| Suns Win Game 2, Amare Shines Authored by J.T. Magee - April 28, 2005 - 1:25 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | 2008-09 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division No division in basketball is deeper than the Southwest. The Hornets, Rockets, Mavericks and Spurs all made the postseason in 2008 and have the personnel to do it again this season.
Grading The Deal: Williams To Cleveland In Three-WayMo Williams just barely outperformed the first year of his new contract, but he gives Cleveland's offense a few more teeth.
 |
Countdown To Take-Off
Over the last few seasons, the Rockets have opened new seasons with skyscraper expectations, only to disappoint over and over again year in and year out. Can this season have a different ending or will this be another year plagued by injuries and turmoil?
|
 |
The Mavs' Problem Child
Josh Howard is a gifted player that is developing and improving all the time, but there is mounting evidence to show that his brain isn’t maturing at the same rate as his game.
|
 |
Mark Your Calendars
We may not know exactly who will be on the court when the season tips off for the Pacers on Oct. 29 against the Pistons, but we have a good idea of what the most interesting matchups will be.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
After scoring just nine points in Game 1, center Amare Stoudamire erupted for a playoff personal high 34 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Memphis Grizzlies 108-103. Marion had his second double-double of the playoffs, scoring 22 points, grabbing 13 boards and swatting 4 shots. Steve Nash added a double-double of his own, scoring 12 points and dishing out 15 assists. Joe Johnson scored 20 points and had 8 rebounds. But none of these players made the game-saving play.
Quentin Richardson, known for his 3-point shooting and head-pounding antics, made the game-saving block on Pau Gasol with less than a minute left. While he is mostly known for his offense, he has really stepped it up when Phoenix has needed defense the most. Coming off his man, ‘Q-Rich’ timed Gasol’s lay-up perfectly, sending the ball away from the key. Marion grabbed the loose ball to seal the deal. While it made for some exciting TV, the Grizzlies are now more confident going back home for games 3 and 4.
Gasol stepped up for Memphis when they needed their superstar the most. He scored 28 points, grabbed 16 rebounds (both personal playoff highs), including 9 offensive rebounds and 5 assists. Effort like this shows that Memphis will not go away quietly, and will prove it against the best team with the best road record in the regular season. Jason Williams scored 21 points, including 3 three-pointers. Brian Cardinal came off the bench to contribute 13 points and 3 steals.
What scared me in this game is that Phoenix had two runs, both at the end of each half, yet only won by five. They went on a 19-4 run to close out the first half and a 14-4 run to close out the second. There’s a problem when the best team in the league can do that and win only by five. Memphis is, to put it in Amare’s words, ‘a scrappy team.’ They will not go away, unless Phoenix can get it in high gear, play great defense and score within their offense. They did a better job of controlling their shot selection, but when they missed, Memphis was able to inch their way back with offensive rebounds and three pointers. While Phoenix wasn’t able to control the tempo as much as they would’ve liked, they made up for it by playing better defense. Although they didn’t get to their season average, they didn’t let Memphis hold a lead for very long. They showed good composure under the pressure, except for griping at the referees. All it takes is one whistle for things to come crashing down for the Suns. Amare came close to getting a technical foul on a ticky-tac blocking foul. He got called for a flagrant foul on Cardinal, and everyone had moans and groans for the ref that made the call on Marion’s shooting foul on Cardinal later on. The refs don’t want a game lost on their whistles, but I don’t think they’re going to put up with that stuff much longer.
The story of the game was Pau Gasol. Phoenix needs to stop him before it gets too late. Memphis plays off how he’s playing. When he gets an offensive putback, they respond to his energy and play better as a cohesive unit. But when he can’t get the shot that he wants off, they tend to become a little passive, trying to get their players shots that normally aren’t there. Phoenix needs to stop Pau to stop the Grizzlies. Someone else, like Mike Miller did in Game 1, could step up. But it’s better them than him. When he got down in the low-block, he took anyone that was guarding him to school. The running hook in the lane. The spin move to the baseline. The drop-step. He played like Memphis was his team. If Phoenix wants to get out of this series without stretching it to 6 or seven games, they need to shut Pau down and run. And run. And run. |
