So, a quick recap on game 6 of the Suns-Lakers series. In a nutshell, not enough Amare, and too much Kobe. Once again, as in games 1 and 2, Stoudemire seemed lost and was not aggressive in going to the hoop. On the other hand, once Kobe smelled victory, he was unstoppable. Near the end of the game, when the Suns nearly completed the comeback, Kobe scored several baskets with Grant Hill basically draped on him. On one long shot, right in front of coach Gentry, Kobe nailed it. Gentry yelled “Good defense” and Kobe tapped Gentry and said “Not good enough.” That about sums it up.

So, it seems, even though the Suns are a deep team, and good enough on offense, to beat the Lakers the Suns need to play perfectly. With Stoudemire AWOL in the first half of the game, the Suns didn’t stand a chance.

So, now what? I’m not going to comment on the NBA Finals, except to say that it’s sham setup by David Stern to maximize revenue. If I say anything more about it, though, Commissioner Stern might fine me.

The Suns have cleared out their lockers in their t-shirts and shorts. Steve Nash was moved to tears after believing this would be the year for a Suns team that was probably the best of the second Steve Nash era.

But that’s it. The season’s over. What’s on tap for Los Suns in the offseason? Well, there’s the issue of several free-agents, including Grant Hill, Louis Amundson, and Channing Frye. Then there is the issue of whether or not Stoudemire opts out of his contract.

Let’s address the lesser issues first.

If the stock market is doing well, Sarver might be compelled to lay some change down and resign Amundson and Frye at larger contracts. Amundson was an integral piece with his hustle and defense, and he’s not a complete liability on offense. While the Suns should try to retain him, if they can get better talent at his price, they might go for that instead. But, please, don’t bring Matt Barnes back. Pretty please. God, I would freaking kill Sarver if Barnes was signed. Seriously.

Frye came to the Suns looking to earn a big contract. To a great extent, he has done that. Although he was demoted to the bench when it became clear that Stoudemire played better with Lopez, he was still an integral part of the team. Sure, he disappeared for the first three games against the Lakers, but he is young and this experience will make him better the next time. He is a unique talent, a sharp-shooting seven-footer. With the emergence of Lopez, I think it’s a no-brainer to resign Frye unless he demands more playing time or something.

Grant Hill. What can we say about Grant Hill. His only playoff success has been with the Suns, and all this year. He has already committed to staying with the Suns and will likely retire with the purple and orange.

So, that leaves only Stoudemire as the biggest question of the off-season. Most experts put his resigning with the Suns at 50-50. I say that’s about right. It’s clear that if he wants immediate success and a legitimate chance at a championship, he will need to sign with the Lakers. I jest, I jest. Or do I? Or he might pair up with a Dwyane Wade or LeBron and make a run through the East. It is true that the East is easier to win in than the West, and that is a legitimate move that the likes of Jason Kidd made (and ended up in two trips to the Finals). Although Kidd’s move was not voluntary, it benefitted him greatly.

If Stoudemire opts out and resigns with the Suns, this will likely be his last chance to earn a maximum contract before the collective bargaining agreement is revised and the maximum contract is less maximum. If he picks up the option year, he gives up that certainty. So it is almost certain that he opts out of his contract. What he gets on the free-agent market is up for speculation. Certainly his regular-season performance is worthy. But as they say, you’re only as good as your last game. And he last series with the Lakers was a bona-fide disaster. Will that dimish his value? We’ll know come July.

Channing Frye finally found his touch, sinking three treys in the second and another in the fourth to help put the lead out of reach.

Dudley had one of the finest games of these playoffs, not only scoring but with a couple of sweet dishes. Barbosa got it going, and Dragic highlighted it by torching Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom for two points on the same play. That same play sent an about-to-check-in Steve Nash back to the bench until the game was nearly over. That rest is going to pay off since all the games are on an every-other-day schedule.

