# Game 7: Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns - Nov 16th, 2005



## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

*Game 7: Memphis Grizzlies (5-3) at Phoenix Suns (3-3)*

*Wednesday, November 16th, 7:00 PM (PST - Arizona), FSN*






















*Starting Lineup*





































Damon Stoudamire Eddie Jones Mike Miller Shane Battier Pau Gasol

*Reserves*

Lorenzen Wright 
Bobby Jackson 
Antonio Burks 
Dahntay Jones 
Hakim Warrick 
John Thomas 
Lawrence Roberts 



















*Starting Lineup*





































Steve Nash Leandro Barbosa Raja Bell Shawn Marion Kurt Thomas

*Reserves*

Boris Diaw 
James Jones
Brian Grant 
Eddie House 
Jim Jackson 
Pat Burke 

*Grizzlies' Previous Game:* Memphis squeaked out of Philips Arena in Atlanta with a one point win over the Hawks to break even at 2-2 on the road. Though enjoying little contribution from the bench, combining for 8 points on just 1-14 shooting from the field, the Grizz' held off Atlanta with solid production from its starters. Pau Gasol continued his tirade through the NBA by chipping in 20 and 9. Shane Battier contributed 22 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive) and 5 assists. With Damon Stoudamire out due to an ankle injury, Bobby Jackson moved into the starting lineup and produced 17 points and 8 rebounds.

UPDATE: The Grizzlies defeated the Lakers 85-73 at home on Monday night to improve to 5-3 on the season. Pau Gasol was great once again with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Eddie Jones had 16 points and 4 steals, while Mike Miller helped off the bench with 13 points. Damon Stoudamire returned to the starting lineup, but for the most part did not play well in his first game back from an ankle injury.

*Suns' Previous Game:* The Suns were finally able to capture the all-elusive first home win by defeating the Warriors 101-86. Shawn Marion was quietly solid once again, with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 4 blocks. Leandro Barbosa handled his move into the starting lineup well, dropping 19 for the Suns. Steve Nash had 20 and 10. Raja Bell was hot early on and went for 20. Boris Diaw returned to the bench after starting Thursday in a loss to the Detroit Pistons, and it affected him none. While he struggled to finish at times during the game to convert easy layups and shots near the hoop, he was still solid with 8 point, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.

*Chris's Game Notes:* Suns hope they finally learned the lessons behind their early fourth quarter woes by putting away Golden State. Were the Warriors just too tired to compete in their second game in two days, or did the Suns display a killer instinct near the end of the game that they can build on? Memphis has struggled to put the basketball in the hoop at times this year, recently scoring only 70 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are averaging around 90.3 points per game, but they hold their opponents to slightly below that at 89.9. They also carry a problem similar to that of Phoenix, with an inability to rebound the ball with consistency. The Suns on the other hand are averaging 108.2 and yielding 104.3 to their opponents. Will the number 1 offense in the NBA be able to pummel the number 5 defense in the league? Will the 5th worst offense in the league be able to prevail over the league's 3rd worst defense? Will the slow inside pace of Memphis prevail over the frenetic pace of Suns basketball? In another interesting note, Suns fans await, some in sheer anticipation and some in fear, words from Jimmy Jackson regarding his recent and rapid rotation exit. Will Jimmy be forced to sit another one out? Tune in, Suns fans! 
​

*Match-up of the Night*



*Steve Nash* versus *Damon Stoudamire*​
<table border=2 align=center>
<tr align=center><td>Player
<td>Points
<td>Rebounds
<td>Assists
<td>Steals
<td>Blocks
<tr align=center><td>








<td>*18.3*
<td>*3.0*
<td>*11.3*
<td>*1.5*
<td>*.17*
<tr align=center><td>








<td>*7.6*
<td>*3.0*
<td>*4.3*
<td>*.71*
<td>*.00*
</table>

*Make your predictions HERE! GO SUNS!​*


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## sunsaz (Apr 18, 2005)

I'm really worried about Jackson. I have a bad feeling that I'll soon come across a news article that says "Suns' Jackson Demands Trade."

