We're a quarter of the way through the season, and the three best teams are: San Antonio .... hmmm, as expected, Phoenix .... they have talent but did we expect them to gel so quickly, and Seattle .... whaaaaaat?? Now the two latter meet this Friday in what is probably the biggest game of the season so far. The run and gun Maverick style of the Suns versus the gritty teamwork and versatile shooting of the Sonics, and it's only appropriate that the game is broken down by virtue of both teams' best and worst aspects. The game is in Seattle, where the Supes boast a 10-1 record, and on ESPN too. Bring it on. Team Strengths: <font color="green">Seattle</font> 1) Ask anyone about the Sonics, and they'll tell you "They just take and make a lot of treys". Whilst this is often, and somewhat unfairly, given as the major reason for their success. However, the fact still remains that the Sonics have probably the biggest variety of shooters in the NBA (and Ibo Kutluay hasn't even played a minute yet, while Flip Murray has played 21 total), and it is the way these shooters are fitted into Seattle's gameplan which makes them so dangerous. For years, guys like Dale Ellis, Reggie Miller and even Rip Hamilton have troubled teams with their ability to run around screens and catch and shoot the rock. Now imagine a team that can put four guys with that sort of ability out there at any one time, and a guy like Danny Fortson, Nick Collison or Reggie Evans working hard to set screen after screen, and you get some sort of an idea as to how hard the Sonics can be to guard. Send an extra defender to pressure Ray Allen, and he'll kick it out to Vlad Radmanovic. Double down on rashard Lewis on the post, and he'll find Luke Ridnour or Antonio Daniels on the perimeter. In other words, they have shooters, but it's the way they organise them on the floor which is the most damaging part. 2) The team spirit which exists in this unit is remarkable. Despite the fact there are no less than seven upcoming free agents on the roster, not one guy plays for himself. After every win, they huddle midcourt in a show of affection. They back eachother to the death, and coach Nate McMillan even wants benchwarmers Mateen Cleaves and Damien Wilkins under contract for the whole season simply because of the work ethic they bring to practice, and the way they cheerlead in games. Watch Seattle's bench after a key score, every single guy will be standing. <font color="purple">Phoenix</font> 1) Their explosive run and gun, scoring game. These guys lead the league in points per game at a tick under 110. They have a guy capable of scoring 25+ at every position, and a point guard who is rivalling Jason Kidd as the league's best playmaker and fast break leader. You can't afford to miss a shot against them, because once they grab a defensive board, it is up the other end in an instant. They make teams play at their pace, and there isn't a team in the league that can come close to matching them in an up-tempo, fast break style of game. Not only that, but the four guys who run the floor with Steve Nash are going to beat their opponents every time. Find me a centre who can stop Amare running the floor, find me a power forward that can do the same with Shawn Marion, and then show me that you haven't just boosted their speed and stamina ratings in NBA Live. 2) The way this team finishes, and the amount of different ways they can score, is uncanny. Amare Stoudemire attacks the basket like a young Shawn Kemp, and if you're even brave enough to stand in the way, be prepared to cop the blocking foul, as no one is quick enough to get into the appropriate defensive position. We all know what Shawn Marion brings to the table, and Joe Johnson is a very good complimentary scorer. Adding Richardson has just given them another inside outside guard threat, and he can light it up from the perimeter like few others in this league. In other words, they can flat out score. Team Weaknesses: <font color="green">Seattle</font> It's been hard to find weaknesses with this team so far this season; they can score with the best of them, their improvement defensively and on the glass has been impressive, and they have close to the most effective bench in the league with Daniels, Fortson, Collison and Radmanovic, not to mention Murray and Vitaly Potapenko back on the active roster. However, one thing they have been guilty of this season is inconsistency during a ballgame. Against both San Antonio and Dallas recently, they let sizeable leads slip before reasserting themselves in the final minutes. Against Memphis the first time around they had to recover from a big deficit after three quarters to get the win, against Portland they gave up a double digit lead after the first three, and against Utah they switched off in the final few minutes before getting out of jail in overtime. The Sonics can't afford to be streaky against the Suns, because Phoenix can put up a lot of points in a very short period of time. The other thing that Seattle struggle against is a small ball line-up, and that is something Phoenix play with most of the time. Part of the reason Boston were so successful against the Sonics this season (2-0 regular season sweep) is because they have a lot of guys who can alternate between positions. Paul Pierce, Ricky Davis, Jiri Welsch and Tony Allen can all rotate between positions, while Raef LaFrentz is an inside-out big man, allowing Boston to match the small line-up which McMillan has used to exploit many teams this season. In terms of Phoenix, it makes