# Suns Vs Mavs Game 1 Grades



## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

First of all, congrats on Nash's MVP award! Just like what he said, this is really about MVP Team award but since there can only be one person, Nash is the leader so he gets it but something tells me Amare wants to bring that home after tonight. LOL 

Grades, grades, grades.. 

Nash: *B*: He didn't have the greatest game but for a guy who is being pressured so much by the media after winning the award and playing against Cuban, I thought he was pretty good. Nash was extremely tense in the first quarter but afterwards, his penetration and passing start to come alive.  I thought Nash's offense isn't that bad either. He hit quite a few fade away and scored a pretty good one on Dirk. lol 

Amare: *A+*: THE BEAST. Mavs has NO ANSWER for him. I knew Mavs had no answer for him but not this type of clueless. I've trashed Dampier soooooooooo many times and I feel I don't want to bother wasting my energy on him after this game . What in the world was he doing? Dampier couldn't even catch a damn ball!!! Amare was hitting it everywhere and defensively, he was very good before 4th quarter. He had a monster block over Nash and I thought that's a pretty good ESPN material. Overall, another A+ game!!! 

Marion: *A*: Solid everywhere and he did a very solid job on Dirk until towards the end of 3rd. I don't remember if Marion was on that time but Hunter let Dirk have too much fun. We don't want Dirk to find his shot back. Marion had a monster jam over Dirk on the fast break. 

JJ: *A+*: Wow, this dude is really going to ask for a lot of money after the playoffs. Another 20+ game, decent rebound, assist and steal and only had 1 turnover. Man!!! This dude is freaking hot right now!!!

Q: *B+*: I thought the back-to-back 3 killed Mavs' energy once and for all. Had two pretty good charges to stop Mavs' flow. Overall, Q was very solid and again, when you have 3 other players bringing their A games, you just have no way to shine. lol Maybe in game 2? 

JimJax: *B* (but really C): I've said it again, when you blow out a team in the playoff, you don't deserve lower than B but he really couldn't get anything going. The refs were super tough on him and the last foul is a total BS. Hopefully he can step up more in Game 2.  But when we have 25pt lead... there's really no need for him to step up. lol 

Hunter: *B*: I thought he had a few good fast break games and finished one nice left hand catching Nash's pass. For bench, he was very solid.  

McCarty: *B*: Well, hitting a big 3pt to start our engine. We were 3pt frenzying!! lol Some Mavs fans said "wow, you guys shoot 3pt so well"? I bet they haven't seen much of our games. lol 

Barbosa: *B*: Coming in during garbage time and scoring a few pretty good layups and hitting an insulting 3pt in the end to embarrase the Mavs.  

Bo: *B*: Nice assist! lol

D'Antoni: *A+*: Again, when a team wins, the coach deserves the credit and vice versa. I thought the substitution was pretty good and he sure has prepared us for tonight's game after 8 freaking dayoffs. 

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Some thoughts: 

Kenny on TNT was DEAD on Mavs' game. I've criticized Mavs' versatility many times and tonight is a perfect example. They are really in the middle of everything but nothing is spectular. Their game depends on "who performs better tonight"" strategy. Besides, Dirk, nobody is really consistent. You see Terry firing up in the Rocket series but there are times he just totally disappeared. You see Stackhouse scoring a lot and disappeared again. 

When Nash was in the Mavs, at least they were known for fast breaking, the "true" jump shooting team. Nothing but jump shots. Now, they stack in the middle of nowhere. There was no inside presence at all. Mavs is the best at defending 3pt but it sure didn't feel like it tonight. 


Another funny thing about Mavs' management is that they let Nash go for a better inside presence. HELLO??? Where was it? Dampier was so bad. I can't even stop trashing him...wait, I just said I didn't want to waste my energy on him, didn't I? lol 


Mavs should bench Dampier and start Dirk at the center. That seems to be the best offense they have since Dampier couldn't defend either and had almost ZERO offense game. I mean we were so undersized and he couldn't even take advantage of that!! 

