Smack / Jan 16, 2012 / 12:00 am

Steve Nash Is All Alone In Phoenix; Utah Is For Real

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Tim Duncan (photo. adidas)

Okay, so he does have Marcin Gortat (24 points, 15 rebounds). But other than that, Steve Nash is the last man standing in Phoenix. Last year, it looked like their deep trips into the postseason were over. Now, the fast-breaking, free-wheeling style is a thing of the past as well. We felt like we were watching ghosts in San Antonio yesterday. San Antonio beat Phoenix 102-91 in a game that would’ve mattered back in 2006. Now, it almost felt like Gregg Popovich wasn’t even taking it seriously. San Antonio controlled throughout, and even when the Suns made their run, he didn’t flinch. The minute he brought back in the starters for the finish, the Spurs regained control and shut down Nash and the Suns. If you can’t make this San Antonio defense pay, then you have some serious problems. Even Popovich would admit that. Alvin Gentry was caught in the huddle saying “We gotta do it like we used to.” Therein lays the problem. Grant Hill, Jared Dudley and Hakim Warrick can’t “do it like they used to.” Eight minutes in, Nash (20 points, 10 dimes) had zero assists while, for comparisons sake, Richard Jefferson had four. At one point, Phoenix was 3-17 in the second quarter … The Spurs had one of their best all-around performances of the season, and Tim Duncan had unquestionably his best game of the year, going for 24 points and 11 rebounds. At one point in the first half, he also passed Gary Payton on the all-time scoring list … Winning seven of eight against scrub teams is one thing. But beating Denver in the Mile High City is another. The Jazz blew away their in-division rivals in the fourth quarter, following the lead of their frontcourt in a 106-96 win. Utah took advantage of Denver on the blocks, and opened up an eight point lead in the fourth after Paul Millsap (26 points, 12 rebounds) went to work on two straight possessions. A few minutes later, Al Jefferson (18 points, 12 boards) threw Millsap a half-pass/half-lob and Millsap put it in over his shoulder. Big Al was so hyped, he gave Millsap a couple of really awkward ass slaps, the worst ones we’ve seen since Wally Szczerbiak. This all came during a stretch that saw Millsap go for 14 consecutive points, with Al Harrington and Danilo Gallinari (18 points) taking turns getting served … If Devin Harris (10 points, seven dimes yesterday and only one turnover… that’s all he needs to give them) can ever quit playing like a hungover high school kid, Utah could make some serious noise just a year after losing a Hall of Fame coach, and their best player since the glory days. But in the meantime, let’s file a petition to make sure the Jazz never wear those crap green uniforms again. Nasty green and dirt yellow should never be combined. Look out six months from now for No. 25 Jefferson jerseys in this color on the racks at Marshalls … Keep reading to hear why Lamar Odom almost retired …

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  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    @AB

    a stand up guy who has put in many years in the NBA at a high level deserves to be on a winning/championship team. That’s why everyone wanted guys like Stock and Malone to win one so bad before they retired.

  • beiber newz

    chicagorilla, take no offense to this: i see many of your problems with my posts stem from you not understanding me. i don’t know if it’s due to you skimming or your lack to grasp my message.

    i did not say rubio is top 5 point guard in the nba. i would agree with jon barry’s list of the top 5 right now, s there is no room for rubio. what i DID say, (something that bilal fully understood) was that rubio’s VISION is top 4.

    i think before you comment on someone’s comment, you should look back at the person’s comment a few times over. it seems like most times you miss the guy’s message and create your own.

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    @silky

    I agree with how PG=RBs. There wans’t enough glamour around Jason Kidd and Steve Nash in their hey day. Too many guys were looking up to Marbury, Iverson, Steve Francis. So they kinda followed in their footsteps. But guys like Steph Curry, Rubio, Jordan Taylor, and K.Marshall are throwback PGs. They will get their shine eventually as they get older.

  • beiber newz

    also, chicagorilla…you did sound like you were looking for a fight…so i think the guys here are justified when telling you to calm down.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Chicagorilla — But most of those guys HAVE played for winning teams (i.e., at least making the conference finals). Ray won in Milwaukee and Boston; Nash won in Dallas and Phoenix; Stockton/Malone won in Utah; Garnett won in Minnesota … so is it that, after a certain amount of admired service, they deserve to play for winning teams for the rest of their careers? Isn’t part of the whole superstar thing being good enough to MAKE your team a winning team?

