Tue Mar 08, 2005 12:55 pm
Joe Johnson Does It Again!
Johnson breaks the Kings heart once again
Suns-106
Kings-104
Suns Boxscore | Kings Boxscore
Stoudemire pulling down the big rebound during the 4th quarter
SACRAMENTO, Cali. Feb. 8 (Ticker) -- Joe Johnson made a strong argument against the Sacramento Kings about why he wasn’t chosen as an all-star. With two of his teammates receiving All-Star invitations before the game (Stoudemire and Nash), he congratulated them, but the night belong to Johnson. Johnson scored 25 points and hit the game winning shot over Cuttino Mobley at the buzzer as the Phoenix Suns snapped an eight-game losing streak at ARCO Arena with a 106-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings. His fellow teammate, now an All-Star, Steve Nash had a season-low 0 assists for the Suns, who won here for the first time since April 9, 2000 and improved to an NBA-best 21-7 on the road. No other team has more than 16 road wins. “I was very disappointed in myself,” Nash said. “It’s my job to help create shots, but the Kings defense was actually very tough tonight and they had a great game plan. The good thing is that we ended up winning the game.”
The Kings appeared to take control in the third quarter when Peja Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer with 2:26 left for a 72-58 lead. They led heading into the 4th quarter until Marion and Joe Johnson combined for 12 points in a 12-4 run over the first 4:20 to put Phoenix ahead, 87-82. The game remained close and the Suns regained their lead when Johnson found Quentin Richardson in the post for an easy layup over Mike Bibby to give the Suns a 103-102 edge with 16 seconds on the clock. On Sacramento's final possession, Mobley - who had a team-high with 27 points passed to a wide-open Stojakovic 15 feet near the basket and Peja nailed the jumper with just 4.3 seconds remaining in the game. After the Suns used their last timeout of the game, the Suns knew once again that Johnson was their hottest guy. “He shot the best percentage with 10-14 from the field, so we knew he had to be the guy,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We also remembered him hitting that game winner against the Kings earlier this season, so we were bound to try it again.” Marion inbounded the ball at midcourt to find Johnson on the right wing. Stoudemire set a pick for him and Johnson rolled to the corner to shoot a three-point bomb from the corner which went in as time expired. “ARCO Arena was as silent as I’ve ever heard it before,” Marion said. “It was like someone died in the arena.”
The Kings thought Johnson’s shot didn’t count, but after the refs clearly looked at the replay, the shot was good as the ball released from Johnson hands with about .6 seconds left on the clock. The crowd boo’ed the Suns all the way out until they reached their locker rooms. “It felt great to do it again,” Johnson said. “My teammates and coaches had confidence in me once again to take the big shot.” The Kings played their starting lineup intact for most of the second half. Phoenix is in a stretch where it plays six of 13 against teams in the top 8 in the Western Conference -- Sacramento, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston and two others are against division leaders Boston and Detroit.
GAME NOTES
Brad Miller was the only Sacramento King to make the All-Star Game this year. “Seven years in and I haven’t made it,” Bibby said. “There’s nothing I can do. You can’t get mad about something you don’t expect to happen, and I didn’t expect it to happen.” Said Adelman: “I was surprised. I really thought we’d have maybe two or possibly three players. That’s the way it is. You only have seven spots.” Adelman and Suns coach Mike D’Antoni were roomates in the ‘70s playing for the Kansas City/Omaha Kings. Amare Stoudemire made the All-Star Game for the first time in his short three year career. He averaged 22.7ppg and just over 10rpg to lead his team in both categories. The Suns recieved their 40th win after tonight's game which is a franchise-record for getting to 40 wins before the All-Star break.
Game Photos
Bibby going for the steal as Nash blows past him
Stojakovic hacking Marion in the air without a foul being called
Peja launching the three-pointer over Nash
Richardson shooting the fadeaway over All-Star Brad Miller and Stojakovic
Mobley led the Kings with 27 points for the game
Brad Miller scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the loss to the Suns
Johnson breaks the Kings heart once again
Suns-106
Kings-104
Suns Boxscore | Kings Boxscore
Stoudemire pulling down the big rebound during the 4th quarter
SACRAMENTO, Cali. Feb. 8 (Ticker) -- Joe Johnson made a strong argument against the Sacramento Kings about why he wasn’t chosen as an all-star. With two of his teammates receiving All-Star invitations before the game (Stoudemire and Nash), he congratulated them, but the night belong to Johnson. Johnson scored 25 points and hit the game winning shot over Cuttino Mobley at the buzzer as the Phoenix Suns snapped an eight-game losing streak at ARCO Arena with a 106-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings. His fellow teammate, now an All-Star, Steve Nash had a season-low 0 assists for the Suns, who won here for the first time since April 9, 2000 and improved to an NBA-best 21-7 on the road. No other team has more than 16 road wins. “I was very disappointed in myself,” Nash said. “It’s my job to help create shots, but the Kings defense was actually very tough tonight and they had a great game plan. The good thing is that we ended up winning the game.”
