FINALLY THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE!
The article below is just part of an article from ESPN.
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Sunday, 12:00pm vs. Lakers TV: ABC SUN TV HD
The Experts?
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LOS ANGELES LAKERS POSITION PHOENIX SUNS
PG
Smush Parker
11.1 ppg
2.5 rpg
2.8 apg
Steve Nash
18.6 ppg
3.5 rpg
11.6 apg
Parker: While Jordan Farmar started at point guard late in the season, Parker is here because he's started almost every game for two seasons. Parker was benched for the fourth quarter on Apr. 6 against Seattle and has recently voiced frustration.
He's named here as the Lakers' starting 1 solely because he defends the opposing 1. He is fourth on the team in assists and seldom initiates the offense.
Last year, Parker was outstanding in Los Angeles' first round matchup against Phoenix. His defense on Nash in particular was a major factor in the Lakers taking a 3-1 series lead.
Parker has been a good backcourt partner for Bryant due to his defensive capabilities and ability to knock down 3s off the catch. Initially regarded as a player who was susceptible to working himself into trouble off the dribble, Parker has discovered that less is more playing alongside Bryant.
Nash: While the Suns on the whole are an exceptionally talented, well-coached team, Nash is the key.
He's a very well-rounded offensive player, averaging nearly 19 points (second on the team) and 12 assists (first in league by over two apg) in 35 minutes per game.
Nash is also the consummate teammate, encouraging, sharing, and laying himself on the line every possession.
While Phoenix' pace ranks "only" third in the league, behind Golden State's and Denver's, Nash has a unique ability to create tempo even in the half-court: everything he does is quick and decisive and he is always in attack mode.
Last year, Smush Parker bothered Nash with his length, anticipation and aggressiveness on the ball, and was a significant factor in the Lakers jumping out to a 3-1 lead. This year neither Parker nor his team enter this series with last year's focus or momentum.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
SG
Kobe Bryant
31.6 ppg
5.7 rpg
5.4 apg
Raja Bell
14.7 ppg
3.2 rpg
2.5 apg
Bryant: His scoring jumped in March to 40.4 points per game for the month and he followed that up with a 34.1 scoring average in April. During those two months the Lakers went 9-15.
This is not to say the Lakers can't win with Bryant scoring a lot. I believe his scoring spike is more symptom than cause of the Lakers' woes.
Bryant is one of the league's most competitive players and he has long attempted to find the proper balance of scoring and distributing. With much of the club's chemistry revolving around that delicate balance, Los Angeles does not enter this year's postseason with the momentum of last year.
To further complicate matters for Bryant, in three games against Phoenix this season he has shot just 40 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point land. Raja Bell, one of the league's premier defenders and best-conditioned players will be assigned to Bryant, and he will make him work hard every step of the way.
Bell: He plays in the shadows of Nash, Marion and Stoudemire, but he has long been one of the league's best defenders and fiercest competitors.
Additionally, Bell has quietly become an effective 3-point shooter, with career numbers hovering around the 40 percent mark. In the past two seasons, with accuracy of 44 percent last year and then 41 percent this year, his 3-point attempts have skyrocketed, last year climbing and this year practically tripling his career averages. In fact, Bell takes more than half his shots come from behind the arc.
Bell is also one of the best-conditioned players in the league: Even at Phoenix's breakneck pace and chasing the opposing lead perimeter scorer through screens, he plays 38 minutes per game, No. 2 behind Marion.
No single defender can shut down Kobe Bryant, but Bell is ideally suited for the matchup. His defensive prowess and stamina will make Bryant work hard for everything he gets, and Bryant will have to run with Bell in transition and keep within arm's distance of that 41 percent 3-point release.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
SF
Luke Walton
11.4 ppg
5.0 rpg
4.3 apg
James Jones
6.4 ppg
2.3 rpg
0.6 apg
Walton: He is third on the team in scoring, assists and minutes played. He has emerged this year as one of the Lakers' most important players. Long noted for his unique passing skills, Walton's game has become better-rounded each season, as his minutes, points, rebounds and 3-point percentages have increased every year.
Known as a non-shooter out of college, he shot 38 percent from behind the arc this year.
Additionally, Walton is much tougher than he is often credited for, feeling at home with physical play and mentally rock solid in pressure situations. Like any other forward facing the versatile Suns, Walton will face multiple matchups this series, from the more perimeter-oriented James Jones to the big, skilled Boris Diaw.
