Game Thread: Suns vs. Thunder

[Orange602]

Huge victory. Suns now have sole possession of 8th place.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Hell of a game. As long as we take care of business against the Pelicans then we're in good shape. Could be 2 games up on MEM if they lose to Miami.

 

[Jonas_steven]

So Durant and Westbrook took 53 shots while the rest of the team attempted 30 shots

I am happy to let them shoot that many shots as long as they are contested! Please take care of business against Memphis!

 

[bksballer89]

Memphis won't lose to Miami.

2nd game of a B2B and they match-up well with us so I wouldn't bank on if I'm a Suns fan

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Memphis won't lose to Miami.

2nd game of a B2B and they match-up well with us so I wouldn't bank on if I'm a Suns fan

Shhh. Miami will win, don't worry.

 

[nogicat]

on a side note
Sorry to be that fan but what if we had one against LAC and LAL....
we would be in business

 

[SunsGiantsNiners]

This was a very important win! If we could steal one from the spurs, I will go crazy! I want the thunder in the first round. We are a tough matchup for them!

I don't want the Thunder, when Durant is hot he's unstoppable. He's really unstoppable anyway.

 

[nogicat]

Looking at schedules I think we go 3-2 down the stretch
Dallas goes 3-1
Memphis goes 3-2

and we are in

HAVE to beat kings and pelicans
then 1/3 minimum to have a shot 2/3 they are in for sure

 

[Arizona_Sting]

on a side note
Sorry to be that fan but what if we had one against LAC and LAL....
we would be in business

Completely agree... we should've beat the Clippers. We let that game get away from us. And the Lakers loss was embarrassing.

 

[nogicat]

Memphis will lose to the Heat
Heat are fighting for a 1 seed so they go all out.

I just saw something good too this win helps us out big time because with 5 games left SA is up 4.5 games on OKC.
So if they win one of their next two games they may rest up because they also have the NBA's best record clinched easily.
That would be HUGE for us

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Memphis will lose to the Heat
Heat are fighting for a 1 seed so they go all out.

I just saw something good too this win helps us out big time because with 5 games left SA is up 4.5 games on OKC.
So if they win one of their next two games they may rest up because they also have the NBA's best record clinched easily.
That would be HUGE for us

I doubt Pop rests his guys vs. us. They don't exactly like the Suns... lol. But if he does then that would be great.

 

[nogicat]

Dallas and Phoenix battling in both NHL and NBA.... ugh

 

[SunsGiantsNiners]

I think Dallas gets in, they should beat Utah tuesday. I noticed that GS has had a bunch of days off between there last 2-3 games.

 

[GMATCa]

Bledsoe was so selfish and so damn lucky PJ got that ball. He had dragic wide open for the easy 2

I don't think that Bledsoe is selfish at all; he just forces plays too often. Both him and Dragic sometimes play out of control, but to simultaneously feature two point guards who are this dynamic at attacking the rim and scoring is something that we may have never seen before.

 

[GMATCa]

I don't want the Thunder, when Durant is hot he's unstoppable. He's really unstoppable anyway.

You know what? I guess that I'd rather see the Thunder just because they can play into the Suns' hands and they're not going to dominate you in the post. With the Spurs, conversely, Duncan could pose too many problems and funnel Phoenix into a different type of game.

Obviously, the idea of beating either team is not especially realistic.

 

[GMATCa]

See, the Spurs are disciplined. Oklahoma City is more explosive, but with Russell Westbrook at point guard, that team will never be optimally disciplined.

And an undisciplined, unruly game would give the Suns their best chance, kind of like tonight.

 

[SunsGiantsNiners]

See, the Spurs are disciplined. Oklahoma City is more explosive, but with Russell Westbrook at point guard, that team will never be optimally disciplined.

And an undisciplined, unruly game would give the Suns their best chance, kind of like tonight.

good points GMAT. Westbrook can be erratic at times, both SA and OKC pose problems but I want to play SA. Was denver the last 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the playoffs? I remember that series as a kid with Mutumbo holding the ball at the end. Seattle was loaded too.

 

[GMATCa]

good points GMAT. Westbrook can be erratic at times, both SA and OKC pose problems but I want to play SA. Was denver the last 8 seed to beat a 1 seed in the playoffs? I remember that series as a kid with Mutumbo holding the ball at the end. Seattle was loaded too.

The feat has actually been accomplished twice since Denver upset Seattle in 1994; first in 1999 when New York defeated Miami, and then in 2007 when Golden State upset Dallas (in a best-of-seven series). However, Denver's upset of Seattle still ranks as the most impressive in my opinion. New York constituted the eighth seed in 1999 in a 50-game season; had the season been longer, the Knicks almost certainly would have garnered a higher seed, and they were very familiar with the Heat, having faced Miami in the previous two postseasons. Indeed, New York ended up going to the NBA Finals in 1999. Golden State's win over Dallas, meanwhile, was only a superficial upset, for the Warriors had gone 6-1 versus the Mavericks over the previous two regular seasons.

So the Nuggets' shocking win over the Sonics in 1994 still represents the ultimate Cinderella tale in that bracket. Denver was a young team out of nowhere with virtually no playoff experience whatsoever, while Seattle had won a league-best 63 games, possessed a very deep, versatile, athletic roster, and had reached Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals the year before (losing to Phoenix, of course). Then the Sonics won the first two games of the series in the best-of-five matchup, meaning that the Nuggets needed to win three straight elimination games against a league-best, 63-win team.

... and they did. Mutombo shut down Shawn Kemp and dominated the paint, the Nuggets exposed the Sonics' suspect perimeter shooting, and Mutombo holding the ball at the end of Game Five in Seattle, which the Nuggets won in overtime, became an instantly iconic image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKVepScmF-U

 

[GMATCa]

The feat has actually been accomplished twice since Denver upset Seattle in 1994; first in 1999 when New York defeated Miami, and then in 2007 when Golden State upset Dallas (in a best-of-seven series). However, Denver's upset of Seattle still ranks as the most impressive in my opinion. New York constituted the eighth seed in 1999 in a 50-game season; had the season been longer, the Knicks almost certainly would have garnered a higher seed, and they were very familiar with the Heat, having faced Miami in the previous two postseasons. Indeed, New York ended up going to the NBA Finals in 1999. Golden State's win over Dallas, meanwhile, was only a superficial upset, for the Warriors had gone 6-1 versus the Mavericks over the previous two regular seasons.

So the Nuggets' shocking win over the Sonics in 1994 still represents the ultimate Cinderella tale in that bracket. Denver was a young team out of nowhere with virtually no playoff experience whatsoever, while Seattle had won a league-best 63 games, possessed a very deep, versatile, athletic roster, and had reached Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals the year before (losing to Phoenix, of course). Then the Sonics won the first two games of the series in the best-of-five matchup, meaning that the Nuggets needed to win three straight elimination games against a league-best, 63-win team.

... and they did. Mutombo shut down Shawn Kemp and dominated the paint, the Nuggets exposed the Sonics' suspect perimeter shooting, and Mutombo holding the ball at the end of Game Five in Seattle, which the Nuggets won in overtime, became an instantly iconic image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKVepScmF-U

... oh, yeah: the eighth-seeded Grizzlies defeated the top-seeded Spurs in 2011.