The Kings appeared to take control in the third quarter when Peja Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer with 2:26 left for a 72-58 lead. They led heading into the 4th quarter until Marion and Joe Johnson combined for 12 points in a 12-4 run over the first 4:20 to put Phoenix ahead, 87-82. The game remained close and the Suns regained their lead when Johnson found Quentin Richardson in the post for an easy layup over Mike Bibby to give the Suns a 103-102 edge with 16 seconds on the clock. On Sacramento's final possession, Mobley - who had a team-high with 27 points passed to a wide-open Stojakovic 15 feet near the basket and Peja nailed the jumper with just 4.3 seconds remaining in the game. After the Suns used their last timeout of the game, the Suns knew once again that Johnson was their hottest guy. “He shot the best percentage with 10-14 from the field, so we knew he had to be the guy,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We also remembered him hitting that game winner against the Kings earlier this season, so we were bound to try it again.” Marion inbounded the ball at midcourt to find Johnson on the right wing. Stoudemire set a pick for him and Johnson rolled to the corner to shoot a three-point bomb from the corner which went in as time expired. “ARCO Arena was as silent as I’ve ever heard it before,” Marion said. “It was like someone died in the arena.”
The Kings thought Johnson’s shot didn’t count, but after the refs clearly looked at the replay, the shot was good as the ball released from Johnson hands with about .6 seconds left on the clock. The crowd boo’ed the Suns all the way out until they reached their locker rooms. “It felt great to do it again,” Johnson said. “My teammates and coaches had confidence in me once again to take the big shot.” The Kings played their starting lineup intact for most of the second half. Phoenix is in a stretch where it plays six of 13 against teams in the top 8 in the Western Conference -- Sacramento, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston and two others are against division leaders Boston and Detroit.
GAME NOTES
Brad Miller was the only Sacramento King to make the All-Star Game this year. “Seven years in and I haven’t made it,” Bibby said. “There’s nothing I can do. You can’t get mad about something you don’t expect to happen, and I didn’t expect it to happen.” Said Adelman: “I was surprised. I really thought we’d have maybe two or possibly three players. That’s the way it is. You only have seven spots.” Adelman and Suns coach Mike D’Antoni were roomates in the ‘70s playing for the Kansas City/Omaha Kings. Amare Stoudemire made the All-Star Game for the first time in his short three year career. He averaged 22.7ppg and just over 10rpg to lead his team in both categories. The Suns recieved their 40th win after tonight's game which is a franchise-record for getting to 40 wins before the All-Star break.
Game Photos
Bibby going for the steal as Nash blows past him
Stojakovic hacking Marion in the air without a foul being called
Peja launching the three-pointer over Nash
Richardson shooting the fadeaway over All-Star Brad Miller and Stojakovic
Mobley led the Kings with 27 points for the game
Brad Miller scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the loss to the Suns
Tue Mar 08, 2005 3:09 pm
ShivaSquad wrote:my 2 fav SG in the nba! yahoooo JJ is gonna rip cuttino up tho... sry cuttino man ill still be yo friend!
o man i called that. how much more perfect does it get?!?!
JJ is my fav player in the nba, cuttino is my 2nd fav... and here i said JJ will rip cuttino apart. and my favorite player hits the buzzer beater over my 2nd fav player after i posted about it! damnnnnn and JJ had 25 points and played the best
boo ya i got all excited there. thanks for that
o ya nice recap too
Tue Mar 08, 2005 3:12 pm
Bibby has the right to be pissed, he always gets dicked over! He deserves to be an ALL Star. Good read. 
Can't wait till you drop it like it's hoooot
Know what I'm sayin.
Can't wait till you drop it like it's hoooot
Know what I'm sayin.
Wed Mar 09, 2005 1:55 am
excellent read
Wed Mar 09, 2005 3:03 am
o man i called that. how much more perfect does it get?!?!
JJ is my fav player in the nba, cuttino is my 2nd fav... and here i said JJ will rip cuttino apart. and my favorite player hits the buzzer beater over my 2nd fav player after i posted about it! damnnnnn and JJ had 25 points and played the best
boo ya i got all excited there. thanks for that
o ya nice recap too
hahaha, yea jj shot 11-15 and i was glad he was having a good game because it made a good story.
Bibby has the right to be pissed, he always gets dicked over! He deserves to be an ALL Star. Good read.
Can't wait till you drop it like it's hoooot Know what I'm sayin.
lol, gonna drop it like snoop
bibby was having a good year...i think he was averaging around 17 a game and like 8 assists.excellent read
thx, i see u at all-star weekend too. it seems like everybody gettin to it
Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:41 am
nice job, i traded for nash in my dyansty and he's been straight killing. getting like 20 pts and 9 assists per game and its only at the all star break.
Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:52 am
SONICS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST
TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Kings, 17-30; Suns, 40-10.
