Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

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Drewsprocket
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Drewsprocket »

Defense looked great at times. Offense is a work in progress. The Mikhal was excellent. That’s what i want to see from him. Biggest surprise was the bench unit. It’s gonna be a real nice year. I’m confident the offense will get ironed out over the next few weeks before they go on a tear.

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Split T
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Split T »

Booker won’t have many more 8 turnover games.
Paul won’t shoot 3/9 very often.
Ayton won’t play only 24 minutes very often.

Our 3 best players had weird games. I feel pretty good still.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Mori Chu »

That was a pretty ugly win. I guess the takeaway here is that we are talented enough to beat a playoff team like the Mavs even when several of our best guys are having off nights. That is encouraging. I wanted to see more from Paul, but he looks out of shape and rusty. I assume he'll improve as the season goes on. And he did have nice calm and controlled play at the end of the game; he made me feel much more comfortable with our position during the last minute of the game. Ayton and Jones were both foul machines, Jones comically so. Ayton has been really disappointing so far in the preseason and this first game. Blech. Mikal Bridges is wonderful, rapidly becoming my favorite Sun. He's kind of a Marion, kind of a Raja Bell, kind of a Grant Hill, ... He takes things I like from several other players and blends them together so nicely. Cam Johnson is also great and a lot of fun to watch. I like the Crowder signing generally speaking, but I think ultimately I'd like to see Bridges/Johnson as our 3/4 combo.

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bajanguy008
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by bajanguy008 »

bajanguy008 wrote:
Sat Dec 19, 2020 1:59 pm
I was so caught up watching this "Mikal and Cam development of being the ball handler in PnR and really liked what I saw.



this decisiveness and usage numbers for Mikal is good to see and I think Cam is gonna do well (know me when it comes to him :D )in the 2nd unit now and seeing them running set plays for him instead of just spotting up is 8-) 8-)
have to bump this from last week preseason game :)
so if I was fussy after that game, obviously I really enjoyed last night's game and reading the board to see everyone talking about these two and Payne as the key players is great. Luv to see it 8-)
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ShelC
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by ShelC »

Not a great game but a good win for us to prove we can gut them out when needed.

Book was Book, still forcing things at times but when he makes up his mind to score he's at his best. Paul controlled things well, solid defense, doesn't look too out of shape IMO. His shot wasn't falling but I also thought he was trying too hard to be cute and "figure things out" instead of just running the offense and doing the simple stuff. The fancy dribbling, probing and looking, the behind the back between the legs things off the PnR...just pass or take the shot. Hit a big shot at the end of the game tho and came up with a nice steal too.

Bridges was awesome. Does so many impactful things, just fits in seamlessly and was probably the MVP of the game. Great job on Luka, knocked down his shots (esp the corner 3), had some nice dribble drives, big rebound to seal the win. I thought Cam Johnson came in and played well too in some limited minutes. Knocked down his shots, solid defense, mixed it up inside on the boards. Another guy who just quietly makes plays and is still getting better.

Crowder was solid throughout, good defense and grabbed 9 boards. Thought the Mavs did a good job defensively to make sure he didn't get a lot of open looks. When he isn't just catching and shooting in rhythm, he's much less efficient and it felt like the Mavs were really on him to defend that. 1-6 from the field and 1-5 from 3 shows it and the one shot he made was a rhythm shot off the catch. He and Cam both played 26 minutes, which seems about right.

The bench was solid with Payne running things and getting his offense going. Carter was OK but didn't feel like he impacted things much. Gallo was gave us instant offense with 11pts in 9 minutes.

The refs were jerking us with the fouls on our bigs because of course. Like Sauce said, I don't mind Ayton's fouls being aggressive on offense. Would rather see that than him not being aggressive. I liked that we looked for him later in the game for easy offense and got him some quick scores in the post. Thought he looked in better shape and was controlling the paint and the boards well when he was out there. Jones was trying but the fouls had him on the bench.

Really liked what I saw from Stix at the 5. Not sure if Monty was holding him back a bit and just letting him focus on playing one position but him at center looked more natural. A little shaky to start but did a good job inside and had some nice looks on offense. Nice impact in just 16 minutes.

HAVEN'T LOST A GAME IN 288 days!

