suns 4 - lakers 1

The Suns move on to round 2! The Spurs already won earlier the same evening and knew we'd be coming, but they didn't know when. Game one is Sunday, May 6th, at 12:30pm AZ time on ABC. The Lakers couldn't handle the desire the Suns came out with. It was a good Suns-style game. Bryant scored 34 points, Odom scored 33, but their combined strength was not enough to hold off the entire Suns team. Stat had 27 point and 16 boards; the Matrix had 26 points and 10 boards; Nash had 17 points and 10 dimes; and Barbosa had 18 points, himself. It was a well-rounded Suns team that defeated this one-star Lakers team. Any time the Suns get 30+ points in a quarter it is a good sign, when they get it twice in a row, that's a sign of another W to come. The Lakers let the Suns dominate the first half with 32 points both quarters. The Suns held off a Lakers 33 point 3rd quarter push, and won the game 119 - 110 in regulation. The Suns move on, as mentioned above, to the second round, the Western Conference Semi-Finals, to take on the San Antonio Spurs, who also won their series 4 games to 1 over the Denver Nuggets. One side note, but an important note just the same, the Golden State Warriors, the 8th seed in the Western Conference who barely made the playoffs, has knocked off the number 1 seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round! Way to go Warriors! The Warriors will either take on the Houston Rockets or the Utah Jazz in their second round series. Dirk the Jerk is out of it! Go MV3 Steve! GO SUNS!

suns 3 - lakers 1

The Suns could have swept if they held off the Lakers in the last game, but we are still up 3 - 1. 33 points in the first quarter, and 30+ is always a good sign for the Suns. The Suns won each quarter but the fourth, and that they lost by only one point, 29 - 28. The Suns win 113 - 100. We even won the offensive rebounding today! 5 Suns had double figures scoring (Marion, Nash, Stat, Jones, and Barbosa). Stat was huge: 27 points and 21 rebounds, 4 of those offensive. Nash set an NBA playoff assist record with 15 assists in the first half. He almost tied the record for the most assists in a playoff game overall, with 23 assists, just one shy of the 24 assist record that Magic Johnson and John Stockton are tied for. Marion had a "quiet" game with 22 points and 11 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. The Suns played a solid, intense game, and they took it away from the Lakers, crushing their hopes for moving on in the playoffs. The Suns come back to Phx to win the series on Wednesday night at 7:30pm AZ time.

Just look at that intensity on Nash's face!

suns 2 - lakers 1

The Suns came out blazin', winning the first quarter 31 - 17. They were up by as many as 17 points, but the lost their spark from there on. The Lakers got 31 to the Suns' 20 in the second, closing the lead to only 3 points at the half. The Suns lost the third by 7, down by four. The fourth quarter had times that the Suns could have come back and passed the Lakers, so that's good news, but the Suns didn't cash in but rather turned the ball over numerous times and gave way too many offensive rebounds (19). The Suns would have done better with better fast break opportunities and points in the paint, but the Lakers' defense did a great job against those two Suns' categories. Nash and Stat had double doubles: Nash with 10 points, 13 assists, and Stat with 24 points, 10 rebounds. The Suns lost 95 - 89. Game 4 is Sunday in LA on ABC at 12:30pm AZ time.

suns 2 - lakers 0

As Barbosa receives the 6th Man Award, the Suns take a crushing 2 - 0 lead in the series with the Lakers. Now we just wait to see if Nash is the MV3, as he should be. The votes are all in, so we're just waiting. The Suns came out to play, and the Lakers tried to keep to their original game plan, but it failed them. The Suns won every quarter, posting three 30+ quarters. At the half, the Suns were up by 21, and they never let it go. The Lakers worked their way below the 20-point deficit mark, but the Suns brought it back. The Suns won 126 - 98, a dominating 28 point victory. Nash only played 25 minutes, but he still got 16 points and 14 assists for his double double. Marion earned his own double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Stat was one rebound shy of a double double, with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Every player on the Suns' 12-person roster played and scored. Two Suns were 20+ in points (Barbosa had 26 again), two were 15+, and two more were 10+ (Jones, 12, and Bell, 11). Every starter was in double figures. The Suns' defense and incredible offense kept Bryant to only 34 minutes with only 15 points. All but one of the Lakers on their roster scored, as well, but they couldn't handle the Suns offense.

suns 1 - lakers 0

The Suns went down by 9 at the half. Kobe Bryant scored 28 points in the first half, and it seemed the Suns had no answer. That is, until the second half. Barbosa scored 26 points, exploding off the bench. Nash, Marion, and Stoudemire all got double doubles. Nash had 20 points and 10 assists. Marion had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Stoudemire had 23 points and 12 rebounds. We didn't get killed on the boards, and we didn't give up a ton of offensive rebounds. The Suns won the first game of this best of seven series, 95 - 87. The next game is Tuesday night, still in Phoenix, at 7:30pm AZ time. GO SUNS!