A Few Thoughts Re: Last Night and Minutes

[hunterxaz]

Our bench stunk up the joint last night.

Lakers were not the better team though... They do what they normally do to win games, they hit the luckiest of lucky shots. More of the same from them -- winning games they didn't earn cuz they got lucky with the game clock running out. They are not as good as their record shows, unfortunately, the Suns didn't play hard when it mattered.

Why are our starters averaging 34/35MPG? In crunch time, when the bench is ineffective, ie a couple turnovers, bad shots, we need to yank them.

This could be over tomorrow and it may not matter at all anyhow, I still think the Suns can win the series, they have a good shot if they win at home and come back with a dominating performance w/ our bench showing up...

I still believe.

[Suns_fan_2007]

Alvin mixed up the bench after they were stymied a bit, putting in Grant Hill, Lopez, etc to see how they could change it up for the better.

One play I question is when the Suns were down 3, why Frye shot a rapid 3 rather than letting STAT / J Rich / Hill or even Nash try to take a better shot, since there was over a minute left. It seemed liked a desperation 3 by Frye, he wasn't set, just caught and released. At that point in the game down by 3, it would have been more prudent to get a better shot to make it a one possession game.

Oh well, I hope the Suns win game 6 and then game 7 of course.

Go Suns!

[garyb916]

I was wondering why they were in for so long in the 4th. Especially Frye being in for the last defensive possession over Lopez, when we needed post defense and a rebound...

But this is a negative ass sh*t talking thread, we don't need that here.

[lilfishi22]

We didn't start seeing the starters come back in until like 5minutes left in the 4th. I understand Frye and Duds having the hot hand but that doesn't mean you have to leave guys like Barbosa and Dragic in there when they were stinking up the place. Mix in the starters with Frye and Dudley, it doesn't HAVE to be all-reserve or all-starters.

[visions]

Agreed.

I like Gentry and I think he has proven himself to be a fine coach.

Thats said, sometimes he gets too caught up in sticking to his set plans rather than reacting to what is actually happening in the game. Yeah Nash & Hill are old and don't have the legs to go the distance every night but in the biggest, most important game of the season surely they just have to be out there no matter what?

It's especially annoying this time cos Nash was on fire and playing with so much intensity. He should have come back way earlier.

[Suns_fan_2007]

I'm not going to question the decision to give Nash more rest. If we had gone into over-time we would have needed a fresh Nash.

Also, if Nash didn't get as much rest, who knows if he would have stunk up the later parts of Q4.

The only question I have over is the two Frye late 3's that were really unnecessary given that it was a one possession game. It's easier to get a defensive stop, shoot a well placed layup / get a foul, than try to let Frye shoot the 3's and rely on a streaky shooter to win the / lose the game.

[Frank Lee]

Agree about Frye's 3s... and was upset with Gentry sticking with his 'set' line ups.

IMO, Barbososo should NOT be playing along side Dragic. He is a clock shot killer. He gets the ball and wastes 7-9 seconds trying to see if he can drive... then he'll pass off.

With him in there, we have a 14 second shot clock and that puts too much pressure on Dragic and the rest, usually resulting in a forced shot, or, If the Brazilian Blurb gets the ball back, one of his patented blindered lay up attempts is sure to follow. God he needs a mid range game.

[garyb916]

Agree about Frye's 3s... and was upset with Gentry sticking with his 'set' line ups.

IMO, Barbososo should NOT be playing along side Dragic. He is a clock shot killer. He gets the ball and wastes 7-9 seconds trying to see if he can drive... then he'll pass off.

With him in there, we have a 14 second shot clock and that puts too much pressure on Dragic and the rest, usually resulting in a forced shot, or, If the Brazilian Blurb gets the ball back, one of his patented blindered lay up attempts is sure to follow. God he needs a mid range game.

