Ouch! that
While Allen Iverson showed Steve Nash what it's like to attempt to guard a real Hall of Famer by raining 44 on Stevie Efense, a host of Suns looked like shook ones against Carmelo Anthony. 'Melo dropped 29 and scooped up eight boards on a combination of Shawn Marion and Boris Diaw, and Raja Bell (when he, like Nash, wasn't getting lit up by AI). Oh, and I almost forgot, Iverson dropped 15 dimes on
For the Suns' part in this crime of a game, Leandro Barbosa led the Suns with 25 points, many of which were scored in garbage time. Nash had 15 points and 10 assists in 34 tired looking minutes. Shawn Marion had his second consecutive sub-par game, scoring only 12 points in only 27 minutes of play.
Offense wasn't the problem for the Suns; it rarely is. Though the Suns shot a very good 44.4% from the field, they allowed
"We're in a little bit of a funk right now. Discombobulated. We have the regroup a little bit."
Uhhh, yeah Mike. The back-to-back let downs do not bode well for a Suns team hoping to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. If they cannot immediately regroup after a draining game as they had Wednesday against
Tonight It's Denver's Turn to Beat Down the Suns
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3/18/2007 2:47 AM ET By D-Wil
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So the Suns get blown out on back to back nights and D Wil decides it is time to blog about it. It is obvious you hate Steve Nash and won't give him any respect. If you watched the game against the Nuggets, Raja Bell was the primary defender versus Iverson. But no, you will continue to spread a myth that Nash is a horrible defender. If Nash is such a bad defender, than why is he third in the NBA in charges drawn? Why is Nash the best plus/minus player in the NBA if he is such a horrible defender? How does Smush Parker shoot 31 percent and Jason Terry 41 percent for their respective series against Nash in their series if he can't defend? The reality is that you don't like a short white guy dominating like he does. Go ahead and rip Nash, but tell me another player who averages 19 ppg, 11.7 apg and 53 percent shooting for the season? Not only that, Nash has shown he is worthy of being an MVP with numerous clutch performances this season. Just look at his heroics against Dallas, New Jersey and Golden State for example. But if the regular season doesn't matter in your opinion, you can't argue with his playoff performances the last two years. Over 20 ppg, 10 apg and over 50 percent shooting. But I guess Nash is just a bum who doesn't belong in the NBA in the esteemed opinion of D Wil.
Chris-
I did watch the game and Bell and Nash took turns getting ripped by AI, which I noted. Nash did look tire, which I noted. Being 3rd in the NBA isn't such a great stat since the League is considering punishment for flop/charges because it's causing too much consternation for refs - and that includes a master flopper like Nash.
As I said in my post about the Suns last night, I don't deal with the popularity contest that is the regular season MVP. I also said in that post that the Suns are 1-3 w/out Nash in the lineup (which the media uses to show his importance to the Suns). However, I also said that since the Bucks were something like 3-17 w/out Michael Redd this year, what does that make him?
I must admit that I do not understand how people point to stats in the NBA and make them the measure of the player - particularly during the playoffs. The goal is not to amass the best statistics, but to lead your team to the Larry O'Brien trophy. That is the measure of playoff excellence. There isn't a pro who has participated in an NBA Finals and didn't win who won't tell you that winning a ring is the one thing he wished he'd accomplished.
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Nash will be the first person to tell you that his defense is average at best, but the team concept the Suns employ works against most teams. Yet he cannot play against a quicker guard who is allowed to run the floor nor can he defend a guard who can post him up; that's a defensive liability in anyone's book.
Finally, it's not a color thing. It's this: when Nash's team wins, it's Nash who is primarily great. Though Amare scored what, 41 against Dallas, it was solely because of Nash. But when the Suns lose, it's someone else's fault and Nash's play never contributes to that loss.
If a player and the team he "leads" can't be questioned when his teams loses back-to-back games as badly as just Phoenix did, then what does that say for those who watch the games, let alone those who write about the games?
You tell me, if you saw your team play one tough regular season game, then tank in the next two games and blame the poor performances on the first game, wouldn't you be apprehensive as to how your team is going to fare when they may have to play up to four games in a row before they get a two or three day break? And wouldn't you really question the ability of the team's leader to carry his team alone, if necessary?
