| 09 May 2010
(Photo by D.Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns 110, San Antonio Spurs 96
Let me ask you a question. Down 0-2 heading home against the Phoenix Suns, did any American in their right mind really think the San Antonio Spurs were going to lose Game 3? That was less likely to happen than Scarlett Johannsen winning an Oscar this year. Well, guess what. Goran Dragic isn’t concerned with what we think. He proved that by unleashing a fourth quarter that teammate Grant Hill said might be the best fourth-quarter performance he had ever seen in a playoff game. Because of him the Sun is rising for Phoenix and setting on San Antonio’s playoff run.
Things were looking so bright for the Spurs. Few do it like it Gregg Popovich when it comes to mid-series adjustments and he had his team prepared. Gone was the pick-and-roll between Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash. Tim Duncan helped shut that down with a few choice facials on STAT. Thank goodness the Suns had Jason Richardson or this game would have looked like the Harlem Globetrotters facing the Washington Generals in the first quarter.
All the old friendly stats were there for San Antonio tonight. Rebounding advantage? Yep. Three-point baskets created by Tony Parker? Oh yeah. Oh, and let’s not forget excellent interior defense. Amar’e didn’t score until seven minutes were left in the second quarter. I doubt that is how Alvin Gentry drew the gameplan up.
The Suns hung around even after going down 18 but the Spurs silenced each of their rallies for almost three quarters. If Game 3 were a game of Clue, Manu was shaping up to be the culprit with a basketball in the AT&T Center. Colonel Mustard can go to Hell. Then a player who a press member next to me said looks like a chess player made every move possible to put the Spurs in check. Dragic’s play in the fourth had us shaking our heads. Over and over…and over. Spurs fans, who are terrifyingly loyal, were walking to the exits with five minutes left. That’s how clear it was that this guy wasn’t letting San Antonio have any glimmer of light.
This stat line is a thing of beauty. 26 points in 17 minutes. 5/5 from three-point range. The dude was one point from being the top scorer in the game.
IN 17 MINUTES HE DID THIS.
It remains to be seen as to what level Dragic can carry his game to but he will go down as a Phoenix Suns’ legend, the dragon that helped slay the beast from the Riverwalk.
Why the Suns won
The bench was absent in the first half but rose to the occasion in the latter stages of the game, none bigger than the aforementioned Dragic. He was nails in the fourth quarter with his defense, d and aggression. It helped spell Steve Nash for nearly the entire fourth quarter and made us wonder if Marcus Banks was dying a little on the inside somewhere.
Jason Richardson, we keep saying it, X-factor be thy name. J-Rich started the game by knocking down perimeter baskets and then flipped the script by recognizing that the Spurs were getting soft in the middle.
Why the Spurs lost
Let this be a lesson to all. This is what happens when you have a big lead and fall in love with the three-point shot. The Spurs were killing it from behind the line and then it became very clear that they were trying so desperately to go for the kill in the third quarter. Every missed three gave Phoenix another possession and they took advantage of that to catch up. By the fourth quarter, when Dragic went medieval on the Spurs’ asses, San Antonio had nothing left to give.
That said, how can you not love Antonio McDyess? Few players have persevered like him in the Association. The thirteen-year vet scored six of the Spurs’ first eight points, was a monster on the boards and even attempted to guard Steve Nash. He and Grant Hill are two of the best stories of this series. I don’t care if McDyess took ill-advised shots at the end of the game.
Looking Ahead to Game Four
Let’s me see if I got this right. The Spurs play poorly and win Game 1. They come out tight and still win Game 2. And in Game 3 they have little production from Steve Nash or Amar’e Stoudemire and it they win by double-digits. If there’s a magic formula for San Antonio to pull off four straight wins, show it to me. Like right now. There is a better chance of Tim Duncan keeping up with Goran Dragic on the perimeter. He couldn’t in Game 3, in case you didn’t notice. The Spurs have been mounted by a Canadian, figuratively, run into a bench and been burnt by a dragon. What’s next? Harry Potter showing up? He may as well. There will be plenty of brooms to spare unless San Antonio does the unthinkable, coming back from an 0-3 deficit. Umm, not happening.
Prediction: Phoenix sweeps San Antonio and the Ghosts of Phoenix Past are laid to rest.
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