Suns ready to change history against Spurs
The Suns can talk all they want about how only a handful of players on the current roster were part of the epic postseason battles with the Spurs -- all heartbreaking losses for Phoenix in the Steve Nash era. The history is so rich, the wounds still so raw, that by the time Game 1 of their conference semifinals series tips off Monday night, everyone will be indoctrinated.
If not before tipoff, then immediately afterward. The Suns and Spurs are like two combustible chemicals. You mix them together in the postseason, and you better get out of the way.
Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and Grant Hill are the lone Suns who were part of the 4-1 loss to San Antonio in the first round two years ago. Nash, Stoudemire and Barbosa are the last Suns standing from the two previous postseason losses to the Spurs -- 4-2 in the 2007 conference semis and 4-1 in the '05 conference finals.
From Joe Johnson's absence with a broken face ('05) to Nash's bloody beak and the controversial suspensions of Stoudemire and Boris Diaw ('07) to the unraveling of the Shaquille O'Neal experiment ('09), there has been no shortage of drama. Well, drama if you're the Spurs. Nausea if you're the Suns.
"We've got a bunch of new faces, guys that weren't in those heated battles and testy moments and things like that," Hill said. "And so it's almost like when I got to Detroit, I knew of the Pistons and the Bulls rivalry, but that was before I got there. It'd be great for the organization, great for the fans. But I don't think the guys in the locker room look at it quite the same way."
Oh, they will when it's all over. This figures to be yet another memorable series, and a more closely contested one than the previous three.
It will be the third time in the past four matchups in which the Suns have home-court advantage. In '05, they lost the first two games of the series at home and never recovered. Two home losses doomed them again in '07. In '08, they had the Spurs dead to rights in Game 1 at San Antonio -- until Tim Duncan drilled, of all things, a 3-pointer to deflate Phoenix in the cruelest of ways.
Is this the year it ends differently for the Suns? If ever there was a time, this would be it. The Suns entered the postseason hotter than any team in the league, and they're deeper and better defensively than in any of the previous seasons when the Spurs stood in the way. I don't necessarily buy that this series means more to the Suns because of the revenge factor, but it's worth noting that San Antonio just finished off its bitter rival, Dallas. The Spurs don't view the Suns as a rival, and why should they? They just keep beating them again and again, in that boring yet ruthlessly efficient San Antonio way.
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Series matchup: No. 3 Suns vs. No. 7 Spurs |
It's difficult to imagine two teams more closely matched and yet so drastically different in how they play. Which is only part of the reason it will be so much fun to watch.
2. Suns (54-28) vs. 7. Spurs (50-32)
Regular season: Suns won, 2-1.
First round: Suns beat Trail Blazers 4-2; Spurs beat Mavericks 4-2.
Key stats
Suns: Jason Richardson was a huge factor in the Portland series and has been a major reason the Suns went into the playoffs on such a roll, winning 28 of 35 games. Richardson made almost as many 3-pointers in 29 games after the All-Star break (72) as he did in 50 games prior (85). He averaged 14.3 points in three games against the Spurs this season.
Spurs: With 29 points in Game 4 against Dallas, George Hill became the first player not named Duncan, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili to lead the Spurs in scoring in a playoff game since the first round in 2007 -- a span of 41 playoff games.
Key players
Suns: Nash. Duh. The two-time MVP still makes the Suns' engine purr, even though they don't run nearly as much as they used to. But there's legitimate concern about Nash's sore back and hip spasms that made him ineffective in the clinching game against Portland (2 for 7 FGs, seven turnovers). Phoenix can't win the series without a healthy and effective Nash, because everything starts with him and he's that good.
Spurs: Duncan. While it was Ginobili that carried the Spurs down the regular-season stretch and for most of the Dallas series, the Spurs will now turn to the Big Fundamental to take them deeper into the postseason. Duncan will see the lumbering Jarron Collins early in games, but in crunch time, it'll be Duncan vs. Stoudemire -- guile vs. sheer athleticism. If Duncan can make Stoudemire work harder than he wants to on the defensive end, it'll help him take advantage of Amar'e at key moments when the Spurs absolutely need a basket.
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| Manu Ginobili might not have much left on offense if he must defend Jason Richardson. (Getty Images) |
Subplots: Can the Suns finally get past the Spurs? Are the Spurs poised for one more championship run, and if not, would the basketball gods let the Suns end it for them? Is Stoudemire staying or going, and what role will the outcome of this series play in his decision -- and the organization's?
Berger's take: As intriguing as this series is from a historical perspective, with all the bad blood and epic disappointments for Phoenix, it's just as interesting because of the matchups. The Spurs are more experienced (or just say it, they're old) and are more sophisticated in what they do on both ends of the floor. The Suns are more athletic, deeper and have a hot gunslinger (Richardson) and freakish interior force (Stoudemire) who can do a lot of damage. And while nobody will confuse the Suns' half-court defense for San Antonio's, Phoenix is a more determined defensive team than any of those that suffered past playoff defeats to the Spurs.
The importance of Nash being healthy and effective simply cannot be overstated. But assuming Nash will be Nash, the most dramatic moments of the series will be late in games when Duncan and Stoudemire go mano a mano. In order to get to that point, the Spurs will have to find a way to keep up with Phoenix's bench, which is deeper and more athletic than the Spurs'. Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley always seem to cause havoc when they're on the floor, and Channing Frye is a key safety valve in the offense with his 3-point shooting.
While the Suns like to downplay the history, the reality is that Phoenix's core players were part of the previous meltdowns against San Antonio -- and will be able to draw on those experiences to be more resilient this time. After losing home court in '05 and '07, the Suns wilted. They've proved themselves to be mentally tougher than that this time around. They shook off losing Game 1 of the Portland series at home and didn't panic when they blew a big lead on the road in Game 6. It's going to take more than demons and ghosts of playoffs past to knock the Suns out this time. The Spurs are going to have to beat them. Given their age, the extended minutes their top five or six have to play, and the fact that Phoenix won't relinquish home-court advantage quite so easily this time around, this might just be the year for the Suns to finally get past the obstacle that has been standing in their way for years.
Prediction: Suns in 7.
