Mind Games of Chance

The Spurs came into this series cocky. They respect the Suns' talent, and they know that the Suns won't be an easy out. But they came in thinking something that only Steve Nash and Mike D'Antoni had the stones to say - the Suns have no heart, and the Spurs are the better "team".

Right after their win in game one, the Spurs had to be thinking just that. "We own these guys." A little later, the thought had to have crept in. "We played great defense, but they missed some open shots, and Steve Nash couldn't play the last crucial minute. That was good for us. We still won by five."

By the time they finished dinner and got into their hotel beds, they must have been thinking, "It's a good thing we're in their heads. Lucky for us."

So a few questionable calls and non-calls, a few open looks missed (Amare makes one of 11 in the paint, and Leandro misses the few three point tries he gets), and a 15 minute promo for Grey's Anatomy, and the Suns lose by five. Doubt had to have crept in sometime late Tuesday night.

And then to find out that Kurt Thomas is starting, and still not prepare for him? The Suns outplayed the Spurs at both ends of the court in that game (after doing a pretty good impression for parts of game one), and the Suns won by 20.

Do the Spurs REALLY feel lucky? Do they?

They should, because they should be in an 0-2 hole going home. And now Amare invites the wrath of the media and league office to the party. Sure, they declined, but don't you think that they might make a casual showing at some point, just to see how the party is going? Unless Gregg Popovich got a call from the league earlier today saying that he shouldn't worry about a league version of arthroscopic surgery to repair its waning ratings, I would say that it might just be weighing on his mind a little bit.

He'll probably ignore it, as a good coach should. But I don't suspect that Bowen and Ginobili will handle it in a professional manner. Amare wasn't just calling out the Spurs for their questionable play. He is inviting a retaliation by someone on the Spurs. Amare is firmly in their heads, and now those players will either watch their game when the officials aren't looking, or they are going to try something sneaky that no Sun will let go unnoticed.

Either way, the Spurs are welcoming disaster. If they take the high road and clean up their side, it is going to take effort. And I believe that the Suns will at least match that effort. If they take the low road, which is what I would count on, then Amare gets angry, Marion gets focused, and Steve gets nasty. It might get ugly, but the Suns are now prepared for it.

Amare did the right thing, I think. Steve Nash said the team needed to bring even more energy on the road, and Amare supplied some fuel to keep them motivated. I believe that Amare will respond. That's why he said it. He plans to be the first in line to attack the Spurs and dare them to foul.

If that happens, and I believe it will, then there is no real reason to believe that San Antonio will win another game this series. Yes, one could make the case that championship teams don't go down that easily. But that championship team looked pretty ordinary to me for most of game two and in parts of game one.

Amare Stoudemire went a long way to paint the Spurs as the bad guy in this series. Judging by the inaudible reaction from Bruce Bowen supporters, I'd say that it's a role that fans are willing to place the Spurs in. "That's just how Bowen plays. He's always played dirty." OK, so he can be the bad guy, and we don't have to feel guilty, right?

The national media are doing their best to support the Spurs and denounce Amare Stoudemire's statement. But no one has come close to saying that Amare was wrong. Everyone saw the video, everyone saw the kick. How are they going to paint a positive spin on that? They don't. They say things like, "That's just playoff basketball," and, "The physicality is more intense in the playoffs." They are basically saying that the Spurs own the Suns, and all that the Suns can do is complain.

Too bad so many people have seen the video and agree that Bowen plays dirty. No matter what people might say, it is clear that the Suns are the good guys in this series, and the Spurs are the outlaws. There is no denying it. And in classical American entertainment, doesn't the good guy always win? Isn't that why Hollywood makes so much money? I wonder if the league would like to make that kind of cash.

Probably.

It just seems to me that certain individuals in the media do not like the Suns and can't let go of the perception that the Suns aren't a defensive team. And it's an argument that anyone who knows basketball will shy away from. After the game, Greg Anthony or someone with a similar IQ tried to play the Suns defensive effort as a one shot deal.

It is all so stupid, and I just want to know one thing. What kind of person needs his ego boosted up so much that someone has to go on national television and talk about how great they are, and how full of shit the other guys are?

The Spurs were fortunate to win game one. They were told that the Suns couldn't execute down the stretch. The Spurs were blown out in game two. They were told that the Suns were just desperate. Now the Spurs have to be told that, contrary to public record, they are in the Suns' heads.

I ask again - who is in whose head?