NBA PLAYOFFS: Round 2 l Game 1: (4) Phoenix Suns @ (1) Denver Nuggets l Saturday l 5:30pm l TNT

[Revived]

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KOC on point 100%

[kennydorglas]

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Option 1: Suns uniforms are very heavy
Option 2: Gravitational pull in Tucson is significantly lower than the rest of the US
Option 3: His feet are so big someone nearby is always standing on them
Option 4: Any physical feat by DA requires at least 5 seconds of mental warm-up

its because he warmed up in COD with Kyler Murray.

[Qwigglez]

Looking forward to Game 2. I don't anticipate the Nuggets continuing to shoot over 40% from 3. Additionally, AG scored 23 points on ridiculous efficiency shouldn't happen again. Most points he scored in the 1st round was 14. Jamal Murray had an insane game too, hitting some tough contested mid-range jumpers, on top of 1 wild 3 that made.

The 16 turnovers was huge though for the Suns. Need to take care of the basketball more. The 8 offensive rebounds by Jokic seems like a lot, but really I think he got 3, the other 5 was him missing those tip-ins or tipping the ball to himself. Bruce Brown too... that dude had 14 off the bench. Made two layups to start the 4th, can't have that when you are relying on Book/KD to create all the offense on the Suns side.

Book needs to shoot more 3s. He took one 3 and it was in the 4th when the Suns were already down huge.

[Revived]

Terrence Ross is probably thinking this same thing:

Spoiler:

[bigfoot]

What do you mean? I'm on your side. Didn't you see the part where I said Ayton needs to die and that I hate him? It's in capital letters. Maybe I needed to bold it and put it in red or something.

But yeah, anyways let's rush the team hotel and murder Ayton before game 2. That way everything will be fixed and the Suns will go on and not lose a single game ever again in life.

Serious question Slim, do you truly believe we choose to specifically block out DA from our view? ie We watch both teams play but somehow are blind to DA on the court and we're just making up lies?

I've said this numerous times but I agree with you guys AYTON NEEDS TO GO. That won't solve the root of the problem which is Monty. We got very lucky in the last round as the Clips were starting to expose us as well. He is a disaster of a head coach and all of this could've been different had he been canned last year after Dallas...or earlier back in Jan. I'm really not against you guys, I just don't think you see the full picture.

That leads me to answer you question. I think there was a built up anger here after the Ayton/Luka debacle and how the 2 players look so some posters remain pissed and will jump on DA for anything he does or doesn't do. Anything short of Hakeem or Shaq would've been seen as a failure. Ayton isn't Luka and that is the problem for most of those people.

Like I've said though, this well is poisoned and Ayton needs to be traded whenever our season ends unless it ends in a championship. Probably even in that situation too.

We've got a pacifist for center and that is what pisses most people off. He just doesn't respect the game.

[lilfishi22]

What do you mean? I'm on your side. Didn't you see the part where I said Ayton needs to die and that I hate him? It's in capital letters. Maybe I needed to bold it and put it in red or something.

But yeah, anyways let's rush the team hotel and murder Ayton before game 2. That way everything will be fixed and the Suns will go on and not lose a single game ever again in life.

Serious question Slim, do you truly believe we choose to specifically block out DA from our view? ie We watch both teams play but somehow are blind to DA on the court and we're just making up lies?

I've said this numerous times but I agree with you guys AYTON NEEDS TO GO. That won't solve the root of the problem which is Monty. We got very lucky in the last round as the Clips were starting to expose us as well. He is a disaster of a head coach and all of this could've been different had he been canned last year after Dallas...or earlier back in Jan. I'm really not against you guys, I just don't think you see the full picture.

That leads me to answer you question. I think there was a built up anger here after the Ayton/Luka debacle and how the 2 players look so some posters remain pissed and will jump on DA for anything he does or doesn't do. Anything short of Hakeem or Shaq would've been seen as a failure. Ayton isn't Luka and that is the problem for most of those people.

Like I've said though, this well is poisoned and Ayton needs to be traded whenever our season ends unless it ends in a championship. Probably even in that situation too.

Don't really care for your mind reading of Suns fans base nor your criticism of Monty because it's not relevant to my question.

Do you truly believe some fans purposefully and specifically choose not to watch DA out there and just make up nonsensical and false criticisms about him?

[kennydorglas]

Serious question Slim, do you truly believe we choose to specifically block out DA from our view? ie We watch both teams play but somehow are blind to DA on the court and we're just making up lies?

I've said this numerous times but I agree with you guys AYTON NEEDS TO GO. That won't solve the root of the problem which is Monty. We got very lucky in the last round as the Clips were starting to expose us as well. He is a disaster of a head coach and all of this could've been different had he been canned last year after Dallas...or earlier back in Jan. I'm really not against you guys, I just don't think you see the full picture.