The funny thing about Mavs' management is that they thought Nash is the reason why their defense sucked. I am sure most Mavs said "Oh, we would rather have a guard who can defend!". I had been a Mavs fan for 2 years following Nash and Dirk and in many many games I've seen, Nash's defense is not the real problem. The whole team is just soft. Nobody could really finish inside the way Amare can and in last year's playoffs, Nash had plenty of penetration inside and for god's sake, either Bradley/Walker/Najara just couldn't finish at all! Daniel/Howard are a bit undersized to be effective inside and Dirk is a shooting guard trapped in a 7 footer body, so the whole team has no inside game at all. So to beat the old Mavs, just defend the outside shooting and they are so in trouble. I never thought Nash was the reason why Mavs lost even though Bibby/Parker had their ways with him. lol 

Anyway, time to sleep. 25pt win. Man, I certainly didn't expect that. What a nice way to celebrate MVP but don't party too much!!!


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## DHarris34Phan (Oct 28, 2004)

*Nash was traded because we didn't because we didn't want to give a 6 year MAX contract to a 31 year old PG. We knew we would be losing a great player.*


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

DHarris34Phan said:


> *Nash was traded because we didn't because we didn't want to give a 6 year MAX contract to a 31 year old PG. We knew we would be losing a great player.*



Yes, that was the "apparent" reason but the real problem lies in that freaking Finely's contract!!! Mavs couldn't move him at all because nobody wants him. If you think Nash isn't reliable, think about Finely! 

Finely IS the problem, not Nash. 

And since Suns shows more love towards Nash, I know I would choose the same.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

DHarris34Phan said:


> *Nash was traded because we didn't because we didn't want to give a 6 year MAX contract to a 31 year old PG. We knew we would be losing a great player.*


Nash was traded? What'd we have to give up ??? I see NO Suns players on the Mavs bench or line up. :biggrin: 

65 Mill is not a max deal. But Nash deserved it with how he's played. We showed we wanted him and he had value. Now, can anyone justify Dampier getting 72 million? lol


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

dissonance19 said:


> Nash was traded? What'd we have to give up ??? I see NO Suns players on the Mavs bench or line up. :biggrin:
> 
> 65 Mill is not a max deal. But Nash deserved it with how he's played. We showed we wanted him and he had value. Now, can anyone justify Dampier getting 72 million? lol


Now I would love to see why Dampier got 72 millions. Mavs fans, please explain!!!

So you got a supposesd legit center that Mavs never had before and he has helped the team by 0pt, 4 fouls and 5 boards. Man, I thought Nash got 6 boards himself tonight!!!


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

jibikao said:


> Now I would love to see why Dampier got 72 millions. Mavs fans, please explain!!!
> 
> So you got a supposesd legit center that Mavs never had before and he has helped the team by 0pt, 4 fouls and 5 boards. Man, I thought Nash got 6 boards himself tonight!!!



:rofl:


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

jibikao said:


> Now I would love to see why Dampier got 72 millions. Mavs fans, please explain!!!
> 
> So you got a supposesd legit center that Mavs never had before and he has helped the team by 0pt, 4 fouls and 5 boards. Man, I thought Nash got 6 boards himself tonight!!!


The leg and foot injures he suffered have really took their toll on his lateral movement on defense. I did not like the contract, but I do like having Damp. Amare is a tough cover for a lot of people in the NBA, and when he starts knocking down that 17-20 ft shot a little better, then I think he will be ungaurdable. I hope the Suns can keep him and Nash together for a long time, unlike Mark did with Nash and Dirk.


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

Also this makes the Mavs 0-7 when Dan Crawford is refing thier playoff game.
:whoknows:


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## 1 Penny (Jul 11, 2003)

Grades

*Nash: B* ...13 assists isnt too shabby.

*JJ: A+* ...Okay thats 5 games with 20+ points and close to 0 TO. Currently the best outside shooter in the playoffs. We will need to fork up huge $$$ to sign him again.

*Q: B* ...Shot the ball okay, had a few good defensive plays.

*Marion: A* ...Another 20/10 game, this guy is having a Duncanesque season. Doesnt shoot the ball much but "quietly" puts up 20/10 and a few defensive stat every game.

*Amare: A+* ...This guy holds the key to you know what...

