# GT: Game 1- Suns vs. Mavs 11/1



## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

<center> * vs. * <center>
<center>
Tues Nov. 1
8:30pm
TV: TNT</center>


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## rocken (Nov 5, 2002)

Here is my preview which I posted on another board


Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns 

When Tuesday 1st November 

Time: 8.30 PT

Location: AWA, Phoenix

TV: TNT, UPN 45 



Probable Starting Lineups:

PG-Jason Terry

SG-Jerry Stackhouse

SF-Josh Howard

PF-Dirk Nowitzki 

C-Erick Dampier



PG-Steve Nash 

SG-Raja Bell

SF-James Jones

PF-Shawn Marion

C-Kurt Thomas



prediction match-ups

Point guards

Jason Terry Vs Steve Nash



Jason Terry and Steve Nash face off in what is the re-match match-up of last years conference semi-finals. The one play Terry will be known for is lrtting Nash through and shooting a three which in the end ruined the Mava chances of forcing a game 7. Nash had an amazing series in the playoffs last year averaging over 30 points and dominating on the boards and in the assists. He also had his first ever career playoff triple double. Terry will need to hit some shots and stop Nash from dmominating him again for this one. 



Shooting guards

Jerry Stackhouse Vs Raja Bell

Jerry Stackhouse is the likely starter for the season opener. Last year Michael Finley was the starting two guard. Finley however was released under the new NBA clause so he went on to sign with the San Antonio Spurs after having interest from quite a few teams such as the Suns. Raja Bell will be starting his first season for the Suns after a few very good years with the Utah Jazz. Averaging 12.3 points last year on 40% shooting. One would expect those averages to rise playing with someone like Steve Nash.



Small Forwards

Josh Howard Vs James Jones

This SF match-up is between two very talented young small forwards. Josh Howard has improved at a huge rate. Very good defender who can score, rebound and even pass the ball. He has been a big part of the Mavs success. James Jones joined the Suns from the Pacers in what was a sign and trade. He averaged 4.9 points last year but has looked very impressive in pre-season averaging 16.6 points on 45% from the floor and 41% from three. If he can have those numbers in the regular season then the Suns are going to be in good shape. 



Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki Vs Shawn Marion

Another repeat match-up of last years playoffs. With Amare Stoudemire going down with his injury. Shawn Marion is again forced to start at power forward til he at least gets back. Marion averaged 19 and 11 last year so It's not a spot he can't play. He has always played Dirk well and will need to make sure he doesn't go off for the Suns to have a better chance in this one. 


centers

Erick Dampier Vs Kurt Thomas

This is going to be a good battle at the center position. Erick Dampier who can be very inconsistant offensively and on the boards while Kurt Thomas one of the Suns newest additions to the Suns roster has always been known as one of the most consistant guys around. KT averaged 11 and 10 last year with the Knicks and is going to be a key guy on offense and on the boards while Amare is out. Be interesting to see If Dampier will go out to KT as he likes to shoot those 15-17 foot jumpers. 



Key's to the game



Mavericks

Try and hassle Steve Nash as much as possible. With Amare out the Suns will depend alot on Nash this season

Feed Dirk the ball and get him going early on. When Dirk starts strong that is normally a good sign for the rest of the game for him

Get good production out of their new rotation of shooting guards along with Stackhouse. The Mavs brought in Doug Christie. He will be a key player for their defense.
Suns

Get Nash to attack the Mavs defense as much as possible. They had no answer for him in the playoffs last year and shouldn't do this year either.

Just because guys like Joe Johnson, Quentin Richardson are gone and Amare is injured doesn't mean these group of Suns won't run just as much. Bell, Jones, Marion, Jackson will all depended on running 
with Nash to get easy fastbreak points.

Must attack Eric Dampier in the middle. He is proven to get in foul trouble. However when he stays on the floor can be quite a handful. If he guards Kurt Thomas I feel It will be key for KT to drag him out of the paint also. Thomas is one of the top shooting big men in the NBA


Final thoughts and predictions

The Suns season opener starts here. Alot of changes have gone on from last season's 60 win team. Joe Johnson decided to leave and take the money and losing in Atlanta. The Suns did manage to get something back some picks, a TE and the very promising Bois Diaw who has showed this summer and in pre-season how well rounded he really is.


