Insider - Scouting report: Clippers vs. Suns

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Updated: May 8, 2006, 11:49 AM ET
Scouting report: Clippers vs. Suns

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The Los Angeles Clippers are a very good team. Sounds funny, doesn't it? The "Hallway" series everybody wanted between the Lakers and Clippers will have to wait until another season.

The Suns have to feel great about themselves after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the first round and that momentum has to carry over for the Suns to outscore a Clippers team that has a serious post threat in the "unknown" MVP candidate, Elton Brand.
Point guard: Sam Cassell vs. Steve Nash

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Clippers: Sam Cassell is Chauncey Billups Lite, without the defense. Cassell loves to post, which he will look to do against Nash early and often. He does not blow you away with his shooting percentage but he has a tendency to hit the big shot. Cassell can forget to look for his teammates sometimes if he is trying to find his shooting touch, but this is his team and his experience will be huge for an inexperienced playoff team. On defense, Cassell is probably as overmatched on the perimeter as Nash will be in the post.

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Suns: Steve Nash won his second consecutive MVP this season by continuing to make everyone around him better. Nash along with six of his Suns' teammates are averaging career highs in points this year. Nash is such a dangerous passer that defenders constantly play back on their heels. It's like being the last line of defense between a great running back and the goalline: You're afraid you're going to miss the tackle. He is also hitting 44-percent of his 3-pointers, good for sixth best in the league. Cassell is not a great defender and Nash could face Shaun Livingston's length at times to try and slow him down.

Advantage: Suns


Shooting guard: Cuttino Mobley vs. Raja Bell

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Clippers: Cuttino Mobley was once described by Charles Barkley as having the quickest first step in the NBA on both ends of the floor, meaning he can dribble by anyone and that anyone can dribble by him. Mobley's defense is a little better than that; he uses his athleticism to get into passing lanes and force steals. He is a supremely confident scorer who had 20 or more points in 17 games this season. When defending Bell, he will have to stick with him in transition and contest outside shots.

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Suns: Hopefully Raja Bell has learned a lesson about keeping his temper under control after being suspended for Game 6 in the first round. Bell's fierce, and sometimes nasty, attitude have made him a nice addition to a team thatalways has been thought of as soft on defense. Bell really has thrived in Phoenix' offensive system where his 3-point percentage is a single-season career-high 44 percent. Bell will have to match up with both Mobley and Corey Maggette off the bench. Bell could lose some minutes to Leandro Barbosa if Barbosa's great shooting carries over from the end of Round 1.
Advantage: Clippers

Small forward: Quinton Ross vs. Tim Thomas

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Clippers: Quinton Ross is starting for his defense only. Offensively, he offers little and is a poor outside shooter. Ross could lose minutes to Maggette if the Clippers are forced to keep pace with the Suns' high-scoring offense. Ross will be giving up serious size to Thomas and if Thomas is more aggressive going towards the hoop against Ross, that could limit his minutes further. If James Jones is starting, that is a better match-up for Ross.

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Suns: Tim Thomas played out of position defensively in the first round having to guard Lakers center Kwame Brown. Facing the Clippers, he won't have to worry about defense as much going against Quinton Ross. Thomas has used his guard skills in a power forward body to provide another difficult match-up for Suns opponents. He can pull up off the dribble or in transition, or post up smaller defenders. Thomas could see some time off the bench if D'Antoni wants to have some size to substitute, and that means guarding Elton Brand. Thomas will try to bring any big man guarding him out to the perimeter and open up the paint for Nash.

Advantage: Suns


Power forward: Elton Brand vs. Shawn Marion

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Clippers: Elton Brand is one of the best players in the league; a franchise player. Brand is in the best physical shape of his career. On the post, he is relentless with rebounding and has a turnaround jumper that is impossible to defend. Brand has also added a pull-up jumper from 17 feet that looks like it will be contested, but his long arms allow him to shoot over bigger defenders. On defense, his ridiculous wing span makes him one of the best shot blockers in the league. Brand must use his quickness to get into position defensively to rotate over to help on dribble penetration by the Suns.