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bajanguy008
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by bajanguy008 »

from preseason I was having a love/hate with watching Book use his what has become patented slalom dribble in PnR to seal defender on his hip move. it seems like he was going to it too often at times instead of just attacking in one go and pulling up. think it really backfired a bit last night which was a big part of his 8 TOs but he should be able to figure that out.

not losing sleep over CP3 at all and yes his play before the last two mins was nothing to shout about but I will take the key winning plays any day of the week. thing is though he played many games like this in OKC, not really doing that much through 3 (albeit more efficient than last night) and his season was so great because of his 4th quarter scoring and clutch stats. he will be fine

not really mad with DA, some of the calls were whack and my only issue was he really started to get something going in the 4th with his rim runs and overpowering the smaller front line. think he had 6 quick points then settled for turn around jumpers the next two trips but he was clearly trying to be more aggressive last night so I don't mind
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ShelC
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by ShelC »


















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bajanguy008
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by bajanguy008 »

Yup Yup - development of "off the dribble Cam" is so gonna be a thing 8-)
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England Sun
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by England Sun »

Great to watch the Suns on UK TV but boy was that difficult to watch with sooooo many whistles!
I’ll take the W with our top 3 either having off games or being neutered by the refs.
Yes Bridges! Yes Cam! Yes Bench!
That was our biggest worry coming into the season but if they give that then we will be OK more often than not.
The O will come.
Really happy with the defensive intensity.
Stix nice start.

Jones- 5 fouls worth of a body.
What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

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bajanguy008
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by bajanguy008 »

Oh I didn't talk about Stix, like most said definitely was nervous but some decent stuff from him. As a small ball 5 might be worth looking at
Have to take a big L for predicting Jones to be solid lol but next game is Kings and we can't throw Stix against Whiteside so quick chance at redemption is coming.....
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Wormwood
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Wormwood »

My takeaways:

* CP3 has looked like a bad fit with the offense alongside Booker in both preseason and in this game. This is worrying

* Bridges is improving his offensive aggressiveness. We're going to have to pay him big.

* Cam Johnson has expanded his game. He's a "Jones" guy, which means maturity and someone who's always working on their game seriously. He should absolutely be starting over Crowder.

* Crowder. Ugh. I hated the signing. Tonight did nothing to change that. He's an ok defender and rebounder who really doesn't bring much to the table that you couldn't get out of someone making BAE (3 million). He's not much better than a vet min guy. Doesn't pass. Doesn't create for himself Mediocre 3 point shooter. Best I can say for him: effort and he doesn't play outside his limits. That's not worth 9 million per year for three years.

* Bench mob looks fun. We may be able to roll the ball out there with a small ball unit of shooters (Payne, Carter, Galloway, Johnson, Saric) and play the way we did in 96-97.

* Jones was freaking awful. 5 fouls in 8 minutes.

* Smith had some rookie yips and lapses. But... his forward acceleration is really stunning. Dude gets up to speed fast. Not the quickest hands or second hop, but what really struck me is all that flexibility and lateral motion work he did in the offseason appears to have paid off. He got iso'd a couple of times on the perimeter, and he picked a good distance to allow himself to stay in front of his man. He's figuring it out, but he's smart, and he eats, lives, breathes, and sleeps basketball. He's got a lot of the tools. Not sure he was worth the 10th pick, but I don't think he's going to be regarded as a bust either. Definitely merits time at back up 5, and maybe some at 4. Loved seeing how he hit the turn around without hesitation.

* Ayton... ugh. CP3 was trying to get him the ball, but he either fumble it or went the wrong way. Not seeing the two man game I'd hoped for.

* Unbelievable... but we could have used Kamisnky tonight. He would have been better than Jones.

* Saric: where does he fit in? Someone's going to lose minutes. Hope it's not Cam or Smith (for entirely different reasons). Jones will lose his (thank goodness). But, if it's Crowder, why did we pay him so much? In truth, Jones and Crowder deserve less minutes. Smith deserves some time to develop. Cam is making huge strides, and that no look pass was jaw dropping. Unlike Crowder, Cam has great shooting and create a little for himself, and may be on the verge of becoming someone who creates well for others.

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England Sun
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by England Sun »

Oh, and ESPN with Mark Jackson was awful coverage.
I get that LD is a great player (and would have loved the number 1&2 pick that year) but wow, highlights of his mistakes instead of some great play from us. That’s what turns me off some players (and his Hardenesque self drawing of fouls that the refs give).
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Mori Chu
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Mori Chu »

It sure is nice to have games to watch and talk about. What a nice early Christmas present from the Suns and the league :) Fun to be here with you guys talking about the team. A bright spot in a sad year.