NOOOOOO, I hate him chucking up long 2's though they have been falling. He does waste way too much time as the ball handler. He should be a catch-n-shoot or slash to the rim player, he doesn't need to be handling the ball when we have Nash, Dragic and/or Hill in the game.

The 7 minute mark line-up should have been imo:

Nash
JRich
Dudley
Frye
Amare

Then put in Hill and/or Lopez. No need for anyone else with that little time left. Lopez should have definitely been in over Frye for that last possession though...

[Suns_fan_2007]

Another thing about the game, is that there were far too many possessions where STAT caught the ball, then just stood around looking to pass, rather than being agressive and going to the hoop, and get an easier lay in. I understand the Lakers are swarming him, but at least take a step or two closer to the basket, to either draw defense towards him and then dish, or shoot a closer shot that may result in a foul.

Do something, rather than just standing around!!

[lilfishi22]

Frye's two 3's towards the end were pretty poor. He had a hand in his face and I think he just wanted to be a hero and tie the game with his shots. We were down 3 and we still had time to work in a better shot. That being said we did come through with JRich's miracle bank 3 so whatever.

But Gentry's set line ups really are starting to annoy me. If they aren't working well together then we have to mix it up. I understand the all-reserve unit has been known to pick up momentum and score 2-3 straight baskets in a row and that's all good in the 2nd quarter or later in the 3rd, but we're risking a lot hoping for them to pick up momentum. As for resting Nash for OT? That's bogus. The road team almost never banks on playing OT. 90% of road teams would rather go for the win than plan for an OT because the home team always has the advantage in OT.

Barbosa has been shocking, he kills all ball movement and offensive rhythm which is ironic since he's suppose to be a spark off the bench. Dragic does a decent job are trying to create using screens and passing off to open guys but for some reason it seems like every time Barbosa touches the ball, he feels he has to restart the offensive possession by standing still with the ball in his hands and "reading the play". It's like we're playing with 2 "point guards" who are playing two different offensive sets in the same offensive possession at the same time. Barbosa is just trying way to hard to make plays but you can tell guys just aren't used to having him play the point. When guys give him screens, you can see they don't know what to do. Do they roll, do they set another pick again, do they stay out of the paint to let him drive? When he does use the screen and drive, it's even uglier most of the time. When he makes an open lay up it's cool but when he finds defense in front of him, he just chokes. He pulls up for ugly, off balance mid range shots, which quite frankly, aren't his best shots. Or he makes really bad passes, either to a player who's being guarded very well or just back out to the top of the key. He just doesn't think and doesn't see the floor as well as he used to for some reason.

Dragic had a few poor possession where he was just dribbling around and when he got the screen he half used it and pulled back out and just wasted time. But most of the time he's pushing tempo, passing the ball and making moves, until the ball reaches Barbosa's hands of course, in which case the possessions restarts even if there's only 7 seconds left on the shot clock.

That being said, I'm pretty confident about our bench when we play at home, but we have to find ways to get the 2nd unit going on the road.

[lilfishi22]

Another thing about the game, is that there were far too many possessions where STAT caught the ball, then just stood around looking to pass, rather than being agressive and going to the hoop, and get an easier lay in. I understand the Lakers are swarming him, but at least take a step or two closer to the basket, to either draw defense towards him and then dish, or shoot a closer shot that may result in a foul.

Do something, rather than just standing around!!

I don't get how someone can be so aggressive at home and make snap decisions so well and turn into a total dumba** on the road. There were so many possession when Amare had Gasol iso'ed and everybody else cleared out yet Amare chooses to stand there with the ball for like 5 seconds before deciding to pass out. Either pass out if you don't like the look, or take it in hard or shoot the J, don't just stand there. At home, if he had those same possessions, he would've taken it in and And1'd that sh*t without a 2nd thought. Maybe he's trying to read into the play too much, I dunno, but the guy has to make up his mind quickly otherwise he's killing the entire offensive set.

