Spurs Suns Series Predictions

The Spurs and Suns enter game three when the series turns to San Antonio knotted at a game a piece. Phoenix’s game two answer to losing its home court in game one was more dominant that almost everyone expected. The ironic thing is that Phoenix did it with defense. Much of game one’s loss, beside the fact that Nash was sidelined in the final minutes with a nasty gash on his nose, can be attributed to Shawn Marion allowing Tony Parker to go off for 32 points. Marion answered the call and held Parker to just 13 points in game two. Not only that, Raja Bell held Manu Ginobli, the X-factor, to just six points. Now Phoenix knows what it has to do to beat a championship caliber team in a best of seven series: play defense.

Here’s what the Suns are still up against when they head to San Antonio for Saturday’s game. The Spurs are 6-1 at home against the Suns over the last three seasons and 22-8 since 1996. San Antonio is still 12-5 against Phoenix in all games over the last three seasons including 11-6 against the spread. The linemakers have already made the Spurs a four-point favorite for game three. In San Antonio’s last four home games against the Suns, it has won by seven points, five points, and six points twice. In fact San Antonio hasn’t won at home against the Suns by double digits since April of 2005. So we should probably be expecting a game in the single digits, but does San Antonio hold the edge laying just four points at home when it would have covered that number each of its last four home game versus Phoenix, especially in a bounce back game after being blown out? I’m not going to be too quick to answer as Phoenix now knows what it has to do defensively to compete with a team which has owned them in the past. This discovery couldn’t have been made at a better time either as I think Mike D’Antoni finally realizes his boys can’t get to the NBA Finals on offense alone. I like to say that there is the saying “defense wins championships” for a reason.

My biggest prediction is that this thing is going seven games. Don’t think that San Antonio is going away after a blowout loss and don’t ever think that the Suns are going away either. Phoenix is a team which desperately wants to reach the NBA Finals and to bring its city a long awaited title this season and San Antonio wants to prove that its legacy is not over by adding another title of its own.

Expect there to be a dog fight in game seven to see who advances to the Western Conference Finals and make sure you’re playing who Jimmy Boyd is playing for all your individual game winners.

• Warriors Jazz Series Predictions

• Bulls Pistons Series Predictions

• Cavs Nets Series Predictions

• Odds to Win NBA Finals MVP

• 2007 Eastern Conference Finals Predictions

• 2007 Western Conference Finals Predictions

Updated May 7th, 2007