The Suns and Spurs don’t like each other much after last year’s Western Conference Finals. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs respond to the Suns’ changing offense. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups:
POINT GUARD: Steve Nash is still one of the best point guards in the entire NBA. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game. Nash makes every player on the Suns better. It will be interesting to watch Nash and Tony Parker duke it out in this series.
Tony Parker continues to improve as a basketball player as he looks for his shot more than he did in the past. Parker played in 69 games (68 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Parker’s mid-range game could give Nash some trouble.
EDGE: SLIGHT FOR SUNS
SHOOTING GUARD: Raja Bell of the Suns is a good player but he usually just picks up the scraps on offense. Bell played in 75 games (all starts) this season for the Suns and he averaged 11.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Bell is an outstanding shooter and he will make the Spurs pay if they double other players and leave him open.
Manu Ginobili moved into the starting lineup late in the season. His energy and hustle often rubs off on his team in a very positive manner. Ginobili played in 74 games (23 starts) this season for the Spurs and he averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Ginobili will likely cause big problems for the Suns defense.
EDGE: SPURS
SMALL FORWARD: Grant Hill has been a solid role player for the Suns as a starting player. Hill always hustles and that has helped him maintain his skills at his advancing age. Hill has played in 70 games (68 starts) this season for the Suns and he averaged 13.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Bruce Bowen of the Spurs is a defensive minded player who doesn’t help much on offense. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 6.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He will likely be all over Hill in this series.
EDGE: SLIGHT FOR SUNS
POWER FORWARD: Amare Stoudemire slid over to power forward from center after the Suns acquired Shaquille O’Neal. Stoudemire is an outstanding all-around player and he will give Tim Duncan fits on defense. Stoudemire played in 79 games (all starts) last season for the Suns and he averaged 25.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game.
Tim Duncan has been the man that has carried the Spurs in the past. Duncan played in 78 games (all starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 19.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. Duncan will do whatever the Spurs need him to in order to win this game.
EDGE: SLIGHT FOR SPURS
CENTER: Shaquille O’Neal might be past his prime but he finally started to fit in with his teammates down the stretch. O’Neal played in 28 games (all starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 12.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. O’Neal could dominate in this series against the Spurs’ centers.
Fabricio Oberto is a decent center but he’s not in Shaq’s league. Oberto played in 82 games (64 starts) for the Spurs last season and he averaged 4.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. The best advice to give Oberto against Shaq is to put him on the free throw line a lot.
EDGE: HUGE FOR SUNS
BENCH: The Suns don’t go very deep on the bench but the players they use are pretty good ones. Leandro Barbosa is one of the best 6th men in all of basketball. He played in 82 games (12 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Boris Diaw can play any position on the basketball court and that’s pretty rare. He played in 82 games (19 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 8.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Gordan Giricek was brought in during the season from the 76ers and he fit in well in Phoenix. Giricek played in 22 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Brian Skinner is the top reserve of the big men. He played in 66 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 3.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.
The Spurs also have a deep bench. Michael Finley started at shooting guard most of the season but he’s coming off the bench now. Finley played in 82 games (61 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Ime Udoka was the backup small forward for the Spurs this season and he has some game. Udoka played in 73 games (0 starts) for the Spurs this year and he averaged 5.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Matt Bonner will get some time at power forward for the Spurs in the playoffs. He played in 68 games (3 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Kurt Thomas is the top backup at both the center and power forward slots. Thomas played in 28 games (9 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 4.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Jacque Vaughn will likely give Tony Parker a breather from time to time in this series. He played in 74 games (9 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 4.1 points, 1.0 rebound and 2.1 assists per game. Damon Stoudamire might also get some minutes at the point in this series. He played in 31 games (4 starts) for the Spurs last season and he averaged 3.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Robert Horry is the “money man” in the playoffs over his NBA career. He played in 45 games (5 starts) for the Spurs this season and he averaged 2.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.
EDGE: SUNS
PREDICITON: The Suns get revenge from last season when they should have been in the NBA Finals. I like the Suns in 7 games.
