WC Playoffs: (3) Suns vs. (6) Blazers

[b-ball forever]

With Roy out the Blazers are best off pushing the tempo so that Miller/Batum/Camby/Fernandez can play to their full potential, but I doubt their coach does that.

Suns in 5. 6 max.

Great idea! Let's play fast-paced basketball against the Suns!

U won't beat us by doing it like the Spurs did in 2005, but it's your best option available.

All of your primary ballhandlers, and all your main players besides Aldridge execute better offensively in the opencourt then the halfcourt now with Roy out.

Blazers' transition D isn't any worse then their set D, and their players aren't any less athletic then Suns' players, so it wouldn't hurt anymore on the other end then it already will as it is. Suns will play their game regardless of what the Blazers do.

[The Sebastian Express]

I see no Suns fan is confident enough to engage in my cannibalism bet. Your lack of loyalty is disheartening.

[Joel Embust]

Suns in 4.

[nashill]

avatar bet, anyone?

[Cro_Ruption]

Blazers in 2

trust me i know tis

[RipCityDuck]

Amare and Nash are going to do whatever they want this series. Don't sleep on the Suns, they are getting hot at the right time.

You could say the same about the Blazers, if they hadn't played their JV Squad against the Warriors they would have had the exact same record as the Suns over the last 21. Suns went 17-4 and the Blazers went 16-5 so the arguement can be made that we are just as hot (just not quite as flaming). Blazers in 6.

[87BlazerMan]

why do blazers and mavs fans hate each other so much?

I don't hate the Blazers. I just can't stand it when players don't play through injuries. I hate it when players on Dallas like Erick Dampier sit out 1 month with a cut finger or Caron Butler out 1 week with a cold.

There is a small difference between a cold and a torn meniscus that requires surgery. I hear ya though.

[Jase]

Blazers in 6.........if they can out rebound the Suns, Camby and Aldridge have to play well though for it to happen.

They'll likely out rebound the Suns but will still lose.

Camby himself will likely outrebound the Suns.

[Biff]

There's no way we're gonna sweep the Blazers, but I highly doubt the series goes beyond 6 games.

And anyone who thinks Camby is going to contain Amare needs a reality check. If Amare can light up a prime Duncan to the tune of 37 a game, Camby doesn't have much of a chance because Amare has looked just as good as he did then. Camby will do as good of a job as anyone, but Amare has been unguardable the last 2 months.

Unfortunately for Portland, Roy is out. This series would definitely go 7 with him playing. Goodluck next year guys, too many injuries to overcome I'm afraid.

[Biff]

Blazers in 6.........if they can out rebound the Suns, Camby and Aldridge have to play well though for it to happen.

They'll likely out rebound the Suns but will still lose.

Camby himself will likely outrebound the Suns.

Contrary to popular belief, we are not a bad rebounding team. We're a better rebounding team than we were during the D'antoni years. Rebounding by committee.

[ahonui06]

There's no way we're gonna sweep the Blazers, but I highly doubt the series goes beyond 6 games.

And anyone who thinks Camby is going to contain Amare needs a reality check. If Amare can light up a prime Duncan to the tune of 37 a game, Camby doesn't have much of a chance because Amare has looked just as good as he did then. Camby will do as good of a job as anyone, but Amare has been unguardable the last 2 months.

Unfortunately for Portland, Roy is out. This series would definitely go 7 with him playing. Goodluck next year guys, too many injuries to overcome I'm afraid.

One of the few posts that actually is objective and makes sense.

[MarJJMar]

There's no way we're gonna sweep the Blazers, but I highly doubt the series goes beyond 6 games.

There is, we will only lose to the Blazers on a night where we shoot poorly because there is no way they can outscore us usually.

Be shocked if it goes more than 5 games.

Chance for a sweep is there, it isn't easy to win 2 on the road in a row but it is possible.

[ahonui06]

There's no way we're gonna sweep the Blazers, but I highly doubt the series goes beyond 6 games.