    I’m not targeting you specifically, just fans/media in general who buy into this concept. When I hear, “The Suns owe it to Nash to trade him to a winner,” my take is, “The hell they do.” The Suns should be trying to put a good/marketable squad on the floor just like every other NBA franchise, and Nash is a key to that effort on both fronts. If they wanna trade him in order to pick up young pieces to build toward the future, or if it’s a trade that they honestly think makes them better or saves money, fine. But just to trade him so he can play for a better team, I don’t get that.

    Couldn’t I point to just about every player in the NBA and say “So-and-so deserves to play for a winner”? A lot of these guys came from underdog background and have put in years of hard work to get to the league. Once you get there, and even if you’re great for 10 years, I just don’t think it becomes your entitlement to play for a winner.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    Lol@ packers discount double choke

    Man i should have called off today to watch basketball and smoke bowls. What the biggest matchup tonight? Im waiting for lakers v mavs…payback

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Panchitooo — Payback for what? Ain’t nobody worried about one game in January when L.A. is dealing with getting swept out of the playoffs.

  • silky

    damn the Knicks offense is offensive right now… good thing shump’s d is making it watchable

    both teams on ten man rotations… this takes getting used to. bench dudes actually gotta earn their money besides towel waving

  • beiber newz

    @silky, yea im flipping back n forth between that game and the bulls game. i don’t think there is a more fragile team out there in terms of championship aspirations than the bulls…meaning, if their best player is M.I.A., they go from strong candidate to no chance. it’s amazing how bad a team can look, but it’s expected. the times when the suns were in the championship mix when they had amare and em, if nash missed a game, they were borderline putrid. but that suns team without nash is still lightyears better than this bulls team with no rose.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    @ AB
    Small payback for ripping our hearts out last season.
    I think its a big game for the Lakers team confidence and unity even though Dallas aint the same Dallas as last year. If the lakers win they take back a small part of what got crushed by the sweep.. Mentally the lakers need all they can get so we dont have a relapse of last seasons playoffs. This potencial W can jump start a winning streak that could go on for weeks. Miami rode a wave of momentum after winning their first game in Dallas this season and i can see the Lakers doing the same after tonights game. And no doubt kobe, pau, and bynum got this game triple circled on their calendar.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Panchitooo — Yeah I guess, I just never fully understood that thinking. Team X beats Team Y in a playoff series or in a national championship game, and the next time the teams meet in the regular season people are like, “Time for payback.” That’s like if you conned me out of $200 and my “payback” was stealing $15 out of your wallet. Doesn’t add up at all.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Chicagorilla — Sorry, one more thing I saw in yesterday’s Smack that I had to ask you about: You were hyping up JaVale McGee big-time, calling him the second coming of Ralph Sampson and saying his sky hook was something Kareem would be proud of. And not the first time I’ve seen you hype up McGee.

    Now, Dwight Howard dropped 28 points and 20 boards on JaVale a few games ago. So if you were firmly in the “No way is Dwight even in the same stratosphere as Ewing and David Robinson” group, how do you explain Dwight going HAM like that on Baby Sampson?

  • beiber newz

    burton…payback comes in many forms.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    @ AB
    True it doesnt add up cause the regular season aint the playoffs lol but its more of a mental thing than anything. New coach, new system, and laker fans want to see something good happen against the Mavs regardless of the stage its on. Throw that Zen stuff out the window its beast mode time.
    its obviuos that Jim Carreys got the right game plan to beat the old look Lakers which makes it even more interesting to watch what changes Mike Brown has brought and how he intends to cover the lakers weaknesses. Coach browns job is even more difficult now that steve blake is hurt and we got rookies running the point. Win or lose i feel this game will have big effect on the lakers, more than any other game this season. Plus we got the Heat and Magic coming up, i cant wait to see what happens.

  • LakeShow84

    @ AB

    Aint no one dealing with getting swept last year..

    But best believe we worried about payback.. In January, next November and 2 years from some day in February..

    WE BETTER SMASH DALLAS TONIGHT

  • LakeShow84

    I dont think it warrants much discussion tho..

    If your in professional sports and someone sweeps u the year before and u dont feel the need to get revenge in any and all future meeting for at least 2 years??

    U dont belong in sports

  • Mt. Pleasant

    Forget whether Nash deserves to be freed.

    What I don’t get is why Pheonix doesn’t want to trade Nash while he still has value.

    This is the perfect time:
    -you’ve sold this season’s tickets already
    - you save his contract for the rest of this year
    -his value as he ages and plays on that awful team is only going to decrease
    - its a short season and a deep draft.

    If you have to suck for a year, this is the year to do it. If you traded him today for picks and youth, you’d suck for 50 games and you could build/market around the young guys next season.