Quentin Richardson was traded for Kurt Thomas to give added size. Thomas averaged 11 and 10 last season. Q was a good piece of the Suns and set records for three-pointers made. He made alot but also missed alot too. His three-pointers will need to be replaced by newcomers Raja Bell and Jamea Jones. Both shoot over 40% from three

Jones has looked very impressive in pre-season averaging 16 points per game on 41% from three. If the Suns can get 15-16 a game out of Bell and Jones each then the Suns will be in good shape.

The real negative part of the off-season was the injury to Amare Stoudemire who is going to be out for 4 months. Which is a huge blow to the team and the fans in general. Amare was expected to have and MVP type season and many believed this team had a great shot at winning the title and challenging the Spurs. That now is put on hold til we know when Amare comes back or If he can play at a high level. If Amare isn't 100% this year then Is It really worth letting him play this year? when you give a guy a max contract you want him playing at a high level for every year. Would maybe be a safer bet to let him sit out until he is truely heathly.

Now onto this match-up. It is going to be a good one even without Amare. I like the changes we have made. Only downside is the Amare situation. That said the Mavs come into this game with basically the same team as last year with only Finley really missing. They added Doug Christie and a few bench players but overall they didn't really improve and without Finley who does have a habit of playing well in the AWA I'm more confident of winning this game had It been a year ago without Amare. We have added depth, defense and more shooters. So I think a win in the season home opener is very possible



enjoy the game everybody



THE NBA IS HERE!


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## azirishmusic (Feb 25, 2004)

A lot will depend on the respective benches. Last season the Suns had a very short bench which meant everyone played a lot of minutes.

This year the Suns bench looks pretty good, even without Stoudemire.

Brian Grant - hyper extended his knee and was held out of the last few pre-season games. When he played he lookded pretty good avering 6.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg in just 13.8 minutes. When even close to healthy, Grant is a solid center.

Boris Diaw - probably the biggest shock in the preseason has been his ability to play not only PF but even center. He led the team in blocks with 1.63 in just 23.5 minutes to go with his 4.4 assists per game. His 6.9 ppg came on 47.2% shooting. After seeming totally lost on the disfunctional Hawks, Boris appears to be thriving on the vastly more team oriented Suns and could be a key player.

Jimmy Jackson - didn't shoot very well early in the preseason, but picked it up later on. Jackson was a key player in last year's playoffs when he filled in for the injured Joe Johnson. Jackson's minutes won't be huge, but he will be the primary backup for both Bell and Jones.

Leandro Barbosa - the "Brazilian Blur" quietly improved his point guard play to the point that the Suns are no longer looking for another PG. His preseason stats were not bad: in 24.3 minutes had 9.1 ppg on 47.2% shooting, 38.9% for three, had 3.4 assists per game, 2.9 rpg, and 1.29 steals. The coaches talked about his vastly improved team defense which was one of his biggest problems last season.

Eddie House - may not be in the regular rotation, but his role as "instant offense" was demonstrated several times. 7.9 ppg in just 16.3 minutes for 47.2% and 36.8% is respectable. As the "10th man", House will not play every game, but he will see action when the offense stagnates.

Pat Burke - Burke averaged 4 rpg in 13 minutes, which is quite respectable for a supposedly third string center. Last Wed against the Kings he grabbed 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes and played very good defense. (That night, between KT and Burke, they held Miller and Skinner to a combined 13 points).


