Calling out Strike

[Greedo 13]

Oops!!

 

Suns still 2%? Or are they up to 5% now?

 

Still a tough series looming against the Spurs, but I like their chances in a 7 game series against everyone else left.

[Yer mom 2]

[Strike 3,979]

Oops!!

 

Suns still 2%? Or are they up to 5% now?

 

Still a tough series looming against the Spurs, but I like their chances in a 7 game series against everyone else left.

 

dude, they beat a Laker team with three starters nowhere near 100%, and they still lost a game. If the Lakers had been anywhere near healthy Phoenix might have lost game one as well. We'll see what happens in the rest of the playoffs but beating a wounded Laker's team isn't that much of an accomplishment. The Lakers had like 1 win against a playoff team over the last two months of the season.

[Giants Fan 85]

Suns are gonna win it all.

 

[Strike 3,979]

Bump. Still at 2%.

[Giants Fan 85]

You taking bets at 50-1?????

 

I'm in for a 1 month sig bet!

[Strike 3,979]

You taking bets at 50-1?????

 

I'm in for a 1 month sig bet!

 

How about some play chips?

[Strike 3,979]

Wow, I guess my 2% prediction was giving Phoenix too much credit

 

I owned the Suns on this bored this year

[Day Old Doughnut 0]

Wow, I guess my 2% prediction was giving Phoenix too much credit

 

I owned the Suns on this bored this year

 

I lived in the Austin/San Antonio area for many years, so I'm a Spurs fan and thrilled to see them move on. That being said I don't really see how you're giving yourself credit for too much. Anyone that knows anything about basketball knows the Suns give the Spurs one heck of a series. They won a tough Game 4 and went toe to toe with the Spurs in Game 5 without one of the best players and a sensational role player. I fell fortunate the Spurs are moving on.

 

Long story short, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You look rather foolish honestly.

[Strike 3,979]

I lived in the Austin/San Antonio area for many years, so I'm a Spurs fan and thrilled to see them move on. That being said I don't really see how you're giving yourself credit for too much. Anyone that knows anything about basketball knows the Suns give the Spurs one heck of a series. They won a tough Game 4 and went toe to toe with the Spurs in Game 5 without one of the best players and a sensational role player. I fell fortunate the Spurs are moving on.

 

Long story short, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back. You look rather foolish honestly.

 

The Suns get spanked every year in the playoffs. Their style of basketball is not winning basketball in the playoffs. How close did they come to losing to a bad Lakers team last year in the first round? Wow, they made it look a little better this year. Nice. When a team plays that style and actually wins an NBA title tell me I'm wrong. In your own words, "anyone that knows anything about basketball" knows that style of basketball is very entertaining and wins a lot of games in the regular season, but doesn't take you to the promised land. It didn't work for Doug Moe, it hasn't worked for Don Nelson, and it hasn't worked for Phoenix since D'antoni has been there. And I've said it all year so yes I will pat myself on the back for making a call 6 months ago, not wavering from that opinion, and having it turn out to be true.

 

[Day Old Doughnut 0]

Again, you're making it sound as though Phoenix was dominated in this series and that couldn't be further from the truth. I would liked to have seen the Suns have all of their players in Game 5 because everyone will think this was a tainted series win. There's no denying that Thomas was a liability for the Suns in Game 5 and the way Amare has dominated the Spurs in recent playoff series who knows what would have happened. I don't know what angst you have against the Suns and I don't really care. All I know is the Suns are a young team for the most part and will only get better. They'll return everyone of significance next year plus get a high draft pick this year. The Suns will be tough for many years to come and will eventually make it to the Finals if all the major players stay on the team.

[Toro 1]

Strike is fat.

 

Not that it adds anything to the conversation, but I love the fact that he is a fat loser.

 

[IGotWorms 3,315]

Anyone think Utah has a chance against San Antonio?

[Day Old Doughnut 0]

Anyone think Utah has a chance against San Antonio?

 

I think they have a chance, but I see the Spurs winning this in six. Boozer needs to have a really good series and Williams needs to continue playing well. The only chance Utah has of winning this series is if they steal one of the first two games.