There is, we will only lose to the Blazers on a night where we shoot poorly because there is no way they can outscore us usually.

Be shocked if it goes more than 5 games.

Chance for a sweep is there, it isn't easy to win 2 on the road in a row but it is possible.

Suns have a chance to sweep since Brandon Roy isn't playing. Does anyone think Martell Webster or Rudy Fernandez will step up in his absence?

[Biff]

Blazers will get one at home, at the very least. They have a fantastic fanbase and they'll get hot and they'll feed off the energy of the crowd. I think Suns in 5-6 is far more likely than a sweep. Suns are a good team, but we aren't the kind of team that is going to sweep anyone. Remember, the Rockets took the Lakers to 7 without Yao for most of the series. I just don't see us sweeping them.

[BballFanAddict]

There's no way we're gonna sweep the Blazers, but I highly doubt the series goes beyond 6 games.

There is, we will only lose to the Blazers on a night where we shoot poorly because there is no way they can outscore us usually.

Be shocked if it goes more than 5 games.

Chance for a sweep is there, it isn't easy to win 2 on the road in a row but it is possible.

Suns have a chance to sweep since Brandon Roy isn't playing. Does anyone think Martell Webster or Rudy Fernandez will step up in his absence?

With all due respect to PHX and its fans, if there is ANY team in the western playoffs that Rudy and Webster can step it up successfuly its verses PHX. Simply because they lack perimeter defense. If Rudy is not guarded well (physically is what I mean by well), he not only has the ability to score well but he can be a critical playmaker.

While I concede Portland's chances are low with Roy out, I still think this is the best match up for Portland. People keep saying Portland cannot score with PHX without Roy. However, the fact is Portland would be equally hard pressed to keep up offensively with all of the other western playoff teams. At least with PHX Portland will be facing one of the weaker defensive teams.

[ahonui06]

With all due respect to PHX and its fans, if there is ANY team in the western playoffs that Rudy and Webster can step it up successfuly its verses PHX. Simply because they lack perimeter defense. If Rudy is not guarded well (physically is what I mean by well), he not only has the ability to score well but he can be a critical playmaker.

I think Dudley will end up guarding Fernandez since he is the only scorer off the bench for PDX.

[Biff]

With all due respect to PHX and its fans, if there is ANY team in the western playoffs that Rudy and Webster can step it up successfuly its verses PHX. Simply because they lack perimeter defense. If Rudy is not guarded well (physically is what I mean by well), he not only has the ability to score well but he can be a critical playmaker.

While I concede Portland's chances are low with Roy out, I still think this is the best match up for Portland. People keep saying Portland cannot score with PHX without Roy. However, the fact is Portland would be equally hard pressed to keep up offensively with all of the other western playoff teams. At least with PHX Portland will be facing one of the weaker defensive teams.

I think Bayless is the one most likely to hurt us.

[HootieRules]

It's really a shame, would've been a great series with Roy. To be honest, I think the Suns might've rested guys against Utah and would've played Denver instead had they been faced with the prospect of playing a Blazers team with a healthy Roy. Teams that have 2 guards that are capable of putting up 25+ give us a lot of problems. Now we can hide Nash on Fernandez or someone else. I just can't fathom Portland being able to find enough scoring to hang with us.

[NYK 455]

This would have been an awesome series to watch if Portland was healthy, but they've been destroyed with injuries. They'll take the Suns down to the wire in a couple of games, but the Suns win this in 5 or sweep.

[ahonui06]

It's really a shame, would've been a great series with Roy. To be honest, I think the Suns might've rested guys against Utah and would've played Denver instead had they been faced with the prospect of playing a Blazers team with a healthy Roy. Teams that have 2 guards that are capable of putting up 25+ give us a lot of problems. Now we can hide Nash on Fernandez or someone else. I just can't fathom Portland being able to find enough scoring to hang with us.

I agree that Portland cannot keep up with Phoenix's scoring. Miller, Batum, Webster, and Fernandez won't be able to outscore Nash, Richardson, Hill, Barbosa.