INJURY REPORT None
KEY MATCHUP: QUENTIN RICHARDSON VS. RASHARD LEWIS
The two streaky shooters can light it up from the floor on any occasion. Earlier this season in December, Richardson scored 23 points in the Suns 20-point victory, while Lewis shot just 11-30 from the field, but still finished with 30 points. You may see his statistics change tonight, but expect to see Richardson and McCarty split time tonight against Lewis. McCarty's height gives him a better chance at defending the 6'10" versatile forward.
INSIDE THE SONICS
Ray Allen is the leader of the Supersonics averaging 25.2ppg, 4.2rpg and 5.1apg. He will make the All-Star Game this season, and participate in the 3-Point Shootout Competition along wtih teammate Rashard Lewis. Allen shot 5-12 from the field and scored just 11 points lats night against the Sacramento Kings.
INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix will be everywhere during All-Star Weekend. Nash and Stoudemire will head to the All-Star Game, Nash will do double duty on Friday and Saturday in the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Shootout, then Stoudemire will be featured in the Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. Phoenix will try to match a season-high winning streak with ten games tonight against Seattle.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Jerome James
PF-Reggie Evans
SF-Rashard Lewis
SG-Ray Allen
PG-Luke Ridnour
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:44 pm
cant wait for the Sonics recap, should be a fun game to play with all those scorers and definitely cant wait till All Star Weekend, just a few games away
Wed Mar 09, 2005 1:32 pm
Allen Rains on Suns’ Parade
Two bench players in double figures for the Soncis gave them a boost
Sonics-111
Suns-100
Sonics Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Fortson getting hacked after going up for a layup
PHOENIX, Feb. 11 (Ticker) -- After a miserable first two quarters, All-Star Ray Allen took over in the third and fourth quarter for the Seattle SuperSonics. Allen scored 25 of his 31 points in the 2nd half as the SuperSonics snapped the Phoenix Suns 9-game winning streak with a 111-100 shootout. Allen had misfired on 6 of his 7 shots through two quarters but connected on 9-of-15 in the 2nd half, including a pair during a key run. "The first two quarters, it didn't seem like I had it," Allen said. "It seemed like every corner I turned they were on my shot, knocking the ball away. It was one of those games that I had to fight."
With Seattle holding a 91-75 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter, Allen nailed a 3-pointer and a jump shot before teammate Antonio Daniels made a jumper to open a 99-75 cushion to open up the 4th quarter. "Ray came up big," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "He was pressing in the first two quarters. He got his legs and came up with some big buckets and played like an All-Star. The rest of the guys did a good job of keeping us ahead until one of our guys got hot." Phoenix, which had won nine straight games coming into tonight, got no closer than six points thereafter. "They wanted it more then we did," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "You had the feeling in the first half that we thought we could win anytime we wanted to. Those guys are too good to play it that way. You can't think that now we will turn it on. We have done that in the past but today we paid for it."
Rashard Lewis scored 20 points and fell one rebound short of his career-high in rebounds with 18 boards and Daniels 12 along with Radmanovic 15 for the SuperSonics, who had five players reach double figures and two of them coming off the bench. "I think I carried the team in the first half and Ray got hot in the 2nd half and carried us through those last few quarters," Lewis said. "The main game plan was to play some type of defense against their high-powered offense, and the key was getting rebounds and giving them one shot." Shawn Marion scored a team-high 23 points and All-Star Steve Nash added 16 and 4 assists for the Suns, whose bench was outscored by Seattle's reserves, 33-13. "They were more motivated then us tonight. I don't know why," Nash said. "It seemed like we didn't have that extra bounce in our step and it seemed that it wasn't as urgent for us to execute defensively."
GAME NOTES
The Suns are 21 games better than what they were last season at this time and are the most improved team in the league. The game featured three of the six players in the 3-point shootout on All-Star Weekend -- Nash, Allen and Lewis. Seattle shot 61 percent in the third quarter.
Game Photos
Stoudemire trying to draw contact in the paint
Rashard Lewis adjusting his shot in midair
Allen copying off his partner Lewis
Marion rocking the rim with the one hand jam
Joe Johnson grabbing one of his 7 rebounds
Steven Hunter making his move in the post against James
Lewis doing some dirty work on the floor
Two bench players in double figures for the Soncis gave them a boost
Sonics-111
Suns-100
Sonics Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Fortson getting hacked after going up for a layup
PHOENIX, Feb. 11 (Ticker) -- After a miserable first two quarters, All-Star Ray Allen took over in the third and fourth quarter for the Seattle SuperSonics. Allen scored 25 of his 31 points in the 2nd half as the SuperSonics snapped the Phoenix Suns 9-game winning streak with a 111-100 shootout. Allen had misfired on 6 of his 7 shots through two quarters but connected on 9-of-15 in the 2nd half, including a pair during a key run. "The first two quarters, it didn't seem like I had it," Allen said. "It seemed like every corner I turned they were on my shot, knocking the ball away. It was one of those games that I had to fight."
