(3) Phoenix Suns (0-0) at (1) Los Angeles Lakers (0-0), 9 p.m.
Sports Network | May 17, 2010
(Sports Network) - Both the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers must have thought they were getting paid by the hour in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The result was a pair of sweeps with the Suns besting their long-time nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs, and the defending NBA champion Lakers handing their annual shellacking to the Utah Jazz.
The Pacific Division rivals are now on a collision course for conference supremacy as the West finals get underway at Staples Center tonight.
Steve Nash could barely see from his right eye after being stitched up eight days ago, but the veteran point guard scored half of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Suns beat San Antonio, 107-101, to sweep their Western Conference semifinal set.
"I think the great thing about us this year is we have the close out instinct," All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire said. "We treated Game 4 as if it was the first game of the series."
Phoenix, which has never captured an NBA title, is in the conference finals for the first time since 2006, when the Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Phoenix hasn't made it to the NBA Finals since 1993 when they fell in six games to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, Nash, a former two- time NBA MVP, has played in 112 career postseason games without reaching The Finals, the most in NBA history without the chance to play for a championship.
Nash took an inadvertent elbow above his right eye from a driving Tim Duncan midway through the third quarter in Game 4 of that series but should be fine tonight after over a week of rest.
The Lakers dispensed of the Jazz a day after the Suns advanced when Pau Gasol poured in 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, as Los Angeles continued its march in a quest to repeat as NBA champions with a 111-96 win over Utah.
Kobe Bryant added 32 points for the top-seeded Lakers, who will be appearing in their third straight Western Conference final and are attempting to become the first repeat league champions since they won three in a row (2000-02) with teams fueled by Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant scored at least 30 points in every contest against the Jazz but Gasol was the catalyst in Game 4, going 12-of-18 from the field.
"We're improving as every game goes by," Gasol said. "That's something that is really satisfying. I'm looking forward to the next series."
The sweep of the Jazz came after the Lakers were pushed to a tough six-game series win over Oklahoma City in the first round.
On the injury front for the Lakers, Bryant got plenty of time to rest a balky ankle and arthritic finger but center Andrew Bynum continues to struggle with a small tear in the meniscus of his right knee. The big man claimed the injury was only getting worse after practice on Saturday but will play.
"It's something where I'll have to continue getting treatment and pump the swelling out," Bynum said.
Bynum's counterpart, Suns center Robin Lopez is expected to make his playoff debut tonight. The 7-footer hasn't played since March 26 due to a bulging disk in his back that pinched a nerve and caused a loss of strength in his right leg.
LA won three of four games vs. Phoenix in the regular season and won the Pacific Division by three games over the Suns.
"We're going to have to have a sustained effort from our bench to give us a little bit of support," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of the upcoming matchup. "The Suns are a run-and-gun team. They generate a lot of points and you have to run with them to stay in the game."
In the postseason, the clubs have a long and storied history, meeting 11 times dating back to the 1969-70 season. The Lakers have won seven of those series but the Suns have rebounded to take four of the last five playoff sets between the two teams after dropping the first six. Phoenix has also taken the last two postseason matchups between the clubs, first round series in 2005-06 and '06-07.
LA and Phoenix have met twice previously in the Western Conference finals with the Lakers winning both, in 1984 and 1989.
"(The Suns) play extremely well and are playing with a lot of confidence," Gasol said. "It's going to be a tough series."
