots are just not falling in 4Q. Suns are making a statement, though.

But let's not forget that the Spurs have had a lot of quarters this year where they couldn't buy a basket. Something not quite right with the Spurs.

[Dark Horse]

Suns have matured with Shaq. I got pissed off (lol), but the Suns kept their cool and took care of business. For the first time since Shaq came to town I'm impressed. This team threw a lot of different looks at the Spurs. And the bench played their best game of the year. Suns 96-79.

[Dark Horse]

Final word to Shaq:
“Even though they gave me four fouls, I just played like I had one foul, ’cause in my heart I feel like I only committed one foul.”

[Dark Horse]

OK, so what did that game mean? Not much. The Spurs were not near playoff intensity.

The two things the Suns can take out of it in their continuing growth are fewer turnovers (yeah!), and much improved play from the bench. Especially Diaw stepped it up. And Giricek is one of those great extras; much, much better than expected.

The Suns can handle the Spurs much more easily with Shaq. But if these teams meet in a playoff series, that series will probably still be close enough to be decided by the zebras. Alas. Such as basketball.

[Dark Horse]

Suns went through the motions against Rockets in 1H. No intensity, 11 turnovers in 1H, and giving up 9 offensive rebounds to smaller Rockets. Probably a combination of coming off win over Spurs and easy win over Rockets a couple of weeks ago. Halftime Houston 59-47. Hard to imagine the Suns would play two halves like this, but maybe they're just taking the day off.

[Dark Horse]

Suns just rolled over today. The weakness of this Suns team is that when they go flat, they don't know how to get out of it. Seen it a few times now. They used to change a game by running, but there was no running game tonight. Houston wanted this more. Suns came to coast. That was all there was to it. *shrug*

15 turnovers on Suns, 5 turnovers on Houston.

Nash 2 for 9, Bell 1 for 6, Hill 1 for 6. How often is that going to happen? I don't think Grant Hill should be a starter. Diaw is much better when he starts, and Hill is too soft and, well, over the hill. There's just no bite to his game.

[Dark Horse]

I no longer see a need to keep track of the Suns progress. It has stalled. They're now just yo-yoing to the end of the regular season. They failed to get themselves a good playoff spot, and could pay heavily in the post season for their soft attitude this past week. A week in which they gave away a game they had won (Dallas), beat the Spurs (clearly the only circled game in their week), and had a letdown against Houston. Right now, they have the look of a tired team. Not surprisingly, given the minutes D'Antoni forces on his starters (and the quality of the opposition!). A team far too willing to back off; as they did in the 4Q against Dallas and the full game against Houston. After the last game Nash commented that they need the desperation of the playoffs to play harder.

To summarize. Suns had a very tough time adjusting to Shaq. People talked about the worst trade in the history of the NBA. The Suns had sacrificed the one thing that made them special: their running game. It took a month. Then things started to fall in place, and glimpses of a stunning potential were seen. Amare at times raised his game to Jordanesque levels. The Suns were showing they could run AND play halfcourt. The defensive rebounding improved significantly, the turnovers that went up with Shaq's arrival (and became the measuring stick of the adjustment period) started to go down. And just where a hopeful fan might expect the breakthrough to true greatness, the Suns stopped caring. The question now could very well be: how much did the rebuilding process take out of them?

Which team will we see in the playoffs? I have no idea. This really was the first season that showed Nash past his prime. Shaq has long been past his prime. Amare is the beast that should roar here. I don't see who could beat the Suns in a 7 game series if they cared every minute of every game. And I don't see who they could beat if they didn't. A cliche? Yes. I just hope the Suns understand it.

Unfortunately, the Eastern conference champion has a ridiculous advantage by the time the NBA finals come around. Whoever that team will be, they will have played one very tough series. The team from the West will most likely have to dig that deep three times before making it to the finals. It isn't enough to have home court advantage in the finals for the very same reason of the level of competition faced?

DH out.

[Dark Horse]

May as well add a little playoff flavor.

Game 1. Spurs series.

Suns outplayed Spurs for most of the game, had the lead the whole way until a few minutes left in regulation, and had every opportunity to win it. But they don't understand that champions don't wait until the game is given to them. Champions just take it.

Twice the Suns had the game won. Twice the Spurs needed a 3-pt shot to get the game to OT. Twice the Suns didn't foul!! Did I miss something? Don't the Suns have Nash? One of the best FT-shooters in the league. And still D'Antoni decided to roll the dice. Not once, but twice. Only to learn that you can't beat the defending champions three times in the same game.

But wait.... The Suns too made a miracle three to tie the game and go to triple OT!! Just one little problem. D'Antoni's genius again. They left too much time on the clock. That was the difference. Clock management. And foul management. Foul management was the theme of the whole game; with the Spurs doing their usual acting job on the Suns big men. This benched Shaq for all but five minutes of the first half, and opened the lanes for easy layups in the second half. Makes me realize how much I respected the Showtime Lakers and Jordan's Bulls. They won because they were better. The Spurs win because they're better at cheating. But the NBA doesn't seem to care, so why would I? Couple of well meant words to newly converted master flopper Kurt Thomas: F*CK YOU!!! ).

Can the Suns come back from this very unnecessary loss? Yes. But if it's a close series, it will be this game that decides it. They almost have to blow out the Spurs for the rest of the series, as they should have in this game. Possible? Anything is. Likely? Not with the coaching edge dramatically to the Spurs.

[SBR Lou]

Twice the Suns had the game won. Twice the Spurs needed a 3-pt shot to get the game to OT. Twice the Suns didn't foul!! Did I miss something? Don't the Suns have Nash? One of the best FT-shooters in the league. And still D'Antoni decided to roll the dice. Not once, but twice. Only to learn that you can't beat the defending champions three times in the same game.

I could live with him not fouling the 1st time, but that was contingent on actually defending behind the arc. Which they failed to do.

Not fouling the second time was arrogance and nothing more. I'm just glad they covered.