# Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns



## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

*VS* 

















































































​
Terry < Nash
Bell = Christie
Howard = Marion
Nowitzki >>> Thomas
Dampier << Stoudamire

In the back court I foresee Christie getting assigned to Nash and Terry on Bell. After the way Nash hammered us in the playoffs last year just about any defender on him would be an upgrade. Christie can defend the pick and roll and has the arms and size to get a hand or two on some of his passes.

Howard and Marion will largely cancel each other out. Marion will get more boards, but I'm unconvinced about his defensive abilities. I think Howard will still be able to drive on Marion and his defense should prevent Shawn from getting too many open looks.

Thomas has no chance of stopping Dirk. Dirk is just too fast for him and has too much range.

Dampier is too slow to stop Stoudamire, and will probably end up picking up early fouls.

I think you have to give the edge on the bench to the Mavs. Stackhouse is instant offense slashing and driving against a porous interioir defense. KVH can shoot bombs from anywhere. Marquis and Devin offer quickness. The sore spot is center. Diop has shown very little ability, so what happens when Dirk gets in foul trouble and we need another body on Amare?


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## The Future7 (Feb 24, 2005)

This will be an exciting game. Everyone will have butterflies.We have deeper team and improved defense. We should be able to make a few stops. I dont expect the Suns to be gunning as many threes as they used to. Overall expect Amare to Dominate, and Dirk will not be stopped by Kurt Thomas. We really have to contain Nash.


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

Terry < Nash
Bell = Christie
Howard = Marion
Nowitzki >>> Thomas
Dampier << Stoudamire


I personally think the Terry vs Nash matchup is way overrated. If youre comparing to the playoffs, you gotta remember the gameplan was to just let Nash score and try to contain Amare. I think the Mavs will be way better prepared for the Suns this season. The series was close with a stronger Suns lineup and some of our key players playing off. Nash will of course get his, but he wont look godlike, like in the playoffs. 

If Dirk is playing like himself, I expect alot of help for Thomas to come. Which will of course open up a shot. This matchup can be HUGELY exploited. 


Damp vs Amare... wow... What else can I say but I hope he plays hard the way he did in game 2. Comes out scoring, keeps outta foul trouble, grabs those rebounds and putbacks. Basically contribute something other than fouls. This matchup can either be a huge hinderance or a mild hinderance. Depends on how you look at it

Of course, our bench will just torch the hell out of the Suns "secondary". I look for alot of playing time for JJ, Bell, Amare and Nash.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

The Suns will line up

Nash
JJ
Bell
Marion
Amare

most of the game to put Marion on Dirk to make him beat them with his back to the basket in the paint which he has proven he can't do. 

Our Depth should win this reguardless. We have more options and more players to create mismatches with than anything.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

Josh Howard equals Shawn Marion?

Please stop smoking crack.

Amare > Dirk
Nash > Terry
Marion > Howard
Thomas > Dampier
Bell = Christie

Bench is not much in the Mavs favor. Conclusion, we beat you last year pretty much without Joe Johnson. You downgraded from Finley to Christie and didn't pick up anyone else really. Compared to our playoff series we got only better judging by the youth of Amare and his potential we will improve more by maturing.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Dirk Nowitzki > Amare Stoudemire (at the very best, Amare = Dirk)
Josh Howard < Shawn Marion
Erick Dampier > Kurt Thomas
Jerry Stackhouse > Jim Jackson
Jason Terry < Steve Nash

Michael Finley = Doug Chrisite, _on this Mavericks team. _You guys downgraded Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson to Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas..:| 

We have better depth and Steve Nash is a year older, the likes of him breaking down are improved more this season.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

Amareca said:


> Josh Howard equals Shawn Marion?


Howard is probably faster/quicker than Marion and has a shot that allows him to shoot over players down low. Marion's defense is also overrated and Howard's is only getting better.



Amareca said:


> Amare > Dirk
> Nash > Terry
> Marion > Howard
> Thomas > Dampier
> Bell = Christie


Since when did Amare start playing the 4 again? Suns fans have been so adamant that Thomas cannot and will not play center. Either way, Amare has no hope of stopping Dirk so what difference does it make?



Amareca said:


> Bench is not much in the Mavs favor.


You're kidding, right? You have seen the two benches, right? How could you possibly think your bench has anywhere near the offensive ability or raw athletic talent ours has. That's absurd.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

Suns will not recover from the locker room strife resulting from Brian Grant's hair > Steve Nash's hair.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Wow, the majority of people here seem to think Dallas will handle the Suns. It's hard to predict without seeing the Suns play, but there's a few things I do know.