[Strike 3,979]

Again, you're making it sound as though Phoenix was dominated in this series and that couldn't be further from the truth. I would liked to have seen the Suns have all of their players in Game 5 because everyone will think this was a tainted series win. There's no denying that Thomas was a liability for the Suns in Game 5 and the way Amare has dominated the Spurs in recent playoff series who knows what would have happened. I don't know what angst you have against the Suns and I don't really care. All I know is the Suns are a young team for the most part and will only get better. They'll return everyone of significance next year plus get a high draft pick this year. The Suns will be tough for many years to come and will eventually make it to the Finals if all the major players stay on the team.

 

You keep thinking that. Nash is 33 years old and already has back problems. As great as he is on the offensive end he's a defensive liability and that will one increase for the next few years until he retires. He knows he has a short window to win a championship and it's closing. The Suns were essentially injury free this year. That's not likely to happen every year. Again, that style doesn't tend to get far in the playoffs. They're a bit better than some teams that play that style because Amare does give them some semblance of an inside game. At the end of the day what they did this year is about what to expect on a yearly basis. As far as any "angst" I have for the Suns, I have none. I like Steve Nash and many of the players on the team. It's fun to watch them play because it's such a free style of play. Just because I understand Basketball and why they're not likely to progress far in the playoffs playing that style doesn't mean I have some personal angst against the team.

 

Strike is fat.

 

Not that it adds anything to the conversation, but I love the fact that he is a fat loser.

 

 

This is funny coming from you

[IGotWorms 3,315]

I think they have a chance, but I see the Spurs winning this in six. Boozer needs to have a really good series and Williams needs to continue playing well. The only chance Utah has of winning this series is if they steal one of the first two games.

 

I dunno. With all the experience the Spurs have, I just can't see Utah winning under any circumstances.

 

There are matchup issues as well. Can Carlos guard Tim Duncan effectively, AND stay out of foul trouble? Can Deron Williams possibly keep up with Tony Parker's quickness?

 

I would be glad if they could push it to six. Hope I'm wrong though.

[Eagles Green 34]

Robert Horry was the MVP of this series.

[Strike 3,979]

Anyone think Utah has a chance against San Antonio?

 

I think they have a chance. They're playing great basketball and have one of the best coaches the NBA has ever seen. Boozer is going to have trouble going against Duncan. Much of their offense was generated through Boozer in the previous rounds so it will be interesting to see how Utah deals with the fact that he will not be double teamed and may have trouble scoring. The rest of the team will have to step up big. Utah has ways they can cause SA problems too though. Okur can take SA's centers outside, somewhere SA's big guys don't like to be. I'm really looking forward to this series. I do think SA will win it, if only because of their experience this deep in the playoffs. I have no prediction on number of games though. Utah could be surprising and make a series of it or SA could come out and just be superior at every position and win it fairly easily.

 

Robert Horry was the MVP of this series.

 

He did that AND got two games off. He's a smart, smart man

[Day Old Doughnut 0]

You keep thinking that. Nash is 33 years old and already has back problems. As great as he is on the offensive end he's a defensive liability and that will one increase for the next few years until he retires. He knows he has a short window to win a championship and it's closing. The Suns were essentially injury free this year. That's not likely to happen every year. Again, that style doesn't tend to get far in the playoffs. They're a bit better than some teams that play that style because Amare does give them some semblance of an inside game. At the end of the day what they did this year is about what to expect on a yearly basis. As far as any "angst" I have for the Suns, I have none. I like Steve Nash and many of the players on the team. It's fun to watch them play because it's such a free style of play. Just because I understand Basketball and why they're not likely to progress far in the playoffs playing that style doesn't mean I have some personal angst against the team.

This is funny coming from you

 

Their "style" got them to the conference finals last year without their best inside player and this year they ran into arguably the best team in the league. I don't see anyone beating the Spurs. I don't see anyone beating the Suns except for the Spurs, but whatever. LIke I said, I wouldn't pat yourself too much because anyone that watched this series knows that the Suns gave the Spurs everything they could want. The Suns will be just as good and probably better next year.

 

Anyway, that series is done and I'm ready for Sunday.

[Strike 3,979]

Their "style" got them to the conference finals last year without their best inside player and this year they ran into arguably the best team in the league. I don't see anyone beating the Spurs. I don't see anyone beating the Suns except for the Spurs, but whatever. LIke I said, I wouldn't pat yourself too much because anyone that watched this series knows that the Suns gave the Spurs everything they could want. The Suns will be just as good and probably better next year.

 

Anyway, that series is done and I'm ready for Sunday.

