NBL Playoff Round 2 Preview - Kings vs. Suns

[CHANGEME]

#1 VS #5

Previous Games:
Kings 100 - Suns 88 - Pre-Nowitzki Kings caught the Suns on a cold shooting night
Suns 127 - Kings 100 - The very next game, Nash and Marion had insane games to dominate
Suns 108 - Kings 92 - 19 turnovers doom the Kings
Suns 110 - Blazers 93 - miserable FG% for the Kings and lost the rebounding battle

KEY STATS:
Points Per Game: - 109.9 - 99.3
Points Allowed Per Game: - 99.3 - 96.1
Rebounds Per Game: - 52.8 - 49.5
Field Goal Percentage: - .456 - .440
Opponets Field Goal Percentage: - .432 - .445

: Home Record - 35 - 6 --- Away Record - 25 - 16

: Home Record - 24-17 --- Away Record - 23-18

Round 1 Notes:
: Game 1 - The Suns didn't play particularly well, but they won 101-93 because they really took care of the ball. Only 6 turnovers to the Blazers 17. Nash had 14 assists.
Game 2 - The Suns scored at will like they sometimes can. 121-87 was such a dominating win that it probably took the Blazers' heart right out of it. Nash had a triple-double
Game 3 - 108-95 win. This is a premium example of why the Suns are so good, Grant Hill stepped up with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Nash had "only" 8 assists.
Game 4 - 111-78 stomp. Nice try Blazers. They couldn't stop Stoudamire or Marion in this one.

Looking forward:
The team with the best defensive center in the league couldn't slow the Suns offensive attack. How can the Kings, with a soft white center, expect to hold down the fort? The Suns will probably have to score inside more and in a more forceful manner, and they have to continue to push the tempo and not allow the Kings to slow things down too much. They will get a little frustrated with the good defense of Artest and Kidd, but scoring will still probably come pretty easily.

Defensively, they'll have to guard against a more diverse offense that can score from outside better than Portland. Marion should be able to frustrate Nowitzki, who scored a mere 17 ppg in the Kings' opening series. They may have some closer high-scoring games, but that's what the Suns want.


Round 1 Notes:
: Game 1 - Kings lost 89-77. Their lack of toughness on offense was actually exposed. Kevin Martin only scored 2 points on 1-11 shooting. Kidd and Nowitzki played relatively well, but the Kings didn't get the scoring they needed from Dirk or Artest
Game 2 - Artest showed the Kings how to play tough, bulling his way to 37 points. Nowitzki was a beast on the boards, but disappeared offensively with only 6 points.
Game 3 - 92-89 win. This was a key win for the Kings, Dirk had 29 points but fouled out late. Kidd had a triple-double and they eked out a win.
Game 4 - 124-83 win. With Magloire hurt, the Kings relied on Abdur-Rahim for bench play. They got a ton of scoring, 31 from Artest, 22 for both Dirk and Kidd, and Abdur-Rahim with 19 off the bench.
Game 5 - 95-81 loss. Nowitzki had another awful game, only 10 points, and in foul trouble all game. Martin scored 19 and was the high scorer. Kings' inconsistency was exposed with this game.
Game 6 - 98-91 win, Dirk and Artest led in scoring, but Kidd and his 16 assists was really the big factor here.

Looking forward:
Offensively, they played it conservative and sometimes they struggled in a half-court offense. Okur and Boozer wasn't quite the preparation the Kings needed to get them ready for the D of Amare and Marion. In the front-court, the Kings should find things a little easier. Artest won't have Kirilenko trying to lock him down.

Defensively, they'll have their hands full. A lot of it will depend on the tempo of the game. I don't think the Kings can really keep up with the Suns in a fast-break game. They'll have to actually work to keep things at the tempo they're comfortable. A lot of this depends on Kidd keeping Nash out of the middle of the lane where he can wreak havoc.

Key players:


The key player for the Suns is Steve Nash. With a big physical point guard in Kidd, can he continue to distrubute the ball as he wishes and average 11+ assists in the 2nd round like he did in the 1st? Will Kidd wear him down on the defensive end?
The key player for the Kings is Nowitzki. He has to play more physical than he likes. He needs to rebound well despite Amare and Marion cleaning the glass for the Suns. He needs to defend well and keep Marion from getting easy baskets. And for god's sake, he needs to score 25 points a game, even with Marion hassling him. He needs to step and prove his playoff mettle.


SERIES PREDICTION: Suns win 4 games to 1 in what could be one of the more intriguing 5-game series ever. Suns will probably face tougher teams on their road to the Finals, but the Kings will be an excellent test. I don't see Phoenix faltering here though.[/center]