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## Sedd (Sep 1, 2003)

Stackhouse is not playing tonight. He is still having knee issues. Update your preview with Christie in at SG.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Seems like we are so far off from the 2005 NBA Conference Semifinals, enduring a long offseason of many personnel changes and a devastating injury to Amare Stoudemire. Led by MVP Steve Nash and Amare, Phoenix just five months ago ousted the Mavericks from the playoffs in six exciting games and advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in eight years. STAT's domination will be sorely missed against the Mavericks, who will look to take advantage of the Suns depleted inside power. They are ready for the test to see how the new players will officially perform in their new uniforms. Steve will be Steve, but will he be as effective as last year without the dominating presence of Amare?. The Suns will run, run, run to take advantage of their speed and thus minimize their lack of size. Kurt Thomas' shot has been off in the preseason, and they will need him to hit his open shots to force Dampier or Diop out of the lane a bit. Suns claim to have improved their defense, and results from this improvement will be needed to keep up with the Mavericks in this game. Dirk Nowitzki should take the ball inside more often than usual to punish the Suns' lack of size and interior defense. Doug Christie will have the chance to show if he is still the "Nash stopper" and great pick and roll defender Dallas is hoping he is. Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels will be looking to improve on their previous years and further become intregal parts of the Mavs offense, while also relying on their superb perimeter defense to stop the Suns three point barrage. What a kickoff to the 2005-06 season!


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## nickrock23 (Mar 28, 2004)

kurt and raja providing nice D so far


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Good start, Steve 2 for 2.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

33-29 for the Suns, good contribution from the bench so far.


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## sMaK (Jun 13, 2002)

Suns looking good...


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Is that James Jones who is chucking shot after shot, some airballs?


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

darknezx said:


> Is that James Jones who is chucking shot after shot, some airballs?


yeah but I haven't seen any airballs though. Bell shot one though. I'm glad Jones keeps shooting though, they're just not falling now. At least he still has confidence. 

I like how Bell is playing

I also like how Diaw is playing as well, when he's not tipping the ball out of bounds or throwing it away. He's made some nice passes


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Great game so far by the Suns. Nash still hasn't regained his crisp passing of last year yet, but is still putting on a show. James is a bit nervous I think. He's trying to force the issue because he's supposed to be a great shooter. He needs to understand that some games, JJ only got 5-7 shots (Q usually got his, since he'd launch them from 27 feet when he felt like it). He'll learn though, I'm still ecstatic to have him on our team. Great effort by the Suns. You can definitely tell they need this game to boost their confidence going into this rough four game schedule to start the season. Hopefully they don't implode in the second half, because this seems too good to be true to have Dallas down like this.


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Soo much for all this "No Amare" stuff. The Suns are fine and still have a good chance of winning the division.

Mavs 43 Suns 53 halftime


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## THE MATRIX 31 (Jul 22, 2005)

Halftime. I love what ive seen so far. Nash just being the reigning MVP (incredible). Raja shooting great. Diaw and Barbosa playing very well together, other than the turnovers. I do wanna see JR get into it however. A second half rampage perhaps?


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

THE MATRIX 31 said:


> Halftime. I love what ive seen so far. Nash just being the reigning MVP (incredible). Raja shooting great. Diaw and Barbosa playing very well together, other than the turnovers. I do wanna see JR get into it however. A second half rampage perhaps?



Yeah, that's a thing I noticed too. Diaw and Barbosa have this chemistry with one another.

I would like to see The Matrix get his game going offensively though. He's playing well defensively and getting loose balls. We're hustling out there.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

Great first half by Nash and Bell. Raja sure was a nice pick-up, wasn't he?


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## Phenom Z28 (Nov 22, 2004)

That move by Nash at the end of the half was sick. I literally spit out some pepsi I was drinking when I saw that. Then Dirk answering at the end of the half with a second left, it's just great seeing those two go against eachother.


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Yeah nice battle between those two, but would Nash break down into the season with the way he's exerting himself?


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 49 Suns 57

9;45


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 51 Suns 60

8:55


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

darknezx said:


> Yeah nice battle between those two, but would Nash break down into the season with the way he's exerting himself?


Nash actually sat out for quite a bit the end of the 1st and some of the 2nd and we played well. We were like plus 5 w/o him.



Jones getting into it now.


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 55 Suns 60

Foul on Suns

Daniels makes Both free throws

7:54


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 55 Suns 63

7:14


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 57 Suns 63

6:42


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 59 Suns 65

6:23


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## The One (Jul 10, 2005)

Mavs 59 Suns 63 

Suns Time Out


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Nash broke Dirk's ankle there on the last play.


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Wow Nash is really carrying the team.. no real set play from both teams.. Dallas is just lost on offence out there sometimes..