That leads me to answer you question. I think there was a built up anger here after the Ayton/Luka debacle and how the 2 players look so some posters remain pissed and will jump on DA for anything he does or doesn't do. Anything short of Hakeem or Shaq would've been seen as a failure. Ayton isn't Luka and that is the problem for most of those people.

Like I've said though, this well is poisoned and Ayton needs to be traded whenever our season ends unless it ends in a championship. Probably even in that situation too.

We've got a pacifist for center and that is what pisses most people off. He just doesn't respect the game.

Give us Mason Plumlee and this team becomes a machine in a hurry.

[Slim Charless]

Serious question Slim, do you truly believe we choose to specifically block out DA from our view? ie We watch both teams play but somehow are blind to DA on the court and we're just making up lies?

I've said this numerous times but I agree with you guys AYTON NEEDS TO GO. That won't solve the root of the problem which is Monty. We got very lucky in the last round as the Clips were starting to expose us as well. He is a disaster of a head coach and all of this could've been different had he been canned last year after Dallas...or earlier back in Jan. I'm really not against you guys, I just don't think you see the full picture.

That leads me to answer you question. I think there was a built up anger here after the Ayton/Luka debacle and how the 2 players look so some posters remain pissed and will jump on DA for anything he does or doesn't do. Anything short of Hakeem or Shaq would've been seen as a failure. Ayton isn't Luka and that is the problem for most of those people.

Like I've said though, this well is poisoned and Ayton needs to be traded whenever our season ends unless it ends in a championship. Probably even in that situation too.

Don't really care for your mind reading of Suns fans base nor your criticism of Monty because it's not relevant to my question.

Do you truly believe some fans purposefully and specifically choose not to watch DA out there and just make up nonsensical and false criticisms about him?

I just told you. I'll do it again:

You do the opposite. You hyper focus on Ayton and zero in on anything he does badly. While doing that, you completely miss the other screw ups by our other players.

Case in point. The team rebounding is the reason we get killed on the boards, not DA. He is out there switched onto guards. Like 20 feet from the basket.

[Ghost of Kleine]

We should have pulled a Dallas missed the playoffs and went after Wenbamyama even if our odds were at 1%.

We could still be clever and trade Ayton to Dallas for Kleber/ Bullock/ Hardy/ 2023 10th overall pick!

Then move Paul/ Shamet to Charlotte for Rozier/ Bouknight ( TO)/ Richards / Denver 23' 1st ( 27th pick).
Or
Paul/ Shamet to Charlotte for Hayward/ Bouknight/ Jones ( Both TO)/ 27th pick/ 39th picks. Then run " Point Book" / Okogie/ Hayward/ Durant/ Ayton?


Or maybe Paul/ Shamet to the Raptors for Van Vleet and Trent?
Or
Paul/ Shamet to Philly for Harris/ Philly 24' 1st. ( play Harris at the 3 and move Craig back to the bench?

Or depending upon who loses their guard to free agency, whether Dallas or Flakers, etc, I'd look at trading Paul to that team. Maybe to Philly if they lose Harden to Houston? Either way, changes are coming unless we get it together BIG TIME!!!

[Slim Charless]

Bottom line. You want better rebounding? Tell our guards and wings to crash the boards and box out.

Basic basketball stuff they teach you in elementary school.

[MrMiyagi]

We got some **** to figure out. This was ugly. It'd be great to bounce back on Monday, but I doubt it given the performance tonight. Better hope we just need to grab one of game 5 or 7 and not both.

[bwgood77]

Bad loss, despite shooting over 50%. But we need to take and hit more 3s. We made 2 3s in the first half. Only took 5 3 pt shots. And the sloppy turnovers. Can't have 16 turnovers. And need to rebound better. I know many of Jokic's boards were his own short misses, but we still need to do better. Between the turnover and board discrepancy, they got 17 more shots.

But, it's our first loss with KD, and we also lost the first game in the Clips series, and they shot over 43% from 3 which they won't keep doing, so I'm not too concerned....yet.

[Ghost of Kleine]

We should have pulled a Dallas missed the playoffs and went after Wenbamyama even if our odds were at 1%.

Don't have a draft pick till your grandkids get to college

Not like JJ would do anything good with them as well

[Qwigglez]

Give us Mason Plumlee and this team becomes a machine in a hurry.

I really wanted Plumlee too.

[Hitachi77]

Shouldn’t overreact to one game, particularly on the road, this is the first time we haven’t had home court in this era. The good news is we have a solid enough sample to know that KD / Book can pretty much be penciled in to give efficient bulk scoring every game. The bad news is we have a have a lot to figure out on defense/ rebounding.

[Hitachi77]

Also please god play Payne.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Guys I’m seriously furious ATM. I’m not sure how I can watch our team play next game after this poor performance. We might not get swept but I can’t see us winning let alone forcing a game 7.