    What am I missing?

  • beiber newz

    kyrie irving def getting rookie of the year.

  • yoda

    i read about pg’s vision etc. main problem now is that pg’s want to be sg’s. they would rather shoot than pass. kidd, nash and now rubio… they are guys who would rather make stuff happen for teammates than shoot them self. one of reasons for lousy pg’s when passing is involved are iverson and marbury. westrbook is made in same mold like them, but he has better player on his team atm.

  • beiber newz

    another stellar performance by carmelo anthony. bad shooting percentage, by good statistics. keep up the good work mel, but bring home some Ws along with it.

  • beiber newz

    but good statistics*

  • beiber newz

    i hear phil jackson has reached out to lamar odom…he and LO had a good talk, phil told him ways to clear his head and make basketball fun again.

    will this move by PJ spark something in odom that helps him out his funk, resulting in better play by him which fuels the mavericks? did phil jackson spark another western conference team? will the lakers feel the affects of a renewed LO/Mavs team?

    i hope not…i like LO too, but he is an enemy now, and PJ is a former lakers coach. but iguess he’s a human first. so i am not disappointed in the move.

    get well soon LO.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    LO should just leave basketball and become a reality star. I hate his game cause its so wishy washy lol. How can you coach a guy that doesnt bring his A game to the court every night? How do you know what situation to sub him in when hes so inconsistent? I feel he doesnt understand how to win with his talents. As if hes confused out on the court, should i score, should i rebound, should i push the break, should i just do nothing and hope the game comes to me. All he really knows for sure is that hes not finishing with his right hand EVER, you can count on that.

  • beiber newz

    WATCHING DIS NETS/CLIPPERS GAME…who wulda thunk it wulda get poppin ?! dis game got nice ! i almos turned it off!

  • Big Island

    You can bring your best effort and not your best game every night and be ok in my book. But if you don’t at least try, I can’t get behind that.

    I got lost in today’s comments. I have just kind of run through them lately because of all of the bs back and forth, but I stop at some guys.

    AB – The problem people have with Nash/Phoenix is that he plays his hardest every night, does everything right, and the management there isn’t even trying to put a team around him anymore. It’s a classic Sterling move. For a long time he would get a squad that was decent, and then let it/make it die for the sake of saving money. It’s not fair to Nash that they do that. People blast players for quitting once they get the big contract, but what about teams that are content to just be mediocre?

    All big guys want to be PG’s. All PG’s want to play the post. Every chick with curly hair wants it straight and vice versa. Vision is one thing, but knowing how to control and play within the flow of a game is another. Some guys work really hard to maximize it, for others it just comes really easy. It seems like it is easy for Rubio, Rondo on another team would be great for him. Westbrook doesn’t have it, but he might get it. Wall doesn’t have it, he might get it. CP has it.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    @Big Island
    You better be ready for LO to really disappoint you then. I swear he lacks the fire and drive to be a great player every night. im just happy hes not on my team anymore lol. You know what mana is right? LO needs to find his mana or just retire already. I thought he got it playing with the national team but lost it again. Maybe PJ has helped him find it but i doubt it. Or maybe i dont want him to find it since hes on the Mavs now.
    I think one day he will look back on his career and wish he would have done more(to get in the HOF), schindlers list style. ” this height, these arms could have got more rebounds, my handles could have got more points”.

  • JBaller

    Too bad NY has nothing to offer the suns for Nash. I see him signing a two year contract with NY in the off season and finishing his carreer there. NY cam afford to pay him the vet min if the don’t resign some of the garbage men they currently pay to do nothing.

  • beiber newz

    how about we nix talking about skipping comments, isn’t that just a contradiction? it’s not contributing to basketball either.

    anyway. i hear dwight howard has added the clippers to his list of destinations where he’d sign an extension. for some reason…i don’t like him and blake on the same team. but i am not saying it wouldn’t be formidable. however, that’d be brick city in terms of ft %

  • K Dizzle

    @ Mt Pleasant n Big I

    -Let’s face facts. Phoenix management completely destroyed that franchise. For as long as I watched ball, the Suns would compete. They went from KJ to JKidd to Steph in his prime to Nash as a rook then in his mvp years surrounded by McDyess, Barkley, Richard Dumas, Chambers, Penny, Majerle, Ceballos, Mark West, Danny Ainge, Manning, Cassell, Horry, Finley, Chapman, Tisdale, Matrix, JJ, Amare, Bell, Diaw,QPich, Barbosa, Jim Jackson, James Jones then finally Shaq n G. Hill.