But, at 6-foot 8, 235 pounds, Walton presents matchup issues of his own, He is the best passer on a good-passing team and uses his strength against opposing 3s to establish angles around the lane.
Jones: He's started only seven times this year, but five of them came in the team's last five games.
When Phoenix traded Joe Johnson, they signed Jones as someone who could help replace Johnson in stretching defenses in their uptempo attack. Jones shot 38 percent from 3-point range this year.
Aside from the long-ball, Jones is limited offensively. He will seldom look to take his defender off the dribble or generate his own offense. But he plays within himself and applies pressure to the defense by allowing the Phoenix attack to get him open for early looks in transition.
Like most small forwards, Jones' counterpart Luke Walton is generally more comfortable inside the 3-point line and around the lane defensively. He will have to run with Jones in transition and chase him over screens in half-court scenarios.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
PF
Lamar Odom
15.9 ppg
9.8 rpg
4.8 apg
Shawn Marion
17.5 ppg
9.8 rpg
1.7 apg
Odom: Injuries have hampered Odom much of the season, allowing him to play in just 56 games. He missed 21 games starting in mid-December with a sprained right knee and five more at the beginning of March with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Odom is one of the league's most talented, versatile players and his size and skill-set are uniquely suited to match up with Shawn Marion.
But, as has recently been the case for the entire team, Odom has appeared passive recently, and will have to be more assertive offensively if he is to be effective against the quick-hitting Suns. Odom leads the team in rebounding and is the bridge from Bryant to the rest of the team in that he is the second option offensively while also being an excellent passing big man. Odom will have to assume much of the offensive responsibility if the Lakers are to beat Phoenix.
Marion: While Nash is the motor and Stoudemire the hammer, Marion is the player upon whom the entire team hinges. Phoenix is Phoenix because of its ability to play small, and Marion's ability to rebound like a 4 and defend 4s but play like a 3 at the offensive end is what allows the team to play the Suns way.
Marion presents impossible matchup dilemmas for opposing 4s -- how to defend a player outside with an advantage in quickness and an ability to hit the jumper.
Marion leads the team in minutes and rebounds and is second in points per game.
His opposite number, Lamar Odom, is a similar talent but he does not appear to be at the top of his game entering the playoffs.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
C
Kwame Brown
8.4 ppg
6.0 rpg
1.8 apg
Amare Stoudemire
20.4 ppg
9.6 rpg
1.0 apg
Brown: He figured to be the starting 5 for the Lakers this year but has played in just half the Lakers' games due to injuries, first to his rotator cuff and more recently his left ankle, which he sprained in January. Despite walking in a boot for most of the month, Brown started on Wednesday against Sacramento and scored 17 points, thus getting the late nod here as the starting 5.
While considerable time off the court renders it unlikely that Brown will be same player we saw in last year's playoffs, his ability to provide Los Angeles with starter's minutes is vital, as he is their only player with the size and quickness to contest Stoudemire over the course of a series. Any absence of Brown would apply significant pressure to Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf.
Stoudemire: He's made remarkable progress since undergoing microfracture surgery. While his point production is not quite back yet, the rest of his numbers are on par with what he was doing before his 2005 injury.
He has once again given the Suns their interior presence at both ends. Stoudemire has not fully regained his lateral quickness but he is a force inside and is still capable of dominating elite teams on any given night.
Kwame Brown was effective in last year's Suns-Lakers playoff matchup, but Brown has not played much recently, and if he starts, he will be hard-pressed to regain his rhythm and confidence against Stoudemire. 19-year-old Andrew Bynum is still finding himself as a player, and if he were to start, he would have to adjust to the pace of the Suns, the pressure of the playoffs and the aggressiveness of Stoudemire.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
BENCH
Andrew Bynum
7.8 ppg
5.9 rpg
1.1 apg
Boris Diaw
9.7 ppg
4.3 rpg
4.8 apg
LAKERS
Andrew Bynum: At just 19, Bynum has averaged about eight points and six rebounds along with 1.6 blocks in 22 minutes per game. This after playing barely minutes per game last season (when he played at all).
The injuries to Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown thrust Bynum into the starting 5 spot earlier than expected. While his size will give him a significant advantage over anyone on Phoenix's roster, Bynum will be tested by the pace and intensity of playoff basketball against one of the league's best teams.
Ronny Turiaf In a year highlighted by injuries to its bigs, Turiaf has provided the Lakers with solid utility minutes in the middle.