1) Marion: The Suns, just because they got Thomas, are not going to play him big minutes every game. They have the option of playing how they want. Shawn Marion is going to guard Dirk quite a bit and like someone mentioned force him to play inside. When that happens, Dirk gets more caught up in trying to wildly draw the foul that to play with composure and make the shot. If Dirk has grown up in this area, Dallas has a better chance. Marion's defense is not overrated. If someone is saying he's the best defender in the league, then yeah it is overrated, but I don't hear anyone saying that. He has a quick jump and long arms, which is why at 6'7 he can block shots. He's a good perimiter defender but can still be taken off the dribble. But Dirk isn't great at penetration, so it works to put Marion on Dirk. Thomas is too slow to cover Dirk, so I doubt Thomas plays more than about 20 mpg. 

2) Finley vs Christie: Can Christie still shoot? Based on his past year, no. But that was a bad situation, so who knows. If Christie can't shoot, Dallas is going to hurt. Stackhouse, Howard, Daniels, Christie would all be inconsistent from the outside. Not good for your SG and SF. If Christie can hit his open threes, then the loss of Finley won't hurt your team. 

3) Experience: Both teams have a lot of experience playing each other. I still don't know how Dallas is going to stop Amare. And Nash is too good to stop as well. The Suns still have 5 or 6 (6 if Eddie House signing with the Suns is true) guys that shoot over %40 from three, so doubling Amare is going to hurt. It'll be the same ol' story as last year, can Dampier stay out of foul trouble? I don't see Diop helping much here. Will Dallas defense have improved to the point of halting the Suns? We'll see.


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## xray (Feb 21, 2005)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> They have the option of playing how they want.


Jordan's Bulls played how they wanted...the Suns will be adapting to a different style of play.



ShuHanGuanYu said:


> The Suns still have 5 or 6 (6 if Eddie House signing with the Suns is true) guys that shoot over %40 from three, so doubling Amare is going to hurt.


Last year's stats will be hard to refer to; as the style of play slows, defenses will close on shooters more quickly.

I won't pass judgement on the Suns just yet.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

How is it they will adapt to a different style of play? Less than a week ago I heard D'Antoni say that the Suns were still going to run the ball as much as last year. Bell and Jones will have no problem getting up the court, and Nash/Marion/Amare were all built to run. They have the option of playing Kurt Thomas and having better rebounding and interior defense, or playing the way they did last year with Marion at PF. You will see both next year, depending on the team the Suns are playing.


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## The Main Man (Aug 10, 2004)

Theo! said:


> Dirk Nowitzki > Amare Stoudemire (at the very best, Amare = Dirk)
> Josh Howard < Shawn Marion
> Erick Dampier > Kurt Thomas
> Jerry Stackhouse > Jim Jackson
> ...



If we're talking about in a playoff series, then I don't see how the Suns would fare worse against the Mav's next season then they did in the '05 playoffs. Joe Johnson played 1.5 games, and Q was AWOL the entire playoff's.

So the Suns would be trading Q, who was playing like crap, and an injured Joe Johnson for Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas. I don't see how that's worse than the team that beat the Mavs in 6.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> 2) Finley vs Christie: Can Christie still shoot? Based on his past year, no. But that was a bad situation, so who knows. If Christie can't shoot, Dallas is going to hurt. Stackhouse, Howard, Daniels, Christie would all be inconsistent from the outside. Not good for your SG and SF. If Christie can hit his open threes, then the loss of Finley won't hurt your team.


I would imagine Christie will hit his jumper better than (just as an example) Avery hit his jumper during his championship year in San Antonio. But really, Christie is there to free up guys like Terry and Harris who normally have to run the point. Christie can run the offense for stretches and allow those guys to come off screens and set up on the wings for jumpers. And those guys definitely can shoot (in addition to KVH and Dirk)



ShuHanGuanYu said:


> 3) Experience: Both teams have a lot of experience playing each other. I still don't know how Dallas is going to stop Amare. And Nash is too good to stop as well. The Suns still have 5 or 6 (6 if Eddie House signing with the Suns is true) guys that shoot over %40 from three, so doubling Amare is going to hurt. It'll be the same ol' story as last year, can Dampier stay out of foul trouble? I don't see Diop helping much here. Will Dallas defense have improved to the point of halting the Suns? We'll see.


