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NBA Playoffs Commentary: In Your Face

 


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/ May 17, 2005

You just knew the San Antonio Spurs would come into Key Arena loaded for bear on Sunday. Fresh off a tough loss, Gregg Popovich was sure to have his troops primed and ready to send this series home 3-1. The Supersonics were riding high, feeling oh so good about themselves after gutting out a one-point win Friday night.

Still, they would be playing shorthanded. Not only was Nate McMillan without Vladimir Radmanovic, but this time there would also be no Rashard Lewis, lost for the day with a badly sprained toe.

So, out went the venerable Tim Duncan. The all-everything power forward was as deft as ever, scoring basically at will. The bank was open and he was making deposit after deposit. Duncan also shot 17 free throws on Sunday. The Sonics, as a team, converted that many for the entire afternoon.

Knowing that much, one might get the feeling this series was destined for wrap-up soon enough. After all, Timmy outscored every Sonic forward and center combined, all by his lonesome. Seattle committed twenty turnovers and shot only 63 percent from the foul line - this from a team that excelled in both areas during the regular season.

Yep. These Spurs smelled blood.

It's just unfortunate that only Tim Duncan came along for the kill.

If you play for the San Antonio Spurs and your name is not Tim, Timmy, or some such, then you ought to be ashamed of yourself. The supporting cast was good for only 37 percent shooting and very little in the way of defensive intensity.

Seattle had a fairly good idea of what they would get from Ray Allen. He led the way with 32 points. What they perhaps did not count on were the 54 points on 24-of-39 shooting from the triumvirate of Luke Ridnour, Antonio Daniels, and Damien Wilkins. Neither did the Spurs.

And so, this NBA playoff series finds itself knotted at two games apiece - just as the one being played out by the Suns and Mavs. Ditto the Pistons and Pacers. It's a shame the Wizards couldn't muster much resistance for Dwyane Wade and his band of Heat.

Absolutely ridiculous was the way Washington rolled over for Miami after such a great conclusion to their series with the Bulls. They follow up four straight wins over Chicago with as many losses in succession to end their season. If I am Eddie Jordan, I'm stung by the fact my team could not register a single victory on the home floor against Miami sans Shaquille O'Neal.

Avery Johnson has apparently opted to give Steve Nash what Allen Iverson could only dream of - an invite to shoot and shoot often. The green light the Mavericks are willing to give the league MVP seems to be the lesser of two evils, that is if you're looking at it from a Dallas perspective.

It makes sense if you stop and think about it. Stevie would much rather set the table for his friends, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion than hoist thirty attempts. Despite being brilliant on Sunday with 48 points, a career best, Nash couldn't keep the Suns in the game.

This strategy held Stoudemire, who had been unstoppable for the first three games, to only eight attempts. And this is not at all how the Phoenix Suns would like to play.

The Mavs can only hope that the much-maligned Erick Dampier finds a way to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble. This will be crucial to the outcome of this series. It doesn't take Red Auerbach to figure out they're a much tougher team in the paint with him in the lineup. Unfortunately for Dallas, Big Damp tends to find himself watching more than he would like.

With this thing tied up 2-2 and headed back to the Valley this Wednesday, Mike D'Antoni will surely counter Dallas' adjustment to the pick and roll. Sets that would isolate Stoudemire, perhaps facing up against Dampier, might be in the works. This would allow the Suns big man a chance to get started quickly while also threatening his counterpart with early foul difficulty.

Forgettable is Indy's homecourt advantage - or disadvantage as it's been. The Pacers are now 2-3 on their home floor this postseason. Yet despite their woes at Conseco, Indiana has won 4 of 6 on the road.

And if they somehow get past Detroit, the Pacers don't seem to mind being pitted against Miami. Not that regular season records matter too terribly much right now, but it bears mentioning that Indiana won 3 of 4 against the East's top seed, splitting two games down in South Beach.

Of course, Detroit has managed to regain homecourt in this series. It was truly a great effort by the champs on Sunday.

This Eastern semi-final may not be aesthetically pleasing, but to watch these two clubs compete is definitely worth the price of admission. Shots are contested. Lots of banging and the tire irons come out, baby. Detroit and Indy are slugging it out and both clubs seem to leave just about everything they have on the floor.

These are two well-coached teams laying it on the line each time out. As a fan of basketball, that is all I can really ask for.

Scott Spangler can be emailed at scott55@insidehoops.com (remove the "55")










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