NBA Playoffs: Suns and Nets Hope to Get Even Thread

0	i wish i bought tickets to tonight's game.... oh well. Cavs win by 8, Spurs by 12. thats my picks. Cavs/Nets to start up shortly.

5/14/07

0	Boston: what do you think the league going to do about Bruce Bowen's dirty play on nash? John Hollinger: Maybe a fine. Certainly not a suspenion. If anyone but Bowen had made that play we woudn't even be talking about it, except in a "ha ha wasn't that funny he got hit in the groin" TV-Bloopers kind of way.

5/14/07

0

Daliz (Tucson): You really think, with Bowens reputation and the fact that a spotlight was on him after Game 2, that a suspension isn't warranted? We're not talking about a first time offender here.

John Hollinger: I really don't. To say that he made this premiditated precision kick to the groin, when usually he can't even get out of his own way with the ball in his hands, is I think a rather big stretch.

5/14/07

0

Shawn (San Diego, CA): How did the officiating not decide that game 3? Amare didn't get to play. Yet Duncan was never in foul trouble despite constant moving screens.

John Hollinger: Amare picked up fouls because, well, he fouled guys. Trying to think of even one that wasn't clean. And it's not like Phoenix didn't get away with a few themselves -- like the face-slap on Manu, for instance. Sorry, but you can't blame the refs. Blame the shooting and the Tim Duncan Bank Shot Machine.

5/14/07

Michael G

0	are the Spurs and Suns fans gonna show-up for this thread...or should Warrior fans take over and make it a real thread

5/14/07

0

Steve (Ottawa): John! Did you not see the blatant foul Duncan committed on Amare as he was going up strong? The broadcast gave us a nice replay showing the ref directly in line to make the call - but didn't.

John Hollinger: So let me get this straight .. now the refs are showing favoritism to Tim Duncan, of all people? Because they want to stick it to Joey Crawford? Because the league is so excited to get such an exciting, ratings-friendly team into the Finals? Please.

5/14/07

0	Michael G wrote: are the Spurs and Suns fans gonna show-up for this thread...or should Warrior fans take over and make it a real thread whats the point? Your Warriors are mere hours from elimination-- and the Spurs/Suns DO play tonight, and the Spurs are in a good spot. Sorry.

5/14/07

0	Needless to say, it looks like someone is listening to what they want to hear.

5/14/07

0	Luke (Franklin, Pa): Consolation bracket? Detroit can't beat Phoenix or San Antonio? I wouldn't take you to Vegas. John Hollinger: No, I meant New Jersey and Cleveland can't beat Detroit. I can't rag on the East's Finals chances when they're one quarter away from having a three-year streak.

5/14/07

Michael G

0	Chris wrote: whats the point? Your Warriors are mere hours from elimination-- and the Spurs/Suns DO play tonight, and the Spurs are in a good spot. Sorry. just messin with you Chris....alot of sensitive folks on the Q today

5/14/07

0	CriticalFanatic wrote: Needless to say, it looks like someone is listening to what they want to hear.

5/14/07

1	Michael G wrote: just messin with you Chris....alot of sensitive folks on the Q today i'm just on edge. its game night, i'm always worked up... i'm tense during the games, trust me! lol, i yell at my friends for telling me things, it gets bad. i yell at the t.v., and if i go to the game-- trust me i lose my voice screaming, ha ha ha!

5/14/07

0	i put some ESPN Insider chat on here, because i like how Hollinger defends some of the topics. THought it would be a good read.

5/14/07

Michael G

0	Chris wrote: i'm just on edge. its game night, i'm always worked up... i'm tense during the games, trust me! lol, i yell at my friends for telling me things, it gets bad. i yell at the t.v., and if i go to the game-- trust me i lose my voice screaming, ha ha ha! me too

5/14/07

0	CLE 13 NJ 10 1st Q 4:30 Bron Bron gets on the board

5/14/07

0	its sad Cleveland is over the limit already with this much time left. Geez. the Nets are converting though, 8 for 8 from the line.

