The Suns are a veteran bunch and Coach D’Antoni didn’t like to give many minutes to younger players. First round pick Alando Tucker (F) rarely made it to the court as a rookie. He played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Suns as a rookie and he averaged 8.0 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. He never had the time to get into a shooting rhythm and the result was that he only shot 36.4% from the floor. Tucker might get a chance to get more playing time next season because the Suns will have a new coach.

Guard D.J. Strawberry also had a really rough rookie season as he only shot 31.5% from the floor. He played in 33 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 8.2 minutes, 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Don’t look for him to get extended playing time any time soon as his shot selection was very poor as a rookie.

The Spurs played hack-a-Shaq on Tuesday Night and it helped end the Suns season. The Suns were outscored 23-15 in the 4th quarter and it doomed them in the end. Boris Diaw led the way for the Suns with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. Amare Stoudemire pitched in with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. Raja Bell had a solid game with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Shaquille O’Neal had a night to forget finishing with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Shaq only shot 2 of 8 from the floor and 9 of 20 from the free throw line. The Spurs win this series 4-1.