You probably won't see Dampier or Diop pull heavy minutes in a game against a small team built for speed like Phoenix. Avery will probably go small ball, again, with Dirk or KVH playing pseudo-center on the team. Amare isn't very good at passing out of the double team so Avery may try that or he could just play everyone straight up, not worry about what Amare does, and just make sure nobody else gets free looks all day.

Two more things to remember: Nash had a once in a lifetime stretch during the playoffs this past year. Depending on him to play that way nightly will lead to a lot of disappointments. Secondly, Christie is here to make the team better at defending the pick and roll (Mavs couldn't possibly be any worse at it than we were in last year's playoffs).

Thanks for contributing to the discussion by the way


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

The Main Man said:


> {snip}
> and Q was AWOL the entire playoff's.
> 
> So the Suns would be trading Q, who was playing like crap
> ...


Quentin Richardson's 3 point %, rebounding, assists, steals, and turnovers were all better in that series than they were for the regular season, and his fg% was only 0.007 lower than regular season. So are you say Q is just a crappy player period?


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## The Main Man (Aug 10, 2004)

I'm saying Raja Bell could easily reproduce Q's playoff production of 12 points, 5 rebounds on %40 shooting. And against the Mavs a stellar 11 points, 6.5 rebounds on 37.5% shooting, to go along with 50% on free throws.

Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas replacing Q and an injured Joe Johnson(who played 25% of the series) would be better for the Suns.


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## DHarris34Phan (Oct 28, 2004)

Yes, Q sucks. That was a great trade.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> I would imagine Christie will hit his jumper better than (just as an example) Avery hit his jumper during his championship year in San Antonio. But really, Christie is there to free up guys like Terry and Harris who normally have to run the point. Christie can run the offense for stretches and allow those guys to come off screens and set up on the wings for jumpers. And those guys definitely can shoot (in addition to KVH and Dirk)
> 
> You probably won't see Dampier or Diop pull heavy minutes in a game against a small team built for speed like Phoenix. Avery will probably go small ball, again, with Dirk or KVH playing pseudo-center on the team. Amare isn't very good at passing out of the double team so Avery may try that or he could just play everyone straight up, not worry about what Amare does, and just make sure nobody else gets free looks all day.
> 
> ...


Dirk and KVH can definitely shoot, but that makes your team rely heavily on jumpers when Dirk is out there looking for outside shots. I would much rather put my money on a guy who can destroy on the inside in Amare. And Amare still did very well in the playoffs last year against Dallas, averaging 29 and 12. His passing skills didn't seem to hurt the Suns then, so I don't see why there's a prediction that it would all the sudden hurt them now. 

Nash's amazing stretch was only because Dallas said they were going to let him score his points. Nash had to punish them for it, and he would do it again. Nash is a very high percentage shooter, and if you're letting him take 4-10 foot fadeaways, he's going to kill you. It was also a factor that the Suns had absolutely no help off the bench in the 4.5 games JJ was out, something that they have now. Nash had to keep scoring because he had to make up for JJ not being there. With more talent on the bench he will have plenty of guys to pass to. 

Dampier played 25 minutes per game last year, and I would expect the same to happen. it was clear that when Dampier went out, you guys had no answer for Amare. He just lit it up. Dampier could at least use his body to keep Amare out of the paint, and then rely on help defense when he gets burned. That's why there was so much emphasis last year on Amare getting Dampier into foul trouble, it definitely helped the Suns. The theory "Let Amare get his and stop the other guys" doesn't work as well as it sounds. For one Amare is a very high percentage shooter, and will blaze you if you let him. Plus, he draws fouls like crazy. Second, you aren't going to stop the Suns in transition, especially if you are playing small ball. So now Amare is getting 40 and getting your guys in foul trouble, plus you have Nash, Marion, Bell, Jones, etc. running you out of the building. Third, Nash is simply good enough to create shots for guys even when they are covered. He gets into the lane and finds someone.

I think another reason you guys got Christie was simply to stick him on Nash. He's one of those defenders that is tall and gets very close to you, and that seems to be one of the few things that can help disturb Nash's efforts. But Nash is also smarter now than he was back when it worked for Sacramento to put him on Nash, and there was nothing that could shut the guy down all year last year. The Suns won't rely on Nash to keep scoring because they don't have Q sucking and Joe Johnson injured, but he will if you let him.