His strength and intensity inside will be important in countering Kurt Thomas' poise and steadiness. The way the Lakers' lineup presently stands, they are one Kwame Brown aggravated ankle away from having Bynum and Turiaf man the middle fulltime.
Jordan Farmar: Farmar has had a solid rookie campaign for the Lakers, averaging 15 mpg. He is a smart, skilled point guard who has shown flashes of being able to organize an offense while recognizing angles and opportunities as they arise.
There are holes in his game: at this early stage in his career he is not a lights-out 3-point shooter, nor does he get to the line very often. But with Parker in the doghouse this month, and Farmar starting in the Lakers' final regular season game (a meaningful game vs Sacramento), don't be surprised to see Farmer get an opportunity to get meaningful run this series.
Maurice Evans: In a constantly shifting Laker lineup, Evans' minutes are down heading into the playoffs. He played 29 minutes a game in March but only 18 in April.
Evans has never been known as much of a handler, but he has improved his 3-point range considerably since entering the league and shot 36 percent from beyond the arc this year.
Evans is at his best around the lane, where he can utilize his excellent strength and athletic ability.
He is also an aggressive, blue-collar defender with the strength to defend bigger 3s and quickness to stay in front of 2s. If he can hit enough shots make himself a threat offensively, his D against a team so deep at the wings could be valuable.
Brian Cook: After finishing strongly for the Lakers last year and signing a contract extension this fall, Cook has played slightly less this year, due in part to a late-season injury. Cook sprained his left ankle in mid-March and since that time has missed six games, logged nine single-digit-minute games and played more than 20 minutes only once. In other words, he has not been a factor recently. Cook is a sound offensive player known for his ability to bring 4s outside and hit the long ball. He shot 40 percent from 3-point this year.
SUNS
Boris Diaw: I hesitate to list Diaw as a bench player because he has started most of the season for Phoenix and even off the bench figures to play starter's minutes.
After last year's breakout season (which had every personnel guy asking, "Who is this year's Boris Diaw?" prior to the season), Diaw broke slowly from the gates this year, and was further hampered by back spasms which caused him to miss nine games in January. Diaw's numbers of 10 and four are down from 13 and seven last year.
Diaw's guard-like skills presents trouble for opposing bigs. At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, Diaw handles and passes like a point guard but is very comfortable operating out of the post.
Aside from Odom, the Lakers do not have a player to match up with Diaw, especially when considering L.A.'s complement of bench forwards in Turiaf, Evans and Cook.
Diaw's numbers have been better off the bench, averaging just one less point and one less rebound in eight fewer minutes.
Leandro Barbosa: Barbosa is the odds-on favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year award. His exceptional speed and quickness allow Phoenix to substitute without their tempo skipping a beat.
Barbosa is a bench player by design, not talent. Most teams who sustain or increase the tempo off the bench do it via little guys, but despite being 6-foot 3, Barbosa's wingspan is long even for a 2, and his ability to play either guard spot at either end of the floor allows Phoenix to sustain its pace and come at you in waves.
Barbosa combines deadly shooting (43 percent on 3-pointers) and perhaps the quickest perimeter-to-rim game in the league. Importantly for a team that relies heavily on spacing, his game is very economical, relying more on his quickness than the dribble to beat his defender. This gives the defense little time to get set.
While still not a true 1, he has grown more adept at using his teammates and better understands the value of the easy play.
Kurt Thomas: On a smallish team playing at Sun-speed, Thomas provides toughness, poise and stability in the half-court. Thomas averaged 5.7 rebounds this year in just over 18 minutes per game. He is one of the steadiest, smartest frontline players in the league.
While his quickness is not on par with the rest of the club's, he is an excellent passer and excellent pick-and-roll player.
Thomas is not a player who scares opposing teams, nor will he be considered an X-factor, but on a team where the production can come from a different player every quarter, Thomas provides a solid anchor in the middle at both ends.
BOTTOM LINE
While last year's series would hint at another war, I do not believe the Lakers are in a frame of mind where they are equipped to withstand the Phoenix assault.
The Suns are fast starters and the Lakers will be tested early. They will have to demonstrate far more unity and trust in one another plus make more of a commitment to the defensive end than they have shown recently if they are to hang in this series. If not, this one could get away from them early.
[FONT=Arial,Hevetica,sans-serif]PREDICTION: PHOENIX 4, LOS ANGELES 1[/FONT]
The article below is just part of an article from ESPN.
