Former teammates face off as rivals, as Steve Nash and the Suns face Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs. Use this thread for your Phoenix-Dallas predictions, comments and questions.

Game 1: at Dallas, Wed., May 24 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 2: at Dallas, Fri., May 26 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 3: at Phoenix, Sun., May 28, (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 4: at Phoenix, Tue., May 30, (9 p.m. ET, TNT)
Game 5: at Dallas, Thu., June 1 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*
Game 6: at Phoenix, Sat., June 3, (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*
Game 7: at Dallas, Mon., June 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT)*

*If necessary

This series sure has a couple of tough acts to follow! Here are a few sites to visit for series information:

SERIES LINKS:
NBA.com
ESPN.com
Dallas News
Arizona Republic

This is such a great series because the Mavericks have learned (some) defensive responsibility after spending years as a high scoring machine.

They also added role players to specifically combat teams like San Antonio in the trench wars.

The questions on my mind are,

Will the Suns fast break attack tease the Mavs players into resorting to the style of game they previously played?

and

What value are role players like Dampier, Diop and Griffin against an athletic lineup of passers? They certainly seem better suited to control the paint and play in the halfcourt.

The Suns stole one on the road. They now have homecourt in a building that gives them an enormous advantage.

As I listen on the radio, Dallas is playing with purpose and leading, but they already let the Suns draw first blood, and with Raja Bell set to comeback in a game or two, this series is far from over. And thankfully, it's really entertaining basketball. I plan to watch the replay tomorrow.

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

Suns leading at the half and up one game to none and stealing home court advantage. Miami and Detroit tied at one apiece with Miami holding home court advantage.

Suns and Heat...could be a very "HOT" finals.

(Let's hope not).

I am so looking forward to a Piston-Suns final though. Can Detroit win the game on the boards or will the speed of Phoenix's pick and roll, drive and dish offense pick them apart like every other team they have faced? It will be great basketball.

Suns came up short in the 4th, but have to feel very good about coming home with the advantage, and possible return of Bell. A couple of late stops (the likes of which Raja can provide) would have won them this game.

I too am anxious to see a Pistons/Suns Final. I think it will do wonders for the Pistons (national) image to go up and down with this team for 3 quarters, and then put on the clamps in the 4th.

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

One of the most exciting games I've seen this season was Pistons vs Suns. I think it was the 5th game of the season and the Pistons were down 15 in the middle of the 3rd quarter, but they outshot Phoenix and won the game. We can't sleep on the mavs or Heat. Both series are tied.

it's crazy what the Suns accomplish without their leading scorer/rebounder.
It shows how good that freakin' Nash actually is and what a great job their GM is doing. Just ask yourself the question if one of the Pistons' starting 5 would miss all season- where would the team be???

not to mention a coach who appears to be completely in synch with the capabilities of his players - the beauty of both the suns and pistons, each at their best, is in my opinion, the sense of complete harmony: every piece working in concert: from coach, to bench, to starters.

How they get that cooperation among players is very different, in my opinion, which makes for an interesting contrast.

Detroit promises a chance to win and achieve collective goals if you play D and subjugate your ego, reconciling yourself to 5 guys playing an overwhelming share of the minutes.

Phoenix, on the other hand, will get you shots as a player. You'll join a team that lets you play the kind of game you wanted to play as a kid, and there are lots of buckets to go around. Defense isn't overlooked as much as critics might claim, but nobody's going Vince Lombardi on you. You're in a candy store, you'll look good, your price tag goes up.

It's Sparta versus Athens. Substance versus style. And, potentially, very revealing for the future.

Colangelo used his pull in the league to create an officiating climate that just so happens to favor Phoenix. Will the Finals remain the final barrier to that style, or is it time for the motto "Offense wins championships"?