That's the difference between Jordan and all those he played against; same for Bird and Magic; same for Russell; same for Duncan. The question is: where do Barkley, Malone and Stockton, Drexler, Ewing, Nash, Nowitzki, and the rest fit into that picture?
There he goes again, with the Bucks with Redd comparison.
D-Wil, Bucks record without Redd is 3-17, what is Bucks record with Redd and compare it to the Suns record with Nash. See who's more valuable now? Got it now? Good!
And to the Suns defense, Nuggets had rest, playing back to back games is never easy especially after getting beat by a great championship defensive team like the Pistons. Great teams before like Jordan's Bulls had experiences like this. You should take note on that.
DM-
Nice of you to follow me around....
Here's the Bucks team:
PG- Mo Williams, Earl Boykins; SG- Michael Redd, David Noel; SF- Charlie Bell, Ruben Patterson; PF- Charlie Villanueva, Brian Skinner; C- Andrew Bogut Dan Gadzuric.
Not the line up one would like to go to war with, eh? Even with that lineup the Buck are 22-24 with Redd (and discounting the first 10 days, or five games after his return for getting back in the groove of playing, the Bucks would be in 7th place in the East - quite good for a relatively shabby team).
And no, the championship years MJ Bulls, after a days rest no matter who they played had a better record than any other NBA team in the last 25 years (the Magic-led Lakers being second). So, np matter how you cut it, to get blown out at home by the Pistons after a day of rest and then get blown out the next night by the Nuggets is a red flag for that team, especially as the playoffs approach. Oh, and to perform like this with home court in the playoffs on the line is even more inexplicable. These games illustrate the overall fragility of the Suns.
D-Wil, I just don't see why anyone would consider Michael Redd and the Bucks as to decide who should get the MVP this year. They are at the bottom of the east, it's just useless and a waste of time. Better stick with the top candidates Nash and Dirk.
And for a young team like the Suns with no championship experience, getting into a 2 game, I'll repeat that, 2 GAME funk like this is not at all a big deal. Just learned that the 3 time champions San Antonio Spurs got beat at home by the lowly Celtics, the same Celtics who without rest, played the Mavs the night before.
Hmmm, how come we don't see you post a blog about that Spurs embarrasing loss to lowly Celtics D-Wil?? Ahh, no Steve Nash on Spurs to diss right?? Thought so.
And as for fighting for homecourt, all I can say is this, homecourt is overrated. Great champions don't need homecourt.
DM-
It appears you're not catching what I'm saying. Using the Suns record as a justification for Nash being an MVP is bogus. If pundits can use it for him, then they should use the stat for everyone - and apparently Redd means more to his team than Nash does to his. This is why I don't get into popularity contests like who is the MVP - it's all relative.
The Spurs didn't have a day's rest like the Suns did before playing the Pistons. And as many pros have pointed out - Kenny Smith on TNT being the most recent I've heard - teams playing a road back-to back get more rest than they do at home in the same circumstance because they don't have to awaken early and they don't practice on game day!
Finally (and this is my last comment on these posts), the Spurs have rings, plural. The Suns for all the hype around them, haven't made an appearance in the Finals. It's true that great teams don't need homecourt to win a championship, but since when did the Suns qualify as a great team?
In fact, no Nash-led team has made an appearance in the Finals. I feel that for a player on an upper-echelon team to be considered as "great" he must lead his team, at least, to the Finals. Nash isn't there - and at his age and with his career-long frail physical status, time is very short for the Suns. He's very, very good. But great? Lets' see him perform in a transcendent way in the Finals first.
I really feel that's a fair assessment of any player be it Dirk, LeBron, 'Melo, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, or anyone else you might want to name who is or has been in the same position as Nash.
D-Wil,
Like i said, the Redd thing is useless and I'm not gonna comment on that anymore.
You said this, "The Spurs didn't have a day's rest like the Suns did before playing the Pistons."
Wrong, Spurs had a day's rest after losing to the Bucks, Suns on the other hand, did not have a day's rest after losing to the Pistons.
And as for Kenny Smith's opinion, that is just one man's opinion.
As for the great teams don't need homecourt, It was just my impulse comment because my Pistons did it and so many other teams. Never said the Suns were great but to be able to make it in the top 4 for 3 consecutive years, I think they earned the right.
