Playoffs 2010: Western Conf Finals, Game 3 – Lakers At Suns Game Thread

AfroSuns

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PHOENIX (AP)—Los Angeles Lakers fans were chanting “Bring on Boston!” before Game 1 of the Western Conference finals was over, and they picked up the volume near the finish of Game 2.
There are, however, at least two games to be played in Phoenix before what so many see as a foregone conclusion, a third straight trip to the NBA finals for Kobe & Co.
“Hopefully we can carry the momentum over from the way we’ve been playing at home,” Lamar Odom(notes) said Saturday before the Lakers boarded their short flight to the desert for Game 3 Sunday night. “I don’t see why not.”
The Lakers seemed ready for a more difficult challenge.
“We understand how tough it’s going to be in Phoenix,” Pau Gasol(notes) said. “The pace and energy they’re going to bring is going to be hard to match, but we have to understand who we are and play to our capabilities.”
Who the Lakers are has been readily apparent to anyone paying attention—a big, gifted group of athletes whose offense has been unstoppable against the smaller Suns.
Los Angeles scored 128 and 124 points to go up 2-0 in the series and brings an eight-game playoff winning streak to Phoenix, where the Suns hope playing at home will help slow down the defending NBA champions.
Nothing else has worked.
Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry can understand Kobe Bryant(notes) and Gasol having big games. He is a bit confounded that everybody else the Lakers turn to has had them as well, be it Odom, Ron Artest(notes), Jordan Farmar(notes) or Shannon Brown(notes).
“It’s almost like being a dike, you stick a finger in one hole and water comes out of another one,” Gentry said. “We’ve just got to find a way to have a whole lot of fingers, I guess.”
Much was made of Phoenix’s bench going into the series, but Farmar has come in for the Lakers and made 8-of-11 shots, including 5-of-6 3-pointers.
When the Suns were able to rev up their offense by going with a small lineup in Game 3, Los Angeles eventually took advantage of its mismatches inside.
Gasol has been at his best, averaging 25 points while shooting 66 percent from the field. Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1, leading Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire to pronounce it “a lucky game.” Odom followed with 17 points and 11 boards in Game 2.
Stoudemire has calmly answered the critics all week, saying he was defending the way his coaches told him to and adding that he doesn’t expect the Suns to double-team Bryant as much in Game 3.
Perhaps a return home will help the Suns’ perimeter shooting, particularly Channing Frye(notes), who went 1 of 13 in Los Angeles, 1 of 9 on 3-pointers. Frye has shot 50 percent on 3s at home in the playoffs (13 of 26), compared with 22 percent (8 of 35) on the road.
“I think he definitely will shoot it better at home,” Gentry said. “It’s just one of those deals where he feels more comfortable in this building. You know, if he makes shots it changes everything.”
Stoudemire would be one of those who would benefit most from Frye hitting a few 3s, because it would bring one of the big Lakers out to the perimeter on defense.
“It helps all of us,” Stoudemire said.
For all the talk of the bench, Gentry knows Stoudemire and Steve Nash(notes) have to be the leading performers.
“Your stars have to be stars to beat a team like the Lakers,” Gentry said.
Nash averaged 14 assists in the first two games but only 12 points on 9-of-18 shooting. The team might like him to shoot more, but it’s not that simple, Nash said.
“I’ve tried to go back over the games and I can’t remember passing up any shots. If anything, I felt like I forced a few,” he said. “The way they’re playing me, they’re leaving guys open. They’re trying to take away my opportunities. We don’t have the type of offense that says `OK, Steve isn’t getting enough shots, let’s change our offense to this so that he does.’
“We play the way we play. People choose the way to guard and then we make the right read. It’s predicated on me making the right reads.”
Besides, he said, the Suns are averaging 109.5 points and shooting just over 49 percent. That’s plenty of offense. The problem is the Lakers have averaged 126 and shot 58 percent.
Phoenix has taken a few leaps backward after establishing it really can play defense.
“What we threw at them didn’t work, so we’re going to try to do it better and change it up and see what we can do, see how good we can be defensively,” Nash said. “A lot of it comes down to desire.”
Now that everyone is talking about the Lakers’ offense, coach Phil Jackson wants some attention at the other end.
“Hopefully we’ll be a better defensive team,” he said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview;_ylt=AkipB6IZoua10Dkc2r.2G385nYcB?gid=2010052321

C'mon guys, make this competitive.

Go Suns!!!
 

Tyler

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Ive been waiting for you AFRO!!!!!!!

5 hours men, lets get this first win then 3 more somewhere!!!!

Game will be on ATDHE.net for those of you that cant watch it on TV.
 
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Chaz

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I like the call to get back to basics on defense.

They need to stop thinking about who and where they are playing and get back to how they played the second half of the season.
 
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AfroSuns

AfroSuns

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Ugh!! Look at all those Lakers turd...(aka fans) in USAC:barf:
 

joshstmarie

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I have a feeling amare is going to come out trying to prove something and put us in a hole.
 

Joe L

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A'mare came to play today. That's a good sign. Not to mention that they are playing smart by getting them in early foul trouble.
 

Proteus

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Suns up 27-26 with 2:32 left in the 1st quarter. Lakers shooting 63%. :rolleyes:
 

Folster

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Someone needs to shut up that ***** Laker fan next to the mic that I can hear screaming every time they score!
 

ninous26

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First time in a couple years that I haven't been excited for a suns game/ team.. I really don't give a ****.. You don't get blown out and bitch slapped like that in the WCF.. Especially after sweeping a damn good team.. Until the suns win and blow the lakers out this game by at least 13 points I won't care for this series. This is showing signs that we have a fluke team.
 

jagu

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I'm not very excited , we aren't stopping them.
 

Proteus

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Suns down 29-32 after the 1st quarter. Suns shooting 39% with 2/5 3 pointers. :( Lakers shooting 58% with 2/7 3 pointers. :rolleyes:

Suns have committed 0 turnovers, Lakers 3. :)

Suns have 2 offensive rebounds, Lakers 1.

Suns have hit 9/11 free throws, Lakers have hit 0/0 free throws. :)

Our shooting started out well as usual but has gone south and the defense sucks with a ridiculous field goal % from the Lakers for the 3rd straight game. :(
 

AzStevenCal

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Too bad our defense sucks again today. :(

Are you sure it's our defense? I see better effort out there from everyone, they're just overmatched. We've played a good quarter and we're still down 3 points. Not looking good for us.

Steve
 

Chris_Sanders

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First time in a couple years that I haven't been excited for a suns game/ team.. I really don't give a ****.. You don't get blown out and bitch slapped like that in the WCF.. Especially after sweeping a damn good team.. Until the suns win and blow the lakers out this game by at least 13 points I won't care for this series. This is showing signs that we have a fluke team.

So you decided to show you don't give a **** by posting on a Suns message board? Typically when I don't give a **** I find something to do that doesn't directly deal with what I don't care about.
 

Bert

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In the first quarter of games 1, 2 and 3 the Lakers went on 8 12 and 8 point runs when Channing Frye entered the game. Thats all I have to say about that.
 

Chris_Sanders

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I haven't seen someone have such a negative impact in a series like Frye.
 

Proteus

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Ridiculous. Brown dunks the ball on a missed free throw. :rolleyes:
 

jagu

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I'm embarrased by this series. Frye should just put on a dress , because he is surely the Lakers' bitch right now.
 

Proteus

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Dragic with 2 turnovers in the 1st 1 1/2 minutes of the 2nd quarter. :rolleyes:
 
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