Take heart though man! This is actually pretty typical of the suns honestly! Coming out flat with no heart, passion, physicality or a sense of urgency! Par for the course really............................................They'll of course pull it together in game two for a bit and make this a competitive series. But overall, the nuggets are just a much deeper team overall with a much higher quality of RELIABLE DEPTH TOO. The inconvenient truth has always been that you get what you pay for, and Jones opted for vet minimum players and leftover scrub cast offs. Those players are fine in ordinary low pressure games. But in high pressure situations, they produce at their typical established value inconsistently. That's why they come so cheap! There weaknesses only being more exacerbated when our starters are not focused, hungry, and fully engaged too! The nuggets came into this game with pure fire and aggression because they wanted revenge for us sweeping them two seasons ago! Now that they waxed us a bit, that intensity will level out a bit in the next two games or so!

But being a suns fan means being a little disturbed and masochistic due to their unparalleled ability/creativity to find a way to disappoint or choke epically.

(This is what it means to be a suns fan in the postseason)!!

And the icing on the cake is in having a deluded, arrogant GM in J Jones that sits on his hands perennially instead of actually addressing the same positional issues that have been exploited repeatedly! Also having a underwhelming nice guy coach in Williams without any high level coaching ability or strategic adaptive ability that hides behind the success of star players to carry him and cover his weaknesses. But whenever those key star players struggle or underperform, he gets exposed and can only respond with a constipated confused/ comatose look on the sidelines. Monty's a great nice guy type. But very much in the mold of coach Kline from " the Water boy" movie.

[sunsbg]

Kinda expected. Nuggets are a team, Suns not. Need a full season to become one and get your offensive and defensive schemes right. Find fitting players and coach in the offseason too.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I'm not a Nuggets fan, just watching the game like millions of people in America. Where did I trash the Suns? All I gave was a prediction. If you think the Heat beat the Knicks, cool. That's called an opinion.

Dude why are you in here bashing the SUNS?

You can do that on the GB.

Saying Nuggets in 5 isn't bashing the Suns, it's literally one of the options on the poll. I'm out , anyway. It's sensitive superfans that kill this forum.

I understand what you're saying man! And as a suns fan, I don't consider it bashing either. Sure it's predictably unpopular opinion on a suns board though. But reality of often unpleasant and inconvenient sometimes. It's good that we still have very passionate fans here having high expectations for our team, especially after surviving the Saver years!!!

I love my suns of course but objectively can see this as a very fair perspective when you consider things such as contrasting depth, reoccurring and unaddressed weaknesses, coaching considerations and established momentum. Our team has been mentally weak for too long now. We're averse to playing in physical situations that are typical for the playoffs. We still lack that critical sense of urgency and professionalism to come out aggressive seeking to establish ourselves. And our coaches inability to adapt (in game) or figure out proper rotations is often masked by our star players, but he gets exposed by other better coaches that utilize past templates strategically to beat us. Because these coaches recognize his weaknesses as well as our lack of depth. This series will typically get much more competitive of course. But Denver's overall star power, higher quality depth and better coaching make either team a very reasonable bet!

[lilfishi22]

I've said this numerous times but I agree with you guys AYTON NEEDS TO GO. That won't solve the root of the problem which is Monty. We got very lucky in the last round as the Clips were starting to expose us as well. He is a disaster of a head coach and all of this could've been different had he been canned last year after Dallas...or earlier back in Jan. I'm really not against you guys, I just don't think you see the full picture.

That leads me to answer you question. I think there was a built up anger here after the Ayton/Luka debacle and how the 2 players look so some posters remain pissed and will jump on DA for anything he does or doesn't do. Anything short of Hakeem or Shaq would've been seen as a failure. Ayton isn't Luka and that is the problem for most of those people.

Like I've said though, this well is poisoned and Ayton needs to be traded whenever our season ends unless it ends in a championship. Probably even in that situation too.

Don't really care for your mind reading of Suns fans base nor your criticism of Monty because it's not relevant to my question.

Do you truly believe some fans purposefully and specifically choose not to watch DA out there and just make up nonsensical and false criticisms about him?

I just told you. I'll do it again:

You do the opposite. You hyper focus on Ayton and zero in on anything he does badly. While doing that, you completely miss the other screw ups by our other players.

Case in point. The team rebounding is the reason we get killed on the boards, not DA. He is out there switched onto guards. Like 20 feet from the basket.

I don't focus in on him waiting for a mistake to be made just to call him out. I watch him and focus in on him when I expect him to be in a particular spot on the court, playing with energy. He hasn't done that.

I also don't care to bring into the conversation the mistakes of other players. Those players should be criticised on their own merit, not be used deflect criticism away from DA