| Suns Lose Game 3, Facing Elimination Authored by J.T. Magee - May 29, 2005 - 10:49 pm
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San Antonio picked it up on the defensive end, shutting out MVP Steve Nash and the Suns' chances as they beat them 102-92. The Spurs held Phoenix to just 10 second quarter points, the lowest output all season for the Suns. Phoenix made an 8-0 run to bring the game within 10 points in the fourth quarter. They got the score within seven, but when Spurs' Head Coach Greg Popovich brought Tony Parker back in, they never got closer.
Nash scored 20 points but dished out a playoff-low 3 assists. Center Amare Stoudemire led the way with a game-high 34 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks. Guard Joe Johnson, making his first appearance in the series and in six games, finished with 15 points, including 2 of 3 from the arc, and 3 steals. Swingman Quentin Richardson had another bad game, ending up with 13 points and six rebounds. Those were the only Suns to score in double figures. Forward Shawn Marion finished with six points, nine rebounds (five offensive) and two steals. The only Suns who came off the bench, Jim Jackson and Steven Hunter, finished with a combined four points, five rebounds and one assist on 2 of 7 shooting.
San Antonio, on the other hand, got 18 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. The bench players shot just 7 for 19 from the field, but made five three pointers. All-NBA first team member Tim Duncan, who ended with a team-high 33 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks, led the Spurs. The most impressive feat for him was shooting 15-15 from the free throw line. All-NBA second team member Manu Ginobili scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and got 4 steals. The most unstoppable player on the team, Tony Parker, scored 18 points and dished out seven assists. Almost all of his field goals were lay ups.
San Antonio, the team with the best home record in the regular season, knew what they had to do: stop the best road team from coming in and taking one away. They did so with great help defense, making Phoenix use most of the shot clock, something they don't like to do. Nash was still able to get into the lane, but the Spurs played good defense by not immediately going straight to Nash, instead covering the Suns' three point shooters. They also held them to 44% shooting. Good for most teams, but Phoenix wins when they get on the break and get easy baskets, or high percentage shots. San Antonio played like they wanted to go to the Finals and close this series out. Phoenix never played with a sense of urgency, which showed when they let the Spurs open up the game in the second quarter.
The Suns should've realized something before they came into San Antonio: in pressure situations, great teams step up, while the pretenders start to fade. I'm not saying that Phoenix is a bad team. They are a really, really exceptional team. They are the best team in the NBA at getting on the break and playing their style. But they didn't play like they were in the Western Conference Finals. Great teams make adjustments when they lose. Phoenix can't because they are one-dimensional. They weren't able to because they can't stop Tim Duncan. They become a great team when they force the opposition into bad shots and play defense. But they play defense only when they want to.
Proof of this was the fourth quarter. When they went on the run that made the game a game, they forced San Antonio into bad decisions and went on the break. But their biggest problem was that they were trying to stop the wrong player. For three games, Duncan has played great, but Tony Parker is the reason the Spurs are up 3 games to none.
Nash can't stop Parker. The Suns realize this but they haven't done anything about it. They put Joe Johnson on him, but parker is simply too fast for him. The one player that has a remote chance of stopping Parker is Leandrinho (or Leandro) Barbosa. He has not been brought off the bench for the past two games, but he will produce on defense if he were to guard Parker. He also has a little bit to prove. The Spurs traded the rights to him to Phoenix for a future first rounder, which turned into the New York Knicks' second first rounder. Barbosa can play, but when he gets spotty minutes, he never gains the confidence to play to his potential. One way he'd be able to get into the game is by Head Coach Mike D'Antoni benching Richardson, who has simply not played well enough to deserve playing time. He can stretch out the defense, but San Antonio has nothing to worry about when he's on the floor because he just stands behind the three-point line. The only time he goes to the basket is either on an alley-oop or when he gets the opponent up in the air, creating a lane for him to drive in. If Barbosa were to come in, he could guard Parker while Nash switched to small forward Bruce Bowen, whose only offense in the corner behind the arc.
Phoenix has a chance to come back and win Game 4, but do have enough to become the first team in NBA history to come back from three games down to win a series?
The only pro sports team that has done it is the Boston Red Sox, but they had 86 years of bad luck on their side. Maybe Phoenix needs to channel some of that into the SBC Center. Otherwise, they will be watching the Finals on their couches. |
