The Suns Also Rise. . . and other fun
Amazing victory for the Suns tonight. Brutal, physical game. Really emotional, with both teams seemingly struggling with composure. Steve Nash affirmed his two-time MVP status in major fashion. Despite a harassing, punishing Spurs defense and nearly as many turnovers as assists going into the fourth quarter, Nashty responded with untold valor. A crazy stop-on-a-dime fall-away in Bruce Bowen’s mug, and two consecutive CRAZY behind the back assists (one with the left hand, and one with the right, mind you) drove an improbable Suns comeback in San Antonio.
Unfortunately, if the NBA stays true to form, the Suns victory will be marred by the ensuing suspension of Amare Stoudamire and possibly Boris Diaw for leaving the bench after Robert Horry hip checked Steve Nash into the scorer’s table. Yeah, Bigshot Bob was getting as chippy too. Folks are testy on both teams, and the physical play will certainly continue.
Even if Amare has to sit one out (and assuming Diaw plays) the Suns still have some fire power for Game 5. Shawn Marion, who has been absent on offense perhaps in part because of his defensive assignment, could emerge as a key figure, as could James Jones. And whatever happens in Game 5, Amare will be back for 6.
This is a big time series.
Settin the Pace. 
Speaking of big time, this note from the AP Wire: Magic Johnson, the only player with more postseason triple-doubles than Kidd, was seated courtside. Johnson had 30 triple-doubles in the playoffs. Kidd had his 11th in Game 3. . . . Magic. Bow!
Greener than green? Speaking of one of the best players ever, Larry Bird supposedly smoked John Cougar Mellencamp under the table during his heyday in the eighties. 
McHale, also in the mix, has been questioned, and insists Mellencamp is talking tabacky, not the weed smoke. Well, we all know that the Chieftan Robert Parish liked to smoke the weed out. Was Larry a Weedblazer? One can only hope.
posted by The Green at
2:05 AM
8 Comments:
back in the days when the timberwolves were making the playoffs, I used to spend a fair bit of time on the Strib message board. One alleged 'insider' had a long list of current and former Wolves who were nice with the 'erb (no big surprises - basically the whole early aughts lineup minus TB), including McHale.
I was at a Hold Steady show last night so I missed the game - sounds like a ca-razy one...
By
Jason N, at 9:07 AM
I loved that hip-check--good old time hockey. Nashie the Canuck should be used to it.
By
Ironwood Flash, at 12:12 PM
Hey that play on Nash reminded me of floor hockey.
How was Hold Steady, J?
By
The Green, at 12:51 PM
Nash = Tanya Gay
Horry = Me
Suns are claiming Duncan left the bench in the 2nd quarter
http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2007/05/15/tim-duncan-left-the-bench-too-will-he-be-suspended/
By
Knick33, at 3:34 PM
Ah, Davey, you got that right.
And the thing about Duncan, wow. The strict logic, if applied to Amare and Boris, should also be applied to TD.
It's an absurd rule, always has been, always will be. I think you can make judgments about fight activities on a case by case basis.
By
Ironwood Flash, at 5:22 PM
I love that YouTube has a role in bringing video footage to the attention of the public. . .
As for the fight rule, remember when Team Schafer lost SloMo for a game when he ran onto the floor after Danthony pancaked Gay and the Ollies started getting rowdy? I never thought that was fair.
By
The Green, at 5:33 PM
The whole suspension/non-suspension thing is pretty absurd, on several levels. Mostly, like Ironwood says, why can’t the league just make a judgment call, case by case? They do that when handing out suspensions --- what "letter of the rule" dictates that Horry gets suspended for 2 games, Carmelo for 15, Artest for a season, etc etc etc. Stupid rule.
Well, all the talk about rules and suspensions is enough excitement. Watching Nash play these last few games, I’ve come to the realization that, after KG and AI, my favorite NBA player to watch is SN. On both ends of the floor, with or without the ball, he’s always on the verge of making something happen. His stop-and-fade jumpers in traffic are sweet. OK, he’s a two-time MVP, so this isn’t exactly a ground-breaking observation. But he sure makes basketball fun to watch.
As for those back-to-back behind-the-back passes --- phenomenal --- give a nod to Amare, too, for handling those passes and finishing, especially the second one (I think), which kind of short-hopped him on the run yet he still laid it in over Duncan. Maybe I noticed this in particular because in the first game of the night, during a Nets half-fast break, VC (I think) rifled a pass to Jason Collins who was cutting through the lane to the hoop and the ball went off Collins’ hands and out of bounds. The commentator (Miller?) started talking about how you need to know your teammates, and a guy like Collins isn’t going to be able to handle a pass like that. Amare would have. So, I think Amare Stoudemire is better than Jason Collins.
I hope the Suns kill the fucking Spurs.
By
jLev, at 11:12 PM
The Hold Steady were great. In fact, I would say it was a massive night...
By
Jason N, at 3:58 PM
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