Dallas is a good team. Here's how I see the matchups:
Nash vs. Terry--advantage, Dallas
The Mavs are going to go after Nash big-time. Terry is going to light him up like a Christmas tree; Nash has to play through it and not try to get into a scoring battle with JET. Nash's influence will be in helping the other players win their matchups.
Joe Johnson vs. Finley--advantage, Phoenix
I expect Joe Johnson to guard a number of players, fighting fires all along the perimeter, so to speak. Finley will mostly be catching and shooting--and making, if history is any guide--but Joe J is playing very well right now and is the more dangerous threat on offense.
Q vs. Josh Howard--no advantage
The two X-factors. I expect Howard to be open all series as the Suns park Amare or Nash on him on occasion and help off him the rest of the time. The Suns will make Howard prove he can repeatedly hit that 20-foot shot.
Marion vs. Nowitzki--no advantage
I'm going with my eyes here, not reputation. Marion has upped his defense and his contributions in the playoffs, while Nowitzki has struggled and looked tired. Nowitzki can't be looking forward to seeing Marion again after the trouble Marion caused him in the regular season.
Amare vs. Dampier--ouch!
This is where Avery Johnson will have to earn his money in this series. Every time Amare steps onto the court and doesn't completely disrupt the Mavericks' defense, AJ should get his own Dairy Queen franchise; on the flip side, every time a Mavericks fan says, "what were they thinking trading away Calvin Booth?", AJ should lose a dollar. His goal will be to break even.
Bench--advantage, Mavericks
The Suns can compete with the Mavs at 6th and 7th man, but after that it's no contest. It will be interesting to see how much time Barbosa gets in this series; I imagine the Suns will start out with Joe J backing up Nash again, and it will be up to the Mavericks to force the Suns' hand by attacking their ball-handling.
Coaching--advantage, Suns
D'Antoni completely undressed Mike Fratello in the first series, while Avery Johnson had a little trouble. I expect D'Antoni will prove to be the better tactician here.
Prediction--Suns in 6
I like the Suns here, but I don't have a good feel for how the series will go; both teams are good road teams but occasionally struggle at home. I think that game 1 is almost a must-win for Dallas--they'll have momentum and confidence from the end of the last series, while the Suns will be rusty and out of kilter. As the series wears on, though, the Suns' fresh legs should give them the advantage.