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Sunday, 12:00pm vs. Lakers TV: ABC SUN TV HD
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LOS ANGELES LAKERS POSITION PHOENIX SUNS
PG
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Smush Parker
11.1 ppg
2.5 rpg
2.8 apg
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Steve Nash
18.6 ppg
3.5 rpg
11.6 apg
Parker: While Jordan Farmar started at point guard late in the season, Parker is here because he's started almost every game for two seasons. Parker was benched for the fourth quarter on Apr. 6 against Seattle and has recently voiced frustration.
He's named here as the Lakers' starting 1 solely because he defends the opposing 1. He is fourth on the team in assists and seldom initiates the offense.
Last year, Parker was outstanding in Los Angeles' first round matchup against Phoenix. His defense on Nash in particular was a major factor in the Lakers taking a 3-1 series lead.
Parker has been a good backcourt partner for Bryant due to his defensive capabilities and ability to knock down 3s off the catch. Initially regarded as a player who was susceptible to working himself into trouble off the dribble, Parker has discovered that less is more playing alongside Bryant.
Nash: While the Suns on the whole are an exceptionally talented, well-coached team, Nash is the key.
He's a very well-rounded offensive player, averaging nearly 19 points (second on the team) and 12 assists (first in league by over two apg) in 35 minutes per game.
Nash is also the consummate teammate, encouraging, sharing, and laying himself on the line every possession.
While Phoenix' pace ranks "only" third in the league, behind Golden State's and Denver's, Nash has a unique ability to create tempo even in the half-court: everything he does is quick and decisive and he is always in attack mode.
Last year, Smush Parker bothered Nash with his length, anticipation and aggressiveness on the ball, and was a significant factor in the Lakers jumping out to a 3-1 lead. This year neither Parker nor his team enter this series with last year's focus or momentum.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
SG
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Kobe Bryant
31.6 ppg
5.7 rpg
5.4 apg
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Raja Bell
14.7 ppg
3.2 rpg
2.5 apg
Bryant: His scoring jumped in March to 40.4 points per game for the month and he followed that up with a 34.1 scoring average in April. During those two months the Lakers went 9-15.
This is not to say the Lakers can't win with Bryant scoring a lot. I believe his scoring spike is more symptom than cause of the Lakers' woes.
Bryant is one of the league's most competitive players and he has long attempted to find the proper balance of scoring and distributing. With much of the club's chemistry revolving around that delicate balance, Los Angeles does not enter this year's postseason with the momentum of last year.
To further complicate matters for Bryant, in three games against Phoenix this season he has shot just 40 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point land. Raja Bell, one of the league's premier defenders and best-conditioned players will be assigned to Bryant, and he will make him work hard every step of the way.
Bell: He plays in the shadows of Nash, Marion and Stoudemire, but he has long been one of the league's best defenders and fiercest competitors.
Additionally, Bell has quietly become an effective 3-point shooter, with career numbers hovering around the 40 percent mark. In the past two seasons, with accuracy of 44 percent last year and then 41 percent this year, his 3-point attempts have skyrocketed, last year climbing and this year practically tripling his career averages. In fact, Bell takes more than half his shots come from behind the arc.
Bell is also one of the best-conditioned players in the league: Even at Phoenix's breakneck pace and chasing the opposing lead perimeter scorer through screens, he plays 38 minutes per game, No. 2 behind Marion.
No single defender can shut down Kobe Bryant, but Bell is ideally suited for the matchup. His defensive prowess and stamina will make Bryant work hard for everything he gets, and Bryant will have to run with Bell in transition and keep within arm's distance of that 41 percent 3-point release.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
SF
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Luke Walton
11.4 ppg
5.0 rpg
4.3 apg
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James Jones
6.4 ppg
2.3 rpg
0.6 apg
Walton: He is third on the team in scoring, assists and minutes played. He has emerged this year as one of the Lakers' most important players. Long noted for his unique passing skills, Walton's game has become better-rounded each season, as his minutes, points, rebounds and 3-point percentages have increased every year.
Known as a non-shooter out of college, he shot 38 percent from behind the arc this year.
Additionally, Walton is much tougher than he is often credited for, feeling at home with physical play and mentally rock solid in pressure situations. Like any other forward facing the versatile Suns, Walton will face multiple matchups this series, from the more perimeter-oriented James Jones to the big, skilled Boris Diaw.
