Can Suns Survive One More Day?

Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns

NBA Western Conference Finals – Game 6

Saturday, May 29th – 8:40 PM ET

U.S. Airways Center -  Phoenix, AZ

Heading Into Game 6: Lakers

It was all so much like Game 6 of the Lakers’ first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In a highly important late-series game, the Lakers needed a bucket at the very end of regulation time. Kobe Bryant got the ball on the right wing and launched a jumper that missed. While the ball was in the air, members of the opposing team stood around and watched the ball, mesmerized by the scene and hoping that the world’s best basketball player would miss. However, the job of a rebounder in the final seconds is not to hope for a miss, but to guard against an offensive rebounder in the event of a miss. Against Oklahoma City, L.A.’s Pau Gasol fought through Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison of the Thunder to put back a Kobe miss and win the series for the defending world champions. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the rebounder for the Lakers was Ron Artest, and the Phoenix Sun who failed to block him out was Jason Richardson. That’s the kind of play champions make. The Lakers are still champions.

Heading Into Game 6: Suns

How will the end of Game 5 affect this team on Saturday evening? It’s hard to say. On one hand, the Suns still have to be encouraged by the way they competed. They trailed the Lakers on Thursday night by a 41-25 score midway through the second period, and were playing a horrible brand of basketball. Stagnant in their halfcourt sets and paralyzed on defense, Phoenix allowed Kobe Bryant to get clean spot-up looks for threes and simply failed to react to what was happening on the court. Yes, the Suns cranked up the intensity and crashed the offensive glass with success in the final stages of Game 5, but their hard work – plus their valiant comeback – went for naught when Jason Richardson failed to do his job on the final play of regulation. If the Suns can be more consistent and hold their nerve to the very end, they still have a chance, but the wound of the Game 5 heartbreaker could very well crush their resolve.

Outlook & Pick

In terms of evaluating the raw form of these two teams, the Suns should be favored to win Game 6 on their home floor. The Lakers have clearly regressed from the team that steamrolled the Suns in Games 1 and 2. Pau Gasol is not the same player, and big man Andrew Bynum is simply not much a factor due to the limitations imposed by his injury. The Suns are refusing to give up, and are actually getting stronger as the series goes along. However, the Lakers furnished a championship moment in Game 5, and the Suns – who made the West Finals in 2006 but lost in Game 6 (at home) to the Dallas Mavericks – might have had their psyches permanently damaged by Ron Artest’s late basket. The percentages say the Suns, but the gut instinct says the Lakers will finish this series on Saturday.

Pick: Lakers

Magic Fight Off Elimination

Going into their Eastern Conference finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic were NBA betting enthusiasts safe bet for a return to the NBA Finals. However, going into game four last night in Boston, the Magic had gone easy on the Celtics, as they gave them a three to nothing series lead. In each of the first three games, the Celtics were able to dominate the Magic, who would not show up until the fourth quarter in each of the first two games. But, in the third game, the Celtics were able to embarrass the Magic, providing a nostalgic moment for the diehards as the Magic had not looked as bad as they did in game three since the 2003-2004 season which saw them finish last in the league that season.

NBA playoff betting fans, should note that although the Magic finally showed up for game four, no team has come back in the history of the NBA after being down three to nothing. This year, could be different, because if any team should be able to come all the way back, it should be the Magic. After such a dominating performance in the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, the Magic have never had to come from behind. Essentially if statistics can prove anything it is that this Magic team is too good to be finished in five games, and may become the first team in NBA history to come all the way back from being down three games to nothing. After winning last night, if the team can play as motivated the rest of the way through, Magic fans and basketball betters alike may witness history, as they still have the best odds of returning to the NBA finals.

Suns In A Big Hole

If this was horse racing, then the Phoenix Suns got out to a good start in these playoffs but they are fading fast. Before you know it, the sun is going to set on their season and they are going to be on the golf course, or checking their NFL football betting guide, or giving college football betting advice, or whatever else it is they do in the heat over the summer.

The Suns dispatched the Portland Trail Blazers is the first round and then spun the San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs in just four games. They had been one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs but they simply can’t match up with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Game 1, Lamar Odom went off and the Suns had no answers for him or anyone else on the Lakers squad. In Game 2, the story was the same as again the Lakers topped the 120-point mark and throttled the Suns.

In short, the Suns simply aren’t good enough. The Lakers can get out and run-and-gun, but the Suns can’t play a half court style when necessary. On top of that, the Lakers can score with the Suns with ease – and even outscore them – but the Suns can’t play a lick of defense.

New team, new coach, new faces, but same old problems.

The sports betting lines gave the impression that this would be a close series but it has been anything but in the first two games. It might last a few more but the result is becoming very clear.

NBA News- Battle of the Brooms Face Off In West Final

Two of the three most dominant teams in the NBA are set to meet in the Western Conference final Monday. The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will battle one another in what is certain to be an exciting series for NBA fans placing wagers on the series. Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns proved in their series clinching 107-101 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, is that past seasons woes should be forgotten, as the 2009-2010 Suns look to be the most dominant team Nash has played on. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on the contrary simply continued to do what they do best, dismantle opponents, as they easily defeated the Utah Jazz Monday, 111-96. When betting online for this series, although both teams swept their second round opponents, the Lakers will still be the heavy favorite as they are the defending champions. Although the Lakers are highly favoured, fans wagering on basketball betting should know that the Suns have the ability to pull upsets.

In every game this season that Steve Nash and company were down in a game, they came back and won each game. As well, the most intriguing part of the series will be to see how well each teams supporting cast plays, as the Phoenix bench severely out played San Antonio’s bench leading to the four game sweep. While Kobe Bryant’s supporting cast of Paul Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom to name a few, easily won games against both the Thunder in the first round and the Jazz in the second round. Phoenix fans witnessed the emergence of backup point guard Goran Dragic, as he took over games three and four against the Spurs. If the Lakers hope to sweep the Suns like they did the Jazz, they will need to play a very tight disciplined defensive game, similar to the one administered against the Thunder.