Let's Get Ready to Rumble...
So let’s get ready to rumble… In the orange corner, the challenger, scoring more points than Brad Pitt on a first date… the Phoenix Suns. And in the silver corner, the champion, hated by grandmothers and puppies everywhere, the San Antonio Spurs…
Just cut me Mick.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
But isn’t that the way it’s being spun? The media is pumping up the first-round duel as a sure-to-be slugfest between a popular team and another that is perceived as getting away with murder last season. Ok, maybe just assault.
While every Suns fans thinks of the Spurs as the team that first bloodied and then hip-checked Steve Nash into the scorer’s table, they also get away with a lot because they are pressuring opponents from the tip-off.
Referees are going to give lenience to a team that starts the game in your face, more than one that kicks their defense into high-gear a quarter into action. The Spurs players are all aware of this bias by officials and that’s why they get credit for playing more physical down the stretch of games -- while other teams play softer.
Coach Mike D’Antoni knows this more than anyone. When asked if he thought the Spurs were dirty, he responded by stating that they had players that were much better at gamesmanship.
“I don’t think they sit down and think about hip-checking a guy with 1.8 seconds left and have guys come off the bench to get thrown out,” D’Antoni said. “I don’t think their definition of gamesmanship is different from ours, they have players that have the ability to be better at it. If we had (Manu) Ginobili on our team, we’d love it.”
It’s true. If Grant Hill was able to get the calls Ginobili does when he pretends to get snagged going over the high pick and roll, Suns fans would be ecstatic. Or if Amaré Stoudemire was able to get Tim Duncan into foul trouble like Duncan has been able to do to him, the media would be praising Stoudemire for his wits as well as his athleticism.
In fact, Stoudemire is a player that could learn the most from the Spurs. Often STAT ends up in foul trouble because he’s scared of getting into foul trouble. By shying away from contact, he gets whistled for ticky-tack fouls, all while getting frustrated beyond belief. Unfortunately, fouls often go against the better-intentioned player, and reward the more aggressive player. But if STAT makes his presence felt early, the refs will maintain their looseness with him later. With Shaq protecting his back, it’s even more incentive for him to be the aggressor.
And don’t underestimate the presence of having a 325-pound paint-plugger in the lane. If you are a 165-pound Tony Parker, you are thinking twice about driving to the hoop and taking punishment from “The Big Aristotle.” And if you are a Spurs big man, you are going to very mindful in the fouls you give to Steve Nash or Leandro Barbosa. Especially when you know the favor could be returned on the other end. It’s like having a national missle program. You don’t ever plan on using it, but everyone else is going to leave you alone because they know you have it.
One guy who won’t be intimidated in this series is Nash.
Can I get mustard with that Nash sandwich?
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
“Having grown up playing hockey and rugby, basketball is nothing in terms of its physicality,” he said. “Even in soccer as a 12-year old there was always an opponent on the other team that would try to break your leg every game. You just become immune to that kind of thing.”
With the likelihood of being guarded by Bruce Bowen, Nash stated that he enjoys playing against him. When asked specifically about whether Bowen was dirty or aggressive, he said that the Spurs guard was both, but that he respected that.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “He does what he has to do to make himself effective.”
Nash maintains that the league has evolved and that the officials have cleaned up a lot of the dirty play. He doesn’t believe that this series will be any dirtier than any other.
But he also left room for doubt by saying, “You never know how it’s going to be. Boys will be boys and tempers flare. It’s emotional.”
So it will be interesting to see how the officials will call this series. Will it be tight? Or will they let them play a little? I would wager that the first few games will be called tight, at least in the beginning, just to make sure there aren’t any shenanigans. At the end of the day, the refs don’t want the stars to be on the bench in the closing minutes anymore than anyone else.
Does that mean there won’t be some scuffling or a cheap shot or two being thrown? I would never say that. After all, it’s the playoffs, and guys are going to try to strike fear into one another.
Just think back to the Lakers-Celtics Finals matchups of the 1980’s. People think of class acts like Larry Bird, Kareem and Magic Johnson. Nearly every game erupted into a bench-clearing brawl, but these guys are remembered as some of the finest human beings to ever lace them up.
I expect the same from this series. The competition will be fierce, and the will to win will be strong, but after last season, I can’t imagine the referees becoming the difference in this series again.
But who knows? Maybe the Suns will get robbed quicker than you can say Tim Donaghy? Or maybe the Suns have learned their lesson and owner Robert Sarver will enlist the help of referee Joey Crawford so he can eject Duncan at a moment’s notice?
One thing is for sure. If Robert Horry should pull an encore performance, D’Antoni’s guys will be ready.
“We’ve got seat belts on the bench, and we are ready to go,” he said smiling.
Comments
kristel velasquez - philippines
This would be an exciting game!
i hope both team will not play dirty hehe...
go suns! GOD BLESS!
J - Los Angeles
Ya the Suns have one hell of a team, but I still got Spurs in 7. Shame I'd love to see the Lakers v Suns in the 3rd round ;)
aris cristobal - philippines (quezon city)
i hope we all learned from our mistakes against the spurs.. if the suns will just focus on the game although it will surely be a tough games, i believe this time they will defeat the defending champs...
Go SUNS. let's get it on...
Chris - Chatham, Ontario
It's playoff time baby! Nash,Stat,Diesel,Hill and the many other talented Suns players are a daunting match-up for any team out there. If Phoenix can overcome our nemesis (Spurs) in the first round, they can go all the way. I was very excited when the Shaq trade was announced but like many others was losing the faith during the first few weeks after the trade when Phoenix was losing games. However, the team is playing much better of late and I'm hoping the playoff atmosphere will ignite the passion for the prize - our destiny.
A Gomez - Phoenix
"hated by grandmothers and puppies"... LMAO... Go Phoenix Suns! I'm hoping for a Suns series win 4-2, Conference Semi's series win 4-2 against Dallas, Conference Finals series win 4-3 versus Lakers, and finally, a NBA Finals series win 4-3 versus Boston.
Wow, if that wouldn't be the greatest line up of teams of all time (outside Jordan's Bulls) to play against and win your first championship, I don't know what would be! Simply AMAZING... Here's hoping for a new page in Phoenix Suns History!
ronnie cuamag - philippines
go idol amare lets show the world suns rules!!!!!so suns!!!!go!!!!!!!2007-2008 champions
deb - dallas
Once again, too little too late. Nash needs to come back in the game earlier and make the shots! Why, oh why, do we not take advantage of those big leads? Come on Suns--get it back! GO SUNS!
Stan - Los Angeles
The League should review all the Flops by the Spurs in the first game, and tell the refs not to call fouls when a Spur hits the floor. Let the Spurs play defense and try to block a shot instead of flopping. What a bunch of floppers the Spurs are. The Suns are clearly a better team than the Spurs, but the refs called fouls when a Spur would flop and Shaq had to sit out most of the game because of that. Amare had to leave the game with 6 fouls from Spur flops. All the Suns big men were in foul trouble because the ref were calling flop-fouls. No wonder fans hate the Spurs, they are the biggest floppers in the league.
griz - san antonio
wow, great game 1. suns are a great team but in the end, SPURS are still the CHAMPS. GO SPURS!!
John S. - Surprise AZ
This one will sting all the way to game 2 on Tuesday. You don't foul and take your chances when were up by three with seconds to go? Please tell me it was a dream and we didn't let the Spurs escape again. It comes down to smart basketball, and Suns make all the mistakes every time it counts. You can almost write the script for these games with San Antonio. Play good, lead all the way, lose in the last seconds on a dumb charge, or failure to foul, missed free throw, take your pick. Tuesday we win or see you next year comes sooner than usual.
al - san antonio
Spurs don't need a bic cactus !! THEY HAVE THE 3 ANIGOS TONY,TIM AND MANU.What away to start our run back to our championship..spurs in a sweep!!!
chickenman - SAS
Regardless of what anyone says about the refs and whether they called for the Spurs or the Suns, the fact remains that two big stars, TP and AS both fouled out at the end. We knew this would be a physical series. One of our sportscasters in SA said we would not leave the ATT Center until 5:30 pm. He almost had it right. This one will go down to the wire, and will be an NBA classic for years to come.
Juan C. Puente - Ft. Worth, Texas
To Stan from Los Angeles: Try not to focus on foul calls and blame the referees for losses. Michael Finley hit a three to tie it in the closing seconds of regulation. Tim Duncan...is that right?...Yes. Tim Duncan hit a three to tie it in the first overtime to go to double overtime. And of course Steve Nash did what he does, hit a three with a few seconds left, but Ginobili did what Ginobili does and hit the winning layup for the Spurs. I don't think the refs had anything to do with any of these plays, except to confirm the threes as threes and the twos as twos. How about the strategy to Hack-a-Shaq that seemed to work to the Spurs' advantage also? The refs called those fouls, but The Big Cactus did not step up and knock them down.
Joevan Santizas - Cebu Philippines (Pasil)
Nash is a smart player. I guess he wouold love being hacked just for the his team's battle.
GO NASH!!!
tj espique - manila philippines
nash is a smart player he knows when to shoot and when not to..from my point of view i might agree less that steve shot be taking early shots bec he first need to make his team feel the game with his passes to make them more comfortable with their shots..nash cant do it alone but he will lead them till the end.. go nash go suns!!
TrackBack Link