With Seattle holding a 91-75 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter, Allen nailed a 3-pointer and a jump shot before teammate Antonio Daniels made a jumper to open a 99-75 cushion to open up the 4th quarter. "Ray came up big," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "He was pressing in the first two quarters. He got his legs and came up with some big buckets and played like an All-Star. The rest of the guys did a good job of keeping us ahead until one of our guys got hot." Phoenix, which had won nine straight games coming into tonight, got no closer than six points thereafter. "They wanted it more then we did," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "You had the feeling in the first half that we thought we could win anytime we wanted to. Those guys are too good to play it that way. You can't think that now we will turn it on. We have done that in the past but today we paid for it."
Rashard Lewis scored 20 points and fell one rebound short of his career-high in rebounds with 18 boards and Daniels 12 along with Radmanovic 15 for the SuperSonics, who had five players reach double figures and two of them coming off the bench. "I think I carried the team in the first half and Ray got hot in the 2nd half and carried us through those last few quarters," Lewis said. "The main game plan was to play some type of defense against their high-powered offense, and the key was getting rebounds and giving them one shot." Shawn Marion scored a team-high 23 points and All-Star Steve Nash added 16 and 4 assists for the Suns, whose bench was outscored by Seattle's reserves, 33-13. "They were more motivated then us tonight. I don't know why," Nash said. "It seemed like we didn't have that extra bounce in our step and it seemed that it wasn't as urgent for us to execute defensively."
GAME NOTES
The Suns are 21 games better than what they were last season at this time and are the most improved team in the league. The game featured three of the six players in the 3-point shootout on All-Star Weekend -- Nash, Allen and Lewis. Seattle shot 61 percent in the third quarter.
Game Photos
Stoudemire trying to draw contact in the paint
Rashard Lewis adjusting his shot in midair
Allen copying off his partner Lewis
Marion rocking the rim with the one hand jam
Joe Johnson grabbing one of his 7 rebounds
Steven Hunter making his move in the post against James
Lewis doing some dirty work on the floor
Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:41 am
Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:14 am
yea tough loss, i had a feelin they were gonna come out shooting against u but NASh only 4 assists? 
and 0 the game b4 whats goin on stevie?
and 0 the game b4 whats goin on stevie?
Thu Mar 10, 2005 9:26 am
drhoops31021 wrote:yea tough loss, i had a feelin they were gonna come out shooting against u but NASh only 4 assists?
Ah man, you gotta use Nash better than that! Tough loss
Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:04 am
yea tough loss, i had a feelin they were gonna come out shooting against u but NASh only 4 assists? and 0 the game b4 whats goin on stevie?
yea i know, its like when ever i pass the ball to someone they would be covered well so i would have to try and create my own shot alot more. i havent been able to get as many fast breaks lately either since changing my sliders, so im going to try and work harder on that.
Ah man, you gotta use Nash better than that! Tough loss
yea, i dont want to head into the break on a losing streak or anything. if nash continue to play the way he has been playing, we may be in some trouble.
Expect an update soon and maybe more
Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:17 am
SUNS VS. WARRIORS
The Arena in Oakland, Golden State, 6:00 p.m., PST
TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Suns, 40-11; Warriors, 8-42.
INJURY REPORT None
KEY MATCHUP: STEVE NASH VS. SPEEDY CLAXTON
Nash assist numbers have went down the past few games. More teams are starting to figure out the Suns fastbreaking game which is making things alot harder on Nash to boost his assist numbers up. Claxton can turn it on as well on the break with his speed. It will be key to watch each point guard, and see what his assist and turnover stats will be in tonight's game.
INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix's 9-game winning streak was snapped on Friday against the Seattle Supersonics in a 111-1000 loss. Nash dished out just 4 assists in that game and is averaging just 2apg in the Suns last two games. This will be the Suns last road game before the All-Star break, while having their last two games at home against Utah and Dallas.
INSIDE THE WARRIORS
The Warriors have been one of the bgigest disappointments this season in the league. They have the worse record in the league nad have lost six straight games. After giving Adonal Foyle a big contract in the summer, he has only started 17 of the Warriors 50 games and is averaging just over 3ppg along with 5.6rpg.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
C-Adonal Foyle
PF-Troy Murphy
SF-Mike Dunleavy Jr.
SG-Jason Richardson
PG-Speedy Claxton
Thu Mar 10, 2005 11:47 am
better use nash well in the comeback 
Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:39 pm
Suns Sizzle in Golden State
Phoenix is back to their ol’ ways once again
Suns-118
Warriors-93
Suns Boxscore | Warriors Boxscore
Steve Nash dished out nine assists in tonight's victory over the Warriors
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 13 (Ticker) -- The Golden State Warriors were the victims of a a blowout victory tonight at home. Phoenix regained the league’s best record after blowing out the Warriors in a scoring fest. Combined with San Antonio's 89-72 loss at Miami, Phoenix (41-11) moved into first place in front of the Spurs (40-12) for the best record in the NBA, an honor the Suns have held for most of the season. "It is big because we hadn't played well," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Anytime you win on the road not playing well ... you know we'd felt a heck of lot worse if we lost this game. It was good for us and we finally were able to get Nash back in his groove."
