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 Suns' New Look No Match for Perfect Pistons
Posted By: Joe Gilmartin |
 The one bright spot of this game was Amare's 31 points. (NBAE Photos) |
They are certainly the most experienced team in the league, with their key players having been together light years longer than anybody else’s. And the kind of togetherness and sure-footedness stood out in sharp contrast to the hesitancy and uncertainty of a Suns team that is less than a week into the brand new look brought about by the Shaq deal.
During this transition period the Suns, whose mantra in the Coach Mike era has been “A shot every seven seconds,” suddenly are hesitating to shoot. And as the team and Shaq work through getting used to each other, the temporary mantra is “A pass every seven seconds” --- and that without whole lot of confidence.
As if this psychological hiccup in what has been the league’s best offense the last several years wasn’t problem enough, the Suns also were suffering from an emotional hangover Sunday. And no, it wasn’t the boos. What it was was an understandable letdown after coming off a weeklong emotional high from the beginning of the Shaq Era.
The addition of The Big Cactus changed the personality of the Suns overnight, and the changes were almost all for the better. But the immediate impact on the offense has been that the Suns are suddenly are having to go through the process of rediscovering who they are (or even exactly who they want to be).
But this rout was by no means all about the adjustments the Suns are having to make on the fly. The fact is the Pistons were virtually flawless in just about every aspect of the game.
They sliced and diced the Suns’ defense down low, were devastating on the perimeter (partly because the slicing and dicing inside created wide open looks), were dominating on the boards, and suffocating defensively. They even outran the Suns.
If you’re looking for a couple of key stats for the team’s offensive woes during this period of adjustment, try these two: The Suns had 19 assists and took only 77 shots (21 of which they more or less heaved up in garbage time (i.e. --- the entire fourth period). Their season averages are 27 and 84.
On the plus side, Amare Stoudemire, who has significantly expanded his offensive range in recent weeks, had 31 points. And if you need a couple of bromides to ease the pain, this was only one game, and there is plenty of time to the Suns and Amare to not only get through the dating phase in their new relationship, but also get engaged, and even married.
The bottom line: Let us give thanks the playoffs don’t start tomorrow.
Comments
G-Low - Los Angeles
Phoenix get used to it. Shaq can no longer make a big enough difference for any team in order for them to have success in the playoff. Remember if it wasn't for Dwayne Wade, the Heat would not have won the championship; Shaq was on the bench at crucial times because he was not reliable. You have now inherited the problems that the Magic had, the Lakers had, and the Heat had: He is suppose to be the most dominant player in basketball; but he never led in rebounding as he should, or in blocked shots. Shaq is a big baby as you(the Suns and all of Phoenix) will soon find out.
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Joe, one word to describe the loss to the Pistons, "EMBARASSING". I have nothing against Di'Antoni, but I have said before, I never thought he adapted well to the flow of the game. Now the question is can he adapt his coaching style to the adjustments the Suns will have to make? The sudden decline in Raja Bells all around game, the mostly pathetic efforts of Diaw, and Barbossa's erratic play have all become glaring problems now that the Suns style has been tweaked. I agree, it's been a wild week, but so are the playoffs. It wouldn't be so upsetting if we lost to Detroit with a good effort, but this just going through the motions can't be tolerated if were serious about contending. Nash, Amare, and Shaq should all be kicking you no what in that locker room after this one.
Ron - Chandler
The SUNS played the CELTICS and played with a 'defensive attitude' and wouldn't back down. Two days later they played the PISTONS and played like 'candies'. Embarassing is the only term I can use for that performance by the SUNS. Thank you Shaq for the 'flagrant foul', it was the only sign that someone was attempting to play defense.
Boris... it is time you play to your potential or you should be benched or traded. We need the SUNS team who showed up and played the CELTICS, Friday night. That is how good you can be and must be to win the championship.
sunsfan - phoenix
okay, the question comes to mind, "what happened". The ingredients for a championship have to be there which are passion, desire, teamwork, attitude even hunger. Booing from fans do not help either. This team takes a lot of criticism from situations like this and all the great players that we give up. It felt like okay this is where we are missing Shawn Marion moments and we kept waiting for that moment for someone to step up or some sort of spark, but no momentum was there especially on our home court. Very unhappy with bench production, we just have a lot of dead weight in players that contribute nothing, marks and piatkowsky to mention. Do question how some of the trades on other teams like the lakers were handled, so little for so much but they got what they needed. Really hope we are able to get a player like brent barry or someone who can definetly be a threat. Still hopeful that is just a work in progress.
shazam - phx
This team needs to find ways to win, thats what makes a champion. We have Shaq now but miss marion. Obviously there are some adjustments needed but in the western conference there's so little room because its so tight. This team will have to find a way win when it counts so far we have not been able to do this. Mr. Sarver should try as hard as he can to get brent barry because other teams want him and are prepared to try and get him.
