Suns begin Western Confernce Finals versus Mavericks
The Phoenix Suns square off tonight against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns took out the LA Clippers in Game 7 of the last series, their second straight 7-game series, and the Mavericks withstood a late charge and overtime to take out the San Antonio Spurs in their Game 7.
Both teams will be looking to run and score a lot of points, but expect Dallas to go through some phases where they're trying more on defense than they are on offense. Coach Avery Johnson will not be happy, nor will he allow them to be complacent and let the Suns run up & down the court.
Dallas presents a couple matchup problems, similar to what the Clippers presented - a lot more size. They also have more able bodies to put in the game to foul and/or bruise up the Suns starting squad. There is a chance that Kurt Thomas will play in this series, and his defense and rebounding would be a great addition if that was so.
The game is in Dallas, but I expect the Suns to be a little fresher and take Game 1.
In other news:
- The NBA Draft Lottery was completed last night and the Toronto Raptors were awarded with the #1 pick. Most analysts believe they'll pick Adam Morrison from Gonzaga, but GM Bryan Colangelo says a lot can change before the NBA Draft (in a month).
- Kevin Garnett is constantly being rumored in various trade scenarios, but management says that's not going to happen unless a marquee player is traded in return (ie: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James). Since that's not likely, look for the Timberwolves to make some other moves during this offseason.