Manu Ginobili and the Spurs once again proved to be too much for the Suns. Two years after eliminating them from the Western Conference Final en route to a third NBA title, San Antonio took care of Steve Nash and Co. in the Conference Semis- this time ousting them with a 114-106 Game 6 triumph Friday night in front a packed house in Texas.

Ginobili came off the bench to pace the Spurs with 33 finishing a splendid 11-of-17 from the field including 4-for-7 from downtown and converting 7-of-9 free throws in 35 minutes. The versatile sixth man also added 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals in what was a brilliant performance by a money player.

It wasn’t just him though. It was basically every key Spur in what was a terrific third quarter in which they outscored a weary Suns’ team 28-16 to break open a close game. Point guard Tony Parker sliced and diced Phoenix all night to the tune of 30 points and six assists. He had a huge first half which basically spelled doom. When the lightning quick guard is getting into the lane and scoring at will, it’s usually a bad sign.

Even worse for the Suns in what was an awful conclusion to the third was that defensive pest Bruce Bowen drained a couple of big treys during a 14-2 spurt to put them down 81-67 entering the final quarter.

It would only get worse as Ginobili nailed a three and also scored on a tough floater to balloon the deficit to 20 before energized fans.

The Suns never gave up though and to their credit got it down to 106-101 in the final minute when Steve Nash keyed a 20-7 run. But it was too little too late as Ginobili made two free throws and a Michael Finley lay-up sealed their fate.

The difference between the two teams was San Antonio’s excellence of execution at both ends. They played much better offensively and spaced the floor out perfectly for the trio of Tim Duncan (24 pts, 13 rebounds), Ginobili and Parker.

But it was their aggressive and physical defense which ultimately proved to be too much for Nash and Co. to overcome. With Bowen basically Krazy glued to Nash and Duncan helping out to make it almost impossible for the two-time league MVP to even breathe in the lane, it took the Suns out of their offense and resulted in forced shots and poor possessions.

Duncan btw was unbelievable defensively in this one, finishing with a postseason career best nine blocks (also Spurs’ franchise best). Just one away from a triple double and one off the the playoff mark of 10.

He was everywhere and made it very difficult for Phoenix around the basket even if Amare Stoudemire kept it close by getting a game high 38 (15 in fourth quarter) on an array of acrobatic lay-ins. The big man did his part also pulling down 12 boards.

Nash, who hardly took any shots until the fourth quarter still wound up with 18 and 14 assists- even grabbing six rebounds. But everything was well earned which would explain the game high five turnovers he finished with. A credit to how tough San Antonio made it on him.

Shawn Marion had a quiet game finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs also kept Phoenix’ explosive perimeter game in check as the Suns only connected on 6-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Spurs actually attempted six more shots (22) from that distance converting one more (7).

Ultimately, TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley proved prophetic when he warned that the quick turnaround after Game 5 might hurt the Suns because Mike D’Antoni played his key guys big minutes due to being shorthanded without Amare and Boris Diaw. That fatigue showed during that crucial 13-14 minute stretch when the Spurs broke it open.

You have to give a lot of credit to Gregg Popovich, who only is one of the league’s best coaches. He came up with a great defensive strategy to stifle the faster paced and “more talented” Suns. Well, according to D’Antoni anyway.

Sometimes, talent doesn’t always matter as much as how you utilize your personnel. And Popovich certainly is a master at that. His team executed better defensively and were also the more efficient team in the halfcourt.

The Suns are a great transition team and one which depends so much on Nash getting them open looks from the outside. But with the Spurs getting back quickly on D, clogging up the middle and doubling the small guard while also covering the perimeter, it made it extremely difficult for Phoenix to play their game.

The Spurs also had more size and that showed last night. There’s a reason they’re a great champion and they showed it.

In some aspects, the Suns were exposed in this series. They don’t have an effective backup for Nash, which forces him to play too many minutes. There’s just way too much pressure on his shoulders. He can only do so much. Nash isn’t the biggest guy and against that kind of swarming D, it’s understandable that he’d get worn down. The Spurs beat him up all series.

Phoenix also wasn’t able to get much from backup center Diaw. He was so good last year with Stoudemire out. But he was basically a non-factor this postseason and sort of a disappointment. Thirteen minutes and one point isn’t enough. D’Antoni deserves some of the blame here.

Also, by playing Kurt Thomas so many minutes the other night, the ex-Knick was low on fuel and essentially had nothing left which explains the five and three rebounds in just 16 minutes. So where was the inside game aside from Stoudemire?

There have to be some adjustments in a tough grinding series such as this one if you want to advance and win the ultimate prize. We didn’t see much of an answer from the Suns’ coach.

A lot will be discussed about whether those suspensions cost Phoenix the series. I say no. They still had a good shot to win Game 5. Ultimately, they fell short. I didn’t see any players using it as an alibi last night which is good. Also, if they really missed them that much, why didn’t the Suns win last night? You would’ve thought they’d make a difference. Phoenix played better Wednesday.
They lost. That’s the bottom line here. The Spurs were the better team and now will play the Jazz in the Western Conference Final. Expect that to be a very good series. The Jazz have enough size and athleticism to match-up with San Antonio. They also are better in the halfcourt, play better team D and have an equally great coach in Jerry Sloan.

This should be an extremely good series. It all starts tomorrow on ABC.