For the second straight game, the San Antonio Spurs failed to make a defensive stop or make the right plays when it counted. As a result, they will head back home facing 0-2 deficit against the Phoenix Suns.

One thing is clear, these aren't the same Suns. They have more firepower on offense and this time, they are playing better defense. The Spurs have a lot catching up to do and they have to do it quick.

For the meantime, here are some stats that led to a 2-0 series advantage by the Suns over the Spurs.

110 - Two games above 100 points equals two wins by the Suns. The Spurs are 0-4 in this year's playoffs when their opponents score above 100.

68.2 - Free throws continue to be a major concern for the Spurs, they are getting enough shots but are not converting them. After missing nine foul shots in game one, they followed it up with a 15-22 outing or 68.2% shooting from the foul line.

49 - The Spurs were able to shot better from the field 50.6% to 42.4%. But were badly out hustled on the boards 49-37 including 18-7 on offensive rebounds which resulted to more scoring opportunities for the Suns.

38.9 - The Spurs are NOT making enough three-pointers, converting just 7 of 18 attempts (38.9%), including 0-3 from Matt Bonner. The Suns shot better from behind the arc with 47.4%; Channing Frye made 5-6 of his 3 point shots.

29 - Tim Duncan had a game high 29 points and added 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal; but still it wasn't enough to beat the Suns.

11 - Manu Ginobili had 11 points and 11 assists, but only shot 2-8 from the field and had 3 turnovers.

1 - For the Spurs to comeback in this series, they had to take it one game at a time. The first two games that was won by the Suns, was decided in the final minutes of the final period.

The take

The Phoenix Suns held homecourt and are now holding a 2-0 series lead. Will the Spurs be able to even the series? We' ll soon find out, but all hope is not yet lost. As the series shifts to San Antonio, the Spurs have the chance to return the favor.

The Spurs were hoping this time around Steve Nash wouldn’t come out on fire and torch them for 17 first quarter points. With the Suns leading the best of seven series one game to none, both teams took the court on Wednesday night looking for another tough playoff win.

The Suns wore their “Los Suns” jersey to honor Cinco De Mayo, a nationally celebrated Mexican holiday. The Spurs were asked to participate but could not get their “Los Spurs” jerseys shipped to them in time.

Early in the first quarter the Suns came out flat, missing their first five shots of the game before Grant Hill made a 16 foot jumper to put the score at 4-2 early in favor of the Spurs. Tim Duncan came out ready to play, making his first three shots to get the Spurs going and went five of six for the quarter for 11 points.

Tony Paker also chipped in eight points in the quarter shooting four of five from the field. The rest of the Spurs team could not really get going as the teams traded baskets throughout the quarter and the game was close until a late run in the quarter by the Spurs gave them a nine point lead after one quarter, 30-21.

In the first four minutes of the second quarter the Spurs only managed to produce two points off of a DeJuan Blair layup. Phoenix could not capitalize on the Spurs struggles, only managing to produce six points of their own and the Spurs till held a five point lead, 32-27, with a little over eight minutes to go in the quarter.

After trading baskets during the middle of the quarter, Phoenix hit two back to back three-point shots to pull within two points, 38-40, and forced Coach Gregg Popovich to call a quick 20 second time out to regroup and slow things down. Yet again the two teams would trade baskets as this was a tough grind it out type of game with neither team backing down.

Manu Ginobili finally made a three point shot for the Spurs who had missed their previous 13 tries from the arc, only to be answered by a Channing Frye three pointer and a Amare Stoudemire dunk to tie the game at 51 entering halftime. The Spurs had led by as many as 11 points and Phoenix had not led in the game at all. The Spurs outplayed the Suns only to be tied which had to be demoralizing for them.

Stoudemire made his first shot of the third quarter to give the Suns their first lead of the game, 53-51, only 20 seconds into the second half. The Spurs looked to bounce back with a strong start as Parker stayed hot, scoring on a nine-foot jumper and then a three-point basket to put the Spurs up six, 64-58.