R.C. - phx
Would help if we did not turn over the ball so much and we know Shaq is Shaq with freethrows. Would like to see Diaw pound the ball a little harder to solidify his shot, or take it to the hole more often. As a fan we would like to see the EFFORT and HEART. The first quarter of the celtics game was unbelieveable, the shots seemed confident in going in but with this game, it my opinion it seemed like everyone was out of sync and unfocused.
kai - the number one phoenix fan and their biggest critic -
okay so here is the breakdown. amare stoudemire carried all of the offensive load onto his shoulders this game. the only people who played well in this game was linton johnson(debut), dj strawberry, amare stoudemire, leandro barbosa.
the rest truly sucked. shaq did not give the effort we saw in the previous two games. Since Shaq joined the suns, steve nash thinks that he doesn't have to try as hard to get his team shots or good assist. his passing since the shaq trade has been abismal. his turnover frequency is out of control. he is supposed to be the leader of this team. if steve nash is playing a hard team such as the lakers, or the detroit pistons, instead of taking his normal break for about 6 minutes every quarter, he could learn to suck it up and stay in the game instead of coming in every now and then and ruining the team chemistry in big games such as these. against easier teams it is no problem but when you are playing big teams at home or away, you should bring your a game. now that marion is gone, there are significantly less dunks and there are more uglier fast breaks. Shaq was a magnificent trade for the suns. he has come in and he has done his rebounding and defensive duties. that is all you should expect of him. nothing more. what does that mean? it means that other than steve nash, other guys have to be scoring in big numbers now that marion is gone.grant hill has been looking poor of late. and raja bell since the begining of this season has lost all credibility as an nba defender in this league. granted he is a great shooter, but his defense has declined vastly this season. furthermore, what is surprising is that the suns still continue to expect him to defend at a high level and score a good 20 points a night for them. Let me tell you, it isn't going to happen against the top 10 western conference teams or the top 4 eastern conference teams. if you want raja to give you good points, you must relieve him of defensive duties. and if you want raja to defend, you must relieve him of offensive dut
patrick - manila, phils
relax phoenix....this is dejavu...i can still remember this was at around the same time that the HEAT on their championship season got totally outplayed by the MAVERICKS on a nationally televised game...that actually proved to be the turning point of their championship run...I dont know...but personally that's what i can see...Hope that the SUNS will turn it around after this major debacle...SHAQ, you know how to do this...you've been here before....tell them what they need to do...step up your game...FANS, all you have to do is BELIEVE....MR. GILMARTIN, nice article...but then again, im looking at this as a positive note...that the SUNS may realize that they're vulnerable....that they still have room for improvements....GUYS in the BLOG, Im open to your comments.....I wish I had the PHOENIX SUNS cellphone numbers and I'll them this...THIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE and THE HEAT TOOK HOME THE TROPHY....Let's see what this loss makes our team....this should bring you more together....IM COUNTING ON IT....
Sherdil Rana - Philippines
I have to say it... The Suns still have to work things out... but it'll come sooner than later. I guess it's like they're learning to ride a bike all over again... as a kid, you are scared and unsure and it takes time... you may fall a couple of times in the process... but, once you learn to roll, you'll never forget it baby!!! and I'm pretty sure the Suns will learn. :-)
Mad - Dallas
All I have to say about the game is ---- We (the fans) didn't see neither heart, passion or effort, and the respect we deserve. The players--Nash, Bell, Shaq---were laughing at the end of the game. If I would had been at the game I would had been booing too or left the game at half time to showing how embarrasing the whole thing was!!!!
Ernie - Sesame Street
chh-hheehh! Someone tell "the big genius" - cactus don't move!!!!
Cassie - Bismarck, ND
SHOCK AND EMBARRASSMENT...the only words to describe how I felt watching the game yesterday. Something I did notice, though, was when Shaq was out we cut the deficit to 8. Coincidence, I think not!!
fdl - WH
you guys should be in the Optimists club. Do you really believe Shaq makes or will make the Suns better than they were the past 2 years? The trade for Shaq was for defense and rebounding. Opponents are scoring how much a game? Fast break points?
