C's vs Suns

[Cecil Wright <nocw1@nsh.library.ns.ca>]

Once again, the effort was there and our boys played very hard and 
spirited.  But they failed to capitalize on their chances as they 
continually botched plays after forcing a Phoenix turnover.  Considering 
the sloppiness of this game, the C's were within 3 points after an 
alley-oop layup, by Dana of all people, off a great assist by Travis, to 
make it 72-69.  However the Suns replied by shooting the lights out and 
going on a 20-9 run and sealing the final verdict.

The first quarter was terrible basketball for the most part with each 
team guilty of carelessness.  Phoenix took advantage of their frontcourt 
quickness and size which they used to grab and cash in on several offensive 
rebounds.  There were 14 turnovers, 8 by the C's.  Only the Suns 
frontcourt scored, believe it or not, led by Ceballos with 10.

The second quarter wasn't quite as sloppy but still wasn't dripping with the 
esthetic beauty some fans hope for.  In one ten second stretch, there were
three turnovers demonstrating pure hustle and desire, if little 
else, on both sides.  Bowen scored five straight and Billups hit a free 
throw making the score 26-25 Suns.  Then Steve Nash hit a layup, a three, 
and fed McDyess for a monster jam forcing RP into a timeout with the 
score 33-25.  For a while it appeared as if anytime the C's made a shot, 
the Suns would go down and brick one, only to have McDyess or Mark Bryant 
take turns snatching the offensive rebound and stickback.  What was truly 
amazing to me was Kidd and Chapman were held scoreless to this point but 
Nash and Bryant picked up the slack off the bench with nine and six 
points respectively.  The C's however shot a dismal 35% from the field 
and at halftime, the score was 47-40, Suns.

Antoine tried to personally narrow the gap in the early stages of the 
third quarter by scoring eight of the C's next ten points.  Both teams 
battled hard in this quarter with Phoenix benefitting from some generous 
officiating.  The Suns went back up by eight at 59-51, but the good guys 
refused to fade easily.  The continued to pester the Suns defensively by 
creating steal situations, and on the strength of 6 points from McCarty, 
they whittled that lead down to three, 68-65.

In the fourth quarter, Phoenix took control immediately after the Barros 
alley-oop and started hitting at will.  At one point, they had connected 
on 11-15 shots to put this one in the bank.  They shot 72% in the final 
quarter and won going away 100-90..  I'll take partial responsibility for 
the sizzling Suns percentage as I took my Celtic hat off after the 3rd 
quarter and forgot to put it back on at the start of the 4th :)

Lineups:

Celt's: Billups, Bowen, McCarty, Walker, DeClercq
Suns:   Kidd, Chapman, Ceballos, Robinson, McDyess
  

Players:

Walker:  Didn't have a great first half scoring wise with only 6 points 
and had his share of turnovers, but he responded in the second half, 
exploding for 22 pts.  He hit on 10/22 shots with 6 straight from the line.
Had 12 boards including 4 offensive, but was guilty of 7 turnovers.

McCarty:  Gotta love this guy or else Heinsohn will disown you as a fan.  
Not the most disciplined forward but definitely one of the hardest 
workers in the NBA.  Pitino knew what he was getting in swinging the deal 
to bring him here.  Shot 5/9 and hit 2/3 on 3 ptrs, but his most 
memorable work came on the offensive boards as he snared 5 against a 
strong Suns frontcourt.  Had 13 pts and 7 boards.

DeClercq:  Probably his best game of the season.  Played 27 minutes, 
scored 11 pts, had 6 boards and 5 steals.  He showed some nice low post 
offensive moves, almost as if he's studied films of McHale, and play very 
tough inside.  Was 4/7 from the field, but 3/7 from the line.

Billups:  Wasn't much of a contributor tonight.  Got 22 minutes, shot 
2/10 from the field with only 2 assists.  Didn't have any turnovers 
because he was bailed out by alert teammates.  Not a game he'll care to 
remember, but he continues to play strong defence.

The Bench:  Even though the Suns frontcourt was extremely active, it was 
the bench who faltered as well.  The C's bench was outscored by their 
counterparts, 31-19, and shot a paltry 8/31 from the field led by 
Mercer's 7 pts and Dana's 6.  

Opposing Players:  

Ceballos:  Knows how to score and what to do in order to get to the 
line.  For a player who has had physical problems, he's in remarkable 
shape.  Burned us repeatedly on offence, shot 7/12 with 7 boards and 5 
steals.  21 pts. 

Robinson:  It must have been his attitude which caused the problem in 
Portland.  It couldn't be his play because he can still get it done.  
Also shot 7/12, but grabbed 9 boards (4 off) with 3 blocks. 18 pts.

McDyess:  Shot 6/10 with 4 jams. 11 boards (4 off), 4 assists and 3 blocks.
He was guilty of several over-the-back calls that the officials missed, 
but he can get up with the best of them.  13 pts.

Kidd:  Totalled 7 pts on 3/4 shooting, with 8 boards, 8 assists and 2 
steals.  Even though he had 5 turnovers, he shredded the C's defence when 
the spirit moved him.

Chapman:  Had 10 pts all in the second half, on 5/13 shooting.

Nash:  Tommy raved about how he's never seen him play so well.  This guy 
can play and is very tricky with a good shot.  14 pts on 6/10 shooting 
and had 4 assists.  This was a night for him to remember.  Ceballos 
talked afterward about how it helps him going against KJ and Kidd in 
practice.

Bryant:  Scored 10 pts in 17 minutes on 5/9 shooting with 4 offensive 
boards.


I think that the C's finally wore out in that fateful 4th quarter after 
playing a frenetic defensive scheme for most of the game, which by the 
way did produce 24 turnovers.  But the Suns ability to rebound (52-42) 
combined with the C's inability to capitalize was the determining factor.
Our guys put out the effort, now they must cash in on their chances.

Hurry back Bill.


Cecil Wright