But the Suns would answer with their own run to tie the game back up at 64-64 with 6:37 to go in the quarter. Richard Jefferson got involved in the offense often in this quarter getting two alley oop dunks assisted by Ginobili and Parker. As in the second quarter, the two teams battled back and forth and again the Suns would go on a run to end the quarter going on a 9-0 run before Parker finally made a free throw to end it. After a Grant Hill turnover, Jefferson hit a 19-foot jumper to give him 15 points at this point in the game and put the score at 76-78 in favor of Phoenix after three quarters of play.

Early in the fourth quarter it seemed like every time the Spurs went on a run the Suns would answer with a three point basket to end it. Jared Dudley and Channing Frye hit two crucial three-point shots when it seemed like the Spurs were going to take the lead. The Spurs battled back to tie the game at 80, only to see Dudley hit a three. Then when George Hill made a driving layup, Frye answered with his three to put the score at 88-83 with 7:56 to go in the game.

When the Suns were not making three-point baskets they were converting on old fashioned three-point plays, and the Spurs got desperate and started chunking up three-pointers. Where the Spurs really got hurt was on the offensive rebounds, getting outrebounded 7 to 18. The Spurs went cold late and the Suns continued to stay hot and answered any run that the Spurs threw at them with three-pointers and a pick and roll offense that San Antonio could not stop. The Suns took a 2-0 series lead with a 110-102 victory over the Spurs as the series moves to San Antonio for game three on Friday night at the AT&T Center.

Game Notes

• The Spurs have only been down 0-2 only 4 times in Duncan era. Come back to win only once: '08 West semis vs Hornets.

• The Suns out rebounded the Spurs 18-7 on the offensive end and 49-37 overall.

• The Spurs lost their 13th straight game when giving up 100+ points.

• Tim Duncan hit his first three point shot of the playoffs, his third overall for the season, although this one did not have a big impact on the game as his last three in the post season against the Suns in 08’.

Spurs forward, Tim Duncan, was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team for the 13th time in his NBA career.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of center Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs, guards Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Thabo Sefolosha of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and forwards Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Duncan has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive team 13 consecutive seasons.

Congratulations Timmy! Well deserved.

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Suns' big man, Robin Lopez, did not play for game one of the Spurs vs. Suns series and it seems he might continue to sit out for game two tonight.

The San Antonio Spurs tried to steal another game one in Phoenix, this time it was the Suns' turn to shine. Steve Nash led the Phoenix Suns to victory, scoring 33 points on 13-19 of shooting from the field and added 10 assists and 3 rebounds in 37 minutes of action.

But how did the Suns win this one? Let's dig into the numbers.

56 - The Spurs should be one's dominating the paint, instead the Suns outscored the Spurs 56-48 on inside points.

51.9 - Did the Spurs leave their 'D' in Dallas? In this game, it looks like it when you allow a team to shoot 51.9% from the field in the playoffs you're in trouble.

33 - Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each scored 20 points or more for the Spurs. However, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Steve Nash did the same for the Suns; only Nash scored more with 33.

27 - The Suns were able to run in this game beating the Spurs on fastbreak points 27-20.

21.1 - The Spurs shot an atrocious 21.1% (4-19) from behind the arc, including 0-5 from George Hill and 0-2 from Roger Mason Jr.

18 - The Spurs took care of the ball committing "only" 11 turnovers compared to the Suns' 16. The problem? The Suns scored 18 points from those miscues.

9 - The Suns won the game by 9 points which is exactly the difference in the first quarter scores. The Spurs missed 9 free throws (22-31) including 4-9 from Tim Duncan. George Hill was not much of a factor in this game scoring 9 points on 2-9 shooting from the field.

What's Next?

It's just one game, but the Spurs have to learn from it. They must dictate the pace of the game to come back in this series and will need help on offense outside of the "big three." I'm talking to you, RJ. Game 2 is on tonight in Phoenix.