BTW, that BasketballBoards.com sign for the games might be easier said then done. My seat is right behind the statician's table where Bryan Collangelo sits.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

I doubt we could even trade Jax for much and where is he gonna go? He would retire or sit out if we sent him to a ****ty team. I wish he would play more. He still has some in the tank. We could use his experience later on. He couldn't have just dropped off that much to not play.



wow awesome game thread. BTW you should use our firebird logo. I like it much better but either way. Doesn't matter haha.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

Yea, Jackson not playing does concern me. Anyway though, this game will rely on if we can stop Gasol. He's been pretty beast like thus far. Plus we need to stop the outside shooting of Jones, Miller, and Stoudamire.


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## ballstorm (Nov 30, 2003)

great game thread Chris ! I am pretty confident regarding the chances of the suns tonight agasint the Grizzlies .


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Carbo04 said:


> Yea, Jackson not playing does concern me. Anyway though, this game will rely on if we can stop Gasol. He's been pretty beast like thus far. Plus we need to stop the outside shooting of Jones, Miller, and Stoudamire.


Any word on if Stoudamire is playing tonight?


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

ballstorm said:


> great game thread Chris ! I am pretty confident regarding the chances of the suns tonight agasint the Grizzlies .


Thanks man, I too think the Suns should be able to beat Memphis. When Memphis shooters (Miller, Battier, Jones, Jackson) are hot, it can be pretty darn tough to put them away. So all we can do is hope this isn't one of those nights for them to go nuts. I look forward to seeing what Bell can do defensively, since he will likely be stuck on Memphis' hottest shooter.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> wow awesome game thread. BTW you should use our firebird logo. I like it much better but either way. Doesn't matter haha.


Yeah, that would be better. Let me take a look around the net and see if I can find a good one of similar size.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> Yeah, that would be better. Let me take a look around the net and see if I can find a good one of similar size.


there's always the one I have as my avatar now that I cut from a Suns background last yr. Not sure if it's big enough but it doesn't matter that much to change it anyhow haha.


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## MeirToTheWise (Nov 9, 2005)

I think we should actually be able to blow this team away, since the Grizzlies are sporadic in the way they've played this year (some games they play with a lot of intensity, other games they come out flat). If Marion has one of his normal games (20/10) and Nash doesn't turn the ball over as much (he was averaging 5 a game before the win against GS), we should win. I expect our bench to play solidly again, and for Leandro to have another strong night as a starter.

There is one major concern that I have though. For some reason, except for the Warriors, teams against us seem to all of a sudden shoot lights-out in the final quarter, while we can barely get an offensive rhythm going. True, some of its breakdown on defense and silly mistakes by us, but some of those shots I saw go in against us were pretty ridiculous. Hopefully, the GS game was a turnaround, and PHX'll be able to start closing out games efficiently. I'd like to see a better defensive performance, as well as a strong night in rebounding.

Go Suns!


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

dissonance19 said:


> there's always the one I have as my avatar now that I cut from a Suns background last yr. Not sure if it's big enough but it doesn't matter that much to change it anyhow haha.


Well, I added one in there...but it's really annoying me that for some reason photoshop won't let me match the surrounding color to the background of the board. Instead, you get this white box around it. I made it grey so it would annoy me less, hehe. But if anyone wants to try and mess with it, send me en editted one that matches the background of the board and I'll use that one instead. Good idea though dis, I like it better.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Hey guys, Zei_Zao_LS and I had talked about adding a predictions game to the board. Zei_Zao_LS stepped up and wanted to run it, which is awesome. So give it a shot!


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Hi folks. Greetings from Brazil.

Since there will be no games being transmitted here, all I can do is look at some play-by-play. I think it´s going to be a tough game, but we can pull this one. Suns by 7. Don´t know why, but I think Leandro is going to score 25+ points!


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

MarshallBR said:


> Hi folks. Greetings from Brazil.
> 
> Since there will be no games being transmitted here, all I can do is look at some play-by-play. I think it´s going to be a tough game, but we can pull this one. Suns by 7. Don´t know why, but I think Leandro is going to score 25+ points!


Welcome to BBB.net MarshallBR! We're glad to have ya. I sure do hope Leandro scores 25! Life would be much easier for the Suns that way. I'll be watching the game with the wife, but I'll try to jump on here and post some updates. If someone else could also post some game updates here that would be great. Well, welcome!


