NBA PLAYOFFS Spurs show Suns just how to run

San Antonio proved it can outscore anyone as it heads to Game 2 tonight.
PHOENIX (AP) -- Now that the San Antonio Spurs have proven they can outscore anyone, even the Phoenix Suns, point guard Tony Parker really wants to show off.
"Tony would like to score 180 and just run all day long," coach Gregg Popovich said.
"I don't have enough guts to do that."
OK, so the Spurs aren't quite ready to remind everyone of their ABA roots.
But in a 121-114 victory over the Suns in the opener of the Western Conference finals, San Antonio looked a lot more like its George Gervin-era clubs than the squad that two years ago won a championship with scores of 88-77 and 84-79 in the Finals.
Changes out of necessity
Popovich explained Monday that the transformation was made out of necessity.
Because so many of their toughest conference rivals are running teams, the Spurs decided to pick up their pace, too, especially after rules were changed last summer to benefit scorers. It helped that they already had Parker and Manu Ginobili, speedsters who can be as dazzling in the open court as Tim Duncan is fundamentally sound in halfcourt play.
So after loosening the reins a little last season, Popovich began letting go even more starting in training camp. The payoff is coming now, as the Spurs have outrun Denver and Seattle the first two rounds and taken a 1-0 lead over the Suns going into Game 2 tonight.
"Our pace is not as quick as the Suns' but we're a pretty versatile club," Popovich said. "We pretty much adjust to who we're playing. With Phoenix, we know it's going to be a faster game with more possessions and we're willing to do that."
Suns happy to see change
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is happy to see the Spurs pushing the ball because he figures the faster the tempo, the more it benefits Phoenix.
The problem Sunday was that San Antonio simply did it better, especially in the fourth quarter. Although Phoenix shot 58 percent and scored 32 points in the period, the Spurs shot 73 percent and scored 43 points.
"When people say if you don't play defense you can't win titles, I agree," said D'Antoni, whose team was at the forefront of the leaguewide rise in scoring, averaging 110.4 in the regular season and improving it to 115.8 in the playoffs.
"But our defense doesn't have to be as good as some other teams because we're going to score 115 points. So we just have to keep them under 115. We should be able to do that."
Although San Antonio's defense barely kept the Suns below their playoff average, it was still effective. Bruce Bowen limited Shawn Marion to three points and Quentin Richardson was held to just seven, including a single 3-pointer. That made it easier for the Spurs to tolerate 41 points by Amare Stoudemire.
Suns struggle with fatigue
D'Antoni and point guard Steve Nash said Phoenix also struggled with fatigue, physically and mentally. There was a short turnaround between a tough series against Dallas ending on the road in overtime late Friday night and this series starting midday Sunday. The Suns certainly looked out of whack in the first quarter, missing 10 straight shots and scoring just 20 points.
"We feel like we have got to come out and play a lot better," Nash said. "We put that pressure on ourselves earlier in the playoffs and we have responded. I feel good about [tonight]."