# 2nd RD - Game 5 Thread: [6] Los Angeles Clippers @ Phoenix Suns [2] [Tied 2-2]



## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*[Los Angeles Clippers] * *(47-35) (6-3) Playoff record*​

*PG * *S. Cassell







* - *SG* *C. Mobley







* - 
*SF* *Corey Maggette







* - 
*PF* *Vladimir Radmanovic







* - *C* * Elton Brand







*


*
Clippers Individual Season Stats* 











 * @*​























*[Phoenix Suns]** (54-28) (6-5) Playoff record*



*PG **S. Nash







* - *SG* *R. Bell







* -* 
SF* *Shawn Marion







* - * 
PF  Tim Thomas *







- *C **B. Diaw*











*Suns Individual Season Stats* 








*Tuesday, May 16th - 10:30PM ET/7:30PM PT- [TNT] - US Airways Center- Phoenix, AZ *











*Suns-Clippers Playoff Series Page*​



















*Game 4: Clippers 114, Suns 107*
*LAC-PHX Boxscore* 

RECAP 

LOS ANGELES, May 14 (Ticker) -- Of all the changes made by Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, playing Sam Cassell down the stretch made the biggest difference. 

Cassell ignored an early sprained ankle to sink a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute as the Clippers evened their Western Conference semifinal series at two games each with a 114-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns. 

NBA TV highlights from 
Suns-Clippers: Play
Press Conference: Play 
Elton Brand had 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and Cassell added 28, 11 and nine for the sixth-seeded Clippers, who never trailed after the first quarter and fought off a frantic rally by the second-seeded Suns, who reverted to their run-and-gun ways. 

Following a 94-91 loss in Game 3, Dunleavy made changes at two spots. He inserted forward Vladimir Radmanovic for injured center Chris Kaman (shoulder) and swingman Corey Maggette for defensive-minded forward Quinton Ross. 

"This morning (Kaman) came into practice and said, 'I can't lift it' and we had chiropractors, doctors, everybody was looking at it to see if they could help him out this afternoon and before the game," Dunleavy said. "We took it down to the wire trying to treat him to see if he could go and he just wasn't able to go." 

Both moves paid dividends as Radmanovic scored 13 points and Maggette contributed 18 and 15 rebounds while forcing Suns superstar guard Steve Nash to play defense. 

"Corey came into his own with his rebounding and scoring tonight," Dunleavy said. "His ability to get out in the open court got him to the free-throw line, which is just good for us." 

"It was all a question of matchups for us," Brand said. "It forced Nash to guard someone and not be their best matchup." 

However, neither move had the effect of playing Cassell for most of the final period. The veteran point point guard has two championships rings and more playoff experience than anyone on the Clippers but sat for most of the fourth quarter in Game 3. 

"I was given some opportunities to hit big shots down the stretch," Cassell said. "I try take on the leadership role as the season goes on." 

With the season on the line, Dunleavy went with Cassell and was rewarded. Radmanovic and Cassell made 3-pointers to cap a 12-3 surge that gave the Clippers a 106-93 lead with 5:54 remaining. 

However, Los Angeles went cold and Phoenix fought back, closing to 106-105 with 1:12 left on a 3-pointer and a swooping layup by Leandro Barbosa, who scored 15 points. 

Brand ended a scoreless drought of nearly five minutes by sinking a jumper from the left wing with 56 seconds to play. He made 13-of-24 shots as he again dominated the interior. 

"It was a disappointment to have to hit a shot like that, being up 13 with five minutes," Brand said. "Let me hit it a little bit earlier and keep a cushion." 

Tim Thomas missed a potential tying 3-pointer and Cassell struck, firing a 3-pointer from the left side over 6-7 Shawn Marion that made it 111-105 with 27 seconds to go. 

"It was a play for Elton Brand, but Tim Thomas did a great job of pushing him off the box," Cassell said. "I think the shot clock was winding down, so I just tried to line it up." 

As they did in their 25-point win in Game 2, the Clippers dominated inside with a 55-37 advantage in rebounds and 18 second-chance points. 

