azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn.
The biggest assist of the season does not show up in the box score.
It came just as a playoff game turned into a turf war, the moment Steven Hunter corralled a raging Shawn Marion and kept the Suns star from going Mike Tyson.
Imagine the damage that could've been done. Imagine Marion earning a suspension and missing the start of the Western Conference semifinals.
"I know," Hunter said. "That's why I had his back. We need Shawn."
Just when you thought the Grizzlies had no fight left inside a fractured locker room, Game 4 featured an alarming amount of testosterone. If this were a television series, it would be called Desperate Home Teams.
Crossing the line of fair play, the Grizzlies turned grisly, and the basket-brawl reached an ugly apex when Dahntay Jones tossed Marion to the ground on a layup attempt in transition.
It was the third time this series that Marion had tasted the floorboards, and he immediately jumped to his feet in search of a pound of flesh. This is where Hunter, in the midst of a highly forgettable game, stepped in and became the MVP.
Most Valuable Peacemaker.
"I can't talk about that," Marion said. "Ain't nothing happened, so that's all that matters. It was a crazy night, it's over with and it's time to move on."
Jones later apologized to Marion, and the two exchanged hugs. But at the time, the situation was highly volatile. And just as Hunter needed to pacify Marion, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni did his part to keep Quentin Richardson from exacting a bit of revenge.
"I didn't like it," Richardson said. "If we were somewhere else, there would've been a fight. If this were the regular season, (Jones) would've been in the front row. He would've been somewhere, and I would've been on top of him. That (stuff) is unnecessary, and it's not basketball. But they're done and we're moving on to bigger and better things."
With the four-game sweep, conversations will inevitably turn to the sudden abundance of rest. Will the Suns get stale with so much time off? Will their quick work of the Grizzlies actually backfire?
Try not to get sucked into this pointless debate. The Suns' offense is not built on timing and intricate patterns. They are a jump-shooting team that relies on athleticism and conditioning. Of all teams, they are best equipped to handle a long layoff.
"It can be great (to have the rest), it can be bad, it can hurt us, we can come out with a lot of energy and the other team might be really tired," D'Antoni said. "There are so many variables that you just don't know. But I think we'll handle it just fine."
No matter how the Suns look in their next real game, remember this: Allowing Marion and Steve Nash to nurse their assortment of tweaks and bruises is the best option possible.
"When this happened in Italy, we used to scrimmage against teams in the other bracket that were in the same position," D'Antoni said. "But I don't think that's going to happen between us and the Heat."
Either way, try not to fret. In retrospect, the Suns' first-round performance couldn't have worked out any better. Jim Jackson is growing into an expanded role (goal: 27 minutes a game), and has been quite an addition to this group. Even the torturous grind of Sunday's game - the Suns attempted only 63 field goals, shot a whopping 49 free throws and turned the ball over 20 times - will ultimately serve a purpose.
The game will serve as training wheels for what is to come down the road.
"We got caught in a situation where we had a lot more to lose than they did, and we kept our poise," Jackson said. "It's going to more and more physical the longer we play, and all that matters is the way we respond."
With a big assist to Hunter, they were able to handle the dirty tactics on Sunday, and sweeping a first-round opponent is a mighty statement to make in the Western Conference.
Better yet, there wasn't a sign of celebration.
"We're not going to pop the champagne until we get to 16 wins," Jackson said. "Until then, it's all business."
Even if the business gets risky.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0502bickley0502.html
The Arizona Republic
May. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
MEMPHIS, Tenn.
The biggest assist of the season does not show up in the box score.
It came just as a playoff game turned into a turf war, the moment Steven Hunter corralled a raging Shawn Marion and kept the Suns star from going Mike Tyson.
Imagine the damage that could've been done. Imagine Marion earning a suspension and missing the start of the Western Conference semifinals.
"I know," Hunter said. "That's why I had his back. We need Shawn."
Just when you thought the Grizzlies had no fight left inside a fractured locker room, Game 4 featured an alarming amount of testosterone. If this were a television series, it would be called Desperate Home Teams.
Crossing the line of fair play, the Grizzlies turned grisly, and the basket-brawl reached an ugly apex when Dahntay Jones tossed Marion to the ground on a layup attempt in transition.
It was the third time this series that Marion had tasted the floorboards, and he immediately jumped to his feet in search of a pound of flesh. This is where Hunter, in the midst of a highly forgettable game, stepped in and became the MVP.
Most Valuable Peacemaker.
"I can't talk about that," Marion said. "Ain't nothing happened, so that's all that matters. It was a crazy night, it's over with and it's time to move on."
Jones later apologized to Marion, and the two exchanged hugs. But at the time, the situation was highly volatile. And just as Hunter needed to pacify Marion, Suns coach Mike D'Antoni did his part to keep Quentin Richardson from exacting a bit of revenge.
"I didn't like it," Richardson said. "If we were somewhere else, there would've been a fight. If this were the regular season, (Jones) would've been in the front row. He would've been somewhere, and I would've been on top of him. That (stuff) is unnecessary, and it's not basketball. But they're done and we're moving on to bigger and better things."
With the four-game sweep, conversations will inevitably turn to the sudden abundance of rest. Will the Suns get stale with so much time off? Will their quick work of the Grizzlies actually backfire?
Try not to get sucked into this pointless debate. The Suns' offense is not built on timing and intricate patterns. They are a jump-shooting team that relies on athleticism and conditioning. Of all teams, they are best equipped to handle a long layoff.
"It can be great (to have the rest), it can be bad, it can hurt us, we can come out with a lot of energy and the other team might be really tired," D'Antoni said. "There are so many variables that you just don't know. But I think we'll handle it just fine."
No matter how the Suns look in their next real game, remember this: Allowing Marion and Steve Nash to nurse their assortment of tweaks and bruises is the best option possible.
"When this happened in Italy, we used to scrimmage against teams in the other bracket that were in the same position," D'Antoni said. "But I don't think that's going to happen between us and the Heat."
Either way, try not to fret. In retrospect, the Suns' first-round performance couldn't have worked out any better. Jim Jackson is growing into an expanded role (goal: 27 minutes a game), and has been quite an addition to this group. Even the torturous grind of Sunday's game - the Suns attempted only 63 field goals, shot a whopping 49 free throws and turned the ball over 20 times - will ultimately serve a purpose.
The game will serve as training wheels for what is to come down the road.
"We got caught in a situation where we had a lot more to lose than they did, and we kept our poise," Jackson said. "It's going to more and more physical the longer we play, and all that matters is the way we respond."
With a big assist to Hunter, they were able to handle the dirty tactics on Sunday, and sweeping a first-round opponent is a mighty statement to make in the Western Conference.
Better yet, there wasn't a sign of celebration.
"We're not going to pop the champagne until we get to 16 wins," Jackson said. "Until then, it's all business."
Even if the business gets risky.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/0502bickley0502.html