But, hey, all that’s happened so far is each team has protected home court. That’s not going to do it for the Suns, since 2 of the next three are in LA. Should this go to a game seven, the Lakers will have a clear advantage. I’d like to see the Suns go back to LA and steal a game there, putting the Lakers on their heels.

So, what helped the Suns win this game? Zone, zone and more zone. Once again the Lakers seemed uncomfortable attacking the zone. The second quarter was a back and forth offensive showcase between the Suns and Lakers, with Kobe and various Suns players taking turns sinking three pointers in a game of “if you can make one, I can do it too.” Just imagine Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes: “I’ve hustled alot better players than you.” Stoudemire attacked the rim again and got Gasol in foul trouble. Although Bynum had more of an impact on this game, Channing Frye did more for the Suns than Bynum did for the Lakers.

As this series goes longer, I think the Suns have a better chance. While the Suns starters barely played 30 minutes, the primary Lakers, including Kobe and Gasol, have been playing around 35 each game. Kobe had 45 minutes on the night on his way to 38 points. These long games are going to take their toll on Kobe and Gasol eventually. In the middle, Bynum can’t really get any better, while Lopez keeps improving every game. If it’s not big numbers, then it’s playing the zone to perfection and intimidating the big Lakers on the inside. There was one sequence where he outhustled Gasol to get a putback. Desire, said the guy on TV. He just wanted the ball more.

Meanwhile, the Suns bench comes in and not only fills in for the starters, but makes a difference. Can you say the same thing for Shannon Brown, Josh Powell, or DJ Mbenga? I’m sure they’re very nice people off the court, but on the court they haven’t contributed much this series. Luke Walton, who used to be decent, came off the bench to fill some space on the court for two minutes. That’s not going to get ‘er done in a long, drawn out series. If this goes seven games, I like the Suns chances, excepting, of course, commissioner Stern’s wishes.

So, the series is all tied up. We got two days to see if the Suns can keep this momentum up. If Frye and Barbosa show up again, and the zone or a mix thereof can keep the Lakers unbalanced, and the Suns relentless attack can wear down Bryant and Gasol, then the Suns have a chance to steal a game in LA.

I’m a Suns fan through and through: just ask my wife. I hope this is the year that the Suns get a chance to repay the Celtics an old debt.

All it took was a little home-cooking. The TNT Analysts made a point of mentioning that the Suns had not played a home game in 18 days. I loved seeing Barkley out there before the game letting the crowd know he’s a Suns fan and holding the Westphal 5:93 sign. Epic.

So, do I think the SUns have a chance in this series? Talk to me after the next game. But for now, I will revel in the glow of this victory.

So, what looked different this time around? Well, I am not the person who breaks down tape and analyzes all the plays. But I’ll tell you what I casually observed from my couch.

1. The Suns broke out the zone defense early and often. This helped relieve Hill, Richardson and Dudley from being worn out by defending Kobe Bryant. Bryant was switched over from one defender to the next in the zone defense. That ended up in Lopez coming over to challenge the shot on many occassions.

2. Stoudemire attacked the rim relentlessly. I believe I only saw him shoot 2 or three jump shots on his way to a 42 point night. This, in turn, helped get Odom and Bynum in foul trouble, in addition to 18 free-throws, easily the most he has shot in a few games.

3. Although the Suns bench stunk it up on the offense (3-21), their defense was good enough to keep the game close. There had been some talk that in game 2, coach Gentry should have stuck with Nash going into the 4th quarter, instead of letting the bench come in and allow the Lakers to go on a big run, but the bench gave enough defense and Stoudemire gave enough offense to make it work.

4. Robin Lopez gave 18 points, providing the perfect sidekick and third-foil to the Lakers big inside line. As the series goes on, Lopez should get better and Bynum should continue getting worse, so maybe there is some hope.

5. Jason Richardson once again hitting big shots, including a crucial three-pointer with less than a minute left that stretched the lead back to 10 points, effectively closing out the Lakers. Does that guy have ice in his veins or what? He has iced at least 3 games during the playoffs with a big shot near the end of the game.

