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2010 Western Conference Finals Preview


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The 2010 Western Conference Finals is an intriguing matchup of speed and quickness versus height and strength. The Phoenix Suns will be looking to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the Steve Nash era while the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to go for the third consecutive year.

 

Here is a look at a few of the advantages that each team has:

 

Lakers

- They can control the paint: Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom present a major problem for the Suns. The three should be able to control the boards and get the Suns big-men into foul trouble.

- The Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant is still one of the best players in the game and certainly the best closer. He is the best player in the series and Grant Hill/Jared Dudley will have their hands full trying to limit his production.

- Experience: Head coach Phil Jackson is looking to add to his NBA record of 10 championships while Bryant and Derek Fisher will each be looking for their fifth. The group they have now is practically the same one that won the championship last year and finished as runner-ups the year before.

- Talent: On paper, the Lakers have more talent than their opponents. Lamar Odom would probably be the second or third best player on many teams, but comes off the bench for the Lakers.

 

Suns

- The point guard matchup: Sure Derek Fisher is a tough veteran with plenty of experience and a knack for clutch shots, but he is deficient defensively and past his prime. Former two-time MVP Steve Nash led the league in assists this year again and is one of the best point guards in the game.

- The bench: The Suns have arguably the best bench in the NBA. Leandro Barbosa, Luis Amundson, Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, and Goran Dragic helped Phoenix to erase three first-quarter deficits in the semis against the Spurs. With the exception of Lamar Odom, Jackson has no idea what he is going to get off his bench on any given night.

- Three-point shooting: Led by Nash, the Suns are perennially one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league. Treys are a great equalizer and the Suns’ shooters will have to be on from outside to counter-act the Lakers inside dominance. Unfortunanetly for Phoenix, the Lakers led the league in opponents three-point field-goal percentage.

- Team chemistry: This is not the most talented team that Steve Nash has been a part of in his second stint with Phoenix. But it is definitely the most cohesive.

 

x-Factor:

– Phoenix center Robin Lopez. After being inserted into the starting lineup about halfway through the regular season, the Suns really took off. He got hurt late in the season, however, and has not seen any action in the playoffs. He is expected to start game one of this series. He is a big body that if healthy could really do some damage in terms of limiting the Laker big men, but we don’t know how effective he will be after being out for so long. Bringing back a player in the middle of a playoff run has not been something that’s worked out well for many teams in the past.

 

Something to look for:

- How the Lakers decide to defend Steve Nash. Jackson stuck with Fisher guarding PG Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz in the last round. Ron Artest is a versatile defender that would be able to do a much better job on Nash than Fisher would. That would leave Fisher to likely guard Grant Hill, who can’t do nearly as much damage as Nash.

 

Prediction:

- Lakers in 6 games. If the Suns had a fully integrated Lopez (meaning he hadn’t missed any time), we would be looking at a different ball-game. While the Suns have been playing well in the playofs, Bryant and the big-men should provide to be too much of a task for them as the Lakers will advance to the NBA Finals for the third-straight year.

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http://alexlsanderson.com/nba/2010-western-conference-finals-preview/

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