Phoenix Suns - L.A. Lakers Series by HHA

This series is already somewhat of a classic rivalry in the west. These teams they have met more than once and always in close series. These are games to remember, sometimes with even more physical contact than the referees normally allow. Just remember that the Lakers may have won a lot of these matches, but the Suns are not an easy prey in the playoffs since the times of Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson against Vlade Divac, going more into the past with Hornacek, to the West against Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Kurt Rambis played for both teams along his career), and even more recently with Kobe and his crew against a down in a hole Suns, 3-1 in the series coming back to win 3-4 at the end with Steve Nash and Shawn Marion. They have been Rivals for a long time; this new series is not going to be any different.

This year both teams arrived to the conference finals with a sweep behind them in the previous series. The Lakers have always been the team to defeat if you want to go to the finals in the west for nearly 11 years. Despite seeming stronger than ever the Suns have a really tough task ahead; Amar'e is going to be the key player for them, along with Steve Nash. Amar'e has solid stats in the 2 previous series (20.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg), a feat of strength and talent if you think that he had to face 2 defensive players in those 2 series, Marcus Camby and Tim Duncan. But now he would meet Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the regular season. Despite him and Robin Lopez holding Gasol and Bynum (15 and 18 points respectably), they lost 102-96 and now Lopez has seen no action since late March due to back problems. Amar'e has been doing a terrific job in the center position but the Suns really need their true center in this series. Phoenix is very optimistic in the return of Lopez. Lopez leads his team in Blocks and is a powerful source of offensive boards.

Kobe (26.9) has been and still is the main reason the Lakers are a contender for the championship, and the Suns don't appear to have a proper answer to him. Gasol is just the perfect partner for Kobe, with 20.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg and with a couple of winning shots in previous games during the postseason; he is another menace that Phoenix will face.

The Phoenix Suns will certainly have the edge in the Nash-Fisher match up, both of them are veterans with a lot of minutes in the playoffs, Fisher already has 4 championship rings on his hand to prove his worth to the team, and has seized the game for L.A on several occasions. But this year Nash is playing a lot more solidly that his counterpart. If Steve Nash continues with his amazing performance, Amar'e does his job and they recover Robin Lopez for the series, they really have a chance to upset the Lakers.