So, we’ll sit around, savor this victory for a day, then see if the Suns can follow this up on Tuesday or if Phil Jackson has something up his sleeve.

Remember that? It was just 11 days ago. Surely you remember. Game 1 we could dismiss as an anomaly. Jitters. Too much anticipation. Many players not being able to believe that the winner of this series will go to the Finals. Ok, I can buy that.

Well, the good news is that Game 2 was MORE competitive. Mainly through thanks of the bench and primarily Jared Dudley who hit all five of his three-pointers. But Channing Frye was another no-show, as was Barbosa and Dragic did very little.

But the biggest story, in my mind, is the half-hearted play of Stoudemire. Sure, his numbers look OK. I mean, decent. 18 points, six boards, 2 blocks. But at least three of those rebounds literally just landed in his hands. The beast that was grabbing double-digit rebounds on a regular basis has been nowhere to be seen. And he hasn’t been agressive going to the basket trying to get Odom, Gasol and Bynum in foul trouble. Is he trying to save his elbow for free-agency like LeBron? Is he having a meltdown a ‘la Joe Johnson?

No one but Amare knows for sure. But I know that if he doesn’t show up, put a fork in the Suns, they’re done.

The hardest part about watching the game, besides watching the beloved Purple and Orange lose, is the way in which they have been losing. No effort from Stoudemire. Frye looking lost on the perimeter. Nash throwing the ball away and getting chased off the three-point line. I know the Suns can play better than this. The Suns have faced tougher defenses. No, these Suns have not been a joy to watch.

Credit goes to the Lakers, of course. They made shots, and Gasol is very crafty around the basket. They are running a very effective defense. But I keep getting the feeling that the Suns are just not competing in this series.

Perhaps it’s time to pull out the Paul Westphal: “We’ll come home, win 2 here, go back to LA and win one, then come back home and win that game and everyone will say what a great series it was.”

But as much as I want to blame the refs, this game wasn’t even close. I mean, it was close in the first quarter, but once the Lakers started clicking, and Kobe started hitting ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot, it was over. Lamar Odom came through huge for the Lakers, because Bynum didn’t really do much. Even after he dunked in the opening quarter and the TNT Analyst claimed that he was “Dominating” the game. By the way, Mr. TNT Analyst, Bynum ended up with 4 points and 4 boards. That was totally dominating. I was being facetious, in case you couldn’t tell.

No, the Suns came out with the jitters like game 1 in the first round when the Blazers won game 1. Yet the Suns came back to win that in six. Of course, the Blazers never completely dominated on the offensive end nor disrupted the Suns so completely on defense. Looks like Gentry has some moving of x’s and o’s before the next game.

Let’s started. Get Jason Richardson involved. Channing Frye was covered well in this game, but I doubt they do that well for four straight games. Dudley and Hill need to “shut down” Bryant while at the same time getting some offense of their own. Lamar Odom needs to go back to being the on-again, off-again offensive force.

Oh, and of course, the refs need to start calling a fair game. I think the Suns management needs to make one of those “Highlight” tapes for the league office showing how many times the Suns were fouled without getting the call. Like the Fisher bump from behind on Nash. No call. The Grant Hill up and into the defender move that is almost always a foul call. No call. Steve Nash getting hacked mercilessly on almost every drive? No call. Shannon Brown getting the blocking call trying to jump over Jason Richardson? That should have totally been a charge. Shannon Brown doesn’t know how to NOT charge. But because he wears the Lakers gold he gets the call. It’s a shame how uneven the refereeing is, and the star treatment that Bryant and company get just because they play for the Lakers.

Bright spots for the Suns? Dragic and Barbosa had good games off the bench. That bodes well in future games if the starters can get it going. Other than Lamar Odom, the Lakers bench was a virtual no-show. Robin Lopez came in and showed that he could be more of a factor with greater minutes.

