Phoenix Suns Blog – Page 60 – NBA Blog

Game 2: Gasol scores 29, Lakers beat Suns

The AP reports:

Pau Gasol scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant had 21 points and 13 assists, and the Lakers roared away in the final minutes for a 124-112 victory Wednesday night to claim a series lead that seems much more daunting than 2-0…

Bryant’s streak of six straight 30-point games ended, yet he capped his night as a creator by setting up Gasol for two tough baskets in the final minutes, with Gasol scoring with a flourish and drawing a foul each time…

Ron Artest scored 18 points for the Lakers, who won their eighth straight playoff game and moved within striking distance of a tantalizing NBA finals showdown with the Boston Celtics, who lead Orlando 2-0 in the East…

“It’s really tough because we have so many guys on this team that can hurt you offensively,” said Lamar Odom, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds…

“We still scored enough points tonight, but when they can score 120-something, that’s asking the offense to score too much,” said Phoenix’s Steve Nash, who had 11 points and 15 assists…

Grant Hill scored 14 of his 23 points in the third quarter while Phoenix erased a 14-point deficit, playing with more efficiency and aggression than in Game 1.

Jason Richardson scored 27 points for Phoenix, and Jared Dudley hit five 3-pointers.

Game 1: Kobe scores 40, Lakers wreck Suns

The AP reports:

Even with a balky knee and a litany of additional woes, Kobe Bryant still is among the most dangerous postseason scorers in NBA history—and he had no problem giving Los Angeles an early leg up in the Western Conference finals.

Bryant scored 40 points, Lamar Odom added 19 points and 19 rebounds, and the Lakers opened the series with ruthless offensive efficiency in a 128-107 victory on Monday night…

Pau Gasol had 21 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who won their seventh straight playoff game and snapped the Suns’ six-game streak with a phenomenal second half, highlighted by Bryant’s 21-point third quarter. He barely stepped on the Lakers’ practice court during the past week to rest his ailing knee, ankle, finger and back—all minor impediments to a major talent…

Amare Stoudemire scored 23 points and Steve Nash had 13 points and 13 assists for the Suns, who hadn’t lost since April 24. Robin Lopez started at center and scored 14 points in his playoff debut, but Phoenix couldn’t keep up with the champs’ height and 58-percent shooting in the Suns’ first conference finals appearance since 2006…

Bryant and Grant Hill got technical fouls for arguing with officials 57 seconds apart in the third quarter.

InsideHoops.com notes:

This was not a defensive game. The Laker shot 58%, the Suns 49.4%. The Lakers hit 8-of-17 three-pointers, the Suns just 5-of-22.

Gasol shot 10-of-13. Bryant hit 13-of-23. Odom hit 9-of-15.

Several Suns bench players tossed bricks: Channing Frye shot 1-of-8, Jared Dudley 1-of-5, Louis Amundson 1-of-4.

Phil Jackson, Steve Nash trade playful jabs before series

Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press reports:

The Lakers coach has made a name for himself in two ways: winning 10 NBA championships and complaining to officials via the media with stealth-like effectiveness.

And his latest target is Suns All-Star guard Steve Nash.

A couple of days ago, Jackson was asked if it was tough to prepare for Nash and Jackson quipped, “yeah, because you can’t carry the ball like he does in practice.”

So, Nash, what’s your response?

“I’ve never heard anyone accuse me of carrying it,” Nash said. “I mean, the best coach in the league Gregg Popovich (of San Antonio) didn’t have a problem with it last week.”

Bryant, Bynum knee issues continue

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports:

Kobe Bryant recently had a significant amount of fluid drained from his swollen right knee, The Times has learned, and hasn’t practiced since the last round.

Andrew Bynum practiced only once and said the torn cartilage in his right knee was “getting a little worse” after making it through Saturday’s scrimmage.

“We need some different company out on the court,” Phil Jackson said with a smile Sunday after yet another day of practice.

Jackson was a little more somber when discussing Bryant and Bynum, the former averaging a solid 32 points a game in the conference semifinals, the latter totaling only six points the last two games against the Jazz.

Jackson, on Bryant: “He came out [Sunday] and shot a little bit and tried to get in rhythm. We hope that he’s on board and his game is right at that point where it needs to be.”

Jackson, on Bynum: “I thought he played well [Saturday] and we’re hopeful that he’s going to be at that level.”

Cavs-Celtics Game 6 had huge TV rating

The AP reports:

The Boston Celtics’ series-clinching victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals is the second-most watched basketball game ever aired on ESPN.

The broadcast Thursday night drew a 6.6 rating on the cable network and averaged 6,552,000 households and 8,983,000 viewers. Only Game 4 of last year’s Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets did better on ESPN, earning a 6.9 rating.

InsideHoops.com Says: It was the biggest game of the entire year, in both the regular season and playoffs.