    Somewhere along the way, Sarver took over and started trying to save money when the Suns were the most talented and exciting squad in the l. They pretty much gave away Nate Rob, Deng and Rondo and lowballed Joe Johnson on an extension when he was cool with the hometown discount, by the time they traded away Matrix, the Suns were done…

    Now that it would be a smart business move to trade Nash for younger players n picks and build thru the draft n free agency, they decide they wanna ride the backs of a 38 n 39 yr old.
    Franchise in freefall…

  • Big Island

    Panchitoooo – Already there buddy. I love his game, but he just chills. Oh well, I got my “Dirk has a ring” thing set, so fuck em.

    KDizzle – Exactly! Phoenix could actually help themselves by trading Nash, both from a getting younger picks and good PR standpoint. They could help Nash, get younger guys/picks, and still suck. BUT they could set themselves up for future FA’s going there. Cleveland will never get another free agent to sign there who is worth anything because the owner puled such a bitchfest with Lebron and the CP thing. Sending Nash away would let other players who can sign someplace know that they did a solid for Nash. If I were a free agent, and I could go to a team who has done the “right” thing (I added quotes for AB) and are straight up about their dealings, you go there to help. They won’t be good for a few years. They could send Nash away, say they love him but they weren’t going to win while he still had some life left in him, and wish him well. They get some pieces, then make an offer in 3 years to some free agents saying we have everything but you, and they could be good again. They probably won’t, but they could.

  • beiber news

    Guys, I’m not sure if you noticed it, but the NBA is all about throwing the round orange ball into the circular metal thing with a net on it. All you have to do is put the ball through the hoop more times than the other team. I’m not trying to say I’m smart or anything, but I figured that out just by watching.

    I don’t mean to get anyone upset, but I just needed to share that complex observation. You know, just in case the rest of you didn’t notice it. Cause it’s so complex.

  • beiber newz

    the ONLY reason i could muster in defense of the suns as to why they haven’t let nash go yet is because they probably think there would be backlash from the fanbase. i dunno, that situation is just weird. what reason is there to keep nash in limbo? are they waiting for nash to make the first move or somthing? he already said he won’t make a trade request, so mgt…do your job, phx isn’t going anywhere.

    thinking about phx trade possibilities, if there were to be a blockbuster deal this season, i think channing frye would be included. i think if frye goes to a contender, we might as well call him ROBERT HORRY 2.0. frye is nice but he is struggling at the moment. put him on a team where he can get open looks and a big role, he will be a huge asset.

    but my thinking is that nash will not sign an extension wherever he goes if he is traded this season. he will wind up becoming a free agent, and sign where his heart desires.

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    I definitely understand the sentiment of wanting guys like Nash, J-Kidd, Garnett, etc. to play for a winner in the final stages of their careers and go out on top. I felt the exact same way about Gary Payton, Reggie Miller and all my favorite players as they got older. I’m glad that T-Mac is playing for Atlanta and not Milwaukee right now, because I want him to go out playing for a winner.

    It’s just the whole “deserve” language that bugs me. Like, where’s the line? It’s totally understandable why people say Nash DOES deserve to play for a winner, and why Ray Allen DOES deserve to play for a winner … but why DOESN’T Deron Williams deserve to play for a winner? Why DOESN’T Jason Collins deserve to play for a winner? Why DOESN’T John Wall deserve to play for a winner?

    That’s what I need explained to me.

  • beiber newz

    Guys, I’m not sure if you noticed it, but the NBA is all about throwing the round orange ball into the circular metal thing with a net on it. All you have to do is put the ball through the hoop more times than the other team. I’m not trying to say I’m smart or anything, but I figured that out just by watching.

    I don’t mean to get anyone upset, but I just needed to share that complex observation. You know, just in case the rest of you didn’t notice it. Cause it’s so complex.

  • beiber newz

    Hey guys,

    Do you remember awhile back when I made that observation about the NBA, that whoever puts the ball through the hoop more often wins?

    Well, I think I was completely right about that. I was just watching a game, and when it ended, whoever had more points was declared the winner….MEANING whoever put the ball through the circular thing more often won.

    I’m really not trying to pat my own back, but I thought it was worth mentioning that I was right about the NBA. How I was able make such a complex observation to share with everyone, I don’t know. I guess it was just a blessing.

  • beiber newz

    @#83-84
    chicagorilla…are you the one writing those fake comments? kinda sounds like you. just saying.