it hard to try and exploit their small line-up by going big, as they simply rely on outscoring the opposition, and playing slower big guys on their small line-up in an attempt to expose them defensively isn't going to work, as they will do that in reverse with greater results at the other end. <font color="purple">Phoenix</font> In a word, depth. They have the best starting five in the NBA, and then who? Steven Hunter, Bo Outlaw, Leandro Barbosa, Zarko Cabarkapa and Casey Jacobsen. All reasonable roleplayers, but how many of those can come into a game without a big drop-off? In fact, a statistic that sums up the depth of the Suns regards Jacobsen: He is the only member of Phoenix's roster, outside their big five, who has played every game this season, and he only averages five points a game! Compare this to the Sonics who have Fortson, Daniels and Radmanovic all big contributors off the pine, and the underrated toughness and defense of Collison, and their starting five are going to have to shoulder a huge workload. Defensively, the Suns also struggle against teams that can score quickly, a category in which the Sonics fall right into. The teams Phoenix have lost to this season, Cleveland, sacramento and Minnesota, are all teams that can put up points when allowed freedom, and that's something the Suns will do. Think the Mavericks of the past four years; we'll let you score, we'll just score more. Seattle will get their shots and their crisp ball movement will ensure they have enough open looks, but they must knock them down or Phoenix will rebound straight into their transitional game. Key Match-up: Steve Nash vs Luke Ridnour Arguably the best point guard in the NBA this season going head to head with the much improved sophomore from Oregon, and the comparisons between the two have been made by many. Both small and lightening quick, with superb court vision, awareness and passing ability. Nash is having a ball running the high octant Phoenix offense, and his 11 assists a game lead the league. Ridnour on the other hand has struggled to find his shot, but has established himself as an excellent playmaker with a great ability to control the tempo and a better defender than advertised (he held Jay Bilas' chair to six points on 2/11 shooting last time around). However, for all their offensive firepower, Nash still holds to the key to unlocking opposition defenses. Ridnour isn't going to stop him, and if they get out on the break there isn't a lot he can do to stop Nash, but it is important that when the Suns are forced to go into a traditional halfcourt offense, Ridnour is there harassing his opposite number on the perimeter, and knocking down any open looks he gets at the other end. Where the game will be won: <font color="green">Seattle</font> They need to slow the game down, and rebound, particularly on the offensive end. Seattle will get their shots, there is no doubt about that, but they have to be patient with their offense. More Sonics possessions equals more Suns possessions, and that will favour Phoenix. The other important factor is keeping Evans and particularly Fortson out of foul trouble on Stoudemire, because offensive rebounding could be the big key to any Seattle win. Their offensive rebounding stats with Fortson and Evans on the floor are phenomenal at times, and it is absolutely vital that the Suns aren't able to fast break every time they get the defensive board. On the flipside, if the Sonics can snag the offensive carom, then they can catch Phoenix's runners out of position in anticipation of a break. <font color="purple">Phoenix</font> Run, run and run. This is how they've beaten everyone this season, by making teams play at their level and just being plain more dangerous at it. When they get defensive boards, they need to run and push up the court. They have five scorers on the court, and as improved as the Sonics' defense has been this season, they can't guard five legitimate scorers consistently, especially with four of them being spoon-fed by the Canadian Marvel. If they do get forced into a slower offensive set, they need to get it inside to Stoudemire. While Evans is an underrated defender and surprisingly quick, he doesn't have the length to go with Amare (who is shooting almost 58%!), while Fortson, james and Collison don't have the quickness. Get these guys in foul trouble, and there goes Seattle's offensive rebounding power, which will result in Suns fastbreaking basketball, which may just break the Sonics very quickly. Details: Friday, December 17th Key Arena, Seattle ESPN Random Family Guy Quote: Chris: Dad, can you help me with my math homework? Peter: Math. Math my dear boy is nothing more than the lesbian sister of biology. - Nick Mockford
Nice Preview Supersonic, my Key thing to follow would be free throws attempts because both these teams, as great of a scoring team as both are can fall in love with the 3pt line. And I think free throw attempts will tell us which team does the best job of blending in attacking the basket with their perimeter game. And I think that will be the difference in the ball game. The team that does the better job being aggressive toward the hoop and getting to the line will pull this game out. I got the Suns in this one...I think its hard for Seattle not to play at an up & down pace. And against the Suns inorder to beat them, you really got to control tempo & slow things down a bit, but that isnt to Seattle's liking. You have to teams that play very similar styles. I just think the Suns are a bit better at it.