Phoenix led throughout the entire game, with just under a minute left, Jim Jackson nailed one of his two three points to give the Suns their largest lead of the game and Phoenix went into halftime with a 76-53 lead. Jim Jackson had a seaosn-high for the Suns in points with 17, shooting 6-10 from the field and 2-4 from downtown. After a miss by Speedy Claxton, who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, Nash was isolated on the left side and drained a jumper with just under 6 minutes left to give Phoenix a 24-point lead and sealed the game for good. "It was just a switch," Nash said. "I had it first and then I kicked it back out to Amare (Stoudemire) and then Amare threw it right back in so that's just good recognition on his part and our team's part especially the way we have been struggling passing the ball."
Jason Richardson capped a woeful 10-of-21 shooting performance. He limited to 37 minutes tonight due to foul trouble. “For the whole game I was in foul trouble, so I really couldn't help them out too much until the fourth. I kind of got relaxed and the refs weren't on me so much mainly because the game was just about over with." The Suns led by double digits for most of the game, thanks to 62 percent (23-of-37) shooting in the first half. They took an 98-68 advantage into the fourth quarter. "It's a confidence factor somewhere," Golden State coach Mike Montgomery said. "We just get nervous when we play these elite teams and we need to get some confidence in our abilities. It probably has to do with experience over and over and over again."
GAME NOTES
Former Suns forward Zarko Cabarkapa, acquired in a trade Jan.3, had no points and one foul in just two minutes of play. Warriors coach Mike Montegomery has 43 losses in his first season in the NBA, eight more than he had in his last six years at Stanford.
Game Photos
Jason Richardson breaking away from Johnson's grip
Speedy only dished out 3 assists in the Warriors loss
Quentin Richardson getting the jam off the fastbreak
Marion trying the flop on Murphy in the post
Johnson trying to break Foyle down
Amare keeping the ball away from the smaller guards
Three players scrambling for the ball on the ground
Phoenix is back to their ol’ ways once again
Suns-118
Warriors-93
Suns Boxscore | Warriors Boxscore
Steve Nash dished out nine assists in tonight's victory over the Warriors
OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 13 (Ticker) -- The Golden State Warriors were the victims of a a blowout victory tonight at home. Phoenix regained the league’s best record after blowing out the Warriors in a scoring fest. Combined with San Antonio's 89-72 loss at Miami, Phoenix (41-11) moved into first place in front of the Spurs (40-12) for the best record in the NBA, an honor the Suns have held for most of the season. "It is big because we hadn't played well," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Anytime you win on the road not playing well ... you know we'd felt a heck of lot worse if we lost this game. It was good for us and we finally were able to get Nash back in his groove."
Phoenix led throughout the entire game, with just under a minute left, Jim Jackson nailed one of his two three points to give the Suns their largest lead of the game and Phoenix went into halftime with a 76-53 lead. Jim Jackson had a seaosn-high for the Suns in points with 17, shooting 6-10 from the field and 2-4 from downtown. After a miss by Speedy Claxton, who scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter, Nash was isolated on the left side and drained a jumper with just under 6 minutes left to give Phoenix a 24-point lead and sealed the game for good. "It was just a switch," Nash said. "I had it first and then I kicked it back out to Amare (Stoudemire) and then Amare threw it right back in so that's just good recognition on his part and our team's part especially the way we have been struggling passing the ball."
Jason Richardson capped a woeful 10-of-21 shooting performance. He limited to 37 minutes tonight due to foul trouble. “For the whole game I was in foul trouble, so I really couldn't help them out too much until the fourth. I kind of got relaxed and the refs weren't on me so much mainly because the game was just about over with." The Suns led by double digits for most of the game, thanks to 62 percent (23-of-37) shooting in the first half. They took an 98-68 advantage into the fourth quarter. "It's a confidence factor somewhere," Golden State coach Mike Montgomery said. "We just get nervous when we play these elite teams and we need to get some confidence in our abilities. It probably has to do with experience over and over and over again."
GAME NOTES
Former Suns forward Zarko Cabarkapa, acquired in a trade Jan.3, had no points and one foul in just two minutes of play. Warriors coach Mike Montegomery has 43 losses in his first season in the NBA, eight more than he had in his last six years at Stanford.
Game Photos
Jason Richardson breaking away from Johnson's grip
Speedy only dished out 3 assists in the Warriors loss
Quentin Richardson getting the jam off the fastbreak
Marion trying the flop on Murphy in the post
Johnson trying to break Foyle down
Amare keeping the ball away from the smaller guards
Three players scrambling for the ball on the ground
Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:38 pm
Very nice updates Mafia. Keep it up dude!
Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:55 pm
better use nash well in the comeback
lol, what comeback u was talkin about?
Very nice updates Mafia. Keep it up dude!
thx, il make sure i do
Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:17 am
JAZZ VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., PST
TV, radio: FSAZ; KTAR 620
Records: Jazz, 16-34; Suns, 41-11.