The 7 minute mark line-up should have been imo:

Nash
JRich
Dudley
Frye
Amare

Then put in Hill and/or Lopez. No need for anyone else with that little time left. Lopez should have definitely been in over Frye for that last possession though...

If we really wanted to have conserved Nash's energy, I would've been fine with playing Dragic, JRich, Dudley, Frye and Amare at the 7 min mark. Dragic wasn't playing real well but when you have guys in the game who are scorers liek Amare and Jrich, the game gets easier. You get different looks on your passes and the game just changes, so maybe he could've picked it up.

[Calvin Klein]

Things I don't get:

- Let Barbosa handle the ball, dribble for 10 seconds and take a contested shot or lose the ball.

- Amare not being aggressive and standing around looking for someone to pass it. Then deciding to take a jumper.

- Down 3. One minute to go. Draw a play to Frye can shoot a contested 3 with 20 seconds on the clock. WHY!??! Besides, that was so predictible that the Lakers just stood there waiting for it to happen.

I don't mind Dragic being in so long. He might make mistakes or miss but he doesn't play dumb.
- JRich is still young. Why can't he get in sooner in the 4th? Why let Barbosa disrupt the flow of the offense for so long?

[JMac1]

Win or lose, I am done with LB and Amare. As two veterans who have been there, they sure don't play like it. Just think where we would be if LB and Amare were performing.

I agreed with the Nash, JRich, Duds, Frye, Amare lineup. I think we can play our bench and Lopez in game 6, but gm 7........Let r' rip!!! Spread the floor play up tempo and let the ball fall where it may. We have nothing to lose if we play a gm 7.

[MaryvalesFinest]

Earl Clark should have been in to defend Kobe and Lopez should have been in instead of Frye to hang by the basket.

[garyb916]

Earl Clark should have been in to defend Kobe and Lopez should have been in instead of Frye to hang by the basket.

Lol

That would have been Kobe at the free throw line for sure.

And why do we need to rest Nash with 7 minutes left? I know he's older, but he can play 7 minutes. He was playing 10 minutes in the 4th quarter before.

I understand wanting to build confidence and resting people too, but winning the game is more important in that situation. Play your stars Gentry, or at least the people that are doing well.

I can't BELIEVE how much 4th quarter time Barbosa has gotten in this series. He doesn't really do anything well anymore...

[lilfishi22]

I think Lopez should've been in the game instead of Frye but I think other than that the lineup in that last possession was fine. If we had Dragic in instead of Nash we might've potentially put someone at the line instead of a miracle put back from Artest. Might have been the same if we had Clark in the game instead of Hill.

[albasuna]

I'm not questioning any of Gentry's moves. He has faith in the players and I have faith as well. I'm fine with almost anyone on the team taking a three.

[lilfishi22]

Too much faith albasuna. Even coaches make mistake and Gentry made two by leaving the bench in for too long in the 4th and not getting rebounders and defenders in on that last possession.

[albasuna]

The bench was playing pretty well at that point, you can't be results oriented. If Nash had came back and bricked his shots everyone would be saying that he should have kept the bench in.

I do agree on the last play to an extent. Gentry should have foreseen a scenario where rebounding the ball would be a priority. He overlooked the situation and assumed the clock would expire. Like 90% of the people watching the game the only thing they were worried about was Kobe Bryant.

[lilfishi22]

The only bench players playing well at that point were Dudley and Frye. Barbosa and Dragic were totally stinking up the joint for most of the 4th quarter. Considering we usually bring Nash back in at the 6min mark and the bench playing so poorly, we should've brought Nash back at the 7min mark. Also, like I said in another post, Gentry has to stop playing these all-reserve and all-starter lineups in the 4th. If the bench haven't gotten it going as a unit by 3rd quarter, we are risking a lot leaving them in for so long in the 4th quarter, hoping they would get it going. Keep Frye and Dudley in the game but take out guys who are under-performing.