Avery Johnson is idle. ” We have no one to physically compete with (Amar’e) Stoudemire“, laments the Mavs coach. On May 13, 2005, his team has just bitten the dust against the inside of the Suns (37 points and 14 rebounds). Absolutely untenable, he scored 40 points and 16 rebounds, then 30 points and 16 rebounds in the first two games, in Phoenix, of this Western Conference semi-final.
Led 2-1, Dirk Nowitzki and his gang had to react two days later, still at home, in Game 4. The Texans then decided to make a bold defensive adjustment to contain the first player in Suns history. to complete three playoff matches in a row with 30 points or more: send him two or even three shots, even if it means abandoning the gunners around him (Jim Jackson, Quentin Richardson, Leandro Barbosa).
48 points with only four free throws!
Including the most dangerous of them: Steve Nash, whose 48th birthday is celebrated this Monday, February 7, 2022. Freshly elected MVP of the league, the Canadian, who left Texas for Arizona the previous summer, does not didn’t need to explode the offensive counters this season to lead the Suns to the top of the league. He is the best passer in the championship and averages 15.5 points.
On this fourth round, the scalp reminds the whole world that he is a formidable attacker and shooter. With a number of shots backwards, in a reduced perimeter, Steve Nash martyred his former teammates during his 43 minutes of play: 48 points (20/28 on shots including 4/6 from afar!), including 23 in the third quarter alone- time (with 16 straight points scored for the Suns), a career high for him had not scored more than 33 points this regular season.
“ We thought if we could allow him to score and not have all these other guys involved up front that would give us a better chance of winning the game.“, explains Jerry Stackhouse after the meeting, in reference to a clearly passive Texas defense in front of the MVP. A winning bet because Dallas, carried by a big double-double from Josh Howard (29 points and 10 rebounds) and the 25 points of its German star, won that evening (119-109) to tie at 2-2 all over.
Direct consequence of the profusion of points at the leader of the Suns, he was satisfied with 5 assists (and 9 loss of balls), his lowest total in these playoffs. Amar’e Stoudemire, most often defended by an Erick Dampier criticized by Dirk Nowitzki? Only 15 points at 3/8 on shots. “ They changed their game plan, I had to be aggressive to make them pay. (Corn) we were overtaken and jostled regrets Steve Nash.
The series completed in six rounds
” Lack of energy, focus, or willpower “List Mike D’Antoni, when asked about the first half where his team suffered the events (66-50). The Suns coach, and of the year, then adds: It’s a young team that’s like, ‘You know what? We still have two home games.“
In Game 5, the Suns indeed react at home with 33 points and 18 rebounds from Amar’e Stoudemire and a new anthology game from the leader (34 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists). It will take overtime and another titanic game from Steve Nash (39 points and 12 assists) to conclude the series in six sets (4-2), before coming up against the Spurs in the next round.
“ I have never seen him play so well. I think he really wanted to show all of Dallas what we missed.”can greet his best friend, Dirk Nowitzki, while his teammate Quentin Richardson does not hesitate to chamber: ” They must be crazy for letting that guy go. Thank you, Dallas!“
