 (NBAE Photos/Getty Images) |
By Josh Greene, Suns.com
Posted: May 31, 2005
There would be no miraculous come-from-behind fourth-quarter run to save the Suns in Game 4 Monday night.
That’s because they didn’t need one.
Showing why they were the NBA’s best road team during the regular season, the Suns staved off elimination with a 111-106 win in San Antonio to force a Game 5 Wednesday in Phoenix. The Spurs now lead the Western Conference Finals, 3-1.
“Tonight we learned our lesson and we just refused to give away easy plays,” said Steve Nash, who finished with 12 assists on the night. “We were going to scrap. We weren't going to have stretches where we sunk our heads and pointed fingers, or got down on ourselves. We really just went with it tonight, win or lose.”
“It’s a one-game series,” Jim Jackson added. “That’s the way we look at it. We had to win one, bring it back to Phoenix and concentrate on getting the next one. We’re not going down without a fight. We didn’t win 62 games in the regular season for nothing.”
After some out-of-this-world shooting numbers this series, the Spurs finally fell back to Earth Monday. They shot only 44 percent from the field while the Suns seemed to be hitting everything at a 57-percent clip. Phoenix also reintroduced the fast break as part of their offensive repertoire. After posting a total of 28 fast break points through the first three playoff games vs. the Spurs, they exploded for 26 in Game 4.
“We had a good first quarter and a good start,” Amaré Stoudemire said. “We were doing some of the things that we hadn't done in the series. Kind of get a rhythm back and some balance and some success at some of the things that we're known for. I think that gave us a lot of optimism at halftime.”
A lot of that success was due to a strong night by Joe Johnson, who suited up for his second game following surgery to fix a fractured orbital bone. As if the Suns didn’t already know what they were missing when the 23-year-old was out of the lineup, the Pacific Division Champs were quickly reminded, seeing him post his best postseason performance to date with a playoff career-high 26 points. It also marked the fifth time the Suns have posted a playoff victory when JJ’s broken the 20-point barrier.
“That’s why it was important for us to stretch this out – so we could get him back,” said Jackson. “He played phenomenal all year. We knew getting him back offensively and defensively, he was going to bring a lot to the table. He showed that tonight.”
“JJ is a great player,” Quentin Richardson added. “He got put in a situation where he had the ball a lot. He got put in a lot of pick and rolls and he’s crazy coming off all those.”
While JJ was doing all the little things to bring Phoenix its first win of the series, teammate Amaré Stoudemire was doing a lot of the big things. The All-Star center had a game-high 31 points and a key fourth-quarter block on Tim Duncan to help ensure the victory.
“Amaré is a beast,” Johnson said. “I have faith in him. I know he can do it on the defensive end. We all have to step it up and give that kind of defensive effort.”
On the night, STAT became the first Sun to ever post four consecutive 30-point performances in the playoffs.
“Even his teammates just were in awe,” Nash said. “He was all over the place. Obviously the block was incredible. And then beyond the spectacular plays he made, it was the loose balls and the rebounds. He was all over the place from one corner to the other and just an incredible toughness mentally, physically. I think he really raised his game a level tonight.”
Amaré and Co. will all get another chance for a repeat performance Wednesday night when they take on the Spurs in Game 5 at America West Arena. While they still have some work to do to even this series up, the Suns have not only eliminated the possibility of a Spurs sweep, they’ve chipped away at some of San Antonio’s hardwood mystique.
Knowing they are still one game away from elimination, the Suns have everything to play for. Couple that with their “nothing to lose” approach from here on out, and consider the Suns a very dangerous basketball team.
“We knew we could do it (tonight), but every game is do or die,” Richardson said. “You have to play that way. And if we play the way we played tonight, anything is possible.”
