No Effort, No Reward

How does a team go from annihilating another team, thoroughly and consistently over three games, to getting absolutely trounced in the fourth game?

How do you go from demoralizing a team twice, coming back from two double digit leads to win, to giving up 34 points (and only scoring 13) in the first quarter?

How?

The answer, simply, is that they came out flat in Game 4.  After destroying the Suns in Game 3 so completely that Phoenix’s never even had the lead, the Spurs just didn’t have the requisite energy needed to beat a team like the Suns.  Are the Spurs better than the Suns?  Yes, without question.  Then again, the Suns aren’t a bunch of hobos.  And, if you’re going to try to close out a series against a team, you need to come out with full effort. 

 Prime example:  End of half, Tony Parker at one end either misses the shot or turns the ball over (I can’t remember, but they all seemed to do both of those two things at such a rapid rate that I lost count), and with around 5 or 6 seconds left, the Suns push the ball, Gordon Giricek takes a long 3 and misses.  Problem?  No Spurs were anywhere near the play at the end, no one ran after the ball.  The Spurs simply walked off the court, lazily, as if the half was already over.  And essentially so too was the game.

Duncan Off Target  Timmy had another one of those games where he just couldn’t make any shots.  Nothing fell, as was evidenced by his 6-18 shooting performance.  And he was blocked four times.  Tough game, nothing to get too worried about.  If he bounces back at home like I expect him too, this one should be over in 5.