Spurs Take Series Lead Over Suns
Phoenix Loses Crucial Game 5 to Give San Antonio the Adavantage
May 17, 2007
Phoenix Suns fans were shocked and outraged during the Suns 88-85 Game 4 loss on May 16 to the San Antonio Spurs after a widely contested suspension of players. The Suns are now one game away from elimination in their best of seven series.
Game 5 was a home game for Phoenix so the crowd helped pump up the Suns while showing their frustration with the Spurs and booing every Spurs possession.The Suns started out strong, gaining a 16 point lead in the second quarter while the Spurs hadn't led the game since the opening minutes.
The Suns would go on a 20-2 run but a series of Spurs 3-pointers would bring them back within a few crucial points. With the seconds ticking down on the clock, mistakes made by Phoenix, like Nash fouling Ginobili on the 3-point line, helped the Spurs get into position to take the lead and ultimately win 88-85.
However, the Suns were playing without one of their star players, Amare Stoudemire, who was suspended for one game after leaving the bench during a scuffle in Game 4 along with a relief forward/center Boris Diaw. Phoenix was rotating only seven players, to San Antonio's 10, and they quickly became tired. The Suns bench scored only nine points while the Spurs bench scored 28 points.
The Suns excelled past the Spurs in almost every category Wednesday night. Phoenix had 32 points in the paint to San Antonio's 26 and had more fast break points. The Suns had a higher percentage of made free throws and 3-pointers so it really all came down to exhaustion and lack of eligible players in the clutch.
Phoenix starters played an average of 41 minutes while San Antonio starters only averaged 34 minutes. This is where the Suns suspensions began to hurt the team. Stoudemire's absence forced the five Suns starters to play more minutes with fewer breaks than the Spurs starters. There was also less relief for the Suns due to Diaw's suspension.
Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for Game 5 after Robert Horry's flagrant foul on Steve Nash in the last few seconds of Game 4. Horry shoved Nash to the ground and Stoudemire and Diaw came to Nash's defense. NBA rules say that players sitting on the bench cannot enter onto the court for any reason or they face suspension. Horry was suspended two games, he missed Game 5 and will also miss Game 6 in San Antonio.
Phoenix started out strong but couldn't keep up the momentum the entire 48 minutes. Nash got a double-double with 12 assists and 19 points playing 46 minutes while Shawn Marion had 24 points and 17 rebounds playing over 45 minutes. Manu Ginobili played just over 38 minutes scoring 26 points after a slow start for him and Tony Parker finished with only 11 points after 39 minutes of game action.