 

They only got to the conf. finals last year because of the NBA's screwed up seeding system that had the two best teams playing each other in the semifinals. Had the seeding been as it is this year Phoenix would have gotten bounced in the semi's again. As far as nooone else beating the Suns, how about Dallas? Dallas beat them last year didn't they and were a better team this year than last year. Dallas may not look that great considering their first round exit but I suspect they'd beat Phoenix right now if the two teams played.

[Day Old Doughnut 0]

They only got to the conf. finals last year because of the NBA's screwed up seeding system that had the two best teams playing each other in the semifinals. Had the seeding been as it is this year Phoenix would have gotten bounced in the semi's again. As far as nooone else beating the Suns, how about Dallas? Dallas beat them last year didn't they and were a better team this year than last year. Dallas may not look that great considering their first round exit but I suspect they'd beat Phoenix right now if the two teams played.

 

And who wasn't playing for the Suns last year? Just a player that has absolutely dominated Dallas every time he's played against them. Diaw played great last year, but he wasn't Amare. And the Suns split with Dallas this year with the last game being an absolute blow out.

[Strike 3,979]

And who wasn't playing for the Suns last year? Just a player that has absolutely dominated Dallas every time he's played against them. Diaw played great last year, but he wasn't Amare. And the Suns split with Dallas this year with the last game being an absolute blow out.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, and "anyone who knows anything about basketball" knows this. The playoffs are different than the regular season. In the regular season you don't get time to game plan for specific teams. You pretty much go out and play the way you play, make a couple minor adjustments, and try to win. In the playoffs you come up with a specific gameplan for a team, and refine that game plan each game as you find out what works and what doesn't. It's one of the reasons a team like Phoenix can win a lot of games in the regular season and then get bounced in the playoffs. It's why styles don't matter that much in the regular season but matter a bunch in the playoffs. It's why a great coach like Don Nelson can come up with a game plan against a team like Dallas, and unless Dallas counters it they lose even after dominating the league in the regular season. However, teams like Phoenix and GS can do that for a round or two but eventually they'll come up against a coach that game plans against their style better than they can against a style such as SA. Do you really think it's a coincidence that the teams that go the farthest in the playoffs have so many similarities, year in and year out? And those similiarities don't include jacking up a million three pointers, running up and down the court all game, and considering defense a secondary part of the game? It's not a coincidence.

[Foghorn Leghorn 0]

Anyone think Utah has a chance against San Antonio?

 

I think that their best bet is to match someone other than Boozer up on Duncan on defence. Duncan draws a ton of fouls, and having Boozer in foul trouble would be a fatal blow for any Jazz chances. Can Okur and/or Collins defend Duncan?

[Voltaire 4,563]

For all Phoenix's regular season success they never do anything in the postseason. I can't say their style of play is doomed to postseason failure but the fact remains it has never worked against quality opponents (well GS vs Dallas this year ) . Sadly, their opportunity to get that monkey off their back was denied them by the NBA over those BS suspensions. Would they have won? Who knows, but the end result is another year of accomplishing nothing for Phoenix.

[JT 137]

I think that their best bet is to match someone other than Boozer up on Duncan on defence. Duncan draws a ton of fouls, and having Boozer in foul trouble would be a fatal blow for any Jazz chances. Can Okur and/or Collins defend Duncan?

 

Okur can't, and Collins is such an offensive liability that they can't afford to have him on the floor any more than necessary. Not that he'll have any more success against Duncan than anyone else does. It's a big problem for Utah, and the reason that Duncan is so tough. He can beat you from 15 feet in, back to the hoop or facing up. He's also a much better passer than most realize, and they have guys that will take and make open shots. Parker's improved shot from 18-20 ft has made that team a nightmare to play.

 

Detroit, because of the versatility and depth of their bigs, is the only team left with a chance vs San Antonio. At that, the Pistons need Webber to play MUCH better than he has of late, and for Wallace to at least flirt with the idea of posting up once or twice a game instead of camping out at the 3 pt line all night. Prince is always the wild card in any Detroit series. He's one of the most difficult matchups in the league on both ends of the floor.

 

I got sucked into Phoenix this year. As noted ad nauseum earlier in the thread, playoff hoops is a different animal. My take coming in was that if the Suns were ever going to do it, this was the year. That nucleus of young players is going to be tough to keep together, and Nash isn't getting any younger.