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By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com
http://www.woai.com/content/sports/s...b-c0d718adfa57
The San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns tip off a must see second round series Sunday in Phoenix. The Spurs and Suns, who most league observers believe are the two favorites to win the NBA championship, last played each other in the playoffs in 2005.
In that matchup in the 2005 Western Conference finals, the Suns also had the homecourt advantage, but the Spurs were able to prevail in five games. While this Phoenix team is improved from two years ago, the Spurs have the ingredients needed to potentially slow the Suns down.
The Matchups
Point Guard
Tony Parker
Parker had some trouble in the first round versus the Denver Nuggets’ shot blockers but should feel more at home against the Suns. With a history of playing well against Phoenix, Parker will be one of the Spurs biggest weapons in this series. During the regular season, Parker averaged 28 points per game against the Suns.
Steve Nash
Nash is the two-time reigning MVP and is again one of the top five players in the league again this year. His ability to create for himself and others was on full display versus the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. In one contest against the Lakers, Nash recorded 23 assists – one short of the NBA record in the playoffs. In this series, Nash’s MVP ability will be on full display. Look for him to have a huge statistical showing.
Shooting Guard
Michael Finley
Finley is coming off of one of his best ever playoff games. In Game 5 against the Nuggets, Finley hit 8-of-9 three-pointers – setting career and franchise records in the process. Against the Suns, Finley will continue to get some open shots. Whether he’s able to knock them down will be a big part of whether the Spurs will be able to advance.
Raja Bell
One of the best defenders in the league, Bell has added an offensive punch to his game in recent years. He has a deadly three-point shot and has hit numerous clutch shots in his time with the Suns. But defense is what he’s best known for. He’ll see plenty of time trying to slow down the Spurs super sub, Manu Ginobili.
Small Forward
Bruce Bowen
Against the Nuggets, Bowen spent time on both Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. In this series, Bowen will find himself matched up on any number of players. The Spurs had some success with placing Bowen on Nash, which will no doubt be seen again in this series. If Bowen is able to slow down Nash at all, that could be a huge advantage for the Spurs.
James Jones
Jones has started the last ten games for the Suns, but it’s also possible that Leandro Barbosa, Kurt Thomas or Boris Diaw could start in his place. Jones is a deadly three-point shooter who is on the court to spread the opposition’s defense. He’s also an underrated defender and doesn’t turn the ball over.
Power Forward
Tim Duncan
In 2005, Duncan played well against the Suns. The bad news for Phoenix is that Duncan was injured at the time. Now near 100% healthy, Duncan looks to have an even better series than two years ago. Against Denver, Duncan had a hard time dealing with the physical defenders and shot blockers the Nuggets could throw at him. In this series, Duncan will have more of an opportunity to score.
Shawn Marion
Marion is a player who can do it all. He starts at power forward, but can play anywhere from shooting guard to center. He can hit threes on one end, plus block shots and rebound like a seven-footer. In 2005, Marion struggled against the Spurs with Bowen dedicated to taking him out of his game. He’ll be looking for revenge in this series.
Center
Francisco Elson
Elson struggled mightily in the first three games of the first round. In Games 4 and 5, Elson finally started to figure things out. Against the Suns, Elson is a good piece to have in this potentially run-and-gun series. Elson is extremely mobile and can guard multiple positions.
Amare Stoudemire
After missing virtually all of last season, Stoudemire is back and is dominating once again. The last time he played the Spurs, he averaged nearly 40 points per game in the five game series. This time Stoudemire will be looking to do more of the same. If he can score down low while being a monster on the glass, he could be the difference for the Suns.
Bench
San Antonio
Ginobili and the rest of the Spurs bench will be vital for San Antonio against the Suns. Ginobili had a great series in 2005 versus Phoenix and will try to duplicate that this year. Robert Horry and Brent Barry are two other players that the Suns will have to keep tabs on throughout the series.
Phoenix
Barbosa won the Sixth Man of the Year award this season and deservedly so. He’s a game changer who can win games while coming off the bench. He’s as explosive as any player in the league, so the Spurs will key in on him whenever he enters the game. Kurt Thomas brings physical defense to the table, while Boris Diaw can do a little bit of everything.
The Keys
For The Spurs
The Spurs main focus will be their defense. The Suns like to get out and run, shoot three-pointers and let Nash control the tempo of the game. The Spurs will attempt to slow the pace of the game as much as possible.
Phoenix is a team that can beat you from beyond the arc, so the Spurs have to be cognizant of shooters at all times. With four three-point threats on the court nearly all the time, double teaming may do more harm than good for the Spurs in this series.
Rebounding is one of the Suns’ few weaknesses. If the Spurs can control the rebounding advantage, that will slow the tempo and keep it at a more Spur-like pace.
Offensively, the Spurs need big series out of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. Duncan should have a decided advantage in the post, while Parker and Ginobili have to attack the basket. If those three are playing well, the Suns will be forced to leave three-point shooters open such as Finley, Horry and Barry.
For The Suns
Phoenix has to turn these games into high scoring affairs. If the contests are played at a slow pace, the Spurs will have the advantage. If the pace is frenzied and hurried, the Suns will have an unquestionable advantage.
Marion had a poor series last time these two teams squared off in the playoffs and the Suns can’t afford that this time. Getting Marion going has to be a priority for the Suns. When he’s hitting shots, he’s an even better defender and rebounder on the other end.
Nash and Stoudemire have to dominate. Both have to play at an MVP level to combat the Spurs’ sturdy defense. The Spurs have never been able to fully corral Nash or Stoudemire and that has to continue being the case for the Suns to succeed.
To tell whether the Suns are able to impose their will on the Spurs, just look at how well their role players are performing. If Barbosa, Bell, Jones and Diaw are scoring well, that means that Nash and the Suns have successfully forced the Spurs to send more defensive help than they want to.
The Prediction
This series could very well end up deciding the NBA championship when all is said and done. Although this promises to be a close matchup, a healthy Tim Duncan could be the difference. As long as he’s playing well, the Spurs should be able to take this series in six hard-fought games.
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