Phoenix Suns News, Suns Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary : dallas mavericks

Suns Still Alive, But Mavs Get a Win

chowell — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:47:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns are still alive in the race for the 8th seed in the 2009 NBA Playoffs , but they still need to win 75% or more of their games and hope that the Dallas Mavericks lose a few more games at the same time. After winning 2 in a row (over crappy...(read more)

Suns' Playoff Hopes Quickly Fading After Home Loss to Mavericks

chowell — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:20:00 GMT

Despite the Suns best effort on Tuesday night at home, they were unable to stop both Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry from scoring and ended up on the losing end, 122-117. Nowitzki routinely shot over smaller defenders and led a second half surge that strengthened...(read more)

Suns Facing Tough Times After 4th Straight Loss

chowell — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:20:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns entered rare territory Thursday night after their loss to the Dallas Mavericks . Sure, no records were set and there weren't any wild fights to talk about, but PHX did suffer their 4th straight loss - something they haven't done in over...(read more)

Suns Battle Western Powers

chowell — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:40:00 GMT

The Suns got a bit of revenge Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs , their first meeting since last year's infamous suspension incident during the playoffs. The Spurs were without their point guard, Tony Parker , so they were not quite full strength...(read more)

Mavs Win Game 5 in Dramatic Fashion - Warriors Lose Cool (again)

chowell — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:50:00 GMT

Dirk Nowitzki powered the Dallas Mavericks to a must-win in Game 5 of their 1st round matchup w/ the Golden State Warriors. Down six points with under three minutes to go, it looked like the likely-MVP winner would go down in the annals of basketball lore for failing to show up for his team when they needed him most.

At that moment, Dirk woke up and saved the Mavs from elimination... Devin Harris was key to the victory as well, but it was Nowitzki's two 3's, a block, and several free throws down the stretch that helped Dallas end the game on a 15-0 run. Dirk only had 18 pts starting the 4th quarter, but the late surged pushed him up to 30 pts for the game.

Final score: 118-112

The beginning of the 4th quarter started like a wild west showdown, with both teams hitting big shots, and matching each other shot-for-shot for several minutes. It seemed like the Warriors simply couldn't miss a 3-pointer - at least until Harris and Nowitzki started pushing the Mavs back into the lead.

Baron Davis fouled out late in the game on a pretty questionable call - which happened just after a non-call on Nowitzki, who hit Richardson on his 3-pt attempt. Shortly after, Stephen Jackson started mocking the referees by clapping for a foul call on the Warriors. The ref would have none of that, and immediately called a technical foul and ejected Jackson.

To be honest... If Davis had stayed in the game, it's possible to think that Golden State might've closed out the game and the series. They had just taken a 6 point lead and looked poised to upset the #1 seeded Mavericks - they just quit playing their swarming defense and Dallas came back and ended w/ the win.

I do have to say though, the refs appeared to be favoring the Mavs late - there were several non-calls on them and several questionable calls on Golden State. Combined w/ Dirk's resurgence and Harris persistant drives to the basket, the Mavs were able to catch up and shut out the Warriors for the last few minutes.

Mavs Drop Suns to 1-5

chowell — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:35:00 GMT

In a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks again showed that they are the better team against a struggling Phoenix Suns squad. While this game wasn't like their others (take quick lead & lose it), it's still very disappointing for the Suns to lose another game on their homecourt. The game was pretty close throughout, including 6 lead changes in the 4th quarter, but Dallas did what they needed to at the end to win and Phoenix didn't. A late offensive foul by Amare Stoudemire wiped out any chance the Suns had to catch up.

Dallas was led by Dirk Nowitzki (35 pts) and Jerry Stackhouse (23 pts), while Leandro Barbosa had another outstanding performance w/ 30 pts. Steve Nash and Shawn Marion also reached 20 or more points, and Stoudemire and Diaw contributed effectively with 16 & 13 pts, respectively. Aside from Jalen Rose's 9 pts off the bench, there's was no bench for Phoenix - Kurt Thomas was the only other player to score (3 pts) and the reserves only gobbled up 5 rebounds.

