The Wolves are in Phoenix to face the Suns for the fourth time this season. But this time, Phoenix has Shaquille O'Neal in the middle to help contend with Al Jefferson.

Suns.com reporter Stefan Swiat took some time to talk about Shaq's presence with the team, what Steve Nash does for fun at practice and how Phoenix plans to deal with Jefferson, who killed the Suns in Minnesota's two Target Center wins.

MT: Despite losing narrowly at Denver on Wednesday evening, the Suns have won 7-of-10 and trail the Lakers by just a game in the Pacific Division, not to mention the Hornets by just 2.5 games in the Western Conference. The seed, however, must be less important than how you're playing?
Stefan Swiat: I agree that the seed is less important than how we are playing. By adding two major pieces to our rotation at this stage of the game, the key is to have everyone jelling for the postseason. Both Shaq and guard Gordan Giricek are trying to fit in and learn their new roles. I think it is all about momentum headed into the playoffs. Case in point: the Warriors last season. Those guys made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, but it was because they got hot late in the season. But they took that momentum that they accumulated and knocked out the No. 1 seed. It really doesn’t matter who we play in the Western Conference, they are all really good. Does anyone want to be No. 1 and have to possibly face Dallas or Golden State? Who wants that pressure? No, we just have to keep getting more and more prepared and sure up our weaknesses for the stretch run.

MT: Shaquille O'Neal has been very impressive in a Suns jersey, averaging 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds in about 30 minutes per night over 22 games. What's it been like watching Shaq up close and personal?
SS: It hasn’t really set in yet that we have the opportunity to watch maybe the most dominant player in NBA history every night. Although he’s not in his prime anymore, Shaq still affects the game like few players around the league today. From the moment he arrived, we went from a team that was constantly outrebounded to a team that routinely holds the advantage on the glass. The addition of the big fella also allows our perimeter defenders to pressure opposing players and not worry about them getting into the lane. Now we have two guys down low who can block shots and clog the lane. I’ve always marveled at Shaq’s quickness and agility for his size, but it is the intangibles that he brings to the team that has impressed me the most. It’s like the whole team knows that they have a tough big brother. Who is going to try to push Steve Nash around now? If they try, they have to take it up with the big guy. In addition, he has been completely unselfish since arriving in the Valley of the Sun. He rebounds, blocks shots, dishes out of the post and completely defers to the other guys on the offensive end.

MT: There were the expected haters, and plenty of them, for the trade that brought Shaq from Miami for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. But we have said repeatedly on our site that we think it gives you a much better chance of winning the title. Are we right?
SS: You are absolutely right. You could see it in our first matchup with San Antonio. After losing to them in the final minutes a month earlier without Shaq, you could see the difference he makes in the closing minutes of a tough game. The Spurs couldn’t go into Tim Duncan for an automatic two points like they could before. With Shaq defending him one-on-one and Amare` rotating over, Duncan couldn’t get a good look. He also couldn’t kick it out to wide-open shooters because our perimeter guys could stay home. We grinded out that when against the Spurs, which wasn’t something we could do before. Now we can run and play in the half-court set. It is that kind of versatility that can make our team dangerous in the postseason.

MT: Not that we expect you to throw the Matrix under the bus, but was he as disruptive and malcontent in the locker room as was reported on the outside?
SS: Wow. Do you want me to lose my job, Mike? All jokes aside, Shawn was one of the most popular players in the community and beloved by fans. It is true, however, that he did request a trade before the season, and wasn’t completely happy. But from the first day of training camp to the day he left, he was a true professional. Things couldn’t have been that bad … We were first in the Western Conference when he was traded. I do believe that if the locker room was earning a B in chemistry at the time he was traded, they are earning an A now though. But I don’t think that you can attribute that to Shawn as much as you can just praise Shaq, He is one of, if not the funniest player in the league, and that will keep a locker room loose and fun.

MT: How often does Steve Nash kick a basketball as if it were a soccer ball?
SS: For those of you in Minnesota who don’t know about Steve Nash (which is weird, because Canada could annex you guys at any time), he probably could have been a professional soccer player. His brother is a professional player and his father was a semi-professional player; so it runs in the family. He is always tooling around with the ball and juggling it on his feet, knees and head like a soccer ball during practice. Nash is a player that seems to thrive on his feel for the game, and his sensibility with the ball ranges all over his body. It is a habit for him between plays at practice to let the ball roll all over his body and to pick up a ball from the ground using a soccer trick. At least once a practice he catches the ball between his neck and his back. Check out this video of him playing with a professional team: Nash plays with NY Red Bulls

MT: Who is the MVP of your team this year? Nash is Nash, but Amare Stoudemire has been absolutely terrific offensively, particularly since the Shaq deal forced many opponents to guard STAT with a power forward.
SS: STAT has been putting up sick numbers, especially since the arrival of Shaq, but Steve makes this team go. We are only able to run and get easy baskets because Steve is so adept at getting guys easy looks. He was the MVP two years in a row and should have been the MVP last season, and yet it seems like everyone has forgotten about him. He barely trails Chris Paul as the assist leader of the league, and he could be the first player to shoot over 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from downtown and 90 percent from the stripe twice in their career. But most importantly about Steve, every time a team makes a run or we need a big shot, it seems like there is a device that goes off in Steve’s head where he knows he has to hit a big shot. If we were able to track who leads the league in hitting shots that kills runs or “silences the crowd,” Steve or Kobe would have to be the league leaders. Next time you watch a Suns game, watch how Steve raises his game as the intensity increases.

MT: The Wolves were able to beat Phoenix twice in Minneapolis this season, thanks in large part to two huge games from Al Jefferson, and the fact that no Sun could come close to handling Big Al down low. How much has Shaq changed that weakness?
SS: Big Al has been a beast against us this year. I was ready to trade half of our roster for him after watching him dominate us here. However, with Shaq leaning on him all night and STAT coming over to bother his shot from the weak side, I think we will be able to contain him better. Before, if STAT found himself in foul trouble, we moved Boris Diaw over to center or brought in Brian Skinner. Now, once Shaq is out of the game, we move STAT over to center and bring in Leandro Barbosa and start running on teams. Now all of a sudden a big man like Jefferson has to adjust from playing against a power team to a speed team. I think that a switch in style like that could be troubling for a big man. But mostly, the presence of Shaq looming behind you makes a post player take tough shots. If Big Al goes off, he’s going to have to earn it.

MT: Finally, what are the most and least desirable matchups for Phoenix in the Western Conference Playoffs, which promise to be absolutely outstanding?
SS: We have lost four games to New Orleans this year and haven’t beaten them once, so we are hoping to avoid them like the plague. I also want no part of Golden State. Those guys are gunslingers. They are a frustrating team to match up with and when they get hot, they are as good as anybody. With Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, they also have two guys that love the pressure down the stretch. Also, we have had some trouble with the Lakers this season, but no one knows how they are going to play if Andrew Bynum comes back. Will it cause chemistry issues, or are they just going to steamroll teams? There are too many variables to tell. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing a matchup with Houston or Denver in the first round, followed by Dallas in the second round. I liked Houston’s heart this year, but I don’t know if they have the depth to compete in a playoff series with us. Denver is very talented, but getting defensive stops against us will be tough and they’ve been inconsistent with that aspect of their game. Dallas seems like a good matchup for us, but it seems like it could just be a matter of time before Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki gets those guys clicking. Personally, I’d like to see us face the Spurs. I feel like if we beat them, it is the equivalent of the Red Sox reversing the curse against the Yankees. Once that happens, the floodgates will open and our feeling of invincibility could take us all the way.