5/14/07

2

This paragraph from Bill Simmons' blog today made me laugh out loud at work:

"Congratulations to Greg Willard, Tim Donaghy and Eddie F. Rush for giving us the most atrociously officiated game of the playoffs so far: Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series. Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington and Violet Palmer must have been outraged that they weren't involved in this mess. Good golly. Most of the calls favored the Spurs, but I don't even think the refs were biased -- they were so incompetent that there was no rhyme or reason to anything that was happening. Other than the latest call in NBA history (a shooting foul for Ginobili whistled three seconds after the play, when everyone was already running in the other direction), my favorite moment happened near the end, when the game was already over and they called a cheap bump on Bruce Bowen against Nash, so the cameras caught Mike D'Antoni (the most entertaining coach in the league if he's not getting calls) screaming sarcastically, "Why start now? Why bother?" What a travesty. Not since the Cocaine Era from 1978-1986 has the league faced a bigger ongoing issue than crappy officiating."

He's pretty much dead on. My complaint with the officiating from that game was that it was so inconsistent. I didn't really think that it was against the Suns, it was just horrible all around. There were calls on both sides that just left me scratching my head.

5/14/07

0	15 -- 14 2:41 - 1st Qtr - Hughes 5 pts

5/14/07

0	19 -- 161:20 - 1st Q CLE: Hughes 7 pts NJ: Moore 6 pts

5/14/07

0	42 -- 46Halftime Nets want this bad. They can't go down 3-1 heading to Cleveland. Its different for PHX with their homecourt, going down 3-1 is still deadly with Spurs having the ability to win there.

5/14/07

0	How is it that TNT has never once scheduled a game correctly? Every time they have a doubleheader, the 1st game is still going on when the coverage for the 2nd game is scheduled to begin.

5/14/07

SASPURSFREAK

0	Yeah TNT's broadcast sucks. Although, ESPN/ABC is no better with doubleheaders.

5/14/07

0	At least they will show the start of the Suns/Spurs game on TBS if this crapfest is still going on.

5/14/07

0	TNT hasn't said so yet, but the TBS coverage has started. It's just an interview with Shaq so far, the actual game has not begun.

5/14/07

0	And we're off...

5/14/07

Janse

0	What a disappointing finish. That is why Carter is the only Tar Heel I can't stand.

5/14/07

0	Nash looking like the MVP so far.

5/14/07

0	3 from manu... but Spurs are struggling. good thing their only down 5.

5/14/07

0	20 -- 16 1st Quarter 2:49 Current run: SA 4-0

5/14/07

0	20 -- 18 1st Quarter 2:32 Current run: SA 6-0

5/14/07

0	24 -- 22 1st Quarter 1:25 Current run: SA 10-4

5/14/07

0	Marion sure was lucky that Sarver was there to catch him!

5/14/07

0	24 -- 22 End 1st Current run: SA 10-4

5/14/07

1	The end of that quarter was just ugly.

5/14/07

3

Jon wrote:

This paragraph from Bill Simmons' blog today made me laugh out loud at work:

"Congratulations to Greg Willard, Tim Donaghy and Eddie F. Rush for giving us the most atrociously officiated game of the playoffs so far: Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series. Bennett Salvatore, Tom Washington and Violet Palmer must have been outraged that they weren't involved in this mess. Good golly. Most of the calls favored the Spurs, but I don't even think the refs were biased -- they were so incompetent that there was no rhyme or reason to anything that was happening. Other than the latest call in NBA history (a shooting foul for Ginobili whistled three seconds after the play, when everyone was already running in the other direction), my favorite moment happened near the end, when the game was already over and they called a cheap bump on Bruce Bowen against Nash, so the cameras caught Mike D'Antoni (the most entertaining coach in the league if he's not getting calls) screaming sarcastically, "Why start now? Why bother?" What a travesty. Not since the Cocaine Era from 1978-1986 has the league faced a bigger ongoing issue than crappy officiating."

He's pretty much dead on. My complaint with the officiating from that game was that it was so inconsistent. I didn't really think that it was against the Suns, it was just horrible all around. There were calls on both sides that just left me scratching my head.

