Wouldn’t you know it. A day after exhorting the Suns’ 2007 defense for the umpteenth time, the Timberwolves drop an otherworldly 59% shooting on Phoenix in a 121-112 win to break the Suns’ 17 game win streak overall, and 9 game road win streak in Minnesota’s Target Center Monday night.
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t there to see it.
I was fretting all day knowing that I would miss the game for one of my film classes. I left as late as I possibly could to make it to class on time, but I was ten minutes late anyway as I searched for a parking space close enough to class. Once I got there, I didn’t hesitate to whip out my laptop and log on to suns.com to follow the box score, which decided to stall at 6:28 of the second quarter and the Wolves leading 45-40. I got that sinking feeling that this would be the one - the end of the streak - and I reluctantly logged off and shut down as the night’s movie started.
Monday’s class is Film: The Creative Process II. It’s basically a history class that has less to do with the creative process of film making and more to do with appreciating a style of film-making long lost to Hollywood. To start the semester we focus on Film Noir, the classic shadowy low-budget psychological crime drama thriller genre that gained momentum in the 1940s.
The basic premise of all Film Noir is that a man falls for the wrong woman, who traps him in a web of deceit and misdirection, gets involved in the most convoluted scheme to get rich quick and get away with as big a body count as is necessary, and invariably he is led down a path to his own deluded self-destruction. The “good guy” always dies in the end. And in the end of all this, it didn’t matter that I missed the game because I was watching its metaphor in class - Out of the Past starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and a surprisingly young Kirk Douglas.
Jeff Bailey (Mitchum) is a gas station owner in rural California trying to make a new life for himself with the naive but safe Ann Miller when his past unexpectedly catches up with him. Jeff’s real last name is Markham, and he’s been on the lam from his former employer, Whit Sterling (Douglas), for close to three years. Turns out that Jeff fell in love and began a seedy affair with Kathie Moffat (Greer), the woman Sterling hired Jeff to hunt down and bring back to him - along with a missing $40,000. Long story short - Sterling finds Jeff, brings him back to do another job to make up for his betrayal, then sets Jeff up to take the fall for killing Sterling’s tax attorney with the help of conniving Kathie. Although he tries to foil the plot, Jeff figures out too late to escape the fate he designed for himself three years earlier, and everyone dies.
Classic Noir. It’s a great movie by any standard, and I highly recommend anyone from today’s fast edit, thin plot Hollywood generation to sit back and take it for all its unreal dialogue and slow-paced action.
It certainly made me feel better about missing the Suns game, but I was still anxious to get home and read about win number 18.
I got home, whipped out the laptop, turned it on before plugging it in, and by the time I sat down, I saw the bad news - 121-112…Timberwolves? What the hell? Seriously? What happened?
Box score - my holy grail of game information. She never lets me down, and I’m sure to figure out what went wrong this night. Suns are 37-74 from the field, 15-36 from three, and 23-25 from the foul line. Um…shouldn’t that be a win?
It should be but for the Femme Fatale stepping from the shadow of the past to seduce us with her ungodly beauty and unholy intentions. 49-83 for the Wolves. Unreal. Ann Miller is going to be very disappointed, maybe even feel betrayed.
It seems the old dog wasn’t too happy with the previous encounter and wanted a little revenge of his own. Garnett went unconcsious in shooting turn arounds and fade aways that stroked the bottom of the net as delicately as a mother powders her baby’s bottom. 18 for 29, 15 fourth quarter points. Unreal. Only the fourth 40+ point effort of his career, and the second highest point total Kevin Garnett has ever notched on the scoreboard.
So where was the defense? Going by post-game articles and highlight reels, it seems that it actually was there. Well, as much as it can be when the opponent raises up over double and triple teams to score. The Suns knew what was going on, and they tried to foil the Timberwolves’ plot. Phoenix got caught by its own high octane court savvy. The demons from the past, coupled with their inability to avert the inevitable, doomed them to a gunshot wound to the gut in the closing minutes of the game.
Yeah. That crazy dame snared us in her web, alright. She played the tune that had all the rats dancing off a cliff to their own ecstatic demise.
There is nothing the Suns can do about the past. They just have to look forward to writing a new script and sticking to it until the bloody end. Maybe in the end of that one, they can walk off into the sunset with Ann Miller and forget that Kathie ever existed.
