Preview: Game 4, Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs--maybe we'll talk about the Gipper
by Lauri on May 9, 2010 9:17 AM CDT
in Game Previews
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PrintI don't know what to say.
I considered going all Gregg Popovich on you, you know, telling you that you're grown men and women and you don't need me reminding you that no one's ever come from being down 0-3 to win a playoff series, and obviously a good strategy would consist of winning this game and the next 3 as well, and could someone ask a real question for a change?
I considered going zen. Simple calm serenity in the face of chaos and confusion. What is winning? What is losing? What is the sound of a baseline jumper left short? (I can tell you the answer to that one, actually, it sounds like this: clank.)
But in the end I've decided on something else.
I'll just say what I'm thinking.
I love this team. I'll keep loving this team even if they lose. I also know that no dynasty lasts forever. I know there will be a period of rebuilding when we aren't considered serious contenders for a championship. It happens without exception to every great team.
But not yet. Please.
I don't want it to be over. I so desperately want to see Tim get his fifth ring (before Shaq, before Kobe, oh please, before them). Man I want that so much. I want to see Manu and Tony and Tim share one last title and give the younger players a taste for victory; a foundation to build on. I want to see the streamers falling and the banners flying and all the little kids in their number 20 jerseys screaming for joy. I want to see the look of relief on Pop's face (and you know there would be one) when he knows he has done everything he can to help secure Duncan's legacy--Tim, who is like a cherished son to him. And I want these things not because it would make me happy or prove that I'm somehow an awesome person because I like the Spurs (although, let's be honest--it kind of does), but because I just . . . love these guys. I want to see them win. They've given their best to this game and to this team. It is right and meet and just that they be rewarded.
And I know it isn't likely to happen. I know. But that doesn't stop me from wanting it.
More importantly, that doesn't stop the Spurs from wanting it.
One step at a time. Win this game and avoid the sweep. Then go from there.
Someone has to do it someday, you know--be the first team to come back from being down by three losses and win a playoff series. Why not us?
Apologies for the hackishness of what ensues. I have the usual excuses lined up (need to sleep, going out of town to visit mom on mom day, etc.) but really, even if I had all the time in the world, I feel like everything's been said and all we can do now is watch and hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
 Phoenix Suns @ San Antonio Spurs [Game 4] Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: May 8, 2010; 7:00 PM Spurs time Watch: TNT
How They Stack Up (This Series)
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker |
Point Guard Parker chose not to undergo an MRI on Saturday and says he will play in Game 4. Will he start or come off the bench? How effective will he be, given that he couldn't even make free throws on Friday? I like Steve Nash. Sorry, no hate here. If anyone can take the credit for the fantastic team chemistry the Suns enjoy this season, it's Nash. Gentry didn't need him to spark the offense in Game 3, but I expect to see more of him in Game 4, especially since he seems to be able to score at will when George is on him. Advantage: Suns |
 Steve Nash |
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 Manu Ginobili |
Shooting Guard Manu seemed to get his stroke back to some extent last game, but that was with Parker starting in the backcourt. As Andrew pointed out at 48 Minutes of Hell, Ginobili's shot improved significantly playing off the ball. We'll see if that continues. Richardson went 5 for 7 from behind the three-point line on Friday. So . . . yeah. Maybe it would be a good idea to not leave him open. (I'm looking at you, Jefferson.) Advantage: Tied |
 Jason Richardson |
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 Richard Jefferson |
Small Forward
Advantage: Tied |
 Grant Hill |
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 Tim Duncan |
Power Forward Duncan has not been able to solve the problem presented by the Suns' constant offensive attack. I'm not ready to call him a defensive liability, but that dreaded ever-closing window so often mentioned this season shows no signs of ceasing on its relentless path.