Shaun Livingston provided a lift with 11 points off the bench for the Clippers, who shot 49 percent (42-of-86) and committed just nine turnovers. 

Raja Bell made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points for the Suns, who shot 45.5 percent (40-of-88) and committed just five turnovers. 

"I was getting more shooting opportunities," Bell said. "I was trying to make the best out of every opportunity that I was given." 

However, Bell did not get much help. His teammates were just 3-of-24 from behind the arc and the trio of Nash, Thomas and Marion combined for just two baskets in the second half. 

Nash, the NBA MVP, was relatively quiet for the third straight game with eight points and 11 assists. Thomas and Marion combined for 51 points and 33 rebounds in Game 3 but just 27 and 16 on Sunday. 

"We try to double-team (Nash)," Dunleavy said. "We try not to triple-team him but he is so good that he gets by two guys and we need our third man to pick him up." 

Dunleavy's changes first appeared to backfire as the Clippers fell into a 9-2 hole. Things appeared to get worse when Cassell twisted his left ankle after stepping on Marion's foot, but he immediately responded with a 3-pointer that gave LA its first lead at 17-16. 

Maggette scored eight points in the first quarter as the Clippers opened a 33-28 advantage. 

"I think they are going to have to make an adjustment if I start," Maggette said. 

Maggette added another eight in the second period, when Los Angeles received a boost from Brand and a tremendous spark from Livingston. 

The second-year guard ran the offense, tracked down a loose ball and beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer, and tipped in a miss just before the horn to build a 61-51 lead. 

Despite three 3-pointers and 15 points by Bell in the third quarter, the Suns could only close to 90-82 entering the final period because Brand continued to dominate inside with 12 points.


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## BootyKing (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: 2nd RD - Game 5 Thread: [2] Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Clippers [6] [Tied 2-2]*

Is Kaman out again?

Anyway SUNS come out strong Marion bounces back and has a big game. Nash does his thing get out of his 2 game slump. SUNS loose the rebounding by around 10, but finally shoot like the SUNS do. 

I STILL BELIEVE


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

*Re: 2nd RD - Game 5 Thread: [2] Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Clippers [6] [Tied 2-2]*



BootyKing said:


> Is Kaman out again?
> 
> Anyway SUNS come out strong Marion bounces back and has a big game. Nash does his thing get out of his 2 game slump. SUNS loose the rebounding by around 10, but finally shoot like the SUNS do.
> 
> I STILL BELIEVE


yeah it looks like he won't play. Except Kaman said it's his injury but even with that said Dunleavy has final say.


LINK 



> "There's no way he could play today," Dunleavy said. "Who knows? Maybe he can play tomorrow. I doubt it. To me, it seems more likely Thursday than tomorrow night unless he's got recuperative powers I don't know about."


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Coach needs to step in here and talk to Shawn, who has completely abandoned his inside game. He is hovering around the three point line nearly the entire game, which is odd because he is awesome with the floaters and runners in the lane. He is getting baited into taking all these threes because Diaw keeps passing it out of the lane and he is wide open. Move inside, make some 12-15 footers, then your three point shot will probably be there later in the game. He bricks these threes, gets out of rhythm and then can't hit a layup. Marion is so talented, it kills me to see the Suns with terrible offensive position on the court. This is coach's fault in my opinion. He's gotta have his team in the right areas on the floor to succeed. Suns are still up in the series, since they have HCA. But if they don't win tonight, Clips are going to seal it in L.A. Come on boys, it's go time.