What do the Suns need to do for Game 2? Get the three-pointer going again. The Lakers can’t shut it down completely. Get Richardson going. They had some nice screens and curls for him, but didn’t stay with it. Open up the lanes. True, the Lakers clogged the middle and packed it in but still managed to get out to the three-point line. Get Gasol in foul trouble, and stick Hill on Odom, because obviously Kobe is going to get his even if the entire team is guarding him. He made some pretty unbelievable shots.

So, let’s call it what it was: a good-old ass-whooping. No, the officiating didn’t help, but I don’t think it would have made a difference in this game. Suns need to come out with more energy and concentration, and Gentry needs to find some way to counter the Lakers defense. And the vaunted “improved” Suns defense needs to show up.

But, hey, it’s only 1 game, right?

Physical match-ups:

Hope: The Suns overall team speed will, over time, run the Lakers off the court. After all, a smaller OKC Thunder team out-rebounded them in several games in round one. The Suns are even faster than the Thunder, and better equipped to abuse their speed.

Fear: The Lakers overall size advantage will, over time, doom the Suns. Single most cited Lakers advantage by most pundits. It’s not just that they have big guys, but they have big guys who can play, and a system that can get them the ball in the paint.

Hope: There is no guarantee that Laker’s center Andrew Bynum could run with the Suns even if he was healthy, which he is not. With him on the bench, the Laker’s lack credible depth at center. And, assuming Pau Gasol will have his hands full guarding Stoudemire (a safe assumption), none of the Lakers’ bigs have the speed the chase Channing Frye out into three-point-land.

Fear: The Lakers have the experience and discipline to force a slower tempo game, pounding the ball into the paint, where the puny Suns will be squashed like bugs.

Hope: The Suns have the speed and the overall high basketball IQ (perhaps the only team beside the Celtics that can match the Lakers in this regard) to force a faster pace, where their high shooting percentage, averaged over a higher number of shot attempts, adds up to doom for the defending champions.

Point Guard:

Hope: Steve Nash is a two-time MVP and Derek Fisher isn’t.

Fear: Derek Fisher is a quality defender and Steve Nash isn’t.

Hope: Nash had his best quarter in the play-offs with one eye swollen shut.

Shooting Guard:

Hope: Jason Richardson’s new-found all-star quality game will work Kobe Bryant on both ends of the floor.

Fear: Kobe will score 40 points anyway – 20 of them in the fourth quarter.

Hope: Suns win 90% of the time when J-Rich scores 20+, and the Lakers aren’t game-planning him the way the Suns game-plan Bryant.

Small Forward:

Hope: Grant Hill can put slap some quality defense on Kobe Bryant.

Fear: Ron Artest can slap suffocating defense on anyone he wants.

Hope: Artest does not like chasing guards – where most of the Suns offense comes from.

Power Forward:

Hope: Stoudemire!

Fear: Gasol!

Hope: STAT is having a career play-offs in terms of maturity.

Center:

Hope: Robin Lopez is healthy(ish) giving the suns both size and mobility at center.

Fear: Bynum is still bigger – and in game shape.

Hope: If Frye hits his threes, that will not matter.

Bench:

Hope: The Suns bench is ten deep (maybe eleven counting Collins – who will see some minutes), which counts a lot in an up-tempo series. The bench scored 50 points in the Suns regular season win over LA.

Fear: The Lakers have the experience and discipline to force a slower tempo game, where their bench will not be  as necessary (Lamar Odom has been their only reliable performer off the bench in these play-offs).

Hope: The Suns are still ten deep.

Offense:

Hope: the Suns have the best offense, team shooting percentage and 3-point percentages in the league. Their pick-and-roll game is the best in the league.

Fear: The Lakers have one of the best shooting percentage defenses in the league, and the best three-point defense. Lakers coach Phil Jackson has made a legend of unraveling legendary pick-and-rolls.