*Hunter: C* ...got a few rebounds

*Jackson: C* ...didnt really play anywhere near his good game.

*Barbosa: C+* ...scored a few times, okay game for him.

*Outlaw: C* ...for just being able to run after being on the bench for so long.


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

1 Penny said:


> *JJ: A+* ...Okay thats 5 games with 20+ points and close to 0 TO. Currently the best outside shooter in the playoffs. We will need to fork up huge $$$ to sign him again.


I don't think they have the $$$ to do so if they extend Amare. I think that Cleveland or maybe even Seattle, when they loose Ray, will come after him hard.


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## DHarris34Phan (Oct 28, 2004)

dissonance19 said:


> 65 Mill is not a max deal. But Nash deserved it with how he's played. We showed we wanted him and he had value. Now, can anyone justify Dampier getting 72 million? lol


*Talk to me in 3 years.....I don't think he has 6 years left, but that is just me. I think Dallas was smart to move in a different direction.

As for Dampier, big men are harder to come by, and they command a higher market value. Although he isn't showing it in this series, he was well worth the money this season, and should continue to be the big man that we needed during the Nash Years.*


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

DHarris34Phan said:


> *Talk to me in 3 years.....I don't think he has 6 years left, but that is just me. I think Dallas was smart to move in a different direction.
> 
> As for Dampier, big men are harder to come by, and they command a higher market value. Although he isn't showing it in this series, he was well worth the money this season, and should continue to be the big man that we needed during the Nash Years.*


If Barb steps up next season, or they can find a quality back up, Nash may live out the 5 remaining years of his contract. Nash just seems to play and look different in Phoenix. I think it is because of the team around him, and his coach allowing him to pass first. Nellie always wanted Steve to shoot the ball more.


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## DHarris34Phan (Oct 28, 2004)

*Plus...we won more games this year without Nash....it may not matter in the longrun, but it is definitly food for thought.*


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

SMDre said:


> If Barb steps up next season, or they can find a quality back up, Nash may live out the 5 remaining years of his contract. Nash just seems to play and look different in Phoenix. I think it is because of the team around him, and his coach allowing him to pass first. Nellie always wanted Steve to shoot the ball more.


Yep, this team is different from those Mavs teams. Which that comparison has annoyed the hell out of me. We have better scorers, we're athletic, we have an inside presence in Amare, better 3 pt shooters, and as you said, Nash passes more.


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## Dissonance (Jul 21, 2004)

DHarris34Phan said:


> *Talk to me in 3 years.....I don't think he has 6 years left, but that is just me. I think Dallas was smart to move in a different direction.
> 
> As for Dampier, big men are harder to come by, and they command a higher market value. Although he isn't showing it in this series, he was well worth the money this season, and should continue to be the big man that we needed during the Nash Years.*


72 mill for what he's doing? You got him for what you're tryin to do now, win a championship. Sole reason, is to have someone down low. He's not even much of a presence where you guys needed him. Specially when he fouls and is not even in the game much. He can't handle Yao/Amare, whats he gonna do if he facing Duncan, Shaq or Wallaces?

And Nash leaving isn't the reason why you guys are better. Players have different roles and do things differently and also remember, Nash never had a true low post player in Dallas. He was giving it to Dirk.


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## 1 Penny (Jul 11, 2003)

Man, I do feel that JJ will depart whether we win or not.

He will get paid.... he'll be a 20-5-5 player on another team as a second option... with perimeter "D" thats only getting better... and lets not mention he has become a 3-point specialists.... and again, lets not mention he can play 1-2-3.


Man...... Sarver should of signed him for the 55 Mil he wanted at the start of the season. Its not surprising since a lot of ex-suns players have become even bigger stars when they left... im thinking Finley, Nash, Kidd, McDyess, Cassel etc comes to mind.... JJ looks like he'll join that list and have a chance to be an all-star on a Cavs team or Hawks... or even Sonics.