Now that I've read the column Jon, this was actually the bit that made me laugh out loud ...

"Another reason why the officiating stood out in that game: Have you ever seen more players utterly convinced that they've never committed a foul in their lives than the guys from this Spurs-Suns series? What an annoying bunch of whiners; it's like watching the 2006 World Cup with more whistles. If that's what we get for having "the most international NBA playoff series of all time," then screw it -- let's make rules that no team can have more than three foreign players so we don't have to watch these guys bitch and moan for two straight hours. For God's sake, Ginobili is at the point in his life where he could rear-end someone at a stoplight, then hop out of his car with his hands raised blaming the other driver for being in his way. Give it a rest, Manu. We're begging you."

5/14/07

0	That whole quarter was pretty ugly. Everyone looks sluggish out there. There have been a lot of lazy passes.

5/14/07

0	24 -- 24 2nd Quarter 11:30 Current run: SA 12-4

5/14/07

0

CriticalFanatic wrote:

Now that I've read the column Jon, this was actually the bit that made me laugh out loud ...

"Another reason why the officiating stood out in that game: Have you ever seen more players utterly convinced that they've never committed a foul in their lives than the guys from this Spurs-Suns series? What an annoying bunch of whiners; it's like watching the 2006 World Cup with more whistles. If that's what we get for having "the most international NBA playoff series of all time," then screw it -- let's make rules that no team can have more than three foreign players so we don't have to watch these guys bitch and moan for two straight hours. For God's sake, Ginobili is at the point in his life where he could rear-end someone at a stoplight, then hop out of his car with his hands raised blaming the other driver for being in his way. Give it a rest, Manu. We're begging you."

So far Amare has an offensive foul and a foul nowhere near the play. That's just stupid.

5/14/07

0	welp-- i'm logging off and going home. See y'all tonight! LATAZZZZZ (Spurs will lead at half.)

5/14/07

kantwistaye

2	Jon wrote: So far Amare has an offensive foul and a foul nowhere near the play. That's just stupid. I love Amare, but he might be one of the dumbest basketball players I've seen. He get himself into so much unnessecary trouble.

5/14/07

1	kantwistaye wrote: I love Amare, but he might be one of the dumbest basketball players I've seen. He get himself into so much unnessecary trouble. I hate the fact that I had to give you a thumbs up for that, but you are right. I think a big part of it is just youth and inexperience. He'll grow out of it eventually.

5/14/07

1	Suns missing layups left and right. Need to start hitting some shots if they want to have a chance here.

5/14/07

2	With Shaq & Barkley there, good luck to Ernie Johnson getting any food in the studio tonight.

5/14/07

kantwistaye

0	Jon wrote: I hate the fact that I had to give you a thumbs up for that, but you are right. I think a big part of it is just youth and inexperience. He'll grow out of it eventually. Hopefully, he's an emotional guy, he just needs to learn how to channel that.

5/14/07

0	Glad I'm not watching this at the bar down the street. I'm a Bulls fan, and it's driving me crazy how bad the Suns look.

5/14/07

0	I swear I've been watching this whole game ... but the stats say Phoenix is shooting 42% of their shots. If I hadn't looked it up I'd have guessed around 30.

5/14/07

0	How cute, Kerr & Albert are wearing matching outfits.

5/14/07

0	The Suns need to force the ball in to Amare more, either get those higher percentage shots or get to the line (or both).

5/14/07

0	Or they can just make some 3's, that works too.

5/14/07

0	Well, they've got some work to do in the 4th. Considering how badly the Suns have been shooting, they're not out of this yet.

5/15/07

0	Great. Amare picks up #4, then picks up #5 about 5 seconds later.

5/15/07

0	New meaning to Big Shot Bob, I guess. Lost a little respect for him there. See you in Game 6 Rob.

5/15/07

kantwistaye

0	Wow, Game 5 just got a whole lot more interesting. How'd Raja Bell get T'd up there? Apparently he's still paying for his clothesline from last year.