The Suns are going to be in big trouble if they don't get more production out of their bench. Jalen Rose will prove to be a good pick up for the Suns because he can post-up and shoot from the outside well; everyone else... well, they better get it going.

Keys to another Suns loss: lack of a bench, no defense (gave up 119 pts), out rebounded (37-25) including 14 offensive rebounds for Dallas, too many foul shots for Dallas (39) - only 22 for Phoenix. The strange thing w/ the foul shots is that Phoenix only committed 1 more foul than Dallas did, but the Mavs apparently were in the act of shooting more often than the Suns were (go figure).

Next up for the Suns are the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday; this should be an easy win (knock on wood).

Miami Heat take NBA Championship amid controversy

chowell — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:39:00 GMT

Let's get this out of the way first: Congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the franchise's first NBA title in history. Dwyane Wade was spectacular again, and walked away with his first title and the Finals MVP trophy (much deserved). It's clear that Shaq is no longer the dominant force in the league and Wade is establishing himself as one of the elite players in the game. He elevated his game to another level in the NBA Finals.

There were questionable calls at the end of the game, such as Wade's elbow to the face of Dirk Nowitzki, or the holding call on Jason Terry's final shot (Payton holding jersey). Arguing these incidents is futile, but I think it's pretty clear that the referees have been giving the Heat the benefit of the doubt on all calls since at least Game 4.

Now to the juicy stuff... Miami DID NOT deserve to win the championship in 6 games.

I have no problems with any of the games except Game 5, which the referees single-handedly handed to the Heat via the charity stripe. Game 3 was a blown opportunity for the Mavs; they had the Heat on the ropes and blew it. No argument there... In Game 6, the Mavs again failed to deliver when it counted and ended up w/out their first championship or a Game 7. This series should be 3-3 right now w/ a Game 7 on Thursday - instead, Miami wakes up this morning w/ a new trophy in their grasp.

Game 5, based on the number of foul shot attempts alone, is a horrid example of the referees making calls for one team over another. I watched the majority of the game and Dallas was no-less aggressive at attacking the basket as the Heat were. Dwyane Wade played great, but 25 free throws for him compared to just 25 for the entire Mavs squad? Give me a break. Dallas was employing the Hack-A-Shaq strategy, but that only led to O'Neal visiting the stripe 12 times. I recall only 5 specific instances where they grabbed Shaq on purpose before he even had the ball (that's 10 of 12 foul shots).

I don't know the stats well enough, but I'll bet a team shooting 65% from the free throw line hasn't beaten a team shooting 84% (over 15 free throws minimum). The refs simply put Wade on the line enough to keep the Heat in the game. The Mavs kept fouling Shaq, but he shot 2 for 12... how could they stay in the game w/ him missing all those FT's? Again, put Wade on the line enough times (he is their best FT shooter), stop the clock, and watch the Heat catchup.

Had the referees not put the Heat on the line (2-to-1) for the game, there's no way that Miami is even in the game and Dallas wins it. The series should be 3-3 w/ a Game 7 in Dallas.

I have no bias for either team - had Miami been playing anyone else (except Suns) I would've been rooting for them. Had they won w/out the questionable referee involvement, I would be happy for the Heat and wouldn't say a word.

Mark Cuban had some things to say after the loss... I think he played it safely because he is an NBA owner and could risk losing his team or other consequences if he crosses the line too far.

Just an honest sports fan's opinion... Go Suns in 2006-2007.

NBA Finals Preview... Mavs vs. Heat

chowell — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:46:00 GMT

It's been a few years since an NBA Finals matchup actually intrigued me enough to try and watch every game of the series... the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Miami Heat in this years final round of the playoffs is one of those.

Both teams are fast-paced, equipped with a full-bench of bodies, and like to play defense on occasion.

I look for the Mavs to enlist the hack-a-Shaq fouling method that they made famous back in the late 90's when Shaq was with the Lakers. The Mavs will have no answer for Dwyane Wade, as most teams don't so they'll have to contain Shaq and the other role players for the Heat.

