| Suns Win Game 6, Series in Instant Classic Authored by J.T. Magee - May 21, 2005 - 12:47 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
‘Home-Heavy Schedule’ Brings Question Marks
The Heat have been plagued by inconsistencies, making it difficult to determine how good they really are this season.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Steve Nash almost had his second triple double of the playoffs, missing it by just one rebound with 39 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. Marion scored 38 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds tolead the Suns. Phoenix was without center Amare Stoudemire for the final seven minutes of the game. Stoudemire, who scored 18 points, got six rebounds and a game-high five turnovers, fouled out with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Phoenix then lost swingman Jim Jackson in overtime, who also fouled out. He finished with 16 points, including 4-7 from beyond the arc, and seven rebounds. Swingman Quentin Richardson had another disappointing game; at least from an offensive stand point. He ended up with 11 points on 4-13 shooting, but had 13 rebounds, three offensive.
Dallas was led by point guard Jason Terry and power forward Dirk Nowitzki. Without Tery in the fourth quarter, Dallas would not have had a chance. He ended up with a team-high 36 points, including 13-25 from the field, 4-7 from beyond the arc and 6-9 from the foul line. Nowitzki finished with 34 points on 9-25 shooting, including 2-5 from the arc, his most in the series. Small forward Josh Howard got off to a good start and finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Reserve Jerry Stackhouse had another good game, scoring 19 points, all but eight of them from the free throw line. Shooting guard Michael Finley andcenter Erick Dampier were no-exsinstent for Dallas. Dampier finished with 13 pints and six rebounds, while Finley scored just seven points on 2-10 shooting.
Phoenix proved that without 3 of their starters, including the injured Joe Johnson, they could win close games. They didn't have STAT for seven minutes and Jackson for the final two minutes. Until Game 5, he was the player Dallas feared most. Maybe they should've just let him dominate them rather than let their former point guard. In games 5 and 6, Stoudemire only had one more rebound than Nash. Nash was absolutely dominant, unstoppable, uncontainable, money and clutch, characteristics you would find in an MVP.
He used the two best offensive weapons, his shot and his drive, to get those five points to send the game into overtime. Then, along with Marion, had their way with the struggling Mavericks, who were not the same team a quarter and and overtime ago. Nowitzki was yelling at Terry for what looked like allowing Nash the game-tying three pointer, when he shouldve stepped up on defense to force Nash to pass it to one of his teammates. But then Nowitzki tried to take things into his own hands, missing his first three shots of overtime and allowing the Suns to build a five-point lead until Stackhouse scored for Dallas.
The Mavericks never fully recovered. Terry made a three-pointer to pull it within two, but Marion made the clinching free throws to ice the game.
Dallas had a great season. As disappointed as they were with the loss, they should only look at the positives. Acquiring three new point guards to replace Nash, one in the middle of the season, is hard for any team to adjust to, but if any team wer to do it, it would be the Mavericks. They also lost two of their better offensive players in Antawn Jamison and Antione Walker, who enjoyed successes of their own. They underwent a coaching change in the middle of the season, even though they were used to Avery Johnson, who was reportedly running practices until Head Coach Don Nelson resigned. Johnson finished with a 22-9 record, not including all the games we subbed in for Nelson when he had his surgery or other personal reasons. They will be one of the teams to reckon with next season. But for now, they can be proud of what they did to get to where they are at, even if they feel short of their goal of winning a championship.
As for Phoenix, they played their hearts out. Only problem is they are playing a San Antonio Spurs team with a healthy Tim Duncan and offensive machine Manu Ginobili. Without Joe Johnson even for one game or two, Phoenix will have to play even harder and execute their style of play to perfection if they want to beat the Spurs. In the two games Duncan played in, they lost. Not a good sign if you are going to have to face him for a possible seven games. The Suns will have to run every single play. That is the only way of beating San Antonio. If any team can do it, its the Suns, but not without Joe Johnson and not if they go cold like they did in Game 2. While the Western Conference Finals wont be as exciting as this series, it will certainly be more important for each team. Both teams will essentially have the exact same starting lineups for next season, unless Phoenix loses Johnson to free agency. If the Spurs win, then the Suns will go into the off season looking to expand their bench even more in hopes of a rematch with the Spurs, but with a different outcome. If the Suns win, then Duncan and co. will change almost nothing except for a player or two and play with revenge on their minds. Either way, it will be a great series. Hopefully, the future style of basketball will overcome the textbook style.
Hopefully, Nash will continue his tear and lead Phoenix to the Finals by running and running and running and running and... |
