Suns Lose Pivotal Game Five

The Phoenix Suns fell to the San Antonio Spurs in a pivotal game five matchup. The Spurs overpowered the undermanned Suns, beating Phoenix 88-85.

What a game. The Phoenix Suns, despite being without their All-Star center Amare Stoudamire and his backup, Boris Diaw, almost held off the San Antonio Spurs in what turned out to be a last second nail biter in the Purple Palace Wednesday night. The Suns, who led for the majority of the game, were all over the court doing their best to stifle the efficient San Antonio offense. The Spurs, who were without Robert Horry who was serving the first of a two game suspension after his late game hip check on Steve Nash, spent the entire night fighting through frustration and missed shots. The normally reliable duo of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker spent the entire night being harassed by what is normally seen as a weak Phoenix defense. It was actually the reserve players for San Antonio who sparked the victory. Long three pointers from Michael Finley and Bruce Bowen, as well as scrappy play by Manu Ginobili helped elevate the Spurs in the final two minutes of the game. Phoenix near the end of the game looked lethargic and slow, as their starters had played the majority of the game. Kurt Thomas played a season high 43 minutes, and Steve Nash played almost the entire game. Game 6 will be held in San Antonio Friday night in what is a must win situation for the Phoenix Suns. San Antonio leads the best of seven series 3-2. The Phoenix Suns fans were especially amusing throughout the game. Due to the physical nature of the previous games, Suns fans arrived at the game wearing hardhats and hockey masks. One fan had a giant sign with a brick on it, while another fan, an older woman, spent the majority of the game on her feet in the first row screaming and waving her hands whenever a San Antonio player came near her area. The decibel level coming from the crowd was reported during the game to be almost the loudest it had been all season. No matter how Game Six turns out, this figures to have been one of the most energetic and exciting series in playoff history.