But, at 6-foot 8, 235 pounds, Walton presents matchup issues of his own, He is the best passer on a good-passing team and uses his strength against opposing 3s to establish angles around the lane.
Jones: He's started only seven times this year, but five of them came in the team's last five games.
When Phoenix traded Joe Johnson, they signed Jones as someone who could help replace Johnson in stretching defenses in their uptempo attack. Jones shot 38 percent from 3-point range this year.
Aside from the long-ball, Jones is limited offensively. He will seldom look to take his defender off the dribble or generate his own offense. But he plays within himself and applies pressure to the defense by allowing the Phoenix attack to get him open for early looks in transition.
Like most small forwards, Jones' counterpart Luke Walton is generally more comfortable inside the 3-point line and around the lane defensively. He will have to run with Jones in transition and chase him over screens in half-court scenarios.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
PF
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Lamar Odom
15.9 ppg
9.8 rpg
4.8 apg
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Shawn Marion
17.5 ppg
9.8 rpg
1.7 apg
Odom: Injuries have hampered Odom much of the season, allowing him to play in just 56 games. He missed 21 games starting in mid-December with a sprained right knee and five more at the beginning of March with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Odom is one of the league's most talented, versatile players and his size and skill-set are uniquely suited to match up with Shawn Marion.
But, as has recently been the case for the entire team, Odom has appeared passive recently, and will have to be more assertive offensively if he is to be effective against the quick-hitting Suns. Odom leads the team in rebounding and is the bridge from Bryant to the rest of the team in that he is the second option offensively while also being an excellent passing big man. Odom will have to assume much of the offensive responsibility if the Lakers are to beat Phoenix.
Marion: While Nash is the motor and Stoudemire the hammer, Marion is the player upon whom the entire team hinges. Phoenix is Phoenix because of its ability to play small, and Marion's ability to rebound like a 4 and defend 4s but play like a 3 at the offensive end is what allows the team to play the Suns way.
Marion presents impossible matchup dilemmas for opposing 4s -- how to defend a player outside with an advantage in quickness and an ability to hit the jumper.
Marion leads the team in minutes and rebounds and is second in points per game.
His opposite number, Lamar Odom, is a similar talent but he does not appear to be at the top of his game entering the playoffs.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
C
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Kwame Brown
8.4 ppg
6.0 rpg
1.8 apg
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Amare Stoudemire
20.4 ppg
9.6 rpg
1.0 apg
Brown: He figured to be the starting 5 for the Lakers this year but has played in just half the Lakers' games due to injuries, first to his rotator cuff and more recently his left ankle, which he sprained in January. Despite walking in a boot for most of the month, Brown started on Wednesday against Sacramento and scored 17 points, thus getting the late nod here as the starting 5.
While considerable time off the court renders it unlikely that Brown will be same player we saw in last year's playoffs, his ability to provide Los Angeles with starter's minutes is vital, as he is their only player with the size and quickness to contest Stoudemire over the course of a series. Any absence of Brown would apply significant pressure to Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf.
Stoudemire: He's made remarkable progress since undergoing microfracture surgery. While his point production is not quite back yet, the rest of his numbers are on par with what he was doing before his 2005 injury.
He has once again given the Suns their interior presence at both ends. Stoudemire has not fully regained his lateral quickness but he is a force inside and is still capable of dominating elite teams on any given night.
Kwame Brown was effective in last year's Suns-Lakers playoff matchup, but Brown has not played much recently, and if he starts, he will be hard-pressed to regain his rhythm and confidence against Stoudemire. 19-year-old Andrew Bynum is still finding himself as a player, and if he were to start, he would have to adjust to the pace of the Suns, the pressure of the playoffs and the aggressiveness of Stoudemire.
LOS ANGELES LAKERSPOSITIONPHOENIX SUNS
BENCH
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Andrew Bynum
7.8 ppg
5.9 rpg
1.1 apg
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Boris Diaw
9.7 ppg
4.3 rpg
4.8 apg
LAKERS
Andrew Bynum: At just 19, Bynum has averaged about eight points and six rebounds along with 1.6 blocks in 22 minutes per game. This after playing barely minutes per game last season (when he played at all).
The injuries to Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown thrust Bynum into the starting 5 spot earlier than expected. While his size will give him a significant advantage over anyone on Phoenix's roster, Bynum will be tested by the pace and intensity of playoff basketball against one of the league's best teams.
Ronny Turiaf In a year highlighted by injuries to its bigs, Turiaf has provided the Lakers with solid utility minutes in the middle.