That crazy dame - always turning up at the wrong time.
January 30, 2007
January 29, 2007
More of the same, but one better
After 17 straight, what is there left to discuss?
The defense? Been there, done that several times over. Still, I can’t help myself.
At the very least, it’s been consistent, despite the injury to Kurt Thomas. But one has to wonder how his absence will affect the Suns’ defensive presence over the long haul. It was no secret (at least to those who acknowledged the existence of a Suns defense) that KT was the anchor of a solid defense during the 2005-2006 season. Until a stress fracture in his right foot sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season, the Suns were in the top ten in field goal defense (my pet stat for determining defensive effectiveness), and they held an impressive 38-16 mark. After the injury - 16 wins, 12 losses, and a defense that suddenly dropped to the bottom of the league. (If memory serves, their 44% field goal defense dropped to between 45 and 46% in the end. That’s a staggering drop, considering that they only had 28 games in which to accomplish that feat.)
But there’s a glaring difference with this year’s rendition of the Suns - Amare Stoudemire and his commitment to team play and, as he promised after the 2005 playoffs, defense. The numbers don’t show it, but how can they when he’s only a year and a half removed from microfracture surgery? His rebounding is virtually identical to his last full season, and his blocks per game have dropped off. Aside from the recovery time, that’s to be expected while sharing the front court duties with a solid post defender as Kurt Thomas and an improved (as unbelievable as that sounds) Shawn Marion. Take off the first five ineffectual games of the season (he averaged 15 minutes a game), and his numbers improve across the board.
So where can we see Amare’s improvement? Look into his eyes. When the game gets tight and the shots aren’t falling, you can almost see the flames bursting through as he follows the ball. When the opponent is threatening to take the lead, or when the Suns find themselves in a hole late in the game, that’s when it ignites. He watches the ball, waiting for the cutter to bring it close to the rim, challenging his surgically repaired knees. And when a shot goes over him, he still follows, waiting for the inevitable miss. We’ve seen him rip rebounds away from two, three, even four opponents this season, and it’s all just a sign of things to come - when he’s *gulp* 100%. If it could be measured in a box score, Amare Stoudemire would lead the league in clutch ferocity.
And what can be said about Shawn Marion? Well, he’s a small forward playing out of position at the four spot. He’s 12th in the league in rebounding, 22nd in blocked shots, and an astonishing 3rd in steals per game. The Matrix is half man, half machine, and all amazing. He’s the only top 25 shot blocker averaging more than 2 steals and 10 rebounds a game. And he’s the only player in the league to play lock down man-to-man defense on every player at every position in the league. This is a man built on endurance and intensity, with a deceptive body containing freakish explosiveness and ultra-quick reflexes. Why he is consistently snubbed from placement on the All NBA Defensive Team is beyond me, and is something even he questioned after last year’s statistical performance.
Then we have the most underrated overrated defender in the entire league wrapped in an intensely competitive, lanky 6-5 frame known as Raja Bell. His job is relatively simple - stay in front of the opposing two-guard, slow him down as much as possible, and hit the open three. He does all three better than most people realise, the first point exemplified in the number of charges he takes. And that’s indicative of his tenacity and absolute unwillingness to back down in the face of anybody - including Kobe Bryant. (Cheap shot or not, that clothesline in game 5 of the 2006 first round was the turning point of that series. He may have missed game 6 due to suspension, but he sent a message to the Lakers, the officials, the League, and even his teammates that the Suns would not be bullied, not last year, and certainly not this year.) If a player is going to score on Raja, he is going to have to work his tail off to do it. And he’d better not try to pull any flying elbows out of his pocket, lest he find himself eating hardwood for dinner.
So while one thing has changed, everything else has stayed the same on the defensive end for the Phoenix Suns. They are still flirting with top ten defense, as they were last season at this time. They’ve been running neck and neck with both Dallas and San Antonio in that department for the better part of the season, although few mention it in their “professional” opinions in regards to the Suns’ standing as a title contender this season (I’m looking at YOU, Greg Anthony.) So after 17 straight, where do the Phoenix Suns stand? Tenth in opponent field goal percentage, first across the board in offense, and number one in the two most important categories in the entire box score - wins and point differential.