If Ray stays, Cavs will need to sign Z too, or let him go... or sign and trade. But Hawks and Bobcats will be pursuing him. Forget Ray Allen, Michael Redd... the player going to be most sort after will be JJ... he's Young and still getting better.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

SMDre said:


> If Barb steps up next season, or they can find a quality back up, Nash may live out the 5 remaining years of his contract. Nash just seems to play and look different in Phoenix. I think it is because of the team around him, and his coach allowing him to pass first. Nellie always wanted Steve to shoot the ball more.


Because the whole damn team can't finish like Amare does! Nash's best thing is his ability to penetrate and cause a choas in the middle and Suns players know exactly where to stand so Nash can pass the ball out. 

I've seen plenty of this when Nash was in Mavs: STANDING AROUND WAITING FOR NASH TO CREAT SOMETHING. 

Don't argue with me. I was a MAJOR Mavs fan for 2 years. I was so freaking tired of how they depended on Nash to create ALL THE TIME and if he doesn't penetrate (since everyone was just standing around), he dribbled for too long and ended up taking bad shots. Dirk is a great player but he wasn't strong enough to go inside. He may have improved more this year though. 

Nash is a great shooter, no doubt but he is still a point guard.


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## jibikao (Nov 14, 2004)

I actually don't think JJ will leave. 

Our #1 prority is to sign him so Suns will try whatever we can to make him happy. And besides, this team is really only 7-men rotation so we can have a "thin" bench. lol 


And besides, I think JJ knows he can shine in Suns because of the style we play. He is on a Championship contender team so why would he want to leave for Cavs or whichever non-championship team? 

Many players get too greedy when they just START to get popular. I agree that JJ is a monster right now but if I were a GM, I would rather wait a little bit to see how JJ plays in the next year or two. I mean JJ just starts playing like a monster for the past month or two. 

But if JJ goes for the fame (which I hope he doesn't!), he may leave for a not-so-good team so he can be the focus of attention and may be an all-star one day. If he stays in Suns, Amare/Marion/Nash will steal all his attention. Only for now though.... I mean Marion/Nash are older and JJ and Amare should be the core of Suns.


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## SirChaz (Feb 4, 2005)

jibikao said:


> \I mean Marion/Nash are older and JJ and Amare should be the core of Suns.



JJ and Amare are the core of the Suns. 

I don't think Joe Johnson is going anywhere next season. JJ is restricted, the Suns can match any offer. 


Other teams fans are engaging in wishful thinking that the Suns can't afford Johnson.


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

The TNT announcers made a good point the Mavs have no athletic big men. I think thats why Amare owns them.


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

jibikao said:


> Because the whole damn team can't finish like Amare does! Nash's best thing is his ability to penetrate and cause a choas in the middle and Suns players know exactly where to stand so Nash can pass the ball out.
> 
> I've seen plenty of this when Nash was in Mavs: STANDING AROUND WAITING FOR NASH TO CREAT SOMETHING.
> 
> ...


The main thing I hated about Nash's penatration when he was with the Mavs, was when he would penatrate along the baseline and under the basket, and instead of taking the wide open layup, he would dribble the ball all the way to the 3 pt line and try to create some more. But I do miss his circus shots and layups.


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## Kekai (Jan 12, 2005)

SMDre said:


> The main thing I hated about Nash's penatration when he was with the Mavs, was when he would penatrate along the baseline and under the basket, and instead of taking the wide open layup, he would dribble the ball all the way to the 3 pt line and try to create some more. But I do miss his circus shots and layups.


Nash don't dribble to the 3 pt line he just kicks it out or jumps in the air and lobs it to amare or does the skip pass. Sometimes I do wish he would just lay it up, but thats not how he is. 

OT: Portis ain't overrated! (your sig lol)


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

Kekai23 said:


> OT: Portis ain't overrated! (your sig lol)


He is the highest paid running back in leauge history, and he lead the lowest scoring offense in the NFL. I believe that he has skills and I like his speed, but I think he was a product of Denver's system.


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## SMDre (Jan 28, 2005)

SMDre said:


> He is the highest paid running back in leauge history, and he lead the lowest scoring offense in the NFL. I believe that he has skills and I like his speed, but I think he was a product of Denver's system.


There could be my Cowboys bias, but I doubt it. :biggrin: 

Anyone you think is overrated.


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