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SunsRIt
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by SunsRIt »

Split T wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:30 pm
Superbone wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:28 pm
Split T wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:15 pm
JeremyG wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:12 pm
Ayton with 19.5 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks per 36 minutes.
Ayton played well tonight. Got the quick fouls, but they were from being aggressive on offense. He got good position in the post a few times and scored. His defense was solid. He did just watch Luka dunk the ball there at the end when Bridges and Booker both switched off Luka...other than that, no real defensive mistakes that stand out.
Yeah, you can't just sit there and let the other team waltz to the basket for an uncontested dunk. That will be a point of emphasis when watching film. And it's not like it's the first time he's done that.
Ya, and it’s not like he didn’t see him. His body was turned, but I saw him turn his head and see Luka coming with plenty of time to react. And foul trouble wasn’t an issue. He only had 4 and there was 30 seconds left. Just go up and challenge him.
We were up 4 or 5 at that time. Maybe the plan was to let them have a 2 and not foul.

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AmareIsGod
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by AmareIsGod »

Mori Chu wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:17 am
It sure is nice to have games to watch and talk about. What a nice early Christmas present from the Suns and the league :) Fun to be here with you guys talking about the team. A bright spot in a sad year.
Agreed. I was laying in bed watching the stream while my wife slept last night from the 2nd half to the end on my phone. Very exciting game. It's nice having basketball to watch (and great that Sportsurge.net exists so I can stream from my phone). I have YouTube TV since I can share it with my parents and sister, all within 10 miles of each other, and split the bill, plus it integrates great with Chromecast with Google TV. However, like almost all of the streaming services, it doesn't have Fox Sports Arizona. Sportsurge helps circumvent that.

The best part about last night was CP3, Booker and Ayton all having "off" nights yet pulling out the win vs Dallas. We've really had their number. 9 wins in a row now. Let's keep it going!
What is smallball? I play basketball. I'm not a regular big man. I can switch from the center to the guards. The game is evolving. I'd be dominAyton if the WNBA would let me in. - Ayton

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Superbone
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Superbone »

Mori Chu wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:17 am
It sure is nice to have games to watch and talk about. What a nice early Christmas present from the Suns and the league :) Fun to be here with you guys talking about the team. A bright spot in a sad year.
It is. And while we're at it, you never get enough credit for hosting this site and bringing us back together, Marty. Thanks you :!:
"Be Legendary."

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Split T
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Split T »

SunsRIt wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:36 am
Split T wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:30 pm
Superbone wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:28 pm
Split T wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:15 pm
JeremyG wrote:
Wed Dec 23, 2020 11:12 pm
Ayton with 19.5 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks per 36 minutes.
Ayton played well tonight. Got the quick fouls, but they were from being aggressive on offense. He got good position in the post a few times and scored. His defense was solid. He did just watch Luka dunk the ball there at the end when Bridges and Booker both switched off Luka...other than that, no real defensive mistakes that stand out.
Yeah, you can't just sit there and let the other team waltz to the basket for an uncontested dunk. That will be a point of emphasis when watching film. And it's not like it's the first time he's done that.
Ya, and it’s not like he didn’t see him. His body was turned, but I saw him turn his head and see Luka coming with plenty of time to react. And foul trouble wasn’t an issue. He only had 4 and there was 30 seconds left. Just go up and challenge him.
We were up 4 or 5 at that time. Maybe the plan was to let them have a 2 and not foul.
I mean maybe, but there was clearly miscommunication. Bridges and Booker both left Doncic. There’s no way the plan was to let Doncic have an uncontested 2. Especially so quickly as it allowed Dallas to just play D and not foul. At worst, Ayton should just foul Luka and make him earn it at the line.

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Mori Chu
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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by Mori Chu »

Superbone wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:00 am
Mori Chu wrote:
Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:17 am
It sure is nice to have games to watch and talk about. What a nice early Christmas present from the Suns and the league :) Fun to be here with you guys talking about the team. A bright spot in a sad year.
It is. And while we're at it, you never get enough credit for hosting this site and bringing us back together, Marty. Thanks you :!:
I'm just glad so many of you came back. There are some other nice Suns fan communities out there, but I enjoy this one the most. The threads on Reddit /r/Suns get a lot of posts and are interesting to read, but the discussion quality is much higher here IMO.

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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by O_Gardino »

Here's to both Mori and Marty. You are the co-mvp's!

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Re: Game Day: Mavericks (0-0) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 12/23/20

Post by O_Gardino »

I also want to give some credit to Carey and SuperB. Y'all make this site happen.

I'll go so far as to say you carry the site superbly.
The league needs heroes, villains... and clowns. -- Aztec Sunsfan

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