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Suns: Shawn Marion has somehow gone from a player who was overrated to one of the more underrated players in the league. Marion has tremendous athleticism that makes him a perfect partner in transition with Nash. He has a quick, awkward release that works well from 3 or mid-range. He has posted great rebounding totals the last two years for someone listed at 6-7. He needs to get going earlier in the games in Round 2 than he did against the Lakers. Usually he is able to guard both the PF and SF positions, but in this series he is going to have a much more difficult time in the post versus Brand than Lamar Odom. Expect the Suns to run a double team at Brand and force him to the baseline whenever he sets up deep offensively, much like they did against Odom.
Advantage: Clippers

Center: Chris Kaman vs. Boris Diaw

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Clippers: Chris Kaman really has improved this season. Kaman is tough and moves pretty well for a 7-footer. His offense is still developing but he has a hook shot that starts on one of the blocks and goes toward the paint. He can be a little turnover prone, losing the ball in traffic. Kaman rebounds well, and on defense he will have to take up space and contest layups, and make sure he stays with Diaw running down the court.

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Suns: Boris Diaw is one of the least likely players to play the center position in the NBA. His greatest attribute is his passing, at one point Diaw was thought to be too unselfish but he has fit perfectly with the Suns. When he goes to the basket, he never seems to give up on the idea of making one last pass and his teammates look to benefit from that. Diaw has started to take more outside shots, which will make his game that much harder to defend. Diaw is not really a player in the middle who will change shots, but he is active and will beat most centers down the court. Diaw will look to go right at Kaman, taking him off the dribble. He should have no problem doing that.
Advantage: Suns


Bench

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Clippers: The Clippers' bench has a star in Corey Maggette, who is just starting to get healthy. Maggette is a strong wing player who runs well in transition and can shoot from the outside. His greatest strength is getting to the free-throw line. If it is a big shot late, Maggette will be more inclined to draw the foul than get a good shot off. Shaun Livingston is one of the most exciting players in the league, at 6-7 he is super athletic and sees the floor as well as most veteran point guards. Livingston might have to use his length to spell Cassell on defense versus Nash. Vladimir Radmanovic provides outside shooting and size, Zeljko Rebraca is a 7-footer off the bench who missed practice this week after experiencing shortness of breath, but should be ready for Round 2.

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Suns: The Suns replace firepower with more firepower, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones and Eddie House all play up-tempo, love shooting and can all handle the ball. Barbosa is no Nash, but he is underrated in how he is able to keep the Suns running when Nash is not in the game. Brian Grant adds some size, but no scoring; a team should make him shoot if they can. Kurt Thomas is still two weeks away from playing; he is on the playoff roster but is still rehabbing a broken foot.
Advantage: Clippers

Coach: Mike Dunleavy vs. Mike D'Antoni

Clippers: Mike Dunleavy is an intense coach who is always looking to the next challenge instead of reflecting on the past performance. Normally, Dunleavy likes an offense that pushes the ball, but against the Suns he has to slow the games down running multiple picks for his half court offense or beating Phoenix in the paint. It will be interesting how he substitutes defenders on Marion. He might limit Brand's minutes against him to keep his star out of foul trouble.
Suns: Mike D'Antoni has made defensive coaches cringe and lon- distance shooters crave playing his style of "controlled chaos" basketball. The Suns are the top 3-point shooting team in the NBA and the team policy is that you lose minutes if you don't shoot. Tat is why a guy like Thomas can fit in. During practices, D'Antoni uses a 20-second shot clock instead of the traditional 24 seconds used in NBA games. D'Antoni fights for his players and after a comeback from a 3-1 deficit versus the Lakers he should be riding high.

Advantage: Suns

Prediction

This series is full off mismatches and how quickly adjustments can be made will determine the outcome. The Clippers are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They led the NBA in blocked shots per game this season and their backline of Brand and Kaman will have to shut down penetration and force the Suns to bomb away from outside. The Suns will force the tempo, but how are they going to defend Brand?
Pick: Clippers in six.