Once again, the kind folks at WOAI TV in San Antonio invited yours truly to be a panelist for the Sports Roundtable.  On this episode we discussed game one of the Spurs vs. Suns series.  Questions asked were should Spurs nation panic?  When did the Spurs lose the game and many more. Leave us your comments on game one.

 

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DeJuan Blair has officially played his first playoff game in the intense rivalry that is Spurs-Suns, and despite a couple defensive breakdowns, he played a decent game. Blair finished the game with two points, two rebounds, one block and one steal in almost 11 minutes of play.

Blair entered the game at the 1:25 mark for Tim Duncan and immediately he fouled Steve Nash who was able to finish at the rim and complete the and one. On the next Spurs possession, Blair displayed the type of energy he brings of the bench. After a Tony Parker missed lay-up, Blair fought for an offensive rebound but was unable to secure it. But he didn't give up on the play and ran the length of the court, grabbing his first rebound off a missed Nash transition three.

Popovich started Blair in the second quarter. Blair made a great hustle play and collected an offensive rebound off a Parker miss, but Blair couldn't get the ball out in time and the shot clock expired. Two Phoenix possessions later, Leandro Barbosa completely undressed Blair, blowing by him and finishing with an easy lay-up. However, Blair made up for his defensive laps on the next Suns possession when he stole a Goran Dragic pass. Blair would score his only basket on the next Spurs possession with a running one handed shot in the pant. Duncan replaced Blair with 7:30 left in the second.

With 1:25 left in the third, Blair came in for Duncan, and Amare Stoudemire made sure to show the young rookie what the Spurs-Suns rivalry is all about. Stoudemire threw down a monstrous dunk on Blair. You can buy the poster at rookiesgettingposterized.com. But Amare wasn't done schooling the rookie. Both of them started the fourth, and right away Stoudemire did a beautiful spin move and ball fake, channeling '94 Hakeem Olajuwon, and finished with an easy jump shot, as Blair looked on from the other side of the paint.

In game one, Blair got crossed, put on a poster, and shaked out of his shoes, but there's no need to worry. This is what the Suns do. They wear you down with their offense moves and their transition game. Blair will be fine. After watching some game one film, as well as some classic Hakeem Olajuwon tapes, he'll come back in game two ready to get his revenge on Stoudemire.

PHOENIX - The team connection that brought the San Antonio Spurs through the first round of the playoffs never made it to the U.S. Airways Center for the first appearance in the second round against the Phoenix Suns. Shooting errors became a serious problem for a team that fought to find its rhythm, eventually losing to the Suns, 111-102.

Fresh off four days rest after finishing the Mavericks off in San Antonio, Tim Duncan, George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess took to the court to face off against Phoenix. The Spurs struggled straight out of the gate, completing just two baskets in the first four and half minutes compared to the Suns’ five baskets and single free throw.

Steve Nash haunted San Antonio early in the quarter, firing off a three-pointer just before the Spurs came back to narrow the Suns’ lead to 19-14 with 4:06 left, thanks to contributions from McDyess, Duncan, Ginobili and Jefferson. Ending a six-point Phoenix scoring burst, Tony Parker and George Hill stepped up to take the offensive lead for San Antonio, adding four points apiece to end the first quarter, Phoenix 31, San Antonio 22.

New confidence took over the Spurs, who charged into the second quarter answering each Suns basket, beginning with a much-needed three-point-play from Parker. Coming in off the bench, Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair were each able to add a basket to cut Phoenix’s lead to six points just two minutes into the quarter.

Ginobili made two free throws and a basket were a flash in the pan just before the Suns came charging back on an 11-1 scoring spree lasting four minutes. Down 48-34 with three and a half minutes left in the quarter, Ginobili made a huge three-pointer to jump-start San Antonio’s offense. Free throws from Ginobili and Hill paired with a two-point floater by Parker brought the Spurs back within ten points from Phoenix, a spread they were able to maintain to the end of the half; Phoenix 57, San Antonio 47.

