The highly anticipated match-up between the high-powered
Phoenix Suns, led by 2-time
MVP Steve Nash, and the fundamentally sound
San Antonio Spurs, led by 3-time Finals MVP
Tim Duncan, had high expectations before the series tip-off. The Suns were looking to make the conference finals for the third straight year, and also looking for their first Finals berth since
1993.
The Spurs on the other hand, were looking for their third trip in five years, and their fourth
NBA title overall. The series received international interest with a playoff-record of 12 players originating outside the US.[3] When the series ended, it had become one of the most hotly contested and controversial series in recent
NBA history.
The Suns had their home court advantage quickly taken away as the
Spurs took a tight
Game 1, a game that saw
Nash missing the final minutes for
Phoenix due to a gash to his nose, which bled profusely. Nash and the Suns recovered to take
Game 2 but after the game, Suns forward
Amar'e Stoudemire accused the Spurs, especially
Bruce Bowen and
Manu Ginóbili, of being a dirty team.
Despite the added scrutiny by the media circles, the Spurs won
Game 3. The Suns, trying to overcome their recent failures against
Texas teams in the playoffs (the Spurs and the
Mavericks both defeated them in the
Conference Finals), willed themselves to a come-from-behind victory in Game 4 to tie the series at 2.
However, the celebration was short-lived
. In the closing minute of Game 4, with the Suns up 3, Nash brought up the ball and was shoved into the press table by
Robert Horry, creating a momentary ruckus, wherein
Raja Bell received a technical. As this took place, Stoudemire and
Boris Diaw left the Suns bench. Although they were not involved in the altercation, they broke an established
NBA rule that prohibits players from leaving the bench during an altercation. As a result, the NBA suspended Stoudemire and Diaw for one game, while Horry received a two-game suspension for the flagrant foul and ejection. Severely undermanned, the Suns came into Game 5 with the task of beating the Spurs without their star big man.
Although the Suns were able to control most of the game without the suspended players, even taking a 16-point lead on the Spurs at one
point, the Spurs came back to win an incredibly close Game 5. Diaw and Stoudemire did return for the Suns in
Game 6, though that didn't help the Suns to force a
Game 7 and the Spurs eliminated them to advance to the
Western Conference Finals with a 114-106 win.
- published: 19 Oct 2015
- views: 657