INJURY REPORT Jazz: Raja Bell (strained achilles tendon) out
KEY MATCHUP: SHAWN MARION VS. ANDREI KIRILENKO
Kirilenko can do it all on the court with his shooting, rebounding and shot blocking ability. He has a knack for the ball and he will face the athletic Shawn Marion in tonight's game. Kirilenko averages 17.2ppg, 8.9rpg, 2.0spg and 2.16bpg for the struggling Jazz. Both players have very slim bodies and almost weight the same which will make a great matchup.
INSIDE THE JAZZ
Utah is the 2nd worse team in the Western Conference sitting ahead of thel eague worse team, Golden State Warriors. Acquiring Carlos Boozeri n the offseason didn't really improve the team's overall record as they had a better record last season at this point in time.
INSIDE THE SUNS
Phoenix is heading into the last stretch before All-Star Weekend. They hold a 1-0 record so far for the week. They have two more gmaes let and both games are at home. The Suns will present a red rose for every girl or woman who attends the game tonight due to Valentine's Day. Suns forward, Walter McCarty, will also sing a solo tonight during halftime of the game.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Carlos Boozer
PF-Andrei Kirilenko
SF-Matt Harpring
SG-Gordan Giricek
PG-Howard Eisley
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:25 am
Stoudemire Shines as Suns Silence Jazz
Utah couldn’t hang with Phoenix in the first half
Jazz-90
Suns-115
Jazz Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Q-Rich throwing down the two hand alley-oop pass from Nash
PHOENIX, Feb. 14 (Ticker) -- With their two best post players playing a full strength, the Utah Jazz didn’t do a good job with Amare Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns. They just didn't have enough to pull off an improbable victory. Taking advantage of the much slower Carlos Boozer, Stoudemire scored 15 of his 25 points after the break to lead the Suns to a 115-90 victory over the Jazz. Joe Johnson scored 19 points and Steve Nash added 22 and 11 assists for the Suns, who reached the 110+ mark the 20th time this season en route to beating the Jazz for the third time in four meetings this season. Phoenix had not won a season series from Utah since 1992-93.
"You can probably draw from this game that we are a pretty good offensive team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Judging by tonight‘s game, we are a pretty good defensive team too, but offensively I have no doubt. We get lulled to sleep thinking we can score every time and don't think it is important to play defense some times." Utah was held to just 45 points in the first half. Boozer was out for most of the 2nd half for rest, and Stoudemire found that going inside was much easier, scoring 15 of the Suns' 37 points in the 2nd half and 10 of their 17 points in the 3rd quarter to help them take a 93-68 lead into the final period. "It wouldn't have mattered if he were in or out, I was going to attack either way," Stoudemire said. "I took it upon myself to step it up in the second half when they were trying to make runs. We needed that push."
"We had some guys that weren't even interested in playing tonight," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We had guys in the first half that didn't even know they were supposed to play basketball. They thought they were being redshirted and sitting on the bench and getting paid. Utah got within no closer than under 20 points during the 2nd half. Nash nailed all four of his 3 pointers in the 2nd half to assure the Jazz weren‘t coming back. "The other guys were sitting with a tuxedo on, not ready to play. They need to be ready to play basketball. That is what they get paid for." Boozer scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in just 28 minutes of play and former All-Star Andrei Kirlenko had 16, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the Jazz, who shot 45 percent (35-of-77) but allowed the Suns to do better shooting 49% (38-of-78). Phoenix made 10-of-21 3-pointers, with Nash sinking 4-of-6, while Utah sank just 2-of-10.
Game Photos
Stoudemire and Kirilenko drawing contact in mid-air
Johnson shooting from his favorite spot for three of his 19 points
Boozer getting the putback against Stoudemire and Marion
Barbosa scored 7 points off the bench for the Suns
Stoudemire showing his mean pose after the dunk
Marion getting the goaltend called on Kirilenko
Shawn Marion not getting so lucky on this contested layup
Utah couldn’t hang with Phoenix in the first half
Jazz-90
Suns-115
Jazz Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Q-Rich throwing down the two hand alley-oop pass from Nash
PHOENIX, Feb. 14 (Ticker) -- With their two best post players playing a full strength, the Utah Jazz didn’t do a good job with Amare Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns. They just didn't have enough to pull off an improbable victory. Taking advantage of the much slower Carlos Boozer, Stoudemire scored 15 of his 25 points after the break to lead the Suns to a 115-90 victory over the Jazz. Joe Johnson scored 19 points and Steve Nash added 22 and 11 assists for the Suns, who reached the 110+ mark the 20th time this season en route to beating the Jazz for the third time in four meetings this season. Phoenix had not won a season series from Utah since 1992-93.
