Matt Pinto

Round 2: Mavs vs. Suns
The Mavericks reinvented themselves and discovered new ways to win in outlasting Houston in a grueling, memorable seven-game first round playoff conquest. That experience should serve them well as they move on to confront the West's top seed Phoenix in the Western Conference semi-finals.

This series is ripe with captivating story lines that will have the nation looking on in eager anticipation. The Mavs of the late '90s emulated the Phoenix Suns in devising a game plan to ascend to prominence. They acquired Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Donnie Nelson from Phoenix in the '90s and then proceeded to take the Suns fast-breaking, free-wheeling offensive style to another level in becoming a contender.

Steve Nash

Now we have the intrigue of Steve Nash, NBA MVP, leader of the Suns record-setting 62-win season going to battle against the team that he fueled from dormant to national favorite not to mention his best friend, Dirk Nowitzki. In addition, these were two of the league's top three scoring teams during the regular season, both stocked with shot-makers galore.

Yes, this best of seven series will be a treat on many levels. And for the Mavericks, following the grind of trying to crack Houston's steely-tough defense in the first round, it may feel as if they've been unchained as Phoenix was known to permit easy opportunities to its foes this season believing that it would just out-scored those opponents. Most nights the Suns did just that in averaging 110ppg. But the Mavs may just have the shooters, the willpower, the improved defense and the depth to trump the Suns in this clash. Phoenix is far more athletic than was Houston and will challenge Dallas in different ways than did the Rockets.

Dirk Nowitzki

The regular season series went the way of the Suns 2-1 over the Mavericks, but all three games were very close. Phoenix won two at American Airlines Center, while Dallas triumphed at America West Arena. November 16 in Dallas, Phoenix took the early edge in the series with a 107-101 victory. Amare Stoudemire was the story, destroying the Mavericks on the interior with a 34 point, 11 rebound night. Dirk Nowitzki was limited to 6-of-17 shooting by the Suns premiere defender Shawn Marion as the Mavs managed just 41% field goal shooting and were out-rebounded by 10 in the setback.

Three months later in mid-February Dallas evened the score with a pulsating 119-113 triumph in the desert. Michael Finley returned to Phoenix with a bang and a 33-point showing that featured 13-0f-21 shooting and 5-of-8 on threes. Josh Howard was nearly as good with a career-high 30 points to go with 8 rebounds and 4 steals. The Suns got 31 from Stoudemire in the loss. But Dallas' ability to match the Suns bucket for bucket in shooting 53% from the field was the difference at the end of the night.

Shawn Marion

The regular season finale between the two teams came February 26 in Dallas when, without Steve Nash, the Suns prevailed 124-123 in controversial fashion. Shawn Marion was credited with a clean blocked shot on a driving layup by Dirk Nowitzki in the waning seconds to preserve the victory. Television replays showed that Marion fouled Nowitzki, but there was no whistle. The Mavs left the floor shaking their heads over the one that got away as they squandered a seven-point lead in the final minute and a half. Jason Terry (27), Josh Howard (22) and Dirk Nowitzki (26) all eclipsed the 20-point mark. But once again, Amare Stoudemire was more than they could handle with 33 points and 10 boards.

Erick Dampier

A couple of things stand out about the regular season series as it relates to this playoff confrontation. One, Amare Stoudemire will be a bear for the Mavs defense to handle. He's too quick for Erick Dampier or Shawn Bradley and more powerful than Dirk Nowitzki or Alan Henderson as his 32.7ppg, 11rpg, 58% field goal shooting numbers will attest. Two, while both teams averaged 114ppg against the other during the season, the team that does a better job of limiting easy opportunities for its opponent will likely emerge victorious in the series. And three, the battle of the boards will be key to both limiting the opposition to one shot (both teams shoot it too well to give them multiple opportunities offensively) and to trigger the running game both ways.

Jason Terry

As for the individual match-ups, let's start with Steve Nash versus his successor Jason Terry at the point. Nash's MVP honor is richly deserved as he orchestrated a Suns offensive attack that was overwhelming in a 62-20 season. His averages of 15.5ppg and a league leading 11.5apg don't tell the whole story. What does is the fact that the Suns scored 110ppg and placed three in the All-Star game. He elevated the games of Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, as well as Phoenix's two other starters Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson.

The key to playing Nash effectively will focus on limiting his dribble penetration off of the many high pick and rolls that the Suns will run, and keeping him under wraps in transition. That won't happen consistently, but it must happen enough for Dallas to give itself a chance to compete in this series. Terry, who was marvelous in leading the Mavs to victories in games four and seven against Houston with his incredible shot-making has the quickness and the offensive game to really make Nash work at the defensive end of the floor. This will be key. If Terry can tire Nash when the Mavs have the ball, it could go a long way towards slowing him offensively. The other X-factors in dealing with Nash are quick Mavericks back-up point men Darrell Armstrong and Devin Harris. Both had their moments against the Rockets in round one.

