Don't blame anyone but Alvin Gentry

[alamin330]

Alvin Gentry has been a great coach for us. He got us to the WCF and almost got us to the Finals. However, I think most people are not realizing how he's lost not just game 6 but other important games with his decision making.

I think everyone played as hard as they could in game 6 and LB did make some bad plays but that's because Gentry left him in. We all know LB is prone to bad plays no matter how important the game is. All season long Gentry has sacrificed wins to build confidence in our bench. It helped in the playoffs. But once the games are this important you can't risk it anymore.

I can't understand why Gentry left Barbosa in for so long. First off once Dragic started going off Nash shouldve been in the game in stead of LB. But no he leaves him in. Then LB makes the dumb pass. We call a timeout a great chance to put Nash in the game for LB. No he leaves him in and LB takes the dumb shot. Then Gentry leaves him in for another 2-3 minutes. The guy doesn't know when to pull a player out.

The other thing I didn't understand, why oh why did Gentry put in Hill and J Rich. We made our run without them. Duds was playing great D on Kobe (Kobe missed like 3 straight shots). Gentry puts Nash, Hill and JRich in we lose and cant score anymore. That's why we lost the game.

Gentry lost the game for us with stupid subs. Nash, Dragic, JD, Frye, and STAT should've finished that game for us and we would've won.

So all this LB has to go or Amare hate needs to stop because they made shots in the 4th quarter and they did what they were supposed to do. LB took that shot because the shot clock was at 2. If Nash was in he would've created a better shot.

GENTRY LOST GAME 6 AND THE SERIES with bad substitutions in game 2 and game 6.

[Mjee]

I agree with you about the wrong substitutions made. However, I am not going to blame anyone on our series loss. We played like retards on ice the first 2 games. We came out like champs the next two games . Game five = just unlucky + JRich had a mental fart and game 6 we fought hard but dug ourselves a huge hole yet again. Sad Loss! Great year though!!!!!!

[Scutt]

The other thing I didn't understand, why oh why did Gentry put in Hill and J Rich. We made our run without them. Duds was playing great D on Kobe (Kobe missed like 3 straight shots). Gentry puts Nash, Hill and JRich in we lose and cant score anymore. That's why we lost the game.

Gentry lost the game for us with stupid subs. Nash, Dragic, JD, Frye, and STAT should've finished that game for us and we would've won.

I agree with you about Gentry playing Barbs too much in the end there, but Gentry did the right thing putting Nash, Hill, and J Rich in. Those guys are the starters who got us to the WCF. They deserved to be out there and given the chance to put the game away.

[Calvin Klein]

Exactly what I'm saying. Gentry is responsable for LB's dumb plays in a way. We all know what he will do (chuck, ball hog). Why leave him in the 4th quarter of the most imporant game of the year? He should have put Nash back in as soon as Dragic started going off. LB killed the flow. Nash ONLY played 30 minutes! No need to rest him anymore.

Gentry is the one who has to fix the team's rebounding problem and make of LB a better player, by making him an off the ball player, and giving Dragic full PG duties when they are both in.

[Moochiefried]

I don't blame him for the loss, but I totally agree that he should have made better substitutions. I was screaming for Nash to be put in for Barbosa, and I wanted to leave Dudley and Dragic in because they were playing great. I guess he was just wanted to live or die on the starters.

[DBrimstone]

It wasn't the substitutions I was upset about so much as how long we stuck with the zone. It was obvious they had it figured out. Once we finally went man to man it had been so long since they played against it that they got stale again. Should have gone man to man earlier. And I guess I'm upset about 1 sub. Dudley should have stayed in instead of Hill. He was phenomenal on Kobe. Kobe actually missed when he was in, and he stretches the floor so getting lanes would have been just a little easier.

[RaisingArizona]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg2u_De8j5o[/youtube]

[Gorilla Warfare]

Alvin Gentry has been a great coach for us. He got us to the WCF and almost got us to the Finals. However, I think most people are not realizing how he's lost not just game 6 but other important games with his decision making.

I think everyone played as hard as they could in game 6 and LB did make some bad plays but that's because Gentry left him in. We all know LB is prone to bad plays no matter how important the game is. All season long Gentry has sacrificed wins to build confidence in our bench. It helped in the playoffs. But once the games are this important you can't risk it anymore.

I can't understand why Gentry left Barbosa in for so long. First off once Dragic started going off Nash shouldve been in the game in stead of LB. But no he leaves him in. Then LB makes the dumb pass. We call a timeout a great chance to put Nash in the game for LB. No he leaves him in and LB takes the dumb shot. Then Gentry leaves him in for another 2-3 minutes. The guy doesn't know when to pull a player out.

The other thing I didn't understand, why oh why did Gentry put in Hill and J Rich. We made our run without them. Duds was playing great D on Kobe (Kobe missed like 3 straight shots). Gentry puts Nash, Hill and JRich in we lose and cant score anymore. That's why we lost the game.

Gentry lost the game for us with stupid subs. Nash, Dragic, JD, Frye, and STAT should've finished that game for us and we would've won.

