BTW--
Ring the Bell--
If it is any consolation to you today,
This morning, Greg Popovich's comments after the game seems to indicate that he agrees with your overall assessment, i.e., many of the Suns' shots that failed to land were wide-open shots that the Suns usually make:
Spurs narrow the gap: Parker's night helps shrink Suns' lead
Web Posted: 04/06/2007 01:34 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
In this over-caffeinated NBA era of frenetic offenses, unorthodox matchups and 6-foot-7 power forwards, the Spurs can take solace in the fact that there are still some nights when size does matter. And on those nights that it doesn't?
The Spurs have at least one pair of legs quick enough to help them keep pace.
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With Tony Parker scoring a season-high 35 points and Tim Duncan adding 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, the Spurs held off the Phoenix Suns for a 92-85 victory Thursday at the AT&T Center.
The victory moved the Spurs within two games of the Suns in the Western Conference and captured the tiebreaker between the teams, keeping alive their slim chances of landing the No. 2 playoff seed.
"They're still in charge of their own destiny," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "And as we all know, to win the whole enchilada you have to win at home and you have to win on the road."
The Spurs should do well in the playoffs regardless of their locale if they employ the level of defense they played Thursday. Phoenix, which has the league's most prolific offense, shot a season-low 38.6 percent and its 85 points were the Suns' second-fewest of the season and more than 25 below their nightly average.
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With Bruce Bowen hounding him most of the night, Suns point guard Steve Nash finished with 20 points (on 6-of-14 shooting), seven assists and six turnovers.
Francisco Elson and Fabricio Oberto combined for 19 rebounds while helping Duncan check Amare Stoudemire, who missed 12 of 19 shots and finished with 15 points.
The Suns also missed their share of open shots, making just two 3-pointers, and shot an uncharacteristic 70.4 percent from the free-throw line.
"The team defense was pretty good," Popovich said. "You're not going to stop Steve or Leandro (Barbosa) or Amare — or any of those guys. They're really good players and their system is great.
"We're fortunate they didn't knock down shots tonight, but we did play good 'D.' That was the key for us."
Michael Finley helped Parker and Duncan provide much of the Spurs' scoring, making five 3-pointers and finishing with 19 points and a season-best 10 rebounds while starting in place of Brent Barry for the second consecutive game.
Spurs 92, Suns 85
• Spurs narrow the gap
• Mike Finger: Spurs not ready to relinquish control to Phoenix
• Spurs' defense keeps Suns running on empty
• Box: Spurs 92, Suns 85
• Suns coverage: Arizona Republic
• Your turn: Give your thoughts on the game
While the Spurs had reason to be proud of their defense, the whistle-heavy officiating crew of Joe Forte, Derrick Stafford and Sean Wright also helped control the game's tempo. Neither team was happy, and the Spurs' frustration boiled over when Bowen picked up a technical foul midway through the fourth quarter after being called for a foul while trying to fight off Nash for a long rebound.
The Spurs still appeared to have a fairly comfortable 85-72 lead with less than four minutes left. But for the Suns, swallowing a 13-point deficit is merely a hiccup away. After Nash knocked down an open 3-pointer and Stoudemire threw in a 7-footer, the Spurs' lead was down to 85-79.
The Suns then intentionally fouled Duncan away from the ball and the move paid off as Duncan missed both attempts and Shawn Marion made a runner to make it a four-point game with 1:55 left. Leandro Barbosa had a chance to bring Phoenix within two, but Duncan blocked his layup attempt.
After Parker made one of his two free throws, Nash threw away a pass. Parker then put the game out of reach by burying an open 18-footer.
"They kind of sped us up and got us out of our comfort level," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "You have to go fast, but you can't get in a hurry and I think we did a little of that on offense."
After watching Duncan throw in a hook shot on the opening possession of the second half, then bank in another attempt less than two minutes later, D'Antoni dumped his small lineup and matched up to the Spurs, replacing Barbosa with center Kurt Thomas.
"Pop forced that point," Duncan said. "I think he's just decided: 'You know what, we're just going to stay big,' and I thought we did a great job of it."
The Spurs then began to take control late in the third quarter by showing off their own speed. With Marion having gone to the bench with his fourth foul, Parker beat Phoenix down the floor for a layup, drawing a foul in the process.
After Duncan stripped the ball from Thomas, Parker found Finley open on the left wing for a 3-pointer in transition, hiking the Spurs lead to 60-50.
"We played good defense for 48 minutes," Popovich said, "and that gave us an opportunity to win."
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jludden@express-news.net
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