Barbosa's First Taste Has Been Bitter

As I watched Barbosa struggle again tonight (and boy did the Suns need him), I began thinking about a reason why he has regressed so much in this series. And I think the answer is pretty simple: this is his first go round with the Spurs as a key contributor. In 2005, Barbosa was on the Phoenix roster, but he played just 15 total minutes in the five-game series (and that was with Joe Johnson injured for most of it).

Now the Brazilian Blur is being counted on for big minutes and even bigger production. And the poor guy just can't buy a basket. In 159 minutes played, Barbosa is now 22-for-61 in the series after hitting just three of 12 shots tonight in 33 foul-plagued minutes. Yikes.

But when you think about it, this isn't all that surprising, as Barbosa and Diaw are really the only key Suns players that haven't been through this before. Yes, they both were able to shine in last year's playoffs, but they didn't have to play the Spurs. The Lakers, Clippers, and Mavericks weren't exactly challenging shots like San Antonio. And while Kurt Thomas wasn't with Phoenix then, he's been through plenty of battles in his day, including an NBA Finals showdown with the Spurs in 1999. Raja Bell also had some experiencing jousting with the Spurs from back when he was with Dallas (plus, you could argue that his real trial by fire was last year's Lakers series, since guarding Kobe is the hardest thing he has to do in a playoff situation). And Marion, Amare, and Nash obviously already went through this in 2005.

So that leaves Diaw and Leandro as the only guys that haven't really been forged in the San Antonio fire. And Diaw has been out of sorts all year, so Phoenix doesn't even really rely on him any more. Barbosa though has been a huge key. And now he's getting his first taste of a grueling series with the title favorite Spurs.

The results have not been pretty, but it isn't altogether surprising either. Most guys struggle in their first series against the Spurs, just as players back in the late 80's struggled the first time they went against the Pistons. Teams that are extremely tough - and yes, possibly dirty - defensively make it really tough on a young, offensive-minded player during the first go round.

I expect Barbosa to fare far better the next time around. But the "next time around" will mean Nash is at least a year older and that the Marion/Amare situation (not to mention the luxury tax problem) is probably worse, or will have imploded. In other words, Phoenix really could have used the Next Evolution Barbosa in the here and now. In a strange way, Dallas beating the Spurs last year (and preventing Leandro from getting a Spurs matchup "out of his system") might be costing the Suns a title this year. I may be way off on that, but it seems plausible. And if so, how ironic is that?

(I'd just like to note that I had every intention of including an Arrested Development "taste for mammal blood" joke in the title, but couldn't summon the strength. As Norman Mailer once said, there is a toll on a human mind that is awake to see the clock turn 3 a.m. too many times. And it's 2:33, so I'm closing up shop.)