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Another thing I'm noticing that I like. Dirk doesn't seem to be complaining about -any- calls this game. He's just playing the game. I can't tell you how refreshing that is to see. I wonder if he made a decision in the offseason to do that a lot less.


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Yeah agreed. I can't emphasize enough about the players actually playing the game and stop whining. Let's hope he cuts down on the flopping, or the officials actually seeing what an average fan sees when Dirk cuts to the basket.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Sounds like an exciting game. Hopefully Steve and Co. can pull out the W.


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Sweet rebound and shot by Barbosa to end the 3rd.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Barbosa's looking very good thus far in his third year. He seems like he has an extra bounce in his step.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

MArion isn't scoring much, but he sure is hitting the boards and also has 6 assists, two steals and two blocks after three quarters.

11 point lead at home, now just keep playing well and open up the season with a win.


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## Chris Bosh #4 (Feb 18, 2005)

Nash is playing out of this world right now. His assists number are down though, but Nash will get his groove back.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I'm shocked at the Suns' defense in this game. Suns. Defense. Suns. Defense. Wierd.


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

By the way who's that Suns dude who has a Rasheed-like facial hair? He seems to catch my eye very often, even from the bench.. Arg.. :S


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

darknezx said:


> By the way who's that Suns dude who has a Rasheed-like facial hair? He seems to catch my eye very often, even from the bench.. Arg.. :S


James Jones? Kurt Thomas?


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Never mind, it's House. 

I like the Sun's energy, chasing after loose balls, rebounds, and their defence has been effective tonight (whether it's with regards to Dallas' poor execution is another question), but I think the moment Nash goes down, Suns might have a problem. It's probably going to be another MVP-like season for Nash.

The Mavs really need some spacing, it's basically 1 against 5 with 4 spectators on the court, no flow to the offence, and no movement off the ball. :curse:


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Wow, Mavs making a comeback and only down 5.


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## Laker Freak (Jul 1, 2003)

Dirk is on fire right now, and I would have left Nash on the bench a little bit longer because the Suns bench was playing great and built a pretty big lead.


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## nickrock23 (Mar 28, 2004)

get some defenders in there.. up 10 no reason jimmy jackson should be on the floor


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Wow, Dallas is up.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Wow, Suns offense fell apart. Dallas is smart to let Nash try and beat them by himself and stay at home with the shooters. That's what the Suns miss about JJ. Bell and Jones can't put the ball on the floor and get you a shot.


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Marion makes the bucket, gets fouled, but misses the FT. Suns up 1.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Cmon Suns.:gopray:


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Nash gets fouled with 4.4 secs and makes both FT's to tie the game.


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## nickrock23 (Mar 28, 2004)

how is kurt not in the game, did he foul out?


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Turned out to be a much better game than we thought. Finally Dallas found a combination that works, playing tenacious Darrell Armstrong against Nash. Going small forced Kurt to stay on the bench, because he can't guard Dirk or Josh. Marion at center can't be a good thing.


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

The game is going to OT!


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Overtime number 2 for opening night! Sweet.


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## nickrock23 (Mar 28, 2004)

good D marion. get the starters back in please


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Nash the nice 3 ball and the Suns are up 4.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Even if we don't win, this game gives me hope that we'll do at least decent until Amare gets back. And if Amare comes back healthy, we might just be unrealistically nasty.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Yeah, I agree. I honestly didn;' know what to expect going into this game, but if we're playing Dallas like we did tonight then that gives me confidence as a fan that there is still hope for this team on the year.


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Suns up 5 with 36 secs left in the game, Mavs ball.


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## nickrock23 (Mar 28, 2004)

u guys are gonna be fine, my team got antoine jason williams and posey, id trade all 3 for raja.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I'm a bit concerned that it's all Nash right now. Someone else is gonna have to step up near the end of the game and make things happen. I love Diaw being put in the game. I thought the lineup of Marion/Jones/Jackson/Bell/Nash wasn't good at all. Great game though.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Overtime number 2! I dunno, I think Phoenix just lost their only chance to win this game. Hopefully they prove me wrong.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

What a game! Double OT!


