There’s Much To Be Learned By Sonics’ Reversal
Folks in these parts have witnessed this level of play before.
So the temptation, after seeing the Phoenix Suns come out Sunday and play with resounding ineptitude, is to suggest they all must have spent considerable time Saturday night at a local watering hole.
Instead, we’ll just say the Suns’ collapse Sunday, following an impressive win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Friday shows:
1) Why the NBA playoff matchups are conducted in a series (had this been the NCAA, Phoenix would have advanced quickly to the round of 32).
2) Why it is unwise to pull the plug on the Sonics until they have finally flat-lined (See: First-round struggle last year vs. Sacramento).
3) How quickly Rex Chapman’s immortality can be revoked (he returned to terra firma with 18 tough points after 42 for the Suns on Friday).
4) How a team that kills you on the perimeter one night can get squished in the lane the next time out (Suns 5 of 24 from 3-point range and outscored in the paint 54-16).
5) How truly stifling the Sonics’ backcourt defense can be (holding Phoenix’s All-Star guards, Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd, to dreadful 8-for-43 shooting in two games).
5) How momentum in the NBA is valid only as long as a team can avoid falling behind by 18 points in little more than 5 minutes of play. (The Sonics’ 20-2 lead was simply an “avalanche” the Suns couldn’t contain, coach Danny Ainge said).
It got so bad for the Suns that Ainge couldn’t stand to watch, getting heaved in the third quarter as a result of a pair of technicals.
Come on, he wasn’t complaining to the refs, he was begging to be pardoned before the 48 minutes was up.
So, these two teams head to the desert for a duel tonight in Game 3.
Surely, the seventh-seeded Suns would have been happy with a split in Seattle. But the luster of that accomplishment is dimmed more than just a bit by Sunday’s 122-78 loss - which set Phoenix playoff records for margin of defeat, fewest points and lowest field goal percentage (26.9).
The difference Sunday, Ainge said, was a matter of intensity.
“We showed up for a basketball game,” Ainge said afterward. “They showed up for blood.”
Ainge attempted to apply a tourniquet with several quick timeouts in the first period, and even coaxed his team back to within 10 points in the second, but the Sonics stayed on task and pulled away impressively.
The Suns were unable to counter several developments.
On Friday, when the Sonics threw a blanket on Kidd and KJ, Chapman responded by nailing the open jumpers. He only got off 12 shots on Sunday, which is hardly warming up for Chapman.
“I think their main focus is stopping KJ’s penetration,” Ainge said. “And our big guys aren’t making them pay for it.”
That’s for sure; starting big men John Williams and Wayman Tisdale combined for three points.
“KJ and Jason are having a tough time making their shots, but in Game 1, we had Rex to compensate,” Ainge said.
The smaller Suns lineup, which played well against the Sonics’ Shawn Kemp in the opener, saw him pump in 23 points and pull down 15 rebounds. He also blocked three shots to complete the interior domination.
It seemed the Sonics were able to get Kemp on track by getting him the ball on the outside and letting him drive with it against a defense that is not geared to stop it, rather than posting him on the low block where he was susceptible to double teaming.
“They were more aggressive with their looks at the basket, that was the key,” the Suns’ Cedric Ceballos said.
Chapman sensed a difference the Sonics developed - desperation.
“They were more desperate,” he said. “And they imposed their will on us.”
Ainge appeared to be on a surprising even keel after the game.
“We’re in good shape, going home 1-1,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from this, analyze what went wrong and see if there’s some adjustments we can make.”
As the Suns’ Danny Manning left the court after the game Sunday, a Sonics fan shouted down at him, trying to rub in the final score.
Manning simply looked up, waggled both of his index fingers and shook his head.
The message: The series is even, gloating is premature. , DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SONICS TONIGHT Seattle at Phoenix, 7:30 (TNT) Series tied 1-1