Just like Kenny Smith said about the Clips in game 3. They had nothing to worry about because they almost won when Cassell and Brand played horribly. We can say the same about Nash and Marion last game. They should come back strong at home, and I doubt Tim Thomas is off two games in a row.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

Huge game for you guys tonight. Just wanted to drop by and give you a big "GOOD LUCK!" I'll be rootin for you.

p.s. I didn't start game thread this time, so BE NICE! :clown:


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

edwardcyh said:


> Huge game for you guys tonight. Just wanted to drop by and give you a big "GOOD LUCK!" I'll be rootin for you.
> 
> p.s. I didn't start game thread this time, so BE NICE! :clown:


thanks. oh, and congrats on being a mod.

but yeah, it's not like we had a streak going this time. and besides it's 2-2, not 3-1. real reason I didn't start one down that much was because I thought were done with the way we played, and it just worked those other 2 times haha.

good luck to you guys in getting that one more win. finally, some new blood in the finals, whether it's you guys or Clips and as a stretch us haha.


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## BootyKing (Apr 7, 2005)

58 - 52 Suns lead at the half nice to see the Suns shooting the 3 better. JR seems to have lost his shot completely but he got a few good rebounds it seems. Nash i rekon is hurting he just wont shoot, i think his back is troubling him alot.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Jones hasn't had his shot all yr it seems lol.


SERIOUSLY, what a ****ing game


RAJA ****ING BELL! He has been SO huge for us. Say what you want about him.

Marion also played his heart out tonight


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Yeah baby! What a game! When they were down 111 - 108 I thought it was over. But man do I love Raja Bell. 

Nash, Marion, Raja, and Thomas all came to play tonight. Lets hope this damages the Clippers mental status and helps us win game 6.


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## bircan (Jul 17, 2005)

wow unbelievable game from both teams, cassell was big for clips at the end of regulation, nash turned over, suns missing 3's, but raja brought us to OT2, and then suns had more energy down the stretch to hit shots.
Gutsy game! Both teams must be tired, looking forward to game 6


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Who'd have thought the Suns would be winning despite reverting to a seven man rotation (once again, VERY small bench), but not having Amare. Dayumn. Still long ways from being over though...


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

GREAT GAME! The Western Semi-finals have be GREAT! I was on the edge of the couch through the entire game, which was a LOOOOOONG time. LOL

:clap: :cheers: :clap:


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Man, seriously, **** this forum, and nearly every goddamn person in it.

Constant *****ing, constant bias, and the constanst delusions. Seriously. Hard to even want to come here anymore.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> Man, seriously, **** this forum, and nearly every goddamn person in it.
> 
> Constant *****ing, constant bias, and the constanst delusions. Seriously. Hard to even want to come here anymore.


Yep, it's getting very tiresome. Hang in there dude, don't let them kill your joy.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> Yep, it's getting very tiresome. Hang in there dude, don't let them kill your joy.



It's actually been building up since before the end of the season. Not just now. 

Also, forgot to mention the constant lumping of a fan base and how it seems over on the general board that people hate Suns fans. They don't take many seriously because they think we're just "bias." And maybe a few are but those 2 or 3 don't even post in the Suns forum often or at all. And I see the respect most of our fans give to other teams and their players when we get beat, so. I'm not pulling this out of my *** or anything.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> It's actually been building up since before the end of the season. Not just now.
> 
> Also, forgot to mention the constant lumping of a fan base and how it seems over on the general board that people hate Suns fans. They don't take many seriously because they think we're just "bias." And maybe a few are but those 2 or 3 don't even post in the Suns forum often or at all. And I see the respect most of our fans give to other teams and their players when we get beat, so. I'm not pulling this out of my *** or anything.


I know dude, I see the same things. When guys like Amareca go into other forums and constantly give Suns fans a bad name, that is all that is going to be remembered. People are just that stupid, period. Bottom line is that we don't need the respect of idiots. As long as the true NBA fans get along with us, the rest don't matter.


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## BootyKing (Apr 7, 2005)

Yeh we have bad rep, i noticed it a while ago. Oh well as long as we post with respect and dignity then we will recieve it in return from creditable posters. Take edwardcyh he knows we aint disrespectful or biased. I hope :biggrin: 

Oh well great game, i think my heart skips a few more beats because of that game. We really did execute terribly down the stretch. When (thinking positive) we take the series i hope Nash is ready to go and whatever is bothering him he can fix. Marions ankle i hope is laright aswell hes taken a beating these last 2 games. Marion the Warrior lets hope he can string two beastly games together. Suns have heart. I STILL BELIEVE


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## TGC (Apr 29, 2006)

Damn i Still Believe as well.

