Like Homer's feelings toward donuts on The Simpsons, we have a similar affinity for Rick Kamla. Is there anything he can't do? He hosts "NBA Fantasy Hoops Presented By Toyota." He does play-by-play for the Euroleague Final Four and the Vegas Summer League on NBA TV. He co-hosts "In the Paint" with Rick Barry from 3-6 p.m. ET every day on NBA Radio, Sirius Channel 127. And he's staked out his own little corner of the internet on NBA.com with Kamla's Korner. Now, he joins NBA.com as blogger for the postseason. Read him and see if you end up asking yourself the same thing about Rick ... and donuts.

Halle-freakin-lujah!

Thanks to the Suns beating the Spurs to even their series at one heading to San Antonio, the NBA season still has mystery and my life still has meaning.

Think about... if the Spurs leave Phoenix up 2-0, that series is over, the West is over because neither Utah nor Golden State can beat San Antonio, and the NBA is over because the Pistons can hang with but not beat the Spurs.

Thank you, Steve Nash.

This blog is dedicated to your mastery of the great game of basketball. How you always know exactly what your team needs at all times. How you can call out your teammates and get them to respond. How you can wait till the last possible second before Magic-ally morphing a turnover into a sweet dime. (In Magic We Trust.) How you can take over the game against the best defensive team in the league.

While the Suns scored "only" 101 points (nine below their regular season average), this game was played more to their style than Game 1 because Nash was more passer than scorer. The opposition has the Suns right where they want them when Nash is taking all kinds of shots. Nash made 11-of-18 shots for 31 points in Game 1, but dealt just eight assists. The ratio was far more to the Suns' liking in Game 2, with Nash doubling his assists (16) and still netting 20 points (7-of-17).

In addition to Nash, former Coach of the Year Mike D'Antoni deserves a ton of credit for starting Kurt Thomas over James Jones and starting the game with Shawn Marion guarding Tony Parker.

Given San Antonio's dominance on the boards and Amare Stoudemire's foul trouble while trying to guard Tim Duncan in Game 1, D'Antoni went to the wily veteran known as "Crazy Eyes". Thomas did a great job of contesting Duncan's attempts--especially in the fourth quarter, he set mean screens, he grabbed three steals and four defensive rebounds, and he made 6-of-7 shots for 12 points. All in 28 minutes, and that tells me Kurt is all the way back to being his efficient, productive self.

The switch to Thomas had two other positives effects, what with Amare reducing his fouls from four to three and the Suns improving from -14 to -1 on the glass.

Oh yeah...and then you have D'Antoni's stroke of genius in putting Marion on Parker, who plummeted from 32 & 8 on 14-of-22 in Game 1 to 13 & 3 on 5-of-14 in Game 2. I haven't seen a turnaround like that since Jordan retired. I haven't seen Parker play that ineffectively in a long time and Marion deserves a lot of the credit.

By the way, the switch of Marion on Parker also served to turn Marion into the Matrix. Guarding Parker forced him to make defense the No. 1 priority and when Marion's thinking D, his opponent has its hands full at both ends. It's a cliche to say defense leads to offense, but it's true and no one personifies this more than Marion, who turns steals into buckets faster than most. Speaking of steals, Marion had one of those to go along with three blocks and 10 rebounds in Game 2 after pulling six rebounds with no D in Game 1.

Here's how it's gonna go...the Suns get one in San Antonio, this series goes home-court after that, the Suns defeat the Warriors in the Western Finals (Cindarella ain't dead yet), and the Suns go on to defeat the Pistons or Cavaliers in six or seven.

Peace

Well, here it is, my first blog. I'm not sure what's compelling me to do this... It's probably a combo platter of playoff inspiration and my affinity for writing, or maybe the fact that we have recently lost several members of nba.com's blog squad due to their teams being eliminated.

Before we get started, you need to know a couple things. First off, I don't know how to blog. I have never read a blog. I have never really wanted a blog. I always thought my weekly column, Living the Fantasy, was enough. And during the season it is enough. But now that the fantasy season is over I thought I'd experiment with my debut blog.