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Weasel said:


> Suns up 5 with 36 secs left in the game, Mavs ball.


Now it's double OT...

What happened?? :curse:


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Down 5, could sense it coming. Another overtime asking for heroics from Steve Nash to win just isn't gonna keep happening. They need to find a different way. I like giving Diaw the ball at the top of the key. That seems to create open shots pretty well.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Down 2, Suns ball. James Jones hit a nice three and Bell went to the line. That's what it'll take to beat Dallas tonight. The Nash isolations worked for awhile, but lost their edge. Two rough open three point misses by Leandro, ouch. Suns are close, but still can't seem to get over the hump and put Dallas away.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Ouch, horrible turnover in crunch time.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Rough loss, but awesome game. Suns definitely had their chances to win this game.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Bah!!! **** that! We should of had it. Oh well. Great game, and it does give me hope for our season.


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## Weasel (Oct 18, 2003)

Tough loss for the Suns but a good game by both teams. Very exciting start to the season.


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## qross1fan (Dec 28, 2004)

honestly, during both over time periods, this was one of the WORST performaces i have seen . . . both teams rushed too many shots, took too many outside shots. 

anyway tough loss for Suns


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Playing small ball killed us............Should of atleast had Kurt in.


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## ChristopherJ (Aug 10, 2004)

Those are the type of losses that really hurt. Hopefully they can rebound.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

SunsFan57 said:


> Playing small ball killed us............Should of atleast had Kurt in.


I disagree. Kurt Thomas guarding Dirk is an invitation for disaster. He also can't guard Josh Howard, who would easily get open shots over or drive by Thomas. Putting in Diaw was the answer in my opinion.


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## single-9 (May 10, 2005)

great game...imagine if amare could play...


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## Zei_Zao_LS (Apr 1, 2005)

All we needed was one big man in to block up the paint and grab a couple boards. Shawn Marion at the 5 spot really doesn't work, no matter how hard you want it to.

Leandro hit a couple big shots, missed a couple big ones too though. The bad and the good mesh and create... err... another game.

Disappointing, but a great game nonetheless.


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## Drewbs (Feb 16, 2004)

darknezx said:


> Never mind, it's House.
> 
> I like the Sun's energy, chasing after loose balls, rebounds, and their defence has been effective tonight (whether it's with regards to Dallas' poor execution is another question), but I think the moment Nash goes down, Suns might have a problem. It's probably going to be another MVP-like season for Nash.
> 
> The Mavs really need some spacing, it's basically 1 against 5 with 4 spectators on the court, no flow to the offence, and no movement off the ball. :curse:


This is exactly how it ws in tpe playoffs last year too.


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## Tiz (May 9, 2005)

Nice game last night. Obviously I would have liked a different outcome, but a good game none the less. Everyone looked good, was nice to see the production from Bell and Jones, Nash and Marion were both impressive. Just slacked off a little in the 4th to lose that lead. That double OT was stressful though last night.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

What a heartbreaking loss - to have a 17 point lead with half of the fourth quarter left just disappear as Dirk hits three three's and the Sun's offense just disappeared. But the Suns fought back, forced overtime, and even had a nice five point lead in the first OT. Jason Terry had a good first OT, but could not make back-to-back free throws to save his life.

Then the Suns got behind in the second OT and both Nash and Marion had five fouls. Nash had to shoot a three with time running out in the second OT and missed. I do not like the final score, but it was a pretty good game.

G-Force


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## chapi (Apr 4, 2003)

i think Nash make two mistakes that cost them the game. in the first OT i think he dribbled at the top of the key and than missed a 2pointer with 4 seconds left. And at the end of the 2OT he dribbled way to long with the pick and roll not working... Very bad decisions on his part i think..

Any way nice game to watch, and Nash will do better next time.

I actually like the suns team


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## sunsaz (Apr 18, 2005)

Ugh. I got sick last night at the game. No, not from the blown lead but from getting a cold. If they're going to crank the arena thermostat THAT low for every home game, it's going to be a long season.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

I wasn't worried too much that they lost; I'm just glad they were that competitive. I hope the scoring picks up with the other players, so Nash won't have to put up a 30pt triple-double every game to have a chance.


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