This series would be pretty even, but I still don't see Dallas getting past Phoenix. But hey, what do I know?


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> But hey, what do I know?


Jack shiznit....


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

stevemc said:


> Jack shiznit....


Heehee.


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## Tersk (Apr 9, 2004)

Some of you guys seem to be forgetting that Dallas had a few injuries themselves

- Dirk Nowitzki's ankle/leg was roughed, why do you think he had his worst playoff series ever. You could see it towards the end of the season that he was on a downslide
- Keith Van Horn, y'all are acting as if he makes no difference but he was there to come in and backup Dirk..giving Dallas offense all the time from the 4 position


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## sportkingJSP13 (Jul 11, 2005)

suns will iwn.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

sportkingJSP13 said:


> suns will iwn.


 You want to be your lunch money on it durring recess?


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Nash > Terry
Bell = Christie
Marion > Howard
Stoudemire is gonna be way better then dirk> Dirk
Thomas = Dampier


We're gonna be better then last year. And the Mavs really didn't do anything this offseason, besides get rid of a quality player.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

SunsFan57 said:


> Stoudemire is gonna be way better then dirk> Dirk


Dirk is a better rebounder than Amare, a better defensive player than Amare, a better passer than Amare, and has infinitely more range than Amare.



SunsFan57 said:


> We're gonna be better then last year. And the Mavs really didn't do anything this offseason, besides get rid of a quality player.


Your team is definitely a step below where they were last year. Not saying they suck, but they won't be what they were last year. Mavericks waived a player who was extremely inconsistent and provided very little for us last year. In addition we have a head coach who believes in tough defense. Our team is also young and athletic and has both guys who can shoot and guys who can drive.

I will admit that I've said many times I think the Mavericks may have a rocky start and could actually have a losing record over the first 10ish games as they learn to rely on and trust their defense, but that won't last past the beginning of the season.


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

Dirk is not a better defensive player. Amare was guarding centers when hes a forward and Dirk was guarding forwards when he is a center. Dirk is probable a better rebounder and has more range in his shot. But 1 on 1 do you think Dirk stands a chance? Amare will dunk all over Dirk.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

SunsFan57 said:


> Dirk is not a better defensive player. Amare was guarding centers when hes a forward and Dirk was guarding forwards when he is a center. Dirk is probable a better rebounder and has more range in his shot. But 1 on 1 do you think Dirk stands a chance? Amare will dunk all over Dirk.


Dirk is easily a better defender than Amare. Amare can block shots better than Dirk but that's it. Dirk's man defense and team defensive intelligence have both increased dramatically compared to what they were a few years ago. Amare's type of defense is giving layup drills to the opposition.

And NBA basketball is not a 1 on 1 game. But do you really think Amare could stop Dirk from burying 3 pointers or driving past him if he guarded him tightly? No.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Dirk is easily a better defender than Amare. Amare can block shots better than Dirk but that's it. Dirk's man defense and team defensive intelligence have both increased dramatically compared to what they were a few years ago. Amare's type of defense is giving layup drills to the opposition.
> 
> And NBA basketball is not a 1 on 1 game. But do you really think Amare could stop Dirk from burying 3 pointers or driving past him if he guarded him tightly? No.


He'd have the same chance that Dirk has in guarding Amare. Both get annihilated. In fairness, Amare's defensive "layup drill" theory was not his, it was his coach's. He doesn't want Amare in foul trouble, so he doesn't play agressive D.


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## The Main Man (Aug 10, 2004)

Mavericks_Fan said:


> Dirk is a better rebounder than Amare, a better defensive player than Amare, a better passer than Amare, and has infinitely more range than Amare.


They are actually very similar rebounders. 
per 40 minutes-
Dirk-
'04-'05-10.0
'03-'04-9.2
'02-'03-10.1
Amare-
'04-'05-9.9
'03-'04-9.8
'02-'03-11.2

I'm not sure if there is any statistical proof that Dirk is a better defender than Amare, all I know about is the defensive 'per' ratings on 82games.com.

Those defensive ratings have Dirk's opponent's at power forward averaging a 'per' of 15.8 against him. And when he played center they averaged a 'per' of 19.0 against him.

Against Power forwards, Amare's was at 14.6, and against centers was 18.0.

The rang thing is obvious, but that's because Amare play's near the basket, and it would have been stupid for him to try shooting three's. 

I could say Amare is infinitely better near the hoop.