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks, man! Any help would be appreciated. But don´t worry about the updates. If ESPN International decided to air it instead of showing some "exciting" poker match or figure skating, posting here would be one of the last things I´d think of! 

GO SUNS!


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

OK, sounds good. 


Made a change to Memphis' starting lineups, looks like their trying to go small against the Suns.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

So far, Battier has more rebounds than the entire Suns team! Great.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> OK, sounds good.
> 
> 
> Made a change to Memphis' starting lineups, looks like their trying to go small against the Suns.


Lorenzen's out with a strained hamstring. 

I'd be lying if I said I was upset about it.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Barbosa benched that early? Is he injured?


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Rawse said:


> Lorenzen's out with a strained hamstring.
> 
> I'd be lying if I said I was upset about it.


Haha. Thanks for the update.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

MarshallBR said:


> Barbosa benched that early? Is he injured?


Barbosa jammed his fingers taking a swipe at the basketball and knocking it out of someone's hands. He just got back in there though.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Suns by 6! Wow, it's amazing to actually have a guy that doesn't get run over by the opposition in the interior. Gasol on an earlier play really tried to back down Kurt like he did to Amare last year, but Kurt simply didn't move at all. He gave up no ground. Kurt isn't an amazing interior stopper or anything, but this is something the Suns haven't enjoyed in awhile...someone who plays tough in there and holds their own. Great to see from Kurt.

Suns bench kicking butt once again. All with Nash off the court. When it was JJ and Q, that was definitely not the case. Seems like everytime Nash goes to the bench, the Suns get faster on the break and their defense gets a lot better.

Hmm, Eddie House's shot is off, and still no Jim Jackson.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks for the info.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

44-38 Suns, 8 minutes left. This is definitely going to be a higher scoring game than I had anticipated. Of course, Miller starting and Eddie Jones out with 3 fouls helps that.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Looks like Barbosa is having an off night...


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

2 three-pointers from Nash and Barbosa helped them keep the game within reach. We´re down by 4 only.


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## Zei_Zao_LS (Apr 1, 2005)

That three helped out Leandro. 2/7 shooting, 2/2 from the free throw line. 7 points in the first half, and he usually picks it up in the 2nd half.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Suns struggling to hit anything at this point. Yikes, these droughts are rough when you can do nothing but rely on the outside shot.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

... and Memphis is shooting 5-for-7 so far this quarter. Just hope they cool down at some point this quarter.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

another thing: when Barbosa has more rebounds than Marion, it usually means the Suns are in trouble!


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

It´s time for us to do what the other teams were doing with us: force them into a fourth quarter meltdown.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

MarshallBR said:


> It´s time for us to do what the other teams were doing with us: force them into a fourth quarter meltdown.


...Hard to do that when the other team shoots 12-of-17! :upset:


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

Well, another loss... If our defense doesn´t improve, there will be a lot more games like this... At least next game is against Utah, and they are without AK and Boozer (as far as I know)... Very winnable game.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Geez, Memphis couldn't miss anything for most of the second half. Suns having no shot blocker in there sucks. Hell, no size at all. Memphis had it easy on the inside and the outside tonight. Why these huge offensive breakdowns at home, I dunno.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I wonder why D'Antoni didn't let Kurt at least try and play man against Gasol. Instead all the other guys beat us, on top of Gasol beating us.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

Wow, the Suns shot only 11 free throws for the entire game. WEre they settling for outside shots and not driving to the hoop?


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## rdm2 (Sep 17, 2005)

Dissapointing loss, the Grizz wouldn't miss. Our defense was crap, and offense even more so heh. Gotta give Memphis credit, they really executed well down the stretch. 

When i think about it though, not quite as dissapointing as blowing a 15+ point lead and losing like the others so I guess i'll live with being out played rather than a meltdown.


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## MarshallBR (Nov 17, 2005)

G-Force said:


> Wow, the Suns shot only 11 free throws for the entire game. WEre they settling for outside shots and not driving to the hoop?


Not only shot, but hit all of them... Looks like they were not aggressive enough (I wasn´t able to watch the game, though).


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## MeirToTheWise (Nov 9, 2005)

Getting to the free throw line has been a problem all year so far, and will be until Amare comes back. These breakdowns in home games are ridiculous, something needs to change or we're gonna be in real trouble by the time the All-Star break rolls around.


