Audio By Carbonatix
Alvin Gentry and Steve Nash complained about it in their post-game remarks.
As usual, the coach and the veteran point guard were on the same page.
The Suns didn’t hustle as a team. Too many Suns played like old ladies.
Vowing that the team will get better in this strike-plagued, young season, Nash said the Suns need to go after loose balls with a vengeance, get back faster on defense, play like they mean it.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Gentry centered on the rebounding gap — 53 by the Mavs to 42 by the Suns — and especially on the 20 offensive reebounds Dallas pulled down to Phoenix’s 11. So many second-chance points put the Suns in a deep hole.
“We do a better job on the boards, and we have an opportunity to win the game,” Gentry said.
Indeed the Suns’ lethargic attitude was the difference in this 98-89 contest at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Nash starred with Mavs big-man Dirk Nowitzki before he was traded to Phoenix seven seasons ago.
And the two-time MVP played well in this homecoming, scoring 15 points and handing out 12 assists.
Certainly no lack of hustle on Nash’s part — or on that of the oldest starting player in the NBA, Grant Hill, who scored 14 points while chasing Nowitzki around the court all night. The 39-year-old held the super-kraut to 20 points.
But whatever Nowitzki gave up, guard Jason Terry took back. The former Arizona Wildcats phenom scored 18 points off the bench, hitting five of eight three-pointers. It was Terry who put the game away in the fourth quarter with his shooting prowess.
Long-gone Suns forward Shawn Marion was no slouch in the game himself — playing with flu-like symptoms, he scored 13 points for Dallas and snatched seven boards (six of them offensive).
The defending-champ Mavericks, after losing their first three games, improved to 3-4, while Phoenix fell to 2-4.
Next up for the Suns: the Portland Trail Blazers at US Airways Center on Friday. Tip-off’s at 8 p.m. TV: Fox Sports AZ. For more information, go to www.suns.com.
Let’s hope the Suns pick up the pace — or this strike-shortened season’s going to be a long one.