Wow that shot by raja. I knew they had one foul to give, but raja did a catch and shoot and it was so pretty when it went in.

I was getting worried about marion in the postseason, but he has jacked in and Enter the Matrix.

That guy is literally beat up from head to toe, suns are all tired...they have played with so much heart this entire season despite amare and KT going down. 

GO PHOENIX, I BELIEVE NOW, and I WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> Man, seriously, **** this forum, and nearly every goddamn person in it.
> 
> Constant *****ing, constant bias, and the constanst delusions. Seriously. Hard to even want to come here anymore.


I hear you!

It's even harder to be a Mavs fan though... LOL

How about Yankees fans? And.... do I dare to mention "Dallas Cowboys?" LOL

People have already made up their mind about certain teams, and the minute you mention their name... oh boy! ALL HELL BREAK LOSE.

It was actually kind of funny because the Mavs fans tend to stay on our own forum, yet people still go there just to flame.... including Spurs fans!

It's all good!

It's really too bad what happened with Amare. Suns would be a totally different team with him in the line-up. In fact, Suns with Amare would be an automatic Western Finals team. Even without Amare, I am still pretty sure the Suns will make it in the Western Finals, but they'll just have to work harder.

:cheers:


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

BootyKing said:


> Yeh we have bad rep, i noticed it a while ago. Oh well as long as we post with respect and dignity then we will recieve it in return from creditable posters. Take edwardcyh he knows we aint disrespectful or biased. I hope :biggrin:


If you are a fan of a team, you are biased. LOL

Unless you can watch ANY NBA game without rooting for a side, you are biased.

It's ok to be biased. The problem comes in when you are being outspoken about it.

.............but that's the fun of it!

:cheers:


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

edwardcyh said:


> I hear you!
> 
> It's even harder to be a Mavs fan though... LOL
> 
> ...



Yeah, all very good points. I think with the Mavs, it's partly all of their fans screamed "respect us" and no one listened because "it's what they do always do in regular season." Now they have no choice to if you eliminate the Spurs. But there are some fans who irritate and go about the "respecting" thing the wrong way. Come off too abrasive and trollish.

But yeah, I think we would be going to WCF with him as well, and a good shot to make it to the Finals. And without him you're right, it's seriously a lot harder or so seems, not having a guy to rely on inside and get to the line when we can't shoot. Watching it, you get a freaking heart attack haha. He is what we need. Maybe we can get Kurt back at least haha.


As for the bias thing, sure we have some or partial bias but I think people can still look at things objectively even they have love for their teams.


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## edwardcyh (Dec 13, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> I think with the Mavs, it's partly all of their fans screamed "respect us" and no one listened because "it's what they do always do in regular season." Now they have no choice to if you eliminate the Spurs. But there are some fans who irritate and go about the "respecting" thing the wrong way. Come off too abrasive and trollish.


I absolutely agree. "You can't demand respect. You earn it."

I think you just gave my new sig! LOL!

:cheers:


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## BootyKing (Apr 7, 2005)

edwardcyh said:


> I absolutely agree. "You can't demand respect. You earn it."
> 
> I think you just gave my new sig! LOL!
> 
> :cheers:


You will still find you don't get respect. You will deserve it but alot of the people on this board will still refrain from giving the Mavs the respect they deserve. Take Nash and Amare for example, people say Nash doesn't deserve MVP (this year or last) but then they say Amare is nothing unless he is with Nash. And the reason he averaged 40ppg on Nash is coz of the passes Nash fed him. I don't get it how these people have such closed minds. I would love seeing a Suns Mavs series, Suns are of course my devoted number 1 team but i like the Mavs and boy did Devin Harris become a stud.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Poor Jack...such a glutton for punishment.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

Jack is prolly hating to watch the Phoenix Suns about now lol.




but seeing that pic made me think of...

"did you ever dance with the devil on a pale moonlight?"


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