I can't see the Heat matching up with Dirk Nowitzki at all, so he should have an MVP-type playoff series. Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem will likely be matched up on him, but neither is tall enough or quick enough to stop Dirk from going off. Jason Terry is going to be a tough responsibility for Wade and Miami's backcourt, but they should be able to slow him down if they throw more than one body at him when he brings the ball up the court.

Mavs come back & eliminate Suns

chowell — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:39:00 GMT

Game 6 didn't start out in Dallas' favor, but it sure turned quickly in the 2nd half as the Suns 7-man rotation ran out of juice. Phoenix couldn't miss in the 1st quarter and led by double digits after only a few minutes. The heavy playoff schedule for the Suns doomed them in the end I think, as did their strategy to only use 2 players off the bench.

Raja Bell plays good “D” and has been the Suns best 3-pt shooter, but when he can't even run a fastbreak and puts Nash in jeopardy of an injury, that's just not right. Eddie House could've come in and provided a spark and they had Pat Burke, Brian Grant and Kurt Thomas on the bench when they could've been out there bully-ing Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki.

The Suns had a terrific run in the playoffs... if you picked them to go this far, you're lying. With Amare Stoudemire coming back at full-strength next season (cross your fingers), the future is bright. Phoenix's starting lineup will be an imposing one next season that's for sure... I wonder where Boris Diaw fits into the picture.

Looking forward to the offseason moves the Suns make and next year !!!!

Dirk's 50 help Mavs take 3-2 lead on Suns

chowell — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 13:13:00 GMT

Fresh off a 13 point outing against the Suns in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Dirk Nowitzki put on a show Thursday night, scoring 50 pts including 22 in the 4th quarter. Of course the Suns only managed 20 pts in the 4th, so they ended up on the losing end of a 117-101 game. Nowitzki's 50 pts tied Kobe Bryant for this postseason's game high.

Tim Thomas had a great game, but was ineffective in the 4th quarter for the Suns, taking only one shot - he finished with 26 pts. Both Shawn Marion and Steve Nash finished with a double-double, scoring over 20 points a piece. Raja Bell, still playing with the calf injury, finished with only 3 points in 29 minutes.

Phoenix will need a strong turnaround in Game 6 to get even with Dallas and force Game 7, luckily they'll be on their homecourt to try and get the win. Bell will need to play much better if D'Antoni is going to play him a lot of minutes, and if everyone else does what they've been doing, we should come out victorious.

Suns Surprise Mavs in Game 1, Take Homecourt Advantage

chowell — Thu, 25 May 2006 13:26:00 GMT

It's not like me to brag, but I did pick Phoenix to surprise the Mavs in Game 1 and they did exactly that. They followed their game plan to try and score more points than Dallas, and they were successful.

Boris Diaw had a career game for the Suns, finishing with 35 points. Steve Nash played spectacular w/ 27 pts and 16 assists, and Shawn Marion provided the 3rd scoring punch & much needed rebounding that helped the Suns win.

Raja Bell went down with some type of calf injury late in the 4th quarter and his status for Game 2 is currently in question. He's quoted as saying that it felt like he got shot in the leg with a paint-ball gun. Marion also twisted an ankle in the game, but it wasn't serious enough for him to sit out.

Despite a career high from Devin Harris, the Mavs will likely be making some drastic changes to try and slow down the Suns attack. I'd expect them to clamp down defensively in Game 2 and lower the scoring range down into the high 90's or low 100's. A repeat 120 pt game by the Suns is not likely.

Suns begin Western Confernce Finals versus Mavericks

chowell — Wed, 24 May 2006 18:44:00 GMT

The Phoenix Suns square off tonight against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Suns took out the LA Clippers in Game 7 of the last series, their second straight 7-game series, and the Mavericks withstood a late charge and overtime to take out the San Antonio Spurs in their Game 7.

Both teams will be looking to run and score a lot of points, but expect Dallas to go through some phases where they're trying more on defense than they are on offense. Coach Avery Johnson will not be happy, nor will he allow them to be complacent and let the Suns run up & down the court.