"You can probably draw from this game that we are a pretty good offensive team," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Judging by tonight‘s game, we are a pretty good defensive team too, but offensively I have no doubt. We get lulled to sleep thinking we can score every time and don't think it is important to play defense some times." Utah was held to just 45 points in the first half. Boozer was out for most of the 2nd half for rest, and Stoudemire found that going inside was much easier, scoring 15 of the Suns' 37 points in the 2nd half and 10 of their 17 points in the 3rd quarter to help them take a 93-68 lead into the final period. "It wouldn't have mattered if he were in or out, I was going to attack either way," Stoudemire said. "I took it upon myself to step it up in the second half when they were trying to make runs. We needed that push."
"We had some guys that weren't even interested in playing tonight," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We had guys in the first half that didn't even know they were supposed to play basketball. They thought they were being redshirted and sitting on the bench and getting paid. Utah got within no closer than under 20 points during the 2nd half. Nash nailed all four of his 3 pointers in the 2nd half to assure the Jazz weren‘t coming back. "The other guys were sitting with a tuxedo on, not ready to play. They need to be ready to play basketball. That is what they get paid for." Boozer scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in just 28 minutes of play and former All-Star Andrei Kirlenko had 16, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for the Jazz, who shot 45 percent (35-of-77) but allowed the Suns to do better shooting 49% (38-of-78). Phoenix made 10-of-21 3-pointers, with Nash sinking 4-of-6, while Utah sank just 2-of-10.
Game Photos
Stoudemire and Kirilenko drawing contact in mid-air
Johnson shooting from his favorite spot for three of his 19 points
Boozer getting the putback against Stoudemire and Marion
Barbosa scored 7 points off the bench for the Suns
Stoudemire showing his mean pose after the dunk
Marion getting the goaltend called on Kirilenko
Shawn Marion not getting so lucky on this contested layup
Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:54 pm
MAVERICKS VS. SUNS
America West Arena, Phoenix, 8:30 p.m., PST
TV, radio: TNT; KTAR 620
Records: Mavericks, 33-17; Suns, 42-11.
INJURY REPORT
KEY MATCHUP: STEVE NASH VS. JASON TERRY
Nash will face his old team for the 2nd time this season. He finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 assists in the one-point loss to his former team. Terry had 12 points and dished out 11 assists and also made the game-winning 3-pointer. It will be an interesting night for these two players.
INSIDE THE MAVERICKS
Dallas is playing great basketball heading into the All-Star break on a two game winning streak. They stand in 6th place in the Western Conference and are in 3rd place in the Southwest Division. With Erick Dampier in the mix, he has increased the Mavs rebounding as he averages 10.9 boards a game along with Nowitzki who is averaging 10.1rpg.
INSIDE THE SUNS
Stoudemire has cut up the past few games scoring 25 points apiece in each of them. He also grabbed 15 rebounds on Monday against the Jazz. The Suns are averaging 114.6ppg in their last three games, while the Maverics are only averaging 94ppg.
PROBABLE STARTERS
C-Erick Dampier
PF-Dirk Nowitzki
SF-Josh Howard
SG-Michael Finley
PG-Jason Terry
C-Amare Stoudemire
PF-Shawn Marion
SF-Quentin Richardson
SG-Joe Johnson
PG-Steve Nash
Last edited by -BHZMAFIA- on Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:14 pm
Mavericks Roll Into All-Star Break
2nd and 3rd quarter made the difference in the game for the Suns
Mavericks-106
Suns-98
Mavericks Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Marion will be one of the three Suns partcipating in All-Star events starting tomorrow
PHOENIX, Feb. 17 (Ticker) -- Dirk Nowtizki kept the Dallas Mavericks on a roll heading into the All-Star break. Nowitzki scored 25 of his season-high 33 points in the second half as the Mavericks matched the Suns on each basket to post a 106-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Dallas improved to 3-1 on its five-game road trip, which includes victories over Sacramento, Golden State and Phoenix - two of the top five teams in the powerful Western Conference. "That was an incredible road trip," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "We just capped off a great week. This was our best game in a long time. We needed to be good today."
The Mavs gained control late in the 2nd quarter to substain a lead heading into the 2nd half, but the Suns made a run earlier in the 3rd quarter to regain their lead. After Joe Johnson’s layup gave the Suns a 64-62 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd, Josh Howard converted a three-point play on the other end to ignite a 21-7 run through the rest of the quarter. Nowitzki scored nine points in the spurt, which he capped with a 3-pointer that made it 97-90 with 4:03 left in the game. "Dirk came out on fire in the second half," Suns All-Star Amaré Stoudemire said. "Dallas came out and played great ball all around, inside and outside."
Phoenix made one final push, drawing within 102-98 on Stoudemire's three-point play with 73 seconds to go, but Finley all but sealed the victory with a tough fadeaway jumper over Quentin Richardson 24 seconds later. "Coach wanted to get a late shot on the shot clock and I knew that," said Finley, who made 7-of-14 shots, including 1-of-2 from the arc. "I drove left and tried to fake the man but he didn't fall for it. But I was still able to get a good shot off and once I let it go I knew it was going in." Stoudemire scored ten of his 30 points early in the game in the first quarter, including a hookshot at the buzzer that gave Phoenix a 21-17 lead.
