Suns-Spurs

I should have known better. Of course it's going to come down to the Suns-Spurs series for the Suns if they are any good. And they are very good this season. Starting Monday, we will all watch another tantalizing series between these two teams who have enthralled us with many such series over the last 6 years. I don't expect this series to be any different except for the eventual result. I totally expect the Suns to win this year though the Spurs are always a tough out in the playoffs. The Mavs found this out the hard way last week even as the 2-Nd seed playing the supposedly 7-Th best team in the West. There is a saying that we should be careful what we wish for because we might just get our wish! I was actually so impressed with the Mavs late in the regular season, I was scared of the Suns playing them. Because of the Nash-centered rivalry and how he used to kill them a few years back, I feel the Mavs get up for the Suns and with all the talent this year, I was not confident that the Suns can handle the Mavs talent, emotional surge and their home court in these playoffs. So I was pulling for the Spurs to beat the Mavs and get to the Suns. That has happened now and I am beginning to get a little jittery given the history.

I feel like the emotional dynamics in a Suns-Spurs match-up is the revere of the Mavs-Suns series. The Suns fight like the wounded underdog against the Spurs because they are. They get up for them and though the results have not always been favorable in the playoffs so far, this regular season has been pretty good for the Suns against these Spurs. I understand these playoffs are different, especially for the veteran Spurs team, but I still like the Suns chances. Amare always plays well against the Spurs. Timmy is great, but he seems a little slowed down these days. Also there is no Bruce Bowen to molest Nash full-court. In fact, I have always believed Bowen's absence is one of their issues this season and I am hoping the Suns and Nash take advantage of it. I am sure Pop will find someone else to harass him and Nash didn't look all that great against even the Blazers, but Bowen's absence should be good news for the MP3. Nash needs to play better. Too many turnovers against playoff caliber defenses and a tired, end-of-the-season body always hurts him in the playoffs, but if he plays smart, the Suns should be good. The team as a whole did well against the Blazers and I am happy they put them to bed in 6 even after losing game 1 at home. Thats a sign of a mature team. Lets hope the Suns prove me right on Monday. They can't lose game 1 to the Spurs at home. Just like the Sox against the Yanks in 2004, the Suns have to go through the Spurs if they ever want to win a ring. Thats the only way to reverse the curse!

LeBron James has won his second MVP in a row. Very deserving I might add. No arguments here. The Cavs will beat the Celtics and go forward. The series might take a while, but will work out for the Cavs. In the other Eastern series, the Bucks now have to go on the road and play a game 7. They lost a golden opportunity at home yesterday. Utah did not do the same mistake and took care of the Nuggets. It's amazing what Utah did with the guys on that roster. Goes to show how much you can do with a couple of studs and a great coach and system. My only regret there is, the talent, size and the thugs on the Denver roster would have given the Lakers more trouble than the Jazz would. It should be a relatively easy series for the Lakers right now against the Jazz. The Lakers did close out the Thunder on the road. They proved me right. The Thunder played very well and what they did was impressive, but it was much ado about nothing. A young team like that cannot beat the Lakers in a 3 game series with 2 games in LA. The best case scenario or them was to force a 7 game series, but that didn't happen. Durant was totally off, but the Thunder still almost won the game. It is an awesome team and I am scared of them as a fan of a fellow Western conference team. The future is theirs for the taking as long as Durant keeps getting better.