Coach Gregg Popovich managed to fully resuscitate the Spurs’ offense during halftime, giving the team the chance to develop its first lead of the game just four and half minutes into the third quarter. Single baskets from Hill, Ginobili and McDyess narrowed the Suns’ lead further to just six points. While Nash worked to recover his team’s disappearing lead, Ginobili added another five points for the Spurs before rebounding off a missed Suns’ basket. The rebound was passed down the court to Jefferson, who got it to Duncan for a basket that diminished the lead to four points, bringing San Antonio back within range of taking over.

A third three-pointer from Ginobili following two baskets from Parker gave San Antonio its first lead of the game with 7:26 left in the quarter. Phoenix refused to allow the Spurs to enjoy the lead for long, finishing the quarter on a 12-4 run to take back the home court lead yet again; Phoenix 85, San Antonio 75.

Turnovers were a large problem for either team, but San Antonio were unable to make them work to their advantage. A quick Phoenix turnover early in the fourth went absolutely nowhere, resulting instead in a Keith Bogans foul on the way to the San Antonio basket. Less than a minute later, Bogans was able to make two shots, including the final San Antonio three-point basket of the night, bringing the Spurs back within nine points of the Suns.

It would be nearly another two minutes before San Antonio would make their mark on the scoreboard with a basket, giving Phoenix time to put themselves twelve points ahead of San Antonio with 7:03 left in the game. Baskets from Duncan and Ginobili contributed to a 13-0 San Antonio burst to put the Spurs within a single point of the Suns, ended by an Amare Stoudamire basket. Much like the fans watching in the Central time zone, the team was tired and let go of the game a few minutes early, ending Phoenix 111, San Antonio 102.

The ‘Big Three’ had a big game as the only Spurs to reach double digits; Ginobili and Parker led the team in scoring with 27 and 26 points respectively, while Duncan added another 20. Duncan had 11 rebounds, followed by McDyess with seven and Ginobili with five. Ginobili had five assists, Duncan had four, and Jefferson and Parker each added three.

Shooting problems plagued San Antonio, who only made 38-of-83 field goals but managed 22-of-31 free throws. The team had nine offensive rebounds, 38 rebounds, and 35 bench points.

The Spurs will try to take down the Suns again in game two in Phoenix on Wednesday night.

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At the beginning of every playoff series, one question always seems to come up; who's going to be the X factor. As if one player alone can dictate the outcome of the series. Sure, a player can come in and change the outcome of a game, but that's just one game. You need four to get to the next round.

There are a handful of Spurs who's play could help decide the outcome of this series. Manu Ginobili has always had his way with the Suns, which usually leads to a Silver and Black victory.

George Hill is another possible X factor. He proved last round that he can hit big shots and play both ends of the floor at a consistently high level. When he's on, the Spurs are seemingly unstoppable. Richard Jefferson could also be an X factor type player because he gives the Suns a lot of match up problems.

But we Spurs fans know the Phoenix Suns. We know what's needed to stop this team. That's why my X factor for this series is the Spurs' transition defense. If we can stop their run and gun offense and slow it to a half court game, this will be a short series.

The Spurs defense has been inconsistent all season, but we finally had a chance to see what the Spurs are defensively capable of against the Mavericks. And it was a thing of beauty. They harassed the Mavs, clogging the passing lanes, taking Jason Kidd out of the series.

Meeting another hall-of-fame point guard this round, it's obvious that the Spurs need to shut down Steve Nash to determine the tempo of the game. And that's what is most important when playing the Suns, dictating the tempo, and forcing the Suns to play in the half court.Once in the half court, the Spurs will need to focus on stopping Nash and his pick and rolls with Amare Stoudemire.

There are plenty of players on this roster who could be an X factor in the series. Plenty of players that could help push the Spurs back to the Western Conference Finals. But one player isn't going to win this series by himself. It'll take the whole team, and a commitment to defense to get through this round. And if we stay commited to the defensive end, the Spurs might win a couple more rounds after this.