Game Day: Suns (36-28) @ Celtics (22-43) , Fri 3/14/14

[Superbone]

Time: 7:30 PM ET (4:30 PM Pacific/Arizona)
Place: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: FSAZ, NBALP

The band is back together. We go back to our original starting lineup tonight. Bledsoe, Dragic, Tucker, Frye, Plumlee. If these Suns want to make the playoffs, the push starts now. No excuses. Let's see if we can keep Boston under 35 points in the first quarter. Ya gotta start somewhere, right?

Go Suns!!!

Dis • cuss

[Ring_Wanted]

The push started yesterday!

Kill the C's. No excuses.

[TOO]

We SHOULD win, but I expect the defensive struggles to continue.

[Superbone]

We SHOULD win, but I expect the defensive struggles to continue.

I expect one of two things. The defensive struggles either continue or we see massive effort in this area tonight. Nothing in between.

[Charlie Smithy!]

We SHOULD win, but I expect the defensive struggles to continue.

I just hope I live to see the day of a legitimately good Suns team on defense - with the ultimate playoff results to back it up.

[Big Jake Little Jake]

We SHOULD win, but I expect the defensive struggles to continue.

I just hope I live to see the day of a legitimately good Suns team on defense - with the ultimate playoff results to back it up.

I think that the KT, Diaw, Marion, Bell, Nash team was a legitimately good defensive team. Sure, we always had problems with Nash defending the pick and roll, but KT was a great partner in that regard. Just quick enough to show off the pick, then rotate to the next guy.

If KT and Bell don't get injured, there's no way we wouldn't have beaten the Mavs. I'll never forgive D'antoni for not putting KT back in after he came back from injury. I seem to remember he was ready to go but MD just didn't want him slowing us down or some such nonsense. Anyone else remember it like that?

[Charlie Smithy!]

Agreed, and yes I do, BJLJ.

D'antoni left a salty taste in my mouth as a Suns fan; his matchups with Popovich at the forefront.

It seemed like everytime Coach D was "wired up" on national tv in a timeout, the strategy was always "just keep running, they're not gonna hit shots forever, etc etc"

In hindsight, I probably should have enjoyed the Nash era more than I did.

I will say, though, that Gentry and the 2010 team left me with nothing but a smile - even though they ended up falling to the Lakers.

[INFORMER]

D'antoni left a salty taste in my mouth as a Suns fan; his matchups with Popovich at the forefront.

I feel the same way.

[Big Jake Little Jake]

To be fair to MD, they're not allowed to show the coaches talking strategy, so every coach is reduced to sounding like a cheerleader in those things. BUT, I do think what you say is probably completely accurate to his overall strategy.

I do think he's gotten a little too beat up over here for not getting us past the Spurs, but some of it is warranted. He's one of the best coaches I've ever seen drawing up in-bounds plays and getting guys confidence. He's also extremely stubborn which sometimes was a positive and other times a very big weakness - which I believe led to his downfall here.

I think the 2010 team was left with all smiles because there were not many expectations any more. We were the true underdogs. Under MD, it was championship or bust after 05.

[Superbone]

It seemed like everytime Coach D was "wired up" on national tv in a timeout, the strategy was always "just keep running, they're not gonna hit shots forever, etc etc"

Don't forget "the ball finds energy!".

[Charlie Smithy!]

It seemed like everytime Coach D was "wired up" on national tv in a timeout, the strategy was always "just keep running, they're not gonna hit shots forever, etc etc"

Don't forget "the ball finds energy!".

Oh, lawd - that one too, Supe!

Edit: And, oh, how nice it would have been to have had a bench in the 'D' years!

Now, maybe the players on our bench just sucked too much that we effectively did not have one, but part of me will always wonder (and believe) that Coach did not give those players a chance to develop any sorta cohesiveness.

The one game that sticks out to me that way (and I forget who we were playing) is when we started the 4th with a huge lead and Coach D put the entire bench in - including the immortal Pat Burke, if I'm not mistaken.

Anyway, opposing team made lolhuge run and, what do you know, starters had to be rushed in at the last minute to save the game.

So yeah, for my peace of mind, I wanna believe that our bench players sucked so much back then that it wouldn't have mattered if they had played or not. But...still I wonder.

[EDC]

Tucker doing his Lebron impersonation.

[TOO]

I'll never understand why Tucker thinks he HAS to lead the break lol.

[EDC]

Dragic looking amazing. The problem is with Bledsoe back wasn't he suppose to get more rest? He has played the whole first quarter hasn't he?

[The Bobster]

That Fabio reference is about 20 years to late.

[The Bobster]

Ish with the block at the rim!

[EDC]

ISH!

[The Bobster]

This second quarter has been painful to watch.

[TOO]

Painful indeed, Green is useless off the bench.

[The Bobster]

Dragic & Bledsoe - 9/13 (69%), 22 points
everybody else - 9/28 (32%), 24 points