5/15/07

0	(Edited by Jon) Uh-oh, looks like someone is able to win in San Antonio..... Did the Suns win at AT&T? HELL YEAH Did the Suns win playing physical basketball? HELL YEAH Are the Suns going to take this series? HELL YEAH

5/15/07

0	That was the worst execution I've ever seen late in the game. I have no idea what the Spurs were doing. All the credit to the Suns, congrats. It was a hell of a game and I have a feeling that each team will be missing a player or two for game 5!

5/15/07

0

kantwistaye wrote:

Wow, Game 5 just got a whole lot more interesting. How'd Raja Bell get T'd up there? Apparently he's still paying for his clothesline from last year.

I have no idea. None of the replays showed him doing anything other than heading toward Horry. Horry did give him a forearm to the face. Cheap Shot Rob had better be suspended for at least a game for both the initial body check on Nash and the forearm.

5/15/07

0

mell_1289 wrote:

That was the worst execution I've ever seen late in the game. I have no idea what the Spurs were doing. All the credit to the Suns, congrats. It was a hell of a game and I have a feeling that each team will be missing a player or two for game 5!

That was a hell of a game indeed. It was a shame that the whole thing at the end happened, because up until then it was physical but pretty clean.

My guess is that Horry is suspended, Diaw quite possibly suspended too for leaving the bench, but Amare will be okay because he was already off the bench to check into the game. Maybe the Suns coaches kept the two back enough though, I don't know.

5/15/07

0

Jon wrote:

That was a hell of a game indeed. It was a shame that the whole thing at the end happened, because up until then it was physical but pretty clean.

My guess is that Horry is suspended, Diaw quite possibly suspended too for leaving the bench, but Amare will be okay because he was already off the bench to check into the game. Maybe the Suns coaches kept the two back enough though, I don't know.

I'm wondering about Amare though cause it sure didn't look like he was getting ready to come in when the foul happened. I thought it looked like he came onto the court after the foul.

It was definately a shame that it had to end that way. The Spurs choked and now because Horry couldn't keep his cool, he probably won't be there for game 5 and possibly 6. It just wasn't worth it. Settle for the 2-2 tie and play better in game 5! I just don't see what Horry meant to accomplish with that play.

My guess is that we'll have our answers tomorrow night about any suspensions.

5/15/07

0	My only guess is Bell must have said something that the refs didn't like, I'm not sure. Maybe there was a shove after the foul that we couldn't see. There must have been something cause they wouldn't just throw a T out there on Bell for nothing. Maybe we'll get an explanation tomorrow.

5/15/07

0	Has Shaq said more than 10 words all night?

5/15/07

0	I have never seen Steve Nash that pissed off. He would have fought Horry had he not been held back.

5/15/07

0	You know, I thought it would be hilarious for Shaq to join those guys tonight but it turned out to not be very fun to watch. I was disappointed!

5/15/07

0	Nash was definately ready to go at Horry and I don't blame him. Like I said, there was no reason for Horry to do what he did. He was just frustrated I guess.

5/15/07

0	ESPNews just stole my Cheap Shot Rob line. I demand royalties!

5/15/07

0

We'll just have to see who gets suspended. If your star player gets thrown into the boards like that, anybody's first reaction is going to be to jump up and be pissed off. The NBA has the rule against getting off the bench, so if they do suspend both Diaw & Stoudemire, they won't be doing anything beyond their rules, but I agree with Barkley, that rule is unfortunate. If a guy doesn't actually do anything when he jumps up, then he should be okay. There has to be some leeway there. I'm crossing my fingers that neither gets suspended. That would be really unfortunate if Horry managed to get 2 Suns suspended by his cheap shot on Nash.

5/15/07

0	It would be unfortunate for the Suns but at the same time what would either of those players have done if the assistant coaches didn't stop them and send them back to the bench. I understand why they got up and they have a right to defend their star player but at the same time rules are rules. Personally I will be upset if Horry is the only one suspended.

5/15/07

pappa prc

0	it looked as if amare, when he reached nash held his arms up as to hold his teamates back.

5/15/07

0	He did attempt to hold his teammates back, a little bit. The problem is he had already gone onto the floor. We'll have to see how strictly the NBA enforces their rules!