Hope: San Antonio had great defensive stats as well, and couldn’t hold the Suns under 107 points in any of the four games.

Defense:

Hope: the Suns’ defense is better than it has been in a generation.

Fear: Better than awful does not win championships.

Hope: When you can score, better than awful might still be enough.

Intangibles:

Hope: Fun and Gun with bonus defense is working. The Suns have over-achieved just getting here, and all the pressure in on the Lakers.

Fear: Kobe Bryant has been reminding himself all week that the Suns were the last team to eliminate the Lakers short of the NBA Finals. The Lakers are defending champions for a reason, and will not beat themselves.

Hope: So what? Bryant always brings it. He can’t beat the Suns by himself ( we know – he’s tried). The Suns have been playing some of the best team ball in these play-offs, and every night it’s a different hero.

Once again, the Suns are facing the world champion #$@!ing Lakers, and all of our hopes and fears suit up with them.

Well, I guess the Spurs have swallowed their pride. The improbable has happened. I’m not sure if I’m ready to wake up. For the Suns and their fans, beating the Spurs is almost as good as winning the Championship. I’ll take the championship, too. However, that road leads through the Lakers, and they have just finished off the Jazz with a 20 point win. It’ll be a tough matchup, for sure, and I’m not making any predictions.

Back to the Spurs, though. Tortured Suns fans were on edge after finishing off the Blazers. We were sure it’d be at least six, maybe seven games, to finish the series. Oh, Suns fans figured we could win against the Spurs this year, but we never figured them to go out like this.

Sure, you can say Ginobili has a broken nose, Parker had a sore shoulder, and Duncan had a gimpy knee. But injuries happen. The Suns happened to be in relatively good health as the playoffs started, except for Robin Lopez. The Spurs still had the fight and the will in them, but their bodies couldn’t close the deal.

So, how did this go down? I’m not going to rehash each game, but it was a different player each game. The first two games, it was Nash and Stoudemire and Jason Richardson. In game three, when it looked the Suns might lose the first one of the series, Dragic and the bench stepped up and put the Spurs away. And in game four, it was Nash and Stoudemire again, even though Nash only had one eye. But overall, it was a huge team effort. Every player that went out on the court put in the effort and contributed in some way, either with hustle, scoring, rebounding, or playing smart. Even Barbosa hit timely shots and helped put the Spurs away. And it was not only the team effort, but the game style. Sure, the Suns were above 100 points in each game, so you can be mistaken for thinking this is the same old Seven Seconds or Less D’Antoni team. But it is and it isn’t. The offense is there, but it isn’t designed to be a quick strike anymore. What’s more, there is defense. Actual defense. Channing Frye and Stoudemire taking on Duncan. Blocking out. Even Steve Nash is running at shooters. For many of the games with the Spurs, the Suns ground it out until they could go on a run to bust the game open. The ability to score while playing at a slower pace and have the bench come in and contribute are really the few things that have differentiated this team from those of D’Antoni. And it seems to be working. Gentry demands defense and smart play. He is from the Popovich school of coaching, not the D’Antoni country club school. These changes have made the Suns the Finals contender they are today.

So, now let’s look forward. Suns and Lakers. The Suns have dismissed the Lakers the last two times they met in the playoffs, but the Lakers, besides Kobe Bryant, looked a lot different then. Now they have Gasol and Bynum, two huge bodies. They still have Kobe, of course, and Odom. But they also have Artest, who may get the defensive start on Nash. I think Nash wins that matchup, because it’ll perpetually leave Derek Fisher in the post with Grant Hill, which the Suns would be advised to take advantage of until the Lakers switch defenders.

Coming from not making the playoffs to the Western Conference Finals feels so good as a Suns fan. Maybe this is the Suns year. OUR year. One can dream. And, occassionally, dreams do come true.