Very nice. I'm expecting Ray and Rashard will have to come up big in the scoring department, since the rest of our guys will have their hands full. I also believe that if we use Antonio for about half the game instead of about a third of it, we can limit Nash's effectiveness by throwing two solid defenders and playmakers at him. A lot will depend on how well Phoenix defends. If they can't stop the Supes, it should be a close game until the end.
The keys for the Supes to win: 1.) Transition Defense 2.) Defensive Rebounding The Suns are the best team in the league in terms of getting out on the break. They have phenominal athletes at every position with players on the bench whom are just as athletic (Barbosa, Hunter). Shawn Marion runs the floor as well as anyone in the league and he is also the best rebounding small forward in the game. As good as we are on the offensive glass, we still have difficulty at times controlling our backboard. That's mainly b/c our frontline is undersized and it is more difficult to capture a rebound when you are boxing out then it is when someone is trying to box you out. We don't have a guy who can just leap over the competition and snag a defensive rebound. Our rebounding is predicated on positioning. If we are able to control the Sun's transition game along w/ limiting them to one shot on offense then we will be fine. Amare Stoudamire has not faced a front line that can essentially throw seven guys at him (RL, RE, JJ, VD, DF, NC, and even VP) all of whom can guard him differently. I hope that the physical nature of Evans and Fortson can get him frustrated. They have already done it to others. There is no doubt in my mind that we will get what we want offensively. Shawn Marion is too small for Lewis. Joe Johnson is too passive to consistently keep up w/ Ray Allen and Quentin Richardson wasn't signed this summer as a defensive stopper. I'm really looking forward to this game b/c I think that the team whose start should be catergorized more as a "fluke" are these Phoenix Suns.
I'm still trying to figure out how Nash gets by people - he's quick but not blindingly so. I just read in today's paper that he has a soccer background so now I'm thinking that's where he learned his trickiness - go directly at a defender and then make a move. Anyway, after watching last night' game against the Jazz I'm almost of the opinion that you have to stay at home with their shooters and let Nash get his.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Roland Hood:</div><div class="quote_post"> Anyway, after watching last night' game against the Jazz I'm almost of the opinion that you have to stay at home with their shooters and let Nash get his.</div> If only It was that easy, Nash finds guys out of nowhere. It's really a joy to watch how he controls the tempo of games. This should be a great one, 120-115 type game anyone?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">If only It was that easy, Nash finds guys out of nowhere. It's really a joy to watch how he controls the tempo of games. This should be a great one, 120-115 type game anyone?</div> I hear ya man, I am thinking the same exact thing about the score.. This will be a very fast paced and exciting game, this game could very well come down to who makes the first mistake in the crucial part of the 4th quarter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Supersonic:</div><div class="quote_post">Sonics by 41.</div> HAHA!! I was just going to say suns by 20..but i guess that would be being nice.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting RiverspoonJones:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe to hit the game winning free-throws.</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting RiverspoonJones:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe to hit the game winning free-throws.</div> That one did me in.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting RiverspoonJones:</div><div class="quote_post"> Kobe to hit the game winning free-throws.</div> LMAO on the real - sonics by 4, Ray Allen to seal the game with a couple of free throws lol
Everybody seems to be underestimating the Sonics ability to run with Phoenix when a small lineup is in. I'm not saying we can keep up with them every time down the court, but it's not like we'll be lagging behind, especially if we have Radman at power forward and Reggie at center. That said, a lot will be dictated by whether or not the Supes can slow the game down to a crawl when they need to (i.e. Danny needs some rest, dawg).
I like the idea of playing Vlad at power forward on Marion, and creating the mismatch at the other end where Richardson or Johnson have to guard one of Lewis and Radmanovic, depending on who Marion takes defensively.
Can't wait for this game, the Sonics should be able to shut the Suns down and justify their #1 spot on many people's power rankings. Sonics by 36, but only if our man Kobe can do it all...and if he doesn't we can blame it all on the rest of team because our lord and savior Kobe Bryant couldn't possibly lose a game....I mean Ray Allen.
My God, can you possibly believe Rashard Lewis missed a wide open contested fadeaway after Ray had the good grace to give him the ball with 0.8 seconds left after dribbling into a double team himself. How can Ray possibly win when his teammates don't step up?
Halfway through the second and both teams are looking good. It's been a high-scoring game as expected. Seattle got ahead early but Phoenix is making a nic epush.