Dallas presents a couple matchup problems, similar to what the Clippers presented - a lot more size. They also have more able bodies to put in the game to foul and/or bruise up the Suns starting squad. There is a chance that Kurt Thomas will play in this series, and his defense and rebounding would be a great addition if that was so.

The game is in Dallas, but I expect the Suns to be a little fresher and take Game 1.

In other news:

The NBA Draft Lottery was completed last night and the Toronto Raptors were awarded with the #1 pick. Most analysts believe they'll pick Adam Morrison from Gonzaga, but GM Bryan Colangelo says a lot can change before the NBA Draft (in a month).
Kevin Garnett is constantly being rumored in various trade scenarios, but management says that's not going to happen unless a marquee player is traded in return (ie: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James). Since that's not likely, look for the Timberwolves to make some other moves during this offseason.

Phoenix Suns up 3-2 versus Dallas Mavericks

chowell — Thu, 19 May 2005 18:13:00 GMT

Despite the Mavericks success in Game 4, they couldn't stop Steve Nash in Game 5 and the Suns came out victorious. Thanks mostly to Nash's first career playoff triple-double and only his 3rd ever, the Suns overcame a close game in the 4th quarter to take a 3-2 lead in the best of 7 series.

Amare Stoudemire came back to life after a subpar game and Jim Jackson scored 15 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter when Phoenix put the game away. Jackson did a great job playing for the injured Joe Johnson, who could possibly be back for the Western Conference Finals, though he'll probably have to wear a protective mask.

This series resumes Friday night in Dallas and the Suns look to close out the series and get some much needed rest in preparation for the San Antonio Spurs, who likely will close out Seattle in tonight's contest.

Look for a Phoenix & San Antonio matchup in the West, and a Miami & Detroit matchup in the East. I'll take the Suns and the Heat in the finals.

Suns/Mavericks Series analysis

chowell — Thu, 12 May 2005 17:37:00 GMT

Game 1 Recap
The Phoenix Suns started out in Game 1 by thoroughly running the Mavericks right off the floor. Had they wanted to, they could've easily won the game by 40 points. Dallas came out flat and never really got close enough to contend. Amare Stoudemire for the Suns was virtually unstoppable in the game, notching 40 points and about 15 boards. Eric Dampier couldn't stop him, Nowitzki couldn't, etc...

Dirk's Comments after Game 1
A lot of people are criticizing Dirk for calling out his teammates, particularly Eric Dampier, for their lack of effort in Game 1. I say it was the right thing to do and the results from Game 2 speak for themselves. Dampier stepped up in the first half scoring 13 points, which helped Dallas jump out to an early lead. Dirk got the other players to take accountability for their play and they really showed a different side in Game 2.

Suns Last Shot
Last night's last shot, a 3-point attempt by Quentin Richardson is a little discouraging, as a 2-point basket would've tied the game and sent it to overtime. Dan Bickley from the Arizona Rebublic stated this morning that common knowledge tells you to go for overtime on your home floor, and to go for the win when you're the visitor... Apparently Q' didn't agree with that philosophy, stating that “that's not his game“ and the 3-pointer was what he thought was best. I do like the confidence to do so, but considering the circumstances, including losing Joe Johnson, they should've taken their chances in overtime and tried for the 2-0 series lead.

Series Outlook
I do think the Suns are in a bit of trouble now that Joe Johnson is out for at least 2 games with a broken bone in his face. I haven't seen the replays of the flagrant foul, but the fact that it was flagrant indicates that it was unnecessarily hard. If Johnson is unable to play again in this series, it would be a shame. If that happens, I like Dallas' chances also, as Joe is a large reason for Phoenix's success this year. His 3-point shooting and ability to create his own shot opens up the floor and forces the defenders to stay honest.

With the win, Dallas has taken home-court advantage from the Suns as they head back to Texas with a 1-1 series tie. Both teams play good on the road, so I would expect them to come back to Arizona with a 2-2 tie at the least; or Phoenix will be up 3-1.

Go Suns!