His strength and intensity inside will be important in countering Kurt Thomas' poise and steadiness. The way the Lakers' lineup presently stands, they are one Kwame Brown aggravated ankle away from having Bynum and Turiaf man the middle fulltime.
Jordan Farmar: Farmar has had a solid rookie campaign for the Lakers, averaging 15 mpg. He is a smart, skilled point guard who has shown flashes of being able to organize an offense while recognizing angles and opportunities as they arise.
There are holes in his game: at this early stage in his career he is not a lights-out 3-point shooter, nor does he get to the line very often. But with Parker in the doghouse this month, and Farmar starting in the Lakers' final regular season game (a meaningful game vs Sacramento), don't be surprised to see Farmer get an opportunity to get meaningful run this series.
Maurice Evans: In a constantly shifting Laker lineup, Evans' minutes are down heading into the playoffs. He played 29 minutes a game in March but only 18 in April.
Evans has never been known as much of a handler, but he has improved his 3-point range considerably since entering the league and shot 36 percent from beyond the arc this year.
Evans is at his best around the lane, where he can utilize his excellent strength and athletic ability.
He is also an aggressive, blue-collar defender with the strength to defend bigger 3s and quickness to stay in front of 2s. If he can hit enough shots make himself a threat offensively, his D against a team so deep at the wings could be valuable.
Brian Cook: After finishing strongly for the Lakers last year and signing a contract extension this fall, Cook has played slightly less this year, due in part to a late-season injury. Cook sprained his left ankle in mid-March and since that time has missed six games, logged nine single-digit-minute games and played more than 20 minutes only once. In other words, he has not been a factor recently. Cook is a sound offensive player known for his ability to bring 4s outside and hit the long ball. He shot 40 percent from 3-point this year.
SUNS
Boris Diaw: I hesitate to list Diaw as a bench player because he has started most of the season for Phoenix and even off the bench figures to play starter's minutes.
After last year's breakout season (which had every personnel guy asking, "Who is this year's Boris Diaw?" prior to the season), Diaw broke slowly from the gates this year, and was further hampered by back spasms which caused him to miss nine games in January. Diaw's numbers of 10 and four are down from 13 and seven last year.
Diaw's guard-like skills presents trouble for opposing bigs. At 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, Diaw handles and passes like a point guard but is very comfortable operating out of the post.
Aside from Odom, the Lakers do not have a player to match up with Diaw, especially when considering L.A.'s complement of bench forwards in Turiaf, Evans and Cook.
Diaw's numbers have been better off the bench, averaging just one less point and one less rebound in eight fewer minutes.
Leandro Barbosa: Barbosa is the odds-on favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year award. His exceptional speed and quickness allow Phoenix to substitute without their tempo skipping a beat.
Barbosa is a bench player by design, not talent. Most teams who sustain or increase the tempo off the bench do it via little guys, but despite being 6-foot 3, Barbosa's wingspan is long even for a 2, and his ability to play either guard spot at either end of the floor allows Phoenix to sustain its pace and come at you in waves.
Barbosa combines deadly shooting (43 percent on 3-pointers) and perhaps the quickest perimeter-to-rim game in the league. Importantly for a team that relies heavily on spacing, his game is very economical, relying more on his quickness than the dribble to beat his defender. This gives the defense little time to get set.
While still not a true 1, he has grown more adept at using his teammates and better understands the value of the easy play.
Kurt Thomas: On a smallish team playing at Sun-speed, Thomas provides toughness, poise and stability in the half-court. Thomas averaged 5.7 rebounds this year in just over 18 minutes per game. He is one of the steadiest, smartest frontline players in the league.
While his quickness is not on par with the rest of the club's, he is an excellent passer and excellent pick-and-roll player.
Thomas is not a player who scares opposing teams, nor will he be considered an X-factor, but on a team where the production can come from a different player every quarter, Thomas provides a solid anchor in the middle at both ends.
BOTTOM LINE
While last year's series would hint at another war, I do not believe the Lakers are in a frame of mind where they are equipped to withstand the Phoenix assault.
The Suns are fast starters and the Lakers will be tested early. They will have to demonstrate far more unity and trust in one another plus make more of a commitment to the defensive end than they have shown recently if they are to hang in this series. If not, this one could get away from them early.
[FONT=Arial,Hevetica,sans-serif]PREDICTION: PHOENIX 4, LOS ANGELES 1[/FONT]