5/15/07

1

mell_1289 wrote:

He did attempt to hold his teammates back, a little bit. The problem is he had already gone onto the floor. We'll have to see how strictly the NBA enforces their rules!

Unfortunately, I think I have seen guys get suspended in the past for doing that, which is pretty dumb.

I look at it this way. If you go 66 mph in a 65 mph zone, you are speeding, and you can get a ticket. Same thing goes if you are going 100 mph in a 65 mph zone. As far as incidents go, this was definitely the 66 mph variety. It just depends on how strict they are.

Like Nash said in his post-game press conference, there was never really a fight, and guys jump off the bench when someone hits a big shot all the time. Are they going suspend those guys too?

5/15/07

1	all i got to say was that last quarter was horrendous with calls on SA, and no travel on Amare? TNT caught it... no elbow from Raja? TNT caught it... and Robert Horry was out of place for what he did, but PHX did make a booboo with Diaw and Stoude coming off the bench. That will be a huge blow on them being gone in game 5.

5/15/07

3

If the NBA were to suspend more players from the Suns than the Spurs, it would set a horrible precident. If that were the case, what would be stopping one of the bench players from the Suns to come in and cold cock Parker? If all of the Spurs players came off the bench then, maybe they could get the whole Spurs bench suspended. And the Suns would only lose a backup player. There's a line here that the NBA has to be very careful not to cross.

5/15/07

0

Deadpool wrote:

If the NBA were to suspend more players from the Suns than the Spurs, it would set a horrible precident. If that were the case, what would be stopping one of the bench players from the Suns to come in and cold cock Parker? If all of the Spurs players came off the bench then, maybe they could get the whole Spurs bench suspended. And the Suns would only lose a backup player. There's a line here that the NBA has to be very careful not to cross.

That was exactly my thought too.

If that happens, why not send Pat Burke in to maul Parker right in front of the Spurs bench during game 5? It would be really sad to see that happen, but there would be nothing to keep it from taking place. It would basically turn the NBA into the NHL, where you would have enforcers around just to provoke other people. Nobody wants to see that.

5/15/07

0	Chris wrote: all i got to say was that last quarter was horrendous with calls on SA, and no travel on Amare? TNT caught it... no elbow from Raja? TNT caught it... and Robert Horry was out of place for what he did, but PHX did make a booboo with Diaw and Stoude coming off the bench. That will be a huge blow on them being gone in game 5. your kidding, right?

5/15/07

ahusted

1	Jon wrote: I have never seen Steve Nash that pissed off. He would have fought Horry had he not been held back. I think I take Horry here.

5/15/07

0

Deadpool wrote:

If the NBA were to suspend more players from the Suns than the Spurs, it would set a horrible precident. If that were the case, what would be stopping one of the bench players from the Suns to come in and cold cock Parker? If all of the Spurs players came off the bench then, maybe they could get the whole Spurs bench suspended. And the Suns would only lose a backup player. There's a line here that the NBA has to be very careful not to cross.

I agree with you in a way but it is still a rule and until they change it, they need to enforce it. I mean, the Spurs bench could have very easily done the same thing but they didn't. Diaw and Stoudemire just lost their minds for a second and it should cost them game 5. I don't necessarily agree with the rule but that's the way it is.

5/15/07

SASPURSFREAK

1	Hats off too the Suns. As for the BS that took place I will only say this. If anyone is suspended in game five other than Horry I will be shocked and outraged. Including if it's Suns players, that's just a complete buzz kill.

5/15/07

pappa prc

0

mell_1289 wrote:

I agree with you in a way but it is still a rule and until they change it, they need to enforce it. I mean, the Spurs bench could have very easily done the same thing but they didn't. Diaw and Stoudemire just lost their minds for a second and it should cost them game 5. I don't necessarily agree with the rule but that's the way it is.

now what do you think of duncan or bowen being suspended for game 5? rules a rule.

5/16/07

SASPURSFREAK

0	CriticalFanatic wrote: your kidding, right? Critical Biased Fanatic more like it. At least I admit my bias in my sn.

5/16/07