Mavericks_Fan said:


> Your team is definitely a step below where they were last year. Not saying they suck, but they won't be what they were last year. Mavericks waived a player who was extremely inconsistent and provided very little for us last year. In addition we have a head coach who believes in tough defense. Our team is also young and athletic and has both guys who can shoot and guys who can drive.


Finley did provide shooting from the wings, something Josh Howard, and Marquis haven't shown they can do consistently, yet.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

ShuHanGuanYu said:


> He'd have the same chance that Dirk has in guarding Amare. Both get annihilated.


I agree with you. It was a silly thing anyway to start talking about who beats who 1 on 1. That goes for any player.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

The Main Man said:


> Finley did provide shooting from the wings, something Josh Howard, and Marquis haven't shown they can do consistently, yet.


Finley used to provide shooting from the wings. Look, I like Mike and I don't want to talk bad about him, but the guy just isn't what he used to be. He has become extremely inconsistent and no longer has the driving game he used to. There were days where out of nowhere he'd bury everything you gave him. The problem was there was no rhyme or reason to it and you never knew if he was going to give you 18 points or just sit out there and lay an egg. 

I don't disagree with you that Josh and Marquis need to prove they can shoot the jumper. I also don't disagree with you that Amare is better in the post than Dirk.


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## Pj5 (Sep 15, 2005)

Now this would be a pretty interesting match up indeed! 

*DALLAS* 

- Christie had a bad season because of injuries and a lousy situation. Players play better when motivated.. just look at Antoine Walker when he was traded from the Hawks back to the Celts. I have high hopes for Doug and I do believe he'll be a great mentor to the back court folks. I'm sure Avery's had that figured out since the time the front office developed an interest in signing him. 
About Josh and Quis, both will have more chances to improve their game this year thanks to Finley's much needed departure. For 2 years now, I've seen Michael Finley disappoint fans with his inconsistency. It was so sad to see him contribute much less than what the team needed this year, especially when KVH was out during the playoffs. Scoring won't be a problem because the Mavs have Dirk, JT, Stack and KVH who can all score. I think the determining factor will be the principles of team defense that Avery hopes to preach and how long it would take for the team to master it and have confidence in each individual's defense. Dirk's D is underrated in a sense that if you pay close attention to each of the games this past season, it's so obvious to see that he has improved his shot blocking and hustle. Problem is, people have always pegged him as a below average defender and in this league, that usually becomes a general perception to everyone, leading them not to actually observe a player's effort to improve his situation/skill sets. (ex. Kobe = Rapist. He has made strides to improve his reputation but people keep calling him that. People also call him a ball hog when in truth, he has been so good in distributing the ball this season. Big Ben = Defense only player. People overlook the number of dunks he's been able to make and some of the useful post moves he executes. He also knocks so close range jumpers down.) Get my point? 

Now about the Suns, I really think people have to go and take a look at Raja Bell and James Jones's 3pt percentage from last year. I myself would take this two guys of that overrated piece of head pumping trash Quentin Richardson. I loved the Suns fast paced offense last year but Q just plain sucked and could only get that much open space on 3 because he has Amare, Nash, Marion and Joe Johnson on his side. Overrated. As for Joe Johnson, yes he was a big loss for the Suns but Bell has the ability and the chance to prove that he could play so much needed perimiter defense this coming season. Suns also added bulk in Kurt Thomas and Brian Grant (tho he is OOOOOOOOLLLLLD and injury prone). 

The way I see it, the winner of this match up won't be easy to predict. No one team dominates the other and I wouldn't give the advantage to any of them either. That's why I can't wait for the season opener and the several other times they will meet this season and hopefully, another playoff encounter for both teams. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this one turns out.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

Pj5 said:


> Dirk's D is underrated in a sense that if you pay close attention to each of the games this past season, it's so obvious to see that he has improved his shot blocking and hustle. Problem is, people have always pegged him as a below average defender and in this league, that usually becomes a general perception to everyone, leading them not to actually observe a player's effort to improve his situation/skill sets.


Got that right. I'll admit that Dirk was a horrid defensive player early in his career. But he most definitely has made big strides in the last couple of years, and unlike with a lot of offensive superstars you can see he is actually actively working on it and trying to improve that part of his game. He'll only be even better this year.




Pj5 said:


> Now about the Suns, I really think people have to go and take a look at Raja Bell and James Jones's 3pt percentage from last year.