Nathan - Illinois
I've been a Shaq fan for ages. He's always been like this the first few games. I can also tell he still "has it". Right now, I think the Phoenix Suns have the best starting six in the HISTORY of basketball. They'll come around soon enough. I grew up on Magic and Bird, and later Jordan. The '87 lakers were always my favorite, but I still think the 2008 Suns have the potential to be even better.
suns08 - phoenix
Good way to look at it Nathan!!! There's definetly some kinks but once its worked out I believe we will be okay
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Okay, we beat the Grizzlies, and believe me, the work in progress continues to struggle. Lets be honest, the Shaq trade didn't cause Memphis last night, and almost every other team we have played this year to score way above team and individual averages. It's defense, we do not play it until it's critical, period. Steve Nash is great, can't do without him, but he couldn't defend me. Same goes for Barbosa, who can't seem to grasp the fact that charging into players is almost always an offense foul. Raja, who seems lost latley, finally knocked down the big shots to seal a win, but what happened to his defense? Look, agree or not Suns needed Shaq or we were dead in the playoffs. This is a team game, and the clock to the playoffs is running. Shaq only patches one hole, we all know our Suns have some more to fill. The talent is all there, it's that darn heart, pride, guts and commitment that are still a question mark.
bill - hoobs, nm
thought this was a bad trade from the beginning,but much too early to tell. it was a big shake up and everybody has to get use to new style of play, strengths and weakness. can they work it out? sure but do they have the patience to all pull together and protect each others back? too often players question each other and the coaches. will be a true test of leadership on this team? who's the leader? i don't know now. STAT, NASH, CACTUS whoever needs to step up now when they are needed. everyone wants to be the leader when things are going good. no one when a leader is really needed. as the big cactus said"i'm just trying to fit in" hmmm.
Antoinette - Phoenix, AZ
All I can say is what kind of fans boo their own team. Aren't you supposed to stick with them no matter what? Aren't you supposed to cheer for them even more they are not doing that well to try to get them to play better... I think that was the embarassment, was the fans. I still say the better fans are the ones on the second floor rather than the ones on the first. Go Suns, you can do it!!! We TRUE fans love you NO MATTER WHAT!!!
JOHN S. - SURPRISE AZ
Wow!! Just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier, along came the Hornets. Are you serious, someone named Pargo, shooting 40% for the season, destroys our no defense, motivation, heart, and/or pride Phoenix Suns. Fellow fans, personally I don't believe in miracles, but if they do exist, we will need one to turn this around. From Chris Paul making Nash look like an amateur on defense, to Di'Antoni's continued mystery reasons for sitting the starting lineup for extended periods, this was a debacle. The Suns have now taken their game one step down from the throne of the elite. What a waste of talent!!!
Losing hope!!! - PHX
WHO IS THIS TEAM ??????? THEY WILL NOT GET IT TOGETHER BY PLAYOFF TIME...BELIEVE THAT. SHAQ IS LOOKING LIKE A BIG MISTAKE RIGHT NOW.
WOW.!!!
HERD - NY
Stevie Nashy Nashy
Don't cut your hair anymore
!!!!!!
Sorry, did not mean to shout
HERD
#13 - Dallas
NBA League pass: $179
Nash, Marion, Amare.........Priceless!
Barbosa, Diaw, Bell: Do us a favor, just stay at home, please.
Advice: Learn how to play defense from the Jazz!
Dish Network: Can I have my money back?
cbs - Queen Creek
I like the trade and we saw potential. Shaq was being Shaq and he still is. He is blocking shots, pulling down a few rebounds, not making any of his free throws, but doing what we wanted him to do. Everyone else is still figuring out themselves. And you can tell from watching them. Steve, who is supposed to lead our team, looks frustrated and tired over the last several games. He has no one to assist too, and I think that is hurting his game. What about acquiring a back up point guard for Steve...why didn't we go after Cassel? Dallas and Boston both have and has only increased their ability to play more of their bench. The best thing the trade has done for our team is allow amare to really shine. He has been our one constants throughout this trade. Boris comes and goes during the game. He could be the all powerfull, or the one who just keeps passing around the basketball. What about Brian SKinner? He was getting some good minutes prior to Shaq and came into the game with Enthusiasm. Where is he? A
nd why doesn't coach take a time out (sooner) when we start getting in a hole? It seems he waits too lonng to call a time out and make a break in the action. Just a few thoughts from a die hard fan that hates seeing the players who were so close to a championship last year and now so far from even making the playoffs.
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