  • beiber newz

    i guess some more fake posts that went through late have altered the #s. now it appears as though 84 and 85 are fake.

    but i wasn’t going to address it further but i think you guys should take a look at an excerpt from one of the fake ones. i think we should laugh at the person behind it because they obviously don’t know the game of basketball.

    one post, i believe it’s #81 says: “All you have to do is put the ball through the hoop more times than the other team. I’m not trying to say I’m smart or anything, but I figured that out just by watching.”

    well, in actuality, putting the ball in the basket more times than the other team does not guarantee victory.

    if the knicks hit 20 threes…that is 60 points
    if the bulls hit 25 layups….that is 50 points.

    so your formula is wrong. what a dumb mistake. but sorry guys for getting away from talking basketball. i just thought we should at least mock the poor effort of the wannabe beiber newz.

  • beiber newz

    @panchitoooo..have you always had those feelings about lamar odom? i remember like a few years ago i was talking with somebody that if trading lamar meant getting a better player in return, i’d be for it, because he was so inconsistent.

  • Big Island

    AB – If a franchise level player plays the right way, stays out of trouble, busts his ass for a team – sorry, Odom just got a huge ovation – even if they aren’t going anywhere, and it’s just a matter of the organization not doing their jobs by surrounding him with talent, then at a point, that players deserves to know what it’s like to play for a contender.

  • http://Dimemag.com Panchitoooo

    Did you see that bynum triple team?

  • http://www.psychodrama.com Chicagorilla

    @AB
    you’re really reaching bruh. Me comparing McGee and Sampsons athletically ability, build, or style of play is one thing, but get real. You know damn well Mcgee ain’t f^cking with Sampson’s skill level or overall game. I don’t even know why you would take it there.
    Nice try though. Ewing and Robinson still shyt on Dwight 9x’s outta 10.

    @BNews

    Actually I spent all day doing recruiting and watching my players play in a big MLK tournament. Not sure why you would finger me for a fake post….well then again yeah i can. But to answer your question, No it wasn’t me. But I will say whoever it was was pretty funny.

  • beiber newz

    the fact you think it was funny is pretty eye brow raising…it is not even borderline funny. it is really strange. i don’t know y you would give it a humor endorsement unless…..well i already said who i think it was.

  • beiber newz

    chicagorilla, what do you think of the wannabe beib’s flawed formula for how a basketball game is won?

  • http://www.dimemag.com Austin Burton

    @Chicagorilla — All I’m saying is, you have talked a few times here about how much you like McGee’s game and how much of a beast he is. So when he gets dumped on by Dwight Howard, that doesn’t give you any indication that Howard might be better than you’re giving him credit for?

  • beiber newz

    Once again, I think we should mock the poor effort of the wannabe beiber (or from here on out: the wannabeiber) for using a flawed formula for how you win a basketball game.

    It’s so dumb, how can you make such a big mistake like using a flawed formula to post on smack? The reason I am never wrong is I spend my entire day working out complex formulas and reading old smack comments. I give a GOOD effort, unlike the wannabeiber who gives poor efforts. If you are gonna copy me correctly, you have to give up your entire life to making smack comments and making formulas that are never wrong.

    And Chicagorilla, because you thought the wannabeiber post was funny, then you must be him. In fact, if anybody ever reads a wannabeiber post and thinks its funny, they must be the wannabeiber. Wow guys, I think I just figured out who is copying me. Think about it, because there was no flaw in that formula at all.

  • 4m

    I swear Austin Burton comes off as the biggest troll in these sections sometimes. Do you really have to nitpick every word people here say and take it literally? For a seemingly smart person, you seemingly don’t get a lot of things.

    Of course there will always be fans who would say “he deserves to be traded to a winning team” same as how some people have already crowned Rubio as the next Pistol Pete and John Wall as the next DRose. There will always be fans who will have that mentality to root for the underdog, to wish that underdog success. Underdog in a sense that he’s always been a good and talented guy but stuck in a mediocre team.

    And I’m not sure if you’ve ever played competitive tournament ball but you never understood the mentality of a person trying to exact revenge on another team that humiliated his team before? No matter how cool you are, if you’re the defending champs and you got swept the following year, that will leave a bad taste in your mouth for some time. And the only way to get rid of it is to beat the team who did it.

  • beiber newz

    i just think chicagorilla was mad i commented on how bad the bulls are without rose. he seems like a sensitive homer who can’t take criticism. so he going out his way to sabotage my switch to goodness by making weird fake posts. i just hope you guys can tell when it’s a fake post. if it aint about strictly BASKETBALL then guys, know it aint me.

    anyway….yall hear stephen curry is surprised he aint get an olympic invite? i think he’ll fill chauncey’s role the next go around, without question. he will be the best shooter in the nba by that time.

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