Shaq will consider joining Nets

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Cavaliers free agent center Shaquille O’Neal, a Newark native, told The Post he would consider the Nets as a destination this summer — intrigued because they now reside in his hometown.

O’Neal, the Cavs “other” free agent, praised the new Prudential Center as being an NBA hotspot and said he would rather them not move to Brooklyn in 2013.

“I think it’s better than most arenas, I think it’s one of the best arenas in the country,” O’Neal told The Post following the Cavaliers’ stunning second-round elimination against Boston on Thursday night. “Hopefully they can stay there forever. I don’t know what’s going on with the Brooklyn situation, but it says a lot for the city of Newark.”

InsideHoops.com Says: Shaq has limited impact at this point in his basketball career, and the Nets have Brook Lopez at center already. So while it’s fun to think about O’Neal heading over to Newark, in reality he’ll probably wind up continuing to play elsewhere, for contenders who need him a bit more.

Robin Lopez expected to play Monday

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Robin Lopez has two milestones coming in his expected return to the starting lineup Monday.

He will play a game for the first time since March 26 and will be making his career playoff debut.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Lopez said. “I think it’ll hit me on the floor. I feel like I’ve been out there with the guys when I’ve been watching them the previous series.”

Lopez said his conditioning and right-leg strength, an issue because of his bulging disk pinching a nerve, have improved and he feels his instincts returning. The 7-footer is a welcome addition against the Lakers’ frontline size.

“I’m going to have to crash the boards and deter easy layups,” Lopez said.

Game 4: Amare scores 29, Suns sweep Spurs

The AP reports:

Game 4: Stoudemire scores 29, Suns sweep Spurs

Steve Nash scored 20 points and played with a right eye that was swollen shut as Phoenix swept San Antonio from the Western Conference semifinals with a 107-101 win Sunday night. Amare Stoudemire led the way with 29 points to help the Suns get past the Spurs in the playoffs for the first time in five tries.

“That was ugly,” Suns forward Channing Frye said walking off the court.

Kind of like Nash’s black-and-blue, stitched-up eye.

But it didn’t bother Nash, who scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to help smother a rally by the Spurs. Nash was accidentally struck by one of Tim Duncan’s elbows in the third quarter and briefly went to the locker room. He came back with an ice pack on his eye when he finally returned to the court…

Tony Parker scored 22 points to lead the Spurs, who were swept out of the playoffs for the first time since 2001. George Hill had 17 points, and was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer with 26.5 seconds left that gave the Spurs a flicker of hope.

InsideHoops.com notes:

The Suns got a huge boost from Jared Dudley, who came off the bench to shoot 6-of-7, including 3-of-3 three-pointers, for 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.

Grant Hill was a role player, putting up just four points and few measurable stats in 35 minutes.

Leandro Barbosa shot just 2-for-10, for seven points.

Goran Dragic received just 11 minutes, scoring six on six shots, with three assists.

For the Spurs, Manu Ginobili had a great game aside from miserable shooting, hitting just 2-of-11 shots (but with 10-of-12 free throws) for 15 points, six rebounds, nine assists and five steals.

Tony Parker scored 22, but needed 19 shots to do it.

Tim Duncan had 17 points (on 14 shots), eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

Live fan discussion of the game took place in this forum topic.

Tim Duncan shooting bricks from foul line

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News reports:

Down 3-0 to the Suns in their Western Conference semifinals series after a horrid showing at the line contributed heavily to Friday’s Game 3 loss at AT&T Center, the Spurs no longer are laughing about missed foul shots.

Tim Duncan shooting bricks from foul line

Tim Duncan missed 7 of 12 free throws in Friday’s loss. He is 13 for 27 from the line in the series, the primary offender on a team that has made only 65.4 percent of its 81 foul shots in the series.

After making 271 of 374 free throws during the regular season, a respectable 72.5 percent, Duncan has made only 30 of 62 foul shots in nine playoff games, a 48 percent figure that is embarrassing to him.

Game 3: Dragic 23 in 4th Q, Suns beat Spurs

The AP reports:

Phoenix is one win away from ending years of playoff misery against San Antonio, taking a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a 110-96 victory Friday night, putting the Spurs in a historically irreparable hole…

[Suns backup point guard Goran Dragic] scored 23 of his 26 points in a brilliant fourth quarter, rendering Steve Nash unneeded until the final 3 minutes. Amare Stoudemire? He never even took off his warmups in the fourth quarter.

Dragic hit nine of 11 shots in the fourth, including all four 3-point attempts…

Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 27 points while welcoming Tony Parker back to the starting lineup, but it was a move that didn’t work out as the Spurs planned…

Parker averaged 23 as a reserve in Games 1 and 2 but didn’t provide the same jolt while reclaiming his starting job. He scored 10 points on 5-of-17 shooting…

Jason Richardson had 21 points and Hill added 18 for the Suns.