Michael Finley

At shooting guard, Joe Johnson will oppose Michael Finley. Johnson dropped the game winning shot late in the Suns February 26 one-point win in Dallas. He's a silky smooth mid-to-long range shooter who must be accounted for wherever he is on the floor. In fact, his success in this series could well dictate the direction it swings. When he's scoring in the high teens and low twenties this Suns team is a monster to stop. Finley came to life late in the opening round series against the Rockets with his spot up shooting and played his best defense of the season in harassing Tracy McGrady. He'll be motivated to rise up against the team that drafted him out of Wisconsin, then dealt him to Dallas for Jason Kidd. Don't bet against Fin in the big moments that lie ahead in this series.

Quentin Richardson

The small forward match-up will pit the three-point shooting prowess and low-post physicality of Quentin Richardson against the hard-nosed defensive demeanor of Josh Howard. Q hit a Phoenix franchise high 226 threes during the regular season and nailed 42% of his long rangers in the Suns 4-0 round one series sweep of Memphis. He loves shifting to the three-point line on the fastbreak and camping out to let it fly. Howard must be alert to closing out on him wherever he goes. And Josh must be in attack mode offensively, because he's quicker than Richardson. The Suns open court full throttle approach to the game is right up Howard's alley. I expect that he'll have a huge series for Dallas showing off his athleticism in a variety of ways.

Shawn Marion is one tough hombre at power forward for Phoenix. He was sensational against the Grizzlies in round one averaging 21ppg, 12.5rpg and 2.2 blocked shots per game. His length and quickness tends to give Dirk Nowitzki trouble defensively. Marion must be checked out when shots go up because he has tremendous rebounding instincts. Nowitzki, who is overcoming a cold, is seeking to shake off a shooting slump that riddled him throughout against the Rockets as he managed to hit half of his shots in just one of the seven games against Houston. But it is encouraging that Dirk rolls into this series having registered three straight double-doubles against the Rockets and his rebounding and defensive effort in round one bodes well for an impactful showing against his buddy Nash and Suns in this series.

Amare Stoudemire

Who will guard Amare Stoudemire at center in this series? Will the Mavs start Erick Dampier against him or might they gamble and go with Alan Henderson? I suspect that Avery Johnson will start the game with Dampier on the floor and ask Damp to get physical with Amare in hopes of throwing him off his game. But in the big picture, Hendu might be best suited to fight Stoudemire over the course of this series. The Mavs can manage O.K. if Stoudemire scores in the 25 point range on average, it's when he blows through 30 on the way to 40 that it will be troublesome. Dallas must work hard to limit his easy baskets in transition and force him to earn everything that he gets in the half court.

Jim Jackson

Off the bench, the Suns have three reliable forces in back-up point man Leandro Barbosa, the lightning-quick second year player from Brazil, ex-Maverick Jim Jackson, a very capable spot-up three point shooter, and Steven Hunter, an active defensive-minded shot blocker/rebounder who will be counted upon to contest shots around the rim when the Mavs go to their halfcourt sets. That's pretty much it. Head coach Mike D'Antoni relies heavily on his starting five to come up big with little help from the bench.

The Mavs are hopeful of having Keith Van Horn back by mid-series as he continues recovering from the sprained left ankle that he suffered early in the Houston series. His presence could be key in spelling Dirk Nowitzki offensively against Shawn Marion and running the floor to keep constant pressure on the Suns transition defense.

Jerry Stackhouse

I suspect that Jerry Stackhouse will have a big series with his muscle and scoring prowess. While Alan Henderson, Devin Harris and Darrell Armstrong could all be useful pieces for A.J. during the course of this series, I'm uncertain about Marquis Daniels’ role entering this series, but it's possible that his size and passing skills could be called on in spots. He must be ready to contribute if and when called upon.

These are two teams that love the accelerated tempo and figure to keep the scoreboard operators at America West Arena and American Airlines Center busy. That will bring a smile to those that sit in the NBA offices in New York. Which team will be better in limiting the opponents easy scoring chances? Which team will be better on the boards? And which team will handle the pressure of executing in tight games? Those are the three key questions to be answered as this series unfolds.

The Mavericks have the athletes, the toughness, the depth and the will power to stand toe-to-toe with the Suns, which should extend this series to at least six games. If the Mavs can find a way to rekindle the road success that they've enjoyed all season long and exit Phoenix tied one-one after two games, they'll have a great shot at pulling the upset and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. ENJOY!