Okay, so the San Antonio Spurs did win Game 1 of, arguably, the most intriguing first-round playoff match-up in the 2008 NBA playoffs. Game 1 was filled with suspense and action, as this game went into double-overtime before the sixth man of the year, Manu Ginobili, was able to get to the rim with ease in the final seconds. Although history tells us the team that wins Game 1 usually prevails in the end, the Phoenix Suns still have a shot to win this.
First of all, the three-pointer by Tim Duncan was pure luck. That is out of his range. He never shoots threes, partly because that's not his game. I guarantee you give him that same shot 10 times, he'd miss it nine. Nonetheless, I'm not saying the Suns lost this game because the Basketball gods didn't want them too. There were numerous miscalculations that teams simply cannot afford going up against the defending champions of the NBA. And after days of dissecting and analyzing this game, there are a few things that stick out to me.
Phoenix had a 16-point lead in the second quarter and blew it. They even had leads in the fourth quarter and both overtimes, but could not extend their lead. Why? Because the Suns did not feed the ball to Shaq. Now, I know that if you give it to him down low, they can just hack-a-Shaq. However, I noticed several instances in which Phoenix could have capitalized off of missed opportunities. Take, for example, the play which made Amare Stoudemire sit out the rest of the game. He got the ball about 15 feet out with a wide open shot. Disregarding that he had a perfectly good jump-shot to take, he drove to the rim, tried to shoot over Fabricio Oberto and got called for an offensive foul. Why not lob it up to Shaquille O'Neal, who had nobody guarding him at the time? When you give Shaq alley-oops, they can't foul him as effectively.
In fact, wasn't that part of the reason the Suns traded for The Big Aristotle? To give Phoenix an option down low in the playoffs? The only basket Shaq had in the double-overtime segment was when Shaq ran a pick-and-roll with Steve Nash, Nash missed a contested shot, Shaq was right under the basket to slam it back home? If you look at that play, you will see no one guarding Shaquille O'Neal.
Now, Shaq had some errors of his own. It is obvious that "the floppers prevailed this time" as O'Neal put it; and it is very difficult for the Big Fella to work when the referees will believe the floppers. However, several times Shaq got called for a foul on the defensive end, whether it was him trying to take a charge or contesting a shot. Shaq is 7'1". He's got to contest shots. He has one of the best blockers in the game in Amare Stoudemire right next to him. He does a fairly good job of avoiding contact when he goes up for blocks. Shaq should consider learning something from the player he touts as the "best big man" in the League.
Perhaps the most pressing need for the Phoenix Suns is their perimeter defense. This was most evident in crunch time. Manu Ginobili blew right past his defender and went in for an uncontested layup. Now, one can argue that Stoudemire and O'Neal were not on the court. That is a fair assessment. However, some of the onus has to go on on the perimeter defenders. It was a cake-walk for Ginobili. It shouldn't be that hard for a professional basketball player to stand in front of their man and contest a shot.
The Phoenix Suns need to address these concerns. As I said, the most important is defense. If a player truly wants to win, he or she will buckle down and play defense. It's that simple. And it comes down to your best players playing defense. Steve Nash may not be the best well-equipped player to play defense, but if he does put forth some for effort, they can start winning some games. If not, the Suns are in for an early exit.
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