As the Western Conference Finals approach, I felt it was necessary to write a preview. Without further adieu...
Center
Andrew Bynum 15.0/8.3/1.0 (10.3/8.9/1.1)
Robin Lopez 8.4/4.9/0.1 (unavailable)
This is no contest. Andrew Bynum is twice the center that Robin Lopez is. The only way that Phoenix wins this battle is if Drew's knee is actually getting worse. Drew is bigger, stronger and a better player than Lopez. Bynum should be able to have his way around the paint when Lopez is in the game. However, Lopez will win the hustle plays. If there is a knock on Bynum it is that he doesn't always match the intensity of his opponent. Lopez will bring plenty of energy. Bynum is also a liability when the Sun switch in Channing Frye for Lopez. Bynum will not follow him to the three point line.
Advantage: Lakers
Power Forward
Amar'e Stoudemire 23.1/8.9/1.0 (20.5/7.0/1.5)
Pau Gasol 18.3/11.3/3.4 (20.2/13.1/3.3)
I personally think this is a no-brainer. One of my favorite movies is Remember the Titans, there is a scene when Julius Campbell is talking to Gerry Bertier and Bertier says, "you're nothing...nothing but a waste of God-given talent". This line rings clear in my head EVERY time I watch Amar'e Stoudemire play basketball. He is a 6' 10" freak of nature. He can jump out of the gym. He plays with a ton of energy. A few years ago (2005 Playoffs) he played one of the most amazing playoff series I can remember torching Tim Duncan (41,37,34,31,and 42). However, he has gotten by on pure athleticism. He has no low post game. He can't back you down. He can dunk and from time to time drop a 19 footer and he struggles to get 10 boards a game. On the other hand Pau Gasol is legit. He has been through the battles (Carlos Boozer, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins, KG, etc...) and he has won most of those battles. He is adept at going right, left and has a sneaky good jump shot. Lastly, if Gasol's offense isn't going well he will pitch in with 15 boards or 5 block shots or 5 assists. If the game isn't going well for Amar'e...well he will pout.
Advantage: Draw (Amar'e still has Nash getting him the ball for dunks)
Small Forward
Grant Hill 11.3/5.5/2.4 (9.5/6.7/2.3)
Ron Artest 11.0/4.3/3.0 (9.8/3.1/2.7)
Like I said last round of the playoffs, Ron Artest must feel like he is getting some time off. Kevin Durant was a bear in the first round. A constant struggle for Ron. However, Utah didn't have a good 3 for Artest to check and neither does Phoenix. I think that the Lakers should have Artest cover Richardson who has been playing well in the Playoffs and let Kobe guard the middle. Grant Hill doesn't have the game anymore to merit a big time defender.
Advantage: Lakers
Shooting Guard
Jason Richardson 15.7/5.1/1.8 (21.9/6.3/1.0)
Kobe Bryant 27.0/5.4/5.0 (26.9/3.9/4.9)
Even with all of the ailments, Kobe is better than Jason Richardson. He can shoot you into a game and he can shoot you out. I expect J-Rich's number to drop a bit on the offensive end since he has to follow Kobe around. Although, I wouldn't be surprised to see Grant Hill guard Kobe. If this switch does happen, Artest should take Richardson into the post until the Suns switch back.
Advantage: Lakers
Point Guard
Steve Nash 16.5/3.3/11 (17.8/3.1/9.0)
Derek Fisher 7.5/2.1/2.5 (10.6/2.5/3.2)
Steve Nash is one of the greatest player of all time. His pure shooting stats are out of this world (FG - 50+%, FT - 90+%, 3FG - 40+%). He is the Wayne Gretzky of basketball. He knows where his teammates will go before they do. And he hits them in stride almost every time. His weakness is on the defensive end. Fortunately for the Sun, Derek Fisher is not a primetime offensive player, so this deficiency will not be exploited too much by the Lakers. D-Fish is here for his experience and his ability to knock down timely shots.
Advantage: Suns
Bench
Channing Frye 11.2/5.3/1.4(8.7/5.6/1.1)
Leandro Barbosa 9.5/1.6/1.5(7.6/1.8/0.9)
Jared Dudley 8.2/3.4/1.4(7.4/3.5/1.9)
Lamar Odom 10.8/9.8/3.3 (8.5/8.1/1.8)
Shannon Brown 8.1/2.2/1.3 (6.6/1.6/1.0)
Jordan Farmar 7.2/1.6/1.5 (4.9/1.2/1.0)
Both teams benches have struggled this postseason. Frye has struggled to find his stroke and Odom has struggled to find a way into the flow. Odom should find a way to have an impact on the series from a rebounding and fascilitating the offense perspective. Frye will have an impact because of his ability to float around the three point line and his ability to nail long range jumpers. Barbosa can get going in a hurry, but has been very sporadic with his play this season. I expect him to get to the rim and rattle home a few open 3s in transition. The Suns bench plays with a lot of energy and can bring their team back into the game, or can extend leads that they have built. The Lakers will need to spend a lot of time slowing down the second unit of the Suns.
Advantage: Suns
Coaches
Alvin Gentry is a nice coach. However, he was fired by the Clippers and the Heat, and last year was the interim coach after Terry Porter completely tried to change the culture of the Suns. He will have his team prepared. However, Phil Jackson is the best coach in the NBA. Let's not get caught up in the hype over Greg Popovich (he is great), but Jackson has him by 6 rings. The argument that Pop hasn't had the players is silly, because Pop hasn't won a ring without Tim Duncan. Jackson has now won with his third different team (Bulls, Lakers '00-'02, Lakers '09). Phil will not be outcoached by Gentry.
Advantage: Lakers
Bottom line
The Suns have Stoudemire and Nash, but the Lakers respond with Kobe and Gasol. The Lakers run 5 deep with all-stars, the Suns just do not have enough to match up. Based on talent and experience, I do not think that the Suns have enough to win even one game in this series. However, the Lakers tend to coast when not challenged (and I don't think the Suns can challenge then), so I expect the Suns to take a game in Phoenix. The Suns only hope of extending this series is to have a 'Goran Dragic' game 4 times this series. While they do have some guys capable (Frye, Barbosa, Dragic) the odds of it happening once let alone four times are pretty small.
Prediction: Lakers in 5
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