King Kaufman's Sports Daily

The Suns get tough just in time to tie the Spurs and salvage their season. Plus: Are prosthetic legs fair in a race?

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May 15, 2007 | I told you the Phoenix Suns could play a slowed-down, inside game and hang with the San Antonio Spurs, didn't I?

I didn't? Well, I think you're misreading what I said. What I meant to say was -- Hey! Look over there! [Sound of retreating footsteps ...]

The Suns rallied from five points down with 2:32 to play in San Antonio Monday and salvaged their season, beating the Spurs 104-98. The Suns outscored the Spurs 12-1 in that final run, which allowed them to tie their Western Conference semifinal series 2-2. Without that rally, the Spurs would have had a 3-1 lead.

That's the lead the Cleveland Cavaliers have over the New Jersey Nets following their 87-85 road win Monday. And Cleveland has a bigger advantage than the formidable edge the Spurs would have had if they had been able to close out the Suns for a 3-1 lead: The Cavs need one win, and they get two chances in the next three games, if necessary, to do it at home, where they've won seven straight dating to the regular season.

History will record that the Suns stepped up on defense down that stretch, and they did, but the Spurs contributed by pretty much going down the tubes, missing the shots a good but not great defense did give them.

On the Spurs first possession of that fateful final sequence, after a Steve Nash basket had made it 97-94 San Antonio, the Suns played tough defense, backing off of Bruce Bowen because he was -- inexplicably -- not standing on one of the two spots on the floor where he can contribute to the offense, in either corner.

Manu Ginobili drove the lane and was forced to take an awkward shot in traffic. No good, rebound Shawn Marion, who ended up scoring on the other end. 97-96.

Phoenix then played solid defense again, Marion double-teaming Tim Duncan, who tried a fadeaway jumper. It's a shot Duncan routinely makes, even contested, but contesting it is all you can do, and Duncan missed. Amare Stoudemire's layup gave the Suns the lead.

On the next two Spurs possessions, though, it was poor shooting, not good defense, that kept San Antonio off the scoreboard. Michael Finley came off a screen, took a pass from Ginobili and missed a wide-open 10-footer. Then, after Nash's behind-the-back pass set up Stoudemire for a basket and a 100-97 lead, Ginobili got to the rim against Raja Bell and simply missed a bunny, a finger roll with about 24 seconds left. That was essentially the game.

Next page: The play everyone will remember: Horry pounds Nash. Plus: Are prosthetic legs fair in a race?