SAN ANTONIO -- After all they've accomplished this season, the Phoenix Suns are taking an incredibly humble goal into what could be their 2004-05 finale.
They want to win the first quarter.
Don't laugh. The Suns have been way behind going into the second quarter of every game and they consider that a big reason why they trail the San Antonio Spurs 3-0 in the Western Conference finals heading into Game 4 on Monday night.
"Play a little harder in the first quarter -- I think that's the only thing we can do," center Amare Stoudemire said Sunday. "We've got to do a better job of coming out strong. We've got to retaliate sooner or later."
How bad have those early jitters been?
- The Suns have trailed by 10, 13 and 11 points during the first quarters.
- They've finished those quarters down by 10, 10 and nine points, continuing a trend that began in the last round against Dallas. They've "lost" eight straight first quarters.
- They did have a first-quarter lead this series. Once. They were up 14-12 for all of one minute, two seconds in the opener. The best they've done since was tying it 2-2 each of the last two games.
No wonder coach Mike D'Antoni said with exasperation, "We just want to get to the second quarter and see what happens."
The Spurs, however, would prefer to see Manu Ginobili grab the opening tip in Phoenix's end and turn it into a quick layup again, like he did in Games 1 and 3.
"We just have to be ready to match their energy," said point guard Tony Parker, the driving force behind San Antonio's fast starts. "We have to make sure we jump at them and take control from the beginning."
In the first two games, Phoenix showed why it was the league's highest-scoring team, putting together enough runs to lead in the fourth quarter. Yet the Spurs won both, raising the notion that the comebacks sapped the Suns' energy and emotion.
There was a lot less analysis needed to figure out what failed Phoenix after its slow start in Game 3 on Saturday night.
The Suns missed their first six shots of the second quarter and the last seven. Even with San Antonio struggling to score, too, Phoenix couldn't take advantage. The Suns had just 10 points in the period, matching their season low, and went into the locker room with just 39 points, their lowest first half of the season.