Let's look at some numbers here, though (3 pointers):

Q. Richardson: 226-631 for .358
J. Johnson: 177-370 for .478
R. Bell: 54-134 for .403
J. Jones: 66-166 for .398

The percentages look good, but look at the raw number of attempts/makes. Just because someone can shoot 40% clip taking 100 shots doesn't mean they're going to keep that percentage shooting 300-600+ shots.



Pj5 said:


> I myself would take this two guys of that overrated piece of head pumping trash Quentin Richardson.


I really can't stand Q. Rich either so I agree with you there, but it's unrealistic to say they didn't give up anything. I mean, let's be honest, there's a reason why Joe Johnson got a max deal and Raja didn't. Some people are trying to make it out like this is some kind of even swap and it isn't. They had to have given up something. Either you've given up offense or defense or both, and don't forget that now you have no Joe to run the offense so Nash can breath on the bench for a few minutes. If Barbosa plays like he did last year then Stevie's going to be scared to take a break for fear of what the scoreboard will look like when he comes back in.



Pj5 said:


> The way I see it, the winner of this match up won't be easy to predict. No one team dominates the other and I wouldn't give the advantage to any of them either.


No, there's no clear cut winner. A lot of people forget that it was only a single mistake due to playoff inexperience of a certain player that kept that series from going 7 and who knows what would've happened then.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

I think per 48 minute stats are more important than simple regular season totals, because they don't take into account the minutes JJ and Q played as opposed to Bell, etc. Also, just because someone can shoot 40% clip taking 100 shots doesn't mean they're NOT going to keep that percentage shooting 300 shots (asking for 600 is way overboard). When you consider the amount of open shots that are created on the Suns, you never know. I remember in Utah that Bell tended to hit his open shots, but wasn't as good an offensive player when he was covered. He'll benefit from Nash.


Richardson- 3.8/10.7
McCarty-3.4/8.8
*Jackson-3.3/7.1*
Johnson- 2.6/5.5
*Leandro-2.3/6.1*
*Nash-1.8/4.1*
*Marion-1.7/5.2 * 

*House-2.4/5.2
Jones-2.4/6.0
Bell-1.4/3.6*

JJ's totals are high mostly because he played so many minutes, he actually didn't shoot it as often as some people think. In fact, he usually only shot it when he was open. Jim Jackson hit more threes when he was on the floor than Joe Johnson. I think with Nash still spreading the ball and the Suns still planning to run like crazy, guys like Bell and Jones and House are going to now get the open threes that JJ and Q got. They have enough guys this year where they can milk the hot hand. Last year, if JJ and Q weren't getting it done, they just weren't gonna get it done that night because they had to play big minutes. Losing Q's hot and cold hand will hurt sometimes and help sometimes. I'd much rather have a good shot taken than Q coming down and bricking a 25 foot three with 22 seconds left on the shot clock. But him hitting five threes in the fourth quarter was definitely a plus. But with his horrid percentages, maybe the Suns wouldn't have needed such a burst if they'd have been playing consistenly (not Q's forte). Having Kurt to pop for the open 10 footer will be nice too, since now it's not simply a three or a dunk from Amare (exaggeration, but it does give the Suns another element). Lots of questions for the Suns next year, but that's not a bad thing. Expectations are higher, something that Amare seems to thrive on. They are so much deeper than last year, I can't even believe it myself. Can't wait.


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## gosuns (Sep 15, 2005)

The Mavs really must get rid of that useless Dampier. Also Dirk needs to stop arguing every single call (he did it again yesterday in the Euro Championships) Other than that the Mavs have a nice and young team. Josh Howard will play an even bigger role this year with Finley off the team and that is good for the mavs since Finley looked awful against the Suns in the playoffs.

As for the suns 3 point barrage. The Suns will have that this year and it will still be a great weapon. Jones, Bell, Barbosa, Jackson, Nash and House are all very good shooters, plus the suns system will give them a lot of open looks. I dont see any other NBA Team with as many good outside shooters as the Suns. The only thing they will miss is Joe Johnsons ability to create his own shoot late in the shootclock. Amare and Nash will have to take it now.