Just admit, it's just your obvious hate on Nash ever since that Mavs game. The Suns back to back losses to playoff caliber teams, Nuggets and the strong Pistons is nothing compared to the back to back losses of the Spurs against a bunch of crap teams Bucks and Celtics @ home of all places. I don't see you blogging about it.
Jeez dude, I have to respond....
The "Redd thing" is useless because you don't want to address the NBA media using a meaningless stat to illustrate why Nash should be the MVP. When the same stat is applied to another player, THEN it becomes useless.... I can use the same stat with Lamar Odom and the Lakers - it doesn't mean a thing; not with Odom, or Redd, or Nash as far as who is "more valuable." It only illustrates that player's importance to their team, not to the League.
You're correct, the Spurs did have a day off after their away game against Milwaukee. The suns played Dallas on Wednesday and Detroit on Friday, that's also one day off....
I said Kenny Smith was the LATEST, not the only person to talk about rest on the road....
What "right" have the Suns earned?.... to be called a good regular season team? Sure, but that's it.
Again the Spurs have Championships, the Suns have NONE. Anyone can say whatever they wish about how good the Suns are in the regular season, but they have no rings and cannot be compared to the Spurs or Miami or Detroit.
And I don't "hate" Nash. In fact, I enjoy watching him orchestrate the Suns offense. However, I dislike anyone who puts him in the category of great players who have taken their upper-echelon teams and led them to championships. Nash hasn't done it. So it's actually useless to attempt to tell me how great he is or how he deserves anything other than being known as a very good regular season performer. Same goes for the team he leads.
"The suns played Dallas on Wednesday and Detroit on Friday, that's also one day off.... "
I thought I was clear on this. I'm talking about the back-to-back games , Pistons and Nuggets. And not a day off. Isn't this blog about the Nuggets beating the Suns?
As for Kenny Smith, I actually saw that show, Barkley and the other guy had a different opinion.
In terms of accomplishments, of course you cannot compare Suns to what the Spurs have done, but currently, they are one of the top contenders to win the title. And if titles for you is needed for one team to be respected, are you saying you respect the recent Celtics now more than the recent Suns??
Nash has won 2 MVP's, i think that is enough to label him a great player, i'm not saying he is up there with magic, jordan and bird but he is certainly a great player in his own right. And please, don't make it sound like he is hopeless, his team is not far off from winning a title.
D-Wil,
Maybe you could take into account the fact that the Suns are playing 3 games in 4 days with a 7-man rotation and the game against Denver was in Denver (hence, less oxygen). As the Spurs will tell you, vets get better in the postseason because there is always at least a day off between games.
There are only 3 teams in the entire league that are as good during the regular season as the Suns (Pistons, Spurs, Mavs). Get used to the idea.
And for someone who doesn't deal with the popularity contest that is the MVP, you sure seem willing to diminish Nash's credentials in that regard. The MVP is a vote done at the end of the regular season (no playoffs are seen when the votes are cast), why is it hard to understand that a great player on one of the best and most exciting teams in years would be considered for the MVP.
They have another award for the best player in the postseason, maybe you've heard of it? The Finals MVP? How about we let that one designate the truly great players and not worry about the regular season MVP, ok?
The Suns lost a couple of games. It isn't an indictment on their style of play or their ability. They are a top 4 team, they were last year, they were the year before, and they will be next year. According to the coaches _on that team_ Nash is the most important part of it. Get over it.
As many of you forget something. Phoenix and the rest of the western conference has a speeding train comming. That is the Nuggets comming. Iverson and Melo came out and played 4 quarters and spanked Phoenix. The Trade of AI is now getting the results that Denver has been waiting. Between the rest of you the Nuggets will be that challenge to beat 4 times in a series. This is the tip of the mountain top for the Nuggets.
In regards to my opinion on Nash I'll point you
Here: http://nba.aolsportsblog.com/2007/03/01/comparing-steve-nash-to-the-all-time-great-point-guards/
Here:
http://jonesonthenba.blogspot.com/2006/12/jason-kidd-vs-steve-nash-revisited.html
and
Here:
http://jonesonthenba.blogspot.com/2006/04/jason-kidd-is-much-better-than-steve.html