The Suns could use a lucky game from Amare Stoudemire.
Instead, Stoudemire has proved that players who bark through the press before a game usually don't have much bite to begin with.
Especially on defense.
After calling Lamar Odom's 19-point, 19-rebound game "lucky" (lightening must have struck twice, because Odom had 17 and 11 in Game Two) and referring to Gasol's unsuccessful sojourn in Memphis, Stoudemire predictably didn't back it up when it mattered.
Instead, his two verbal victims made a real victim out of Stoudemire.
It's confounding. For a couple months, Stoudemire was playing adequate defense. He rotated, held his ground, moved his feet, acted like he cared. In the first two games of this series, he looks like a guy who's confident he's already earned his max contract.
Pau Gasol is a skilled big man with great footwork, but it's not like he can out-muscle Amare. Not that he has to. Amare isn't even bothering to give Gasol a customary bump when the Spaniard rolls to the basket.
It's like a one-on-one version of the World vs. Team USA circa 2004. Unmotivated talent versus passionate skil ...
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Article written by Matt Petersen
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns, Need to Give a Crap Against Lakers
May 19th, 2010 by Matt Petersen Leave a reply »
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