Suns See Victory in "3D"

The famous military commander Hannibal said, “Character is destiny.” So when the Suns had their backs pinned against the wall Sunday, Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni turned towards a player he knew he could count on.

Enter Boris Diaw.

Getting the start in place of the injured Grant Hill, Diaw thrived under pressure, totaling 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks to power the Suns to a 105-86 Game 4 victory. Not only did the fifth-year forward command tremendous attention on the offensive end, but he also shined defensively, limiting San Antonio’s Tony Parker to 7-of-17 shooting.

“I trust him,” D’Antoni said. “I think he’s a heck of a ballplayer.”

Diaw is no stranger to raising his level of play when filling in for injured teammates. When Amaré Stoudemire missed the 2005-06 season with microfracture surgery, Diaw was the post player that Phoenix ran their offense through, garnering the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award that season for his efforts.

Now, with the season on the line, Diaw stepped up once again, registering his best all-around game of the season. The Suns looked to establish Diaw early, finding him on the blocks as he posted up smaller defenders such as Manu Ginobili and Michael Finley. Usually Diaw is the first post player off the bench, either spelling Stoudemire or center Shaquille O’Neal. But due to his ability to play multiple positions, Diaw got the call at the small forward slot.

“I don’t know if it was a French thing or whatever, but I think the game that Boris had today was similar to the game that Tony had the other night,” Hill said. “Tony did it with scoring, but Boris did it with defense and scoring; he almost had a triple-double.”

Having Diaw at small forward made for an interesting dynamic for the Suns, who actually went big and started a formidable frontline with the 6-8 forward, the 6-10 Stoudemire and the 7-1 O’Neal. The Suns, who have always been known for being shorter and quicker, actually outsized the Spurs.

Phoenix came out with the intent of going to Diaw and exploiting his mismatches in the post. After converting on a few jumpers, he began to draw double-teams, which allowed him to dish out eight assists.

“Offensively he was fantastic,” Suns guard Raja Bell said. “He made the most of almost every opportunity that he had and when he didn’t, he set the table for other guys to get shots.

“When he’s doing that, we’re a much, much better team, so we’ve got to find a way to get him in position to be successful like that night in, night out.”

But where Diaw really left his mark was on the defensive end, limiting Parker to three assists while forcing him into five turnovers.

Diaw also made a difference on defense. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

“I thought he did a great job on Tony,” Bell stated. “He knows Tony very well, so he knows what he likes to do.”

In Game 3, D’Antoni tried a number of players on Parker as he exploded for 41 points and 12 assists, but he believed that Diaw did the best job in containing him. So by deciding to keep Hill on the bench with his injured groin, D’Antoni felt compelled to start the player that could pester Parker the most.

While Diaw was able to use his length to crowd Parker, he also called upon his intimate knowledge of Parker’s tendencies to predict what he was going to do.

“Boris is a phenomenal athlete and people just don’t see that,” D’Antoni said. “He’s 6-9 and long and he just did an unbelievable job on him.”

D’Antoni believed that having grown up together, being best friends and playing together on the French National Team might have aided his defensive strategy as well.

“They are French,” D’Antoni joked. “I’m sure that they have had some croissants together.”

Diaw is certain that his familiarity with Parker helped Sunday.

“I kind of know when he wants to go to his floater or when he wants to go to his jump shot or pass,” Diaw said. “But the main thing is to just stay close to him.”

Perhaps the silver lining as the Suns move forward could be that they have settled on a rotation with Hill being out. Instead of Leandro Barbosa starting, he can remain a sparkplug off of the bench as Diaw gets the starts. Although Diaw dismisses the idea that he fares better as a starter than as a reserve, the number prove otherwise.

When “3D” appeared in the starting lineup this season, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists, while leading the Suns to a 13-6 record. Coming off the bench, Diaw didn’t seem to find the same rhythm, averaging only 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Suns posted a 42-21 record.

So as the Suns head back to San Antonio to try and steal Game 5 and make the series a lot more interesting, the Suns are confident that they can rely on Diaw’s character when times get tough.

“We don’t believe that this series is over,” Diaw declared. “It looks like we can stop their offense and when we get good movement, they can’t do anything about our offense.

“We’ve always believed we can beat them.”

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