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## RSP83 (Nov 24, 2002)

Well, when is Amare going to return? with or without Amare this team needs to make some improvement. the Suns still want to win as many game as they can to at least stay close to the playoff competition. D'Antoni gotta make this team at least a .500 team. The Suns don't want to be in a position where Amare comes back and it's too late.

I can't watch the game, but I based on what you guys said, the team needs to go to the line more. If that's the problem, I think Barbosa and Diaw has to start taking it to the hoop. Especially Diaw, I'm a fan of his, but I also know that he's downside has always been his unselfishness. D'Antoni has to push him to slash to the basket more. He definitely has the skill to do it, but for whatever reason, he doesn't utilize it. Barbosa has been atacking the basket, and that's good, he needs to keep being aggressive.

The team's biggest problem is size obviously and Amare's injury is a big reason of that problem. I don't see how the Suns can really fix this problem, the only player the team can offer is Jimmy Jackson. And The FA is not looking to good. There are Elden Campbell and Jahidi White still FA. Or The Suns better scout the D-League and pick up a servicable big man with size.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

I've read that we double team way too much which leads to open shots and Griz just couldn't miss.... sounds like the 4th quarter game against Pistons. The opponent team just wouldn't miss. lol


I think I would rather give them the inside game than letting them ON FIRE.


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## sunsaz (Apr 18, 2005)

Bleh. Don't even get me started with what went wrong tonight. Only thing good about the game was that there were no Grizzlies fans at the Center (have to start calling the Arena the Center now).


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I think everyone's right on the double teaming. If there's a need for it, then do it. But from what Gasol was doing offensively, it didn't warrant the double team. Actually, I was praising Kurt for his defense against Gasol. Kurt is not a defensive stopper. But he keeps guys out of the lane and forces them to work from out of the paint. I saw several occasions where Gasol tried to back Kurt down, and with every bump Kurt didn't budge an inch. The problem there is when Gasol turns and faces up, he can get by Kurt and there's no shot blocker on the weak side to come and help (like how Amare gets his blocks most of the time). But still, I would rather have Gasol making decisions on the run and under pressure to do something with the ball than to throw a weak double at him and let the rest of the team obliterate us. 7 assists for Gasol tells a lot of the story. I saw it a few times where the Suns give that half-fake-like-I'm-going-to-double-team-and-end-up-covering-niether-guy-effectively double team. Either commit or don't commit. 

I was hoping they would try to get James Jones more shots. Yeah, he took 8 3's and made 4. That's awesome. But there were still a few times where he was open and Nash took the shot. Jones could have easily gone 7-12 from three or so in my estimation if they'd have looked for him. But oh well, that will come later. 

Not sure if Jimmy Jackson is happier or worse after playing a brief stint in this game, time will tell.

A quiet 8-7-7 from Diaw, very nice. Seemed like the 4 turnovers stood out more this game than usual. 41 minutes for Leandro, and that is after he jammed his fingers and sat out for a little bit talking to the trainer. D'Antoni definitely has confidence in his game right now. Overall good game by Kurt. Bell was ok. Bell's defense shines when he's going up against stars that like to penetrate, like Wade or Kobe, and chasing guys who run off screens, like Hamilton. He doesn't have the arms long enough to disturb perimiter shooters like Mike Miller. House's shot has been off for a few games now, can't wait till he comes in and shoots lights out.

Frustrating game when the opposition can't miss anything, despite how hard you try. Hopefully Suns can bounce back and play tough against the undermanned Jazz. Go Suns!


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Suns deserve to lose that one. To many offensive rebounds by Memphis. 


I think D'Antoni needs to go a little bigger with Burke and Kurt or Grant and Burke.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

I saw it a few times where the Suns give that half-fake-like-I'm-going-to-double-team-and-end-up-covering-niether-guy-effectively double team. Either commit or don't commit.
--------------------

This is exactly what happens in the game I watched. Our double team SUCKS. I say forget it. Just let the other post player eats us if we can't stop. It's sure better than letting them shoot so many 3pts on such high % (since our rotation sucks as well). 

We are already short. How in the hell can we stop people from shooting outside? Yeah, Nash can rotate to there but I doubt he can stop anybody from shooting over him. If we don't double team, at least we can stay on the target easier. 


I say get rid of this double team thing.


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