"I thought everyone made a contribution, especially Josh Howard," Nelson said. "He had a double-double for us tonight." All-Star Steve Nash converted a three-point play in the waning seconds to cut the lead down to single digits at the end of the game. Marion added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting for the Suns, who were averaging 114.6ppg in their last three games. "We just didn't stop them in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and during crunch time in the 4th," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We gave them 67 points between the 2nd and 3rd quarter and that is way too many. We weren't clicking on offense and defensively we didn't play well enough." Marquis Daniels had 15 points for Dallas off the bench, which shot 52 percent (43-of-83). "We got guys on the bench that can step up and that is what they did," Howard said. "That is a good sign of a team coming together. It was a fast-paced game and we had to suck it up if we wanted to win."
Game Photos
Nash taking the off-balance fadeaway over Finley
Michael Finley using two hands like his momma taught him
Marion going up for the big block on Josh Howard
Finley taking Johnson one-on-one in isolation
Nowitzki igniting his team with two of his 25 points from the 2nd half
Dampier fouling Stoudemire in the air
2nd and 3rd quarter made the difference in the game for the Suns
Mavericks-106
Suns-98
Mavericks Boxscore | Suns Boxscore
Marion will be one of the three Suns partcipating in All-Star events starting tomorrow
PHOENIX, Feb. 17 (Ticker) -- Dirk Nowtizki kept the Dallas Mavericks on a roll heading into the All-Star break. Nowitzki scored 25 of his season-high 33 points in the second half as the Mavericks matched the Suns on each basket to post a 106-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Dallas improved to 3-1 on its five-game road trip, which includes victories over Sacramento, Golden State and Phoenix - two of the top five teams in the powerful Western Conference. "That was an incredible road trip," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "We just capped off a great week. This was our best game in a long time. We needed to be good today."
The Mavs gained control late in the 2nd quarter to substain a lead heading into the 2nd half, but the Suns made a run earlier in the 3rd quarter to regain their lead. After Joe Johnson’s layup gave the Suns a 64-62 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd, Josh Howard converted a three-point play on the other end to ignite a 21-7 run through the rest of the quarter. Nowitzki scored nine points in the spurt, which he capped with a 3-pointer that made it 97-90 with 4:03 left in the game. "Dirk came out on fire in the second half," Suns All-Star Amaré Stoudemire said. "Dallas came out and played great ball all around, inside and outside."
Phoenix made one final push, drawing within 102-98 on Stoudemire's three-point play with 73 seconds to go, but Finley all but sealed the victory with a tough fadeaway jumper over Quentin Richardson 24 seconds later. "Coach wanted to get a late shot on the shot clock and I knew that," said Finley, who made 7-of-14 shots, including 1-of-2 from the arc. "I drove left and tried to fake the man but he didn't fall for it. But I was still able to get a good shot off and once I let it go I knew it was going in." Stoudemire scored ten of his 30 points early in the game in the first quarter, including a hookshot at the buzzer that gave Phoenix a 21-17 lead.
"I thought everyone made a contribution, especially Josh Howard," Nelson said. "He had a double-double for us tonight." All-Star Steve Nash converted a three-point play in the waning seconds to cut the lead down to single digits at the end of the game. Marion added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting for the Suns, who were averaging 114.6ppg in their last three games. "We just didn't stop them in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and during crunch time in the 4th," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We gave them 67 points between the 2nd and 3rd quarter and that is way too many. We weren't clicking on offense and defensively we didn't play well enough." Marquis Daniels had 15 points for Dallas off the bench, which shot 52 percent (43-of-83). "We got guys on the bench that can step up and that is what they did," Howard said. "That is a good sign of a team coming together. It was a fast-paced game and we had to suck it up if we wanted to win."
Game Photos
Nash taking the off-balance fadeaway over Finley
Michael Finley using two hands like his momma taught him
Marion going up for the big block on Josh Howard
Finley taking Johnson one-on-one in isolation
Nowitzki igniting his team with two of his 25 points from the 2nd half
Dampier fouling Stoudemire in the air
Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:15 pm
Next Up: All-Star Weekend
Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:24 pm
I just found out this forum existed and I immediatly went to the dynasty stories. I found this one and I must say it is an excellent one! It's impressive to see how much details you add and the storytelling is marvellous. Keep up the good work!
ps. is there a possibility to give us some reviews of the stats so far, from your players and the entire NBA league?
thanx in advance..
ps. is there a possibility to give us some reviews of the stats so far, from your players and the entire NBA league?
thanx in advance..
Sat Mar 12, 2005 2:57 am
I just found out this forum existed and I immediatly went to the dynasty stories. I found this one and I must say it is an excellent one! It's impressive to see how much details you add and the storytelling is marvellous. Keep up the good work!
ps. is there a possibility to give us some reviews of the stats so far, from your players and the entire NBA league?
thanx in advance..
thx for the compliment. yea i will put some league leader stats and my team stats up after the all-star break.