These suns are like the team they met in 2008, but a totally different team. There is an effective bench, which means the starters can rest for the big push, there is defense. Heck, I even saw Nash contest shots! And there is Jason Richardson, an upgrade at the shooting guard over Raja Bell (no offense, Raja, we still love you for clotheslining Kobe). And of course, there is Jared Dudley.

This series is the Suns’ to lose. I am calling for the sweep, but really, we’ll take four wins against the Spurs any way we can get them.

It was the big three – the OTHER big three – for the Suns that carried the game. I’m talking about Nash, Stoudemire, and Richardson. Nash scored 33 and handed out 10 assists, Stoudmire had 23 and 13 rebounds, and Jason Richardson came through in clutch time. When the Suns needed baskets in the fourth, there was J-Rich hitting a trey or scoring on a fast-break.

All in all, the Suns gave us a pretty good scare in the later stages of the game when the Spurs tied it up. But the aforementioned clutch baskets, and the always-accurate free-throw shooting of Steve Nash, put the Spurs away.

A few observations. I like Dragic defending Tony Parker. Parker can’t run away from Dragic as easily as he does Steve Nash. Unfortunately, to stay on the court Dragic is going to have to produce on the offensive end, something he didn’t do with enough consistency. Channing Frye hit a couple of big three-pointers and played generally decent defense on Duncan when called upon. Duncan himself didn’t look like the Duncan of old, perhaps hobbled by a gimpy knee which was aggravated when Dragic accidentally rolled into it. Hey, if Horry can hip-check Nash into the sidelines, Dragic can roll into Duncan’s leg.

Although Tony Parker came off the bench for this game, I fully expect him to start in Game Two. Especially with the way Nash abused Hill in the first few minutes of the game.

I hope one of the Suns accidentally bumps Ginobili in the nose. That guy is a pest, and I would say has no business playing basketball except that he seems to be so effective at it. I believe I saw him revert a bit to his old ways of just trying to get contact so that he can get a foul call, but thankfully there was not much of it and he tended to play more straight-up basketball and not try to look like he was getting fouled every other trip down the court.

I hope to maybe see some Earl Clark on Duncan at some point, but it might not happen in this series. Robin Lopez is also a maybe to play at some point in this series, which would change the Suns game and make them more effective in the paint. I can see Duncan having at least some difficulty guarding him, and I can see Lopez making Duncan work a little more for his points on the other end.

Kudos to the Suns for not collapsing when the Spurs made their run. Perhaps this is the year that, finally, the Suns get over the Spurs hump and get back to the Western Conference Championships. I would love to see it. All of us faithful Suns fans would love to see it. Let’s just hope our dreams don’t get hip-checked then suspended into oblivion.

That said, the Suns broke off a huge one. Kudos to the bench, with Frye coming up with 20, including a 4-point play, and Dudley going for 19 including 5 three pointers. Dragic drove to the basket on numerous occassions, looking like a left-handed version of ‘ol number 7, Kevin Johnson. That got the Blazer’s big men in foul trouble, and extended the time that Nash rested. Even Barbosa looked good tonight.

When the game started and the Suns were down 18-4, I was incredulous. It was looking bad. But little by little, they got back into it. Jason Richardson looked hungry, skying in for rebounds and battling amongst the huge Blazers front line. Stoudemire had some nifty moves. Although Nash clearly is not 100% right now, he got it going in the second and third quarter for the Suns. His best pass: right through Aldridge’s arms into the waiting hands of Stoudemire for a dunk. Awesome!

So, in a seven game series, the team that has a 3-2 lead wins the series 83% of the time according to some statistic I just pulled out of my butt. I don’t think the Blazers have enough fight left in them to beat the Suns again. There was a Marcus Camby sighting, but limited by foul trouble he was a non-factor.

So, all in all, things are looking good for the Suns. They need to go to Portland and finish this off. Nash and crew will get a two-day rest before game six. However, if the Spurs close out the Mavs this week, the Suns will face the Spurs this weekend. Blah!