So all this LB has to go or Amare hate needs to stop because they made shots in the 4th quarter and they did what they were supposed to do. LB took that shot because the shot clock was at 2. If Nash was in he would've created a better shot.

GENTRY LOST GAME 6 AND THE SERIES with bad substitutions in game 2 and game 6.

The only person to blame for the Game 6 loss was Kobe. He could not miss last night regardless of how many people were guarding him. Gentry is not the one to blame for the loss. IBTL

[impulsenine]

OH BOY it's the who to blame thread!

Let's see!

Channing Frye! For shooting 5% for half the series.

David Stern! For having a totally opaque refereeing system that leads to homer calls.

David Stern again! For allowing absurd trades like "Pau Gasol for Absolutely Nothing".

Leandro Barbosa! For dribbling around the court waiting for something to happen.

Alvin Gentry! For believing that 100% zone would work 3 games in a row.

Kobe Bryant! I hope all those shots really are worth your soul.

Amar'e Stoudemire! One awesome game per series is not what we were hoping for.

David Stern again, again! For letting LA spend (literally) twice as much as the Suns on their roster to buy a championship!

Gravity! For giving the ball to Ron Artest, that bastard!

The Suns' Curse! Lord only knows what the Suns' organization and/or fans ever did to deserve it!

[Calvin Klein]

spot on

[mikea7]

@impulse9: just awesome.

[Phystic]

Gentry didn't lose anything. The players lost. His substitutions were fine. LB was making a few shots and it was that lineup that got us back into the game. The starters are the ones that put us in that hole, Nash included. Barbosa made a sloppy play but that shot out of the timeout was necessary there was 2 seconds on the shot clock so he threw it up.

Barbosa has definitely made some dumb plays this series. He is prone to overdribbling, passing the ball too late which results in offensive fouls and just all around dumb play. That's not on Gentry. Nobody seems to be bringing up the fact that Dragic was something like 1-15 from 3 in this series. And he also made a few dumb passes.

Gentry did not lose this game for us. The players did. Amare did. Gentry has done an amazing job and IMO got screwed out of atleast some sort of COTY recognition.

[tsherkin]

I think that the Suns as a whole are to blame, top to bottom. I mean, for the second game in a row, Phoenix was fighting back from an 18-point deficit. You can't blame that all on the coach, it's the team's fault for not playing good defense until the last 6 minutes of the game. There were some rebounding flubs, some poor defense, some bad luck, some missed defensive assignments and box-outs, all kinds of stuff. L.A. won, and they deserved it. In Game 5, the Suns shot like 69% FT, and if they hadn't, they would have won that game and been up 3-2 going into Game 6 at home.

[GD2]

Lakers were just a better team, Gentry made some minor mistakes like leaving Barbosa in but almost all of his mistakes are due to a lack of experience (I hope).

[mkot]

Questionable lineup at the end of game for sure. He waited to long to sub in Nash for LB. And I think he should leave Dudley and Goran there to finish the game. Dudley because he spread the floor for us better than Hill does and he played disciplined D on Kobe. That's only so much you can do with Kobe anyway. But that being said, you just don't expect to win a playoff game playing only the last 6 minutes of the game. It's a 48 minutes fight and they just mailed it in for 3/4 of the time that's not gonna get the job done. Amare completely mailed it in.

[Flexx10dzl]

WOW that crazy...!!!!!! suns just lost that is all no blame at all..There is another team out there playing also..I would blame the other team ..BTW if anything I think Gentry overachieved with this group..

NO CENTER
50 year old grant hill
no rebound no inside play contract year Amare
a streaky J rich

and a HOF player nash who lacks on the defensive end ( only) ..

and minus a last sec box out by j rich Suns would be headed to the finals today ..so ..no blame at all on the coach

[impulsenine]

This team showed one hell of a lot more heart than in teams past.

You could make a solid argument that they overperformed as a result of their chemistry and determination.

You could make a solid argument that they underachieved as a result of some simple mistakes or some mailed-in performance.

The great complex mystery that is sports is that there is always POTENTIAL, but the potential is not usually what is etched into record books.

[BurningHeart]

Bottom line is, you see the zone isn't working because Artest and other losers are making their shots, you STOP playing zone. Go to man, let Kobe get his, and STICK on everybody else.

The substitutions were ridiculous, but the main adjustment that needed to be made wasn't made, and that's what forced us into a hole to begin with.

You cannot dig yourself an 17 point hole, in Game 6, on your home court, in an elimination game. That's just the bottom line.

[Cookin Baskets]

Gentry hell a of job for you guys. I'm pretty pissed at another Lakers-Celtics finals. Steve Nash really deserves to win a title. They really could of had a shot against Boston. Whether it's San Antonio, or L.A they always dominant the west every year. Always get in the suns way of going to the finals.

You just knew they couldn't guard Kobe no matter who they put on him especially all those difficult shots he was making. Couldn't play better defense against him.

[Miklo]

This is Gentry's first time in command during the Playoffs. I say give him at least another season, he's shown much more good than bad. Best coach we've had for a long time.