Monday, May 09, 2005
And Away We Go: Round 2
Eight days of rest for the Suns was supposed to make them rusty coming out of the gate in game one against Dallas. Instead, they found used some WD40 and ran Dallas off of the floor. This was supposed to be the team that could run with the Suns, a team with a slew of shooters that could compete. What we saw was the glaring interior weakness of the Mavericks. Avery Johnson is going to have to solve the Amare Stoudemire puzzle if Dallas is going to compete in this series. With 40 points, 16 rebounds, and a truckload of attitude, Amare led Phoenix to a 127-102 game one beatdown of the Nashless Mavericks.
Naturally, I expect Dallas to come out better prepared in game two, but I'm not sure that they have a solution to close out Amare in the lane. Dampier is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare, Alan Henderson is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare, and Shawn Bradley is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare. If they collapse on him in the paint, he's going to kick it out to one of the 3-point assassins, if they let him run around down low, he's going to average 40 for the series.
It's not going to be a 25-point obliteration every night, but the Mavs gave this game away. The Suns were willing to take it, but they get one win for it and have to prepare for an angry Dallas squad on Wednesday. If the Suns can protect home court, expect that momentum to carry over and get a split in Dallas. If they drop game two, then the series starts anew with Dallas getting the home court. That's the problem with this situation: the road team is looking to get a split, so dropping the first one isn't fatal for Dallas.
Dallas and Phoenix play similar styles, but Phoenix does everything just a little bit better than Dallas, and in a 7-game series that will become clear. Amare is the X-factor in this series. With Memphis, the Suns had to work the ball around to get it in to Amare. With Dallas, Nash can just dump it in on the screen and roll.
Again, I don't expect this series to be a massacre, but I can't see Dallas keeping up with Phoenix for the series.
Suns in 6.
Naturally, I expect Dallas to come out better prepared in game two, but I'm not sure that they have a solution to close out Amare in the lane. Dampier is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare, Alan Henderson is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare, and Shawn Bradley is just too slow and clumsy to stick with Amare. If they collapse on him in the paint, he's going to kick it out to one of the 3-point assassins, if they let him run around down low, he's going to average 40 for the series.
It's not going to be a 25-point obliteration every night, but the Mavs gave this game away. The Suns were willing to take it, but they get one win for it and have to prepare for an angry Dallas squad on Wednesday. If the Suns can protect home court, expect that momentum to carry over and get a split in Dallas. If they drop game two, then the series starts anew with Dallas getting the home court. That's the problem with this situation: the road team is looking to get a split, so dropping the first one isn't fatal for Dallas.
Dallas and Phoenix play similar styles, but Phoenix does everything just a little bit better than Dallas, and in a 7-game series that will become clear. Amare is the X-factor in this series. With Memphis, the Suns had to work the ball around to get it in to Amare. With Dallas, Nash can just dump it in on the screen and roll.
Again, I don't expect this series to be a massacre, but I can't see Dallas keeping up with Phoenix for the series.
Suns in 6.
# posted by Brent @ 10:12 PM 
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I don't see any of these second round series lasting beyond five games. Amare-shiver-me-timbers, man. Whoa.
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