(By the way, I won the 'chip in my brother's five-cat head-to-head league thanks to four blocks from Kendrick Perkins on the last Sunday of the season. I was playing against Tim Duncan, who had two blocks but should have had four or five. I still can't believe I won a 'chip thanks in large part to Joey Crawford. I officially have a story to tell my grandkids about. Pun unintended.)

Because I have never read a blog or cared to have one, I have no idea how long or how often to write. I have no idea if what you're reading will become as valuable as Spiderman No. 1. I have no idea if this blog is going to save the world before the apocalyptic year of 2012. I have no idea how to change my own oil.

There are myriad-to-infinite things I know nothing about, but there is one thing I feel qualified to blog on, and that's NBA basketball, so let's get on with this blog. (Look at me...I'm blogging.)

Just saw Game 6 at the Meadowlands and witnessed one of the best games of these playoffs. The RJ spin move on Bosh and Parker to go up one with eight seconds left proved what a stud he can be when given the chance. Vince wasted so many possessions tonight it was nauseating.

Jason Kidd's eighth rebound late in the game ensured him of averaging a triple-double for the series (14-10-13), making him the first dude to do it since He did it back in 2002 against the Celtics. Kidd's defense on Jose Calderon in the closing seconds, forcing Jose into the horrible pass that was picked off by RJ, showed you exactly why Kidd has made the All-Defensive Team nine straight seasons.

I know a lot of folks with the Nets, so congrats to all involved on moving on to face the Cavs in a highlight fest of a second-round series. Don't sleep on the Nets' defense, which did a masterful job of containing Bosh. The All-Star starter averaged 22.6 for the season but just 17.5 against the Nets.

I already had a ton of respect for TJ Ford and Jose Calderon but that respect swelled after watching them drop a combined 33 on Kidd and company despite coming into the contest as game-time decisions.

Jose didn't appear too comfortable when testing his injured ankle with lateral slides before the game, but he looked great from the opening tip. Spaniards are tough customers, which is a big reason why Jose and Spain are the reigning World Champs. Ford and Kidd did their best Bird-vs.-Nique when they traded baskets for four straight possessions in the second quarter. Ford was electric on his way to 19 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Couple other vibes before I get outta here for now.

One, the Raps missed the hell out of Jorge Garbajosa. Jorge has been a legendary winner during international play and the Raptors played their best basketball of the season before he broke his ankle. Say a prayer that Jorge's all the way back next season after a gruesome looking injury.

Finally, Andrea Bargnani is going to be a star. If you like Dirk Nowtizki and Mehmet Okur (both All-Stars), then you'll love Bargnani because he might be better.

(By the way, Dirk is SOOOO exposed. Who knew Stephen Jackson could completely take the MVP out of his game? I know Steve Jack can defend, but that's more on Dirk than Jack. Listen, I love the 12-point emotional rescue in Game 5, but Games 1-4 and the 2-for-13 in Game 6 prove he's a great player, but not a champion. I said it after last year's Finals and I'm still saying it, Dirk will not win an NBA championship. He may win big with the German National Team, but he won't get a ring with the Mavs. Sorry, Mark and Donnie. Dirk has come up small in the biggest moments so often that he's telling the press about it. Who does that? I like Dirk. He's always been real cool to me, he plays hurt, he's hit plenty of game-winning shots and you gotta give the man his due ... he's the best 7-foot shooter in league history. But he's gonna follow in the footsteps of Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing ... not Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal.)

I can't say with 100 percent certainty that Bargnani is going to emerge as more clutch than Dirk, but I can say without hesitation that he will develop into a face-of-the-franchise type of player. A max-contract player.

Bargnani's release is butter. But it's not just butter, it's the butter you get with the bread at Outback. How great is the Outback bread and butter? If I were still a poor college frat boy, I'd be having it for dinner most nights.

Bargnani wowed the crowd -- yes, even the Nets fans -- with his wide array of shots, ranging from long bombs to tough five-footers on the move. He moves gracefully for a dude his size, he shows promise as a defender, and his length creates problems for the opponent at both ends.

Trust me, freaks, Bargnani is special.

Peace