May 30, 2005
Amare - Child Of The Force
The fast breaking Phoenix Suns were beaten at their own game 3 times in a row, as the Spurs proved their playoff mettle yet again. They ran harder and faster than the Suns, all the while playing better defense to take an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
And yet with a chance to sweep, playing at home, they were denied by the amazing play of Amare Stoudemire. He's the one guy they can never seem to keep in check (he puts up 30+ against them regularly in spite of Tim Duncan and Nazr Mohammed's physical defense).
In the last 42 seconds of Game 4, Amare was just hungrier than everyone else on the court. He started by making a stunning block of Duncan's dunk attempt that I don't think anyone else except Shaq could have made. Duncan was 6 inches from slamming the ball, full-force. Amare got his hand square on the ball, avoided body contact, and simply outmuscled the two time MVP.
On the other end, Amare finished by hustling for an offensive rebound and getting it to Nash while falling down. The Spurs were forced to foul Nash and he was money from the line to close out the game.
Of course, they are still down 3-1 heading back to Phoenix, and I believe the Spurs will still win the series (I'm guessing 4-2), but the Suns showed heart, and clearly have hope for the future in the form of Amare Stoudemire.