Playoff Preview: (3) Spurs v. (6) Suns (First Round)

[Spurs Advance to Second Round: Round 2 Preview]

Playoff Preview: Spurs Roster

At the start of the season, the San Antonio Spurs have one of the deepest rotations in the NBA. At midseason, the San Antonio Spurs got even deeper, bringing in Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas, trading away Brent Barry and then re-signing him again. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and Robert Horry returning, the San Antonio Spurs are battle tested and revered playoff veterans, returning 12 of their 15 players from their 2006-07 championship team. Check out the San Antonio Spurs depth chart:

• Point Guard: Tony Parker, Jacque Vaughn, Damon Stoudamire


• Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley, Brent Barry


• Small Forward: Bruce Bowen, Ime Udoka


• Power Forward: Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Robert Horry, Ian Mahinmi


• Center: Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas

Playoff Preview: Spurs Season

After winning the NBA Championship title in 2007, the San Antonio Spurs came right back in 2008 ready for a repeat, returning with last season’s starting five largely intact. The Spurs got off to a fast yet low-key start, winning seven of their first 20 games of the season, but were overshadowed by the Boston Celtics’ early-season hype and success. In true San Antonio Spurs fashion, the Spurs were content with their low-key start and continued to play fundamental basketball and put on defensive clinics game after game. The “sixth man” Manu Ginobili emerged as a full-fledged star, averaging nearly 20 PPG and 4.5 assists, while shooting 40 percent from the three-point line. The San Antonio Spurs finished at 56-26 on the season – good for the No. 3 seed and home-court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs.

Playoff Preview: Suns Roster

The Phoenix Suns had heads spinning when they made a blockbuster trade that no one saw coming. The trade sent versatile forward Shawn Marion to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal. Skeptics of the trade wondered how or if Shaq could improve the Suns – masters of small ball and kings of the run-and-gun offense. However, even with the league’s most explosive offense, Coach D’Antoni, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and the Phoenix Suns – had no championship rings to show for it. With Shaq in the line up, the Phoenix Suns hoped that a dominant presence in the middle was indeed the formula for winning a championship. Check out the Phoenix Suns depth chart:

• Point Guard: Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa


• Shooting Guard: Raja Bell, D.J. Strawberry, Gordan Giricek, Eric Piatkowski


• Small Forward: Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, Alando Tucker


• Power Forward: Amare Stoudemire, Sean Marks


• Center: Shaquille O’Neal, Brian Skinner

Playoff Preview: Suns Season

The trade for Shaquille O’Neal was a controversial one; it seemed that the Phoenix Suns gave up their future (Shawn Marion) for a quick-fix championship – right now. However, Shaquille – albeit older and slower than he was in his championship winning hey days – has given the Phoenix Suns a new identity, championship-winning experience, and a defensive presence that the Phoenix Suns lacked. After the trade, Amare Stoudemire has been dominating in his own right, finishing the season with stellar numbers (25 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks).



Playoff Preview: Head-to-Head

The Phoenix Suns have won three out of the four regular-season match ups against the San Antonio Spurs for the first time since the 2002-03 season – two of those wins came after the Shaquille O’Neal trade. With the Suns’ new-found confidence against the Spurs, expect an exciting, competitive, and extremely physical series between two of the strongest, most well-rounded teams in the league. For three years running the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns have met at some point in the playoffs – this year it’s the first round; last year it was the semi-finals, and the year before that was the Western Conference Finals.



The defensive juggernaut San Antonio Spurs should win this playoff series, seeing that they’ve won four championships in the last decade using the same formula. The Phoenix Suns will have a hard time guarding against San Antonio’s size, post-up play, and rebounding tenacity. Moreover, Steve Nash will have his hands full trying to guard Tony Parker’s slashing dribble penetration. However, don’t expect the Spurs to run away with a clean 4-0 sweep by any means now that the Suns have a dominant inside presence of their own in “The Big Cactus” Shaquille O’Neal, while Amare Stoudemire has come into his own since the Shaq trade.

Playoff Preview: Schedule

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns playoff series begins in San Antonio, with the Spurs possessing home court advantage over the Phoenix Suns for a change. Both teams boast stellar home records – each winning 30 or more home games for the fourth time in as many years.