5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Spurs at Suns, Game 4

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Spurs-Suns game today.


1. This Ain't Baseball: 3-0 is fine in baseball. It's got the capability to wrestle momentum in a single inning. It's got a much more random set of variables. In basketball, it comes down to matchups. Your five guys versus my five guys. And the Spurs five guys have been phenomenally better than the Suns' five guys in this series. There's a reason the 3-0 deficit is considered a death knell. The question today is simply how much pride this Phoenix team has. While it might be better to end the Suns' fans misery and get the San Antonio Spurs' slow killfest off of national television, to get swept in the first round would be pretty embarrassing for a team that was supposed to contend for a title. Of course, losing 4-1 won't be much more dignified.

2. Which One Goes Off: Game 1: Tim Duncan. Game 2: Manu Ginobili. Game 3: Tony Parker. How about Game 4: Fabricio Oberto? Or Bruce Bowen? Which player for the Spurs are the Suns going to let torch them this time? The Suns have been completely unable to do anything defensively, and now they're turning on their coach. Shaquille O'Neal can't defend Parker's speed or Duncan's range. Nash can't keep up with Parker and can't rotate effectively to cover the shooters. And Amare always seems to make the wrong decision in key situations. That's to say nothing of the offensive and defensive liabilities that are Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw, despite their pleasant boxscore. Maybe it's Jacque Vaughn day in Phoenix.

3. Say Goodbye To The Run And Gun: Mike D'Antoni is going down for this. Phoenix was very careful to point out that the Shaq trade was entirely D'Antoni's idea, despite the fact that it's a complete reversal of everything that is identified with his philosophy. And now the players have started to turn on their coach, blaming him for the poor defense they're playing (and have been playing all season). The end result of this debacle is the death of the run and gun style that brought a lot of excitement to a defensively centered league. It actually expired with the trade of Shawn Marion, but today will be the last chance to see it, most likely. Defense wins championships, it's been proven again.

4. Rest Stop: The Spurs smell blood. And vacation. They can topple the Suns, off their rival in the first round, and get a long rest for their old legs while Dallas and New Orleans beat each other into a blood pulp. This hasn't been a physical series, and the Spurs have not had to over-exert their key players because of the Suns defensive ineptitude and long cold streaks. It'll be interesting to see if Greg Popovich lays it all out there to close the deal, or takes it easy, knowing they can wrap it up in San Antonio and not stress the weary.

5. Nash's Last Run: The future has to be pretty murky for Steve Nash. There's no telling what's going to happen in the off-season, there's no telling if he's going to want to come back to this circus of disaster, there's no telling if the changes that are bound to come will lead to another playoff birth. So as much as his defense may be inferior, and as much as his game may have deteriorated, he's still been one of the league's best. And there is absolutely no quit in him. Today should be an opportunity to watch one of the games' best in what could end up being his last postseason appearance.