Thursday Throwback Posterization: Marion Finishes Oop Over Kobe

With the Suns evening up the series against the Lakers on Tuesday night, I felt it was appropriate for this week's Throwback Posterization to be a Suns player dunking on a Laker. I was hoping to find a video with two players who still play for both respective teams, but I had to settle for less. It was either young Amare dunking on Karl Malone during his days with LA, or Shawn Marion as a Sun dunking on Kobe. Marion's dunk was sweeter, so I went with it. Plus, I figure the Dank Game community would prefer seeing Kobe get served.

This dunk is from the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, in which the 2nd seeded Suns came back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate the 7th seeded Lakers. Before this year's series started, several Lakers cited this 2006 first round elimination as a source of motivation to seek vengeance on the Suns. Here's to hoping the Lakers blow another comfortable lead to Phoenix in the playoffs.

Now onto that dunk. Kobe gets stuck playing 1 on 2 against Diaw and Marion as his teammates attempt to force a turnover on the other end. After the Suns get the ball down court, Kobe is pretty much screwed, as Diaw lobs it to Marion for the throw down over Kobe.

Spurs Swept! Suns On The Rise!

Wow. I did not see that coming. I've said time and time again this season that the Suns couldn't go any further than the second round. Well, not only did they prove me wrong, but they did so in convincing fashion as they swept the Spurs en route to their first appearance in the conference finals since 2006. After having been eliminated by San Antonio four times in the playoffs since 2003, with Nash on three of those four teams, the Suns have finally overcome the Spurs.

Although they completed the sweep, they didn't leave San Antonio unscathed. Halfway through the 3rd quarter with the Suns up 64-57, Steve Nash caught an inadvertent elbow above his right eye from Tim Duncan who was pulling up for a shot. Nash returned after having six stitches, with the Spurs taking the lead at one point during his absence. The Suns recaptured the lead though, heading into the fourth up 72-71.

Upon his return, Nash's eye was swollen shut and it took on a shade of purple darker than the Suns' jerseys. It looked disgusting to say the least. Despite only being able to see through his left eye, Nash showed incredible poise as the Suns continued to outclass San Antonio. He scored 10 of his 20 points in the decisive fourth quarter, including a huge three-pointer on a fast break that gave the Suns an 80-77 lead. Nash also dished five of his nine assists in the fourth as well. The Spurs had no answer for Nash and Stoudemire's pick and roll offense, as Amare hit a few long jumpers to help seal the win.

The Spurs nearly made a game of it in the final two minutes, as they overcame a 10-point deficit. George Hill was fouled by Amare on a converted three-pointer with under 30 seconds left, and he would hit the free throw to bring the score to 103-101. But the Suns would hang on to win after two Grant Hill free throws, a missed Ginobili three-pointer, and two more free throws from Jason Richardson.

Scorching Suns and Crumbling Nuggets

Throughout this season, I've had a tendency to underestimate the Suns and overestimate the Nuggets. It's my own personal biases influencing my skewed perceptions and now that the Western Conference playoff race is getting realer than real, it's becoming clear that the Suns are capable of catching fire in the playoffs and the Nuggets maybe aren't quