Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers - Game 6 Recap [NBA Playoffs 2010]

[ Bet on the next game at http://nba-bet.net ] The Suns get a win on the road in Portland to close out the series against the Trail Blazers.

PORTLAND - The Phoenix Suns were far from perfect Thursday night at the Rose Garden.

The Suns committed 17 turnovers -- 15 in the first 28 minutes. The reserves were spottier than usual. A hobbled Steve Nash played like a D-leaguer much of the night. They let every bit of a 16-point third-quarter lead slip away.

In the end, though, Phoenix had enough to put out the lights on the Portland Trail Blazers' season.

The Suns' hard-fought 99-90 victory in Game 6 was their fourth of the first-round series, pushing them into a Western Conference semifinal matchup with San Antonio that begins Monday at US Airways Center.

The Spurs have beaten the Suns three times in the playoffs since 2002-03, including a five-game ouster in 2008, the last time Phoenix participated in the postseason.

"I told our guys, 'We don't look at past history,' " Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "This team has never played San Antonio in a playoff series. That's the way I look at it.

"Everyone knows it will be physical. They have the best coach in the NBA (Gregg Popovich). Pop does an unbelievable job, and they have four (championship) banners hanging to prove that. They're playing at a real high level right now. It'll be a challenge, but we're looking forward to it."

The Suns' victory over Portland was a challenge, too, especially with Nash smarting from the effects of a hip injury initially sustained in Game 2 stuck in first gear.

The two-time MVP had six turnovers in the first quarter alone and didn't score from the field until the third quarter. Nash finished 2-for-7 shooting, netting 10 points and six assists with seven turnovers in 30 minutes. He did sink a 3-pointer with 2:34 left that gave Phoenix a 92-82 lead, effectively burying the Blazers.

"I strained my hip before Game 2," Nash said. "It came back pretty bad tonight. Hopefully, it was just some spasms that I can settle down before the next round. There was a lot of discomfort, but it was worth it."

Nash knew his presence would be important, no matter his health.

"You just try to hang in there for your team," he said. "I was really hurting, but I didn't want to make my physical problems the center of attention.

"I tried to stay with it, not talk about it, just play and be there for my team at some point. I wanted to keep the rhythm our team had going, and I was lucky enough to have it end up that way."

Gentry kept Nash out for a long stretch in the second half, but brought him back with 6:12 remaining and Phoenix clinging to an 80-76 lead.

"Steve was struggling, but there was never a doubt in my mind I was going to put him back in the game," the Phoenix coach said. "It's been tough on him physically. This has been a real tough series. (The Blazers) have gotten into him and beat him up a little bit.

"But at the end of the day, we were going to win or lose with Steve in the game. That was not an option."

Portland had its own ailing superstar. Brandon Roy, starting for the first time in his series just 13 days after knee surgery, was never much of a factor. The three-time All-Star was only 4-for-16 from the field, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.

"He struggled to get his rhythm," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "He wasn't able to move like he normally does. (Jason) Richardson did a good job crowding him and getting into the ball. (Roy) was trying to get a rhythm, but he just couldn't get it."

Richardson -- who scored 71 points to lead Phoenix victories in Games 2 and 3 -- stole the lead story line against Thursday, going for 28 points and seven rebounds. The 6-6 shooting guard was 10-for-16 from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range. He was lights out early, scoring 14 points in the first seven minutes while going 3-for-3 on treys.

The Blazers "made the decision to use their length and zone up and take the paint away, and Jason made a lot of jump shots for us, some big threes," Nash said. "His shooting was pivotal. He made them pay for deciding to guard us that way."

Portland's only lead was 2-0, but the Blazers -- behind reserves Martell Webster (19 points) and Rudy Fernandez (16) -- rallied from a 66-50 deficit to tie the score at 76-76 with eight minutes to play. The Suns dug deep, though, and soon the season was over for the Blazers.

"I hope it hurts right now for all of us," McMillan said. "We need to get a grasp on how this feels. Because next year at this time, we want to be moving on to the next round and competing for a championship."

As Nash met with the media afterward, Phoenix guard Jared Dudley sneaked into the first row and asked a question, cell-phone camera in hand.

Category:

Sports

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• phoenix
• suns
• portland
• trail
• blazers
• game
• recap
• recapitulation
• nba
• playoff
• playoffs
• 2010
• basketball

[ToLe5000]

pause at around 0:35 or around 0:36 (when they show the fans at first)

There is a sleeping asian guy

[RoboRoadKill]

im the opening night 2010 - 2011

[RoboRoadKill]

get ready suns im going to that game

[RoboRoadKill]

im going to opening night thumbs up if you are to

[primus0421]

@GUILLERMO70ful your fuckin retarded

[MisterBinx]

Damn watching this, a healthy Portland team would have won this series. And this Suns team almost beat LA in the Western conference finals.

[rspkingdude]

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[GUILLERMO70ful]

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[kopakasheild]

@GUILLERMO70ful

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