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## mff4l (Dec 31, 2004)

SunsFan57 said:


> Dirk is not a better defensive player. Amare was guarding centers when hes a forward and Dirk was guarding forwards when he is a center. Dirk is probable a better rebounder and has more range in his shot. But 1 on 1 do you think Dirk stands a chance? Amare will dunk all over Dirk.



and you do know that dirk made the allstar team before amare was even in the league playing center right? :boohoo: 

point one. the suns will win this series. here's why.

you guys have obviuosly forgot a few things about the mavs. They are a very wiry long lengthy team. even terry has long arms. Now with diop and dj backing up damp? We have no prob at center. Dirk can play there too. Diop is athletic and can block shots. that's all we need him to do right now. same wth d.j. 

also the mavs added josh powell. he'a athletic and can help out on amare. pretty quick too.

damp is fine. he had a knee injury right before the allstar break that slowed him down the 2nd half of last season and the playoffs.

funny how now that the mavs have a legit center they should "get rid of him" yea right. All yall wanted damp. HEck he was putting up 12 and 10 and 2 in one stretch before he got hurt. He'll be fine next season and don't expect nash to EVER play like that again. 

once a playoff choker always a playoff choker. suns aint even on my radar. they made some stupid trades and were really really DUMB TO TRADE NATE ROBINSON. *shakes his head*


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

mff4l said:


> and you do know that dirk made the allstar team before amare was even in the league playing center right? :boohoo:


What the heck kinda relevance does that have? Yay, he's older...!...!...!...?



mff4l said:


> point one. the suns will win this series. here's why.


Hmm, I'm guessing you meant to say Dallas would win.



mff4l said:


> you guys have obviuosly forgot a few things about the mavs. They are a very wiry long lengthy team. even terry has long arms. Now with diop and dj backing up damp? We have no prob at center. Dirk can play there too. Diop is athletic and can block shots. that's all we need him to do right now. same wth d.j.


I can't imagine Diop helping you a whole lot. He's one of the most inconsistent players in the league and hasn't shown much improvement in three years.



mff4l said:


> also the mavs added josh powell. he'a athletic and can help out on amare. pretty quick too.


Amare will still abuse him.



mff4l said:


> damp is fine. he had a knee injury right before the allstar break that slowed him down the 2nd half of last season and the playoffs.


He's always played inconsistently. He does that, has good parts of years.



mff4l said:


> funny how now that the mavs have a legit center they should "get rid of him" yea right. All yall wanted damp. HEck he was putting up 12 and 10 and 2 in one stretch before he got hurt. He'll be fine next season and don't expect nash to EVER play like that again.


If you give Nash 3-10 footers all night long, he's going to do it to you again. No matter what, Dampier is too slow for Amare. He'll have good stretches, but he fouls too much and Amare is great at drawing fouls. If you watched last year's playoffs, you'd see that the Suns goal was to put Dampier on the bench. 



mff4l said:


> once a playoff choker always a playoff choker. suns aint even on my radar. they made some stupid trades and were really really DUMB TO TRADE NATE ROBINSON. *shakes his head*


Playoff choker? This applies more to Dallas than it does to Phoenix, so I don't see your point in saying that.  And for the last time, (and fighting caps with caps) THE SUNS WOULD NOT HAVE PICKED NATE ROBINSON IF THEY WERE USING THEIR PICK. THEY PICKED HIM FOR NEW YORK. Letting Finley go and getting Christie to cover Nash, fine...but acting like Diop and Powell are going to put you over the Suns, that's hilarious. Don't forget, the Suns beat Dallas without the same guy they "stupidly" traded away. They have a lot of depth now, and that will help them. They are also a better rebounding team with these trades, something that hurt them last year in the playoffs.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

Traded? who did we "stupidly" trade away?


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## terry2damp (Apr 24, 2005)

he meant tht they traded jj


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## Seuss (Aug 19, 2005)

mff4l said:


> and you do know that dirk made the allstar team before amare was even in the league playing center right? :boohoo:




lol and that means..........Dirk is older? Amare will make all-first team (I predict) possibly next year or the year after. Remember hes only 22. 



And you said Suns will win the series..........so thats why they're not on your radar........


You don't make any sense.


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## ShuHanGuanYu (Feb 3, 2005)

stevemc said:


> Traded? who did we "stupidly" trade away?


Read the quote I was responding to, it'll clarify.


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## Mavericks_Fan (Apr 19, 2005)

gosuns said:


> The Mavs really must get rid of that useless Dampier.


You kidding me? Have you seen the center crop in the NBA right now? The 80s are over and we gotta deal with what is out there, and while not a hall of famer material Erick is still one of the better centers in the NBA today. He just needs to controls his fouls and get his minutes up, stay healthy, and become more comfortable.


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