Advantage: Tied |
 Amare Stoudamire |
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 Antonio McDyess |
Center
Advantage: Spurs |
 Jarron Collins |
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 George Hill |
Bench & Role Players No one looked anything close to happy last night, but when the camera was scanning the Spurs bench for reaction shots in the 4th quarter, Cubits looked stunned. Shell-shocked. His abilities have been betrayed by his inexperience. But if Parker's shoulder injury renders him as ineffective as it did in the second half of Game 3, Pop will have no choice but to give his favorite player the chance to redeem himself. Do I really need to rehash what Dragic did to us in the 4th quarter of Game 3? No? Thank god for that. Advantage: Suns |
 Goran Dragic |
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 Gregg Popovich |
Coach
Advantage: Tied |
 Alvin Gentry |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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The Suns picked the right time of year to peak, that's for sure. Tonight will be an interesting test for them. Will they let up, or go for the kill? If they let up the least bit, the Spurs take this one. No one wants to get swept. Advantage: Tied |
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Winner: |
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A sweep seems too horrible to contemplate, but we can't deny that it's a real possibility. I'm not picking a winner in this game. It would be ludicrous to pretend I have any real conviction one way or the other. But I can tell you what I want. . . . What I want is for the Spurs to come out and THROW DOWN. |
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Last Time They MetYou can read all about it here, or even go relive the experience in the game threads. And then drop me a line, because I've always been curious about what it must be like to be a real live masochist. Do you look forward to dental surgery? Enjoy those three-hour meetings with middle management? |
Some Other ReadingSunsBright Side of the Sun - The BSotS faithful are ecstatic these days (and for good reason). If you go visit, don't you dare troll. Go because it's a good blog about a good team. Personally, right now I can't bear to look. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TrueHoop team blog is still going strong, "pounding" out some of the best analysis there is on our beloved Spurs. |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired nationwide on TNT. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
72 comments
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3 recs |
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Comments
I got the champagne ready for the first of many victories this post season on our route to another Championship. Viva Los Spurs!
Wow, you’re pretty optimistic.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on May 9, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
I know our guys believe still…and why not? after all this has been the most succesful trio the NBA had since best of 7’s started in playoffs series.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on May 9, 2010 10:48 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
Puh-leeeease get a victory today! I hadn’t posted before last game to not ruin mojo. I avoided the thread to not ruin mojo. I haven’t worn a Spurs shirt to not ruin mojo, before then, or since. And I hated every second of it. Screw it. That didn’t work. Let’s do this. We can. Let’s win. And then, let’s win another. And Another. And another.
With you Lauri, all the way. Love these guys, time for the good guys to win again.
Not that the Suns are bad like the Mavs or Lakers. Nash is a good guy, can’t hate on him. Grant Hill is as well. But Amare….well seems to me he acts like a Laker or a Mav. Wasn’t it just a while back he was talking about wanting to be traded or was it that his contract will be up this year. Not sure, when he opens his mouth all I hear is blah blah blah damn’s I good blah blah blah. Only takes one rotten apple to spoil the bushel. I can’t imagine one single player on the Spurs talking smack and getting away with it. Talk wanting to be traded….the FSM smacks a curse on you and your shot goes away.
I love what Manu said, the odds are with us. Believe people, what’s the worst that can happen….we can lose. But if we don’t give it our best, we lose anyway. I am not content with knocking the Mavs out in the 1st Round, that was so yesterday. Our Spurs aren’t either, you can count on that.
Timmy D .... enough said.
Hey I stopped posting here mostly because I ran out of nice things to say. Besides the playoffs are not the time to make nice with a bunch of Spur lovers.
Look, I am sorry about Manu’s beak, Tony’s wing and of course Tim Kness. I never like to see people get hurt especially old people naw that’s not nice. But please win at least one f’ing game. Come on! We’re all rooting for you tonight. You can do it!
I mean how can my team expect to slow that awesome Suns team if the mighty Spurs can’t do it. I will say that Fisher may be slow and (OKC’s) Russell Westbrook and D-Will may torch him but after they fly head-first into the photographers a few times they seem to slow down a bit. I mean would Kendrick Perkins not lay a hand on them if they were waltzing down his lane?
Come on Spurs! Stop planning your fishing trips for a minute. One frickin’ game. You can do it!
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
Love you too alamobro!
Hey if repeating as champions were that easy even the Spurs could do it.
by olf on May 9, 2010 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey Olf, you should know better than to come here and read love for your team.
Also while you might be our favorite Laker fan, your sig may change that.
Timmy D .... enough said.
unfortunately, i GOL’d at his sig. thats a good zing.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on May 9, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice post Lauri, and I’m with you. Good luck to us tonight and please let this not be the final Spurs preview or game thread in our season. I won’t be joining the game thread as I’ll be with mom enjoying her day (5:00 start on the west coast).
Start the turn around tonight, one game at a at time. Seriously, it’s just four victories. This team has done that many times. It’s a challenge but not insurmountable. The song I’ll be playing for today, and every game day the rest of this series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txlXcJDtDwM&feature=related
Happy Mother’s day to all you moms, all our moms, and wives who are moms. Let’s make their day special, then the Spurs make our nights the same. See you in the post-game thread. Go Spurs Go!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Fuck it, Spurs in OT
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
by spursfan87 on May 9, 2010 12:24 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
rec’d. Lets do this shit.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on May 9, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions
That’s a good question. The most I’ve seen is " I disagree" with your post, but never in previews as far as I know.
I did a lot of soul searching. I didn't find anything.
Yesterday was Temple’s b-day http://twitter.com/GTemp2. Hopefully this improves our chances of getting a win >_>
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
optimism eh
Crashing the [message] boards from the heart of Spurs Nation, San Antonio, Texas. GO SUNS!
gruntledpainter on Twitter
Confidence, we’re the better team and the only reason we’re losing is because we’re playing ourselves. The Suns have a good team but many of us know we’re a much better team, if we lose we got nothing to blame but ourselves.
You got back tonight after the Spurs take that first win, come discuss “optimism” with us.
will do!
Oh, and ‘scoreboard’.
Crashing the [message] boards from the heart of Spurs Nation, San Antonio, Texas. GO SUNS!
gruntledpainter on Twitter
"We'll see how our character is," guard Tony Parker said. "We don't have time to be sad. Nobody cares. It's just us. We're the only ones who can help each other."
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on May 9, 2010 3:09 PM CDT reply actions
one of the reasons no team has come back from down 3-0 is because it’s really damn hard to beat a team four times in a row…I’m a suns fan as most of you probably know, but I think there’s a lesson to be learned here…if it is really that difficult to beat a team four times in a row then by all accounts you should win tonight right? I hope i’m wrong but i like your chances tonight san antonio. good luck.
Clouds are yummy marshmallows & the Spurs are about to begin their 12 game win streak. BELIEVE
If less is more, imagine how much more more would be
as a Suns fan I can honestly tell you that I would much prefer seeing TD get a fifth ring before Shaq/Kobe or even LeBron getting his first.
However, I still hope Nash and Grant Hill can get their first….
For me, Steve Nash’s goodness and A’m’a’r’e’s badness cancel each other out. If Grant Hill was not on that team, i would hate the Suns as much as i hate the lakers and the Mavs. If we dont pull off a miracle, ya’ll better make damn sure you beat the shit out of Kobe, then Lebron and Shaq.
Otherwise, we’re coming back next year as the nightmare that you remember from past seasons. We’ll be very, very, angry.
And you won’t like Blair when he’s angry.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on May 9, 2010 5:03 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not 100% confident yet.
These Spurs have broke my heart too many times to be confident in a series victory yet. When the final seconds tick off then I’ll celebrate… I don’t expect the Suns to close it out tonight.
tony could be on trading block
Im not an insider so I dont know what Mark Stein is reporting. Help someone, please!!!http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2ffeatures%2frumors#16048
Considering we got Hill, this wouldn’t be so bad. Parker is good but we need a shooter, maybe someone who can drive to the lane, someone like a Bosh would do nicely. Heck, I’ll take Amare if need be, he’s explosive and I’m not going to hate on him because the Suns are beating us at the moment.
It is, in fact. The margarita machine’s nice and warmed up.
"What is this new devilry?" -Jeff Van Gundy
by DrumsInTheDeep on May 9, 2010 6:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I really just want San Antonio win two games. 4 to 1 is marginally better than being swept.
But 4 to 2 will still look semi-respectable in 10 years.
The Spurs = Not your granddaddies 7th seed !
I’d say even less. In fact, I might have already forgotten by next year.
"What is this new devilry?" -Jeff Van Gundy
by DrumsInTheDeep on May 9, 2010 6:31 PM CDT up reply actions
In the light of the current situation and given my catholic background, is it legitimate to start praying? Would it rub the One the wrong way? Should I beg on my knees and weep? Is there another life after this one? Will i be a Spurs fan in my next life? Oh so many questions… Advice folks, i need advice here!
Btw… when are we starting the game thread?
Go Spurs, go!
"Our bench gets incredibly dangerous..." -Emanuel Ginobili, benchman extraordinaire
I guess so..?
"What is this new devilry?" -Jeff Van Gundy
by DrumsInTheDeep on May 9, 2010 6:52 PM CDT up reply actions
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