Spurs-Suns

With the Spurs up 1-0 after winning in Phoenix, last night's game proved to be crucial for the Suns. After the last game Nash called out his teammates for lack of effort and urgency. Last night it looked to me as if the Suns played with a lot more enthusiasm, which translated to a better game overall.

Early on the Spurs showed why they are so good. Offensively they pushed the ball when given the opportunity, thus allowing Michael Finley and Bruce Bowen to get open looks. In addition, this allows Tony Parker to get to the hoop without having to worry about Shawn Marion hounding him. Without seeing Game 1, I don't know if Marion guarded Parker but it looked like a great idea last night. This also allows Steve Nash to guard Bruce Bowen. The Suns need Nash to be rested for their offensive execution. He can't guard Parker and run the entire offense.

San Antonio also showed early why they are so good defensively. They made a conscious effort to sprint back and limit Phoenix's early scoring opportunities. This effectively eliminates almost all of Marion's game and severly hampers Leondro Barbosa. Thus the Spurs led 25-19 at the end of the first quarter. Through this point, the Suns had not dunked once in the series. If you have ever watched Phoenix play, it is clear that Marion and Stoudamire thrive on the dunk in transition or through high pick and roll action with Nashsty Steve.

The Suns open the second quarter with a run in which they score three lay ups, one dunk, and a free throw. The game started to open up for Phoenix. With the Spurs ineffectiveness on offense (missed open shots, wrong people taking shots), the Suns had more opportunities with numbers going the other way. This continued into the third quarter. While Duncan went to work offensively scoring 15 straight points, no one else on San Antonio could do much of anything. Meanwhile the Suns began to figure out their half court offense.

Much of the second half featured the high pick and roll featuring Nash and Amare for Phoenix. San Antonio did a good job early in the game hedging on Nash (making him go up and around rahter than a straight line to the hoop or for a comfortable jumper), but failed after halftime. The Spurs either did not impede Nash, thus allowing him to shoot with ease or assist Amare rolling to the hoop, or they switched. When they switched the screen, the Suns did a magnificent job of recognizing it. Nash then had the advantage and hit the jumper or threw inside for an easy post up.

Stoudamire ended up shooting 10 of 16 from the field, with eight of those field goals coming on dunks or lay ins and they were all assisted. He can't score very well when you just throw the ball to him on the block and let him make a post move. Amare scores when he cuts hard to the hoop or rolls off a pick, which explains while all eight of those field goals were assisted by Nash (six - pick and roll) or Diaw (three - when they run offense through him and Amare cuts).

Steve Kerr pointed out early in the broadcast how Gregg Popovich's defense tries to take away one of the three things Nash does well. They said he either scores, passes out for threes, or passes to Amare for dunks. The Spurs always try to take away the threes, which they did again last night by not helping when Nash penetrates. And up until the 2nd quarter, they also took away the Amare dunks.

The Spurs will not be successful if Nash has 16 assists like he did last night. They must hedge and go under the pick and roll, forcing Nash to shoot. While he can definitely hit the shot, it is a better option than allowing the rest of the Suns to feel confident and get involved. That is how they are dangerous. Meanwhile on offense, the Spurs must run when given the chance. They completely stopped taking advantage of these opportunites. While you don't want to run with the Suns, you do want to run at times. Phoenix is not a great defensive transition team and Manu Ginobli and Parker are most successful when in the open court. The Spurs were too content to pound into Duncan in the half court and let everyone watch.

It will be interesting to see if the Suns can continue to run, play a dominant pick and roll, and have Nash roam freely to find open players or if the Spurs will adjust. Too bad the NBA likes to spread a series out as Game 3 is not until Saturday. Good thing Dana will be out of town. I mean, it doesn't matter, I watch whatever I want.