VIDEO: Jason Richarson Misses Game-Tying Dunk, Proves Curses Do Exist

I think SB Nation’s Phoenix Suns blog Bright Side of the Sun said it best in their post-game recap.

Losing to the Spurs sucks. I don’t really have anything to say that is a whole lot more clever than that. But I will admit that the Jason Richardson missed dunk with 40 seconds to go (and a chance to tie) was certainly a new one on me.

“A new one to me?” I’m no Suns fan, but that’s pretty understated, to say the least. The real truth is that the Suns were a converted dunk by a two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion away from completing their fourth-quarter comeback against a team they, for some reason, can’t beat. A team they were thoroughly outplaying in the fourth quarter. A team that couldn’t stop Amare Stoudemire. Just ask Richard Jefferson.

None of that mattered, though, because they were playing the Spurs. Strange things happen when the Suns play the Spurs in the AT&T Center. During a playoff series three years ago, they got Donaghy’d in one game and had their two best inside players suspended for leaving the bench in another. Two years ago, they lost one game when Tim Duncan of all people hit a three-pointer. Now, they lose a game when arguably one of the best dunkers of all time missed a wide-open slam dunk.

The crazy part about it is that these teams don’t have many holdovers from those previous seasons. Only nine players combined on the two teams took part in that 2007 second-round series. Richardson himself wasn’t one of those nine. Neither was George Hill, the Spurs guard that committed the turnover leading to the dunk attempt. Maybe they know about the history between these two teams, but they certainly haven’t experienced it. There was no reason for them to be affected by the past.

But they were anyway. There’s really only one explanation that makes sense at this point. Clearly, there’s some voodoo at work when the Spurs play the Suns.