The most magical and exciting question to ponder, though, is simply this - Will they match one less than this win total in the playoffs?
The defense? Been there, done that several times over. Still, I can’t help myself.
At the very least, it’s been consistent, despite the injury to Kurt Thomas. But one has to wonder how his absence will affect the Suns’ defensive presence over the long haul. It was no secret (at least to those who acknowledged the existence of a Suns defense) that KT was the anchor of a solid defense during the 2005-2006 season. Until a stress fracture in his right foot sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season, the Suns were in the top ten in field goal defense (my pet stat for determining defensive effectiveness), and they held an impressive 38-16 mark. After the injury - 16 wins, 12 losses, and a defense that suddenly dropped to the bottom of the league. (If memory serves, their 44% field goal defense dropped to between 45 and 46% in the end. That’s a staggering drop, considering that they only had 28 games in which to accomplish that feat.)
But there’s a glaring difference with this year’s rendition of the Suns - Amare Stoudemire and his commitment to team play and, as he promised after the 2005 playoffs, defense. The numbers don’t show it, but how can they when he’s only a year and a half removed from microfracture surgery? His rebounding is virtually identical to his last full season, and his blocks per game have dropped off. Aside from the recovery time, that’s to be expected while sharing the front court duties with a solid post defender as Kurt Thomas and an improved (as unbelievable as that sounds) Shawn Marion. Take off the first five ineffectual games of the season (he averaged 15 minutes a game), and his numbers improve across the board.
So where can we see Amare’s improvement? Look into his eyes. When the game gets tight and the shots aren’t falling, you can almost see the flames bursting through as he follows the ball. When the opponent is threatening to take the lead, or when the Suns find themselves in a hole late in the game, that’s when it ignites. He watches the ball, waiting for the cutter to bring it close to the rim, challenging his surgically repaired knees. And when a shot goes over him, he still follows, waiting for the inevitable miss. We’ve seen him rip rebounds away from two, three, even four opponents this season, and it’s all just a sign of things to come - when he’s *gulp* 100%. If it could be measured in a box score, Amare Stoudemire would lead the league in clutch ferocity.
And what can be said about Shawn Marion? Well, he’s a small forward playing out of position at the four spot. He’s 12th in the league in rebounding, 22nd in blocked shots, and an astonishing 3rd in steals per game. The Matrix is half man, half machine, and all amazing. He’s the only top 25 shot blocker averaging more than 2 steals and 10 rebounds a game. And he’s the only player in the league to play lock down man-to-man defense on every player at every position in the league. This is a man built on endurance and intensity, with a deceptive body containing freakish explosiveness and ultra-quick reflexes. Why he is consistently snubbed from placement on the All NBA Defensive Team is beyond me, and is something even he questioned after last year’s statistical performance.
Then we have the most underrated overrated defender in the entire league wrapped in an intensely competitive, lanky 6-5 frame known as Raja Bell. His job is relatively simple - stay in front of the opposing two-guard, slow him down as much as possible, and hit the open three. He does all three better than most people realise, the first point exemplified in the number of charges he takes. And that’s indicative of his tenacity and absolute unwillingness to back down in the face of anybody - including Kobe Bryant. (Cheap shot or not, that clothesline in game 5 of the 2006 first round was the turning point of that series. He may have missed game 6 due to suspension, but he sent a message to the Lakers, the officials, the League, and even his teammates that the Suns would not be bullied, not last year, and certainly not this year.) If a player is going to score on Raja, he is going to have to work his tail off to do it. And he’d better not try to pull any flying elbows out of his pocket, lest he find himself eating hardwood for dinner.
So while one thing has changed, everything else has stayed the same on the defensive end for the Phoenix Suns. They are still flirting with top ten defense, as they were last season at this time. They’ve been running neck and neck with both Dallas and San Antonio in that department for the better part of the season, although few mention it in their “professional” opinions in regards to the Suns’ standing as a title contender this season (I’m looking at YOU, Greg Anthony.) So after 17 straight, where do the Phoenix Suns stand? Tenth in opponent field goal percentage, first across the board in offense, and number one in the two most important categories in the entire box score - wins and point differential.
The most magical and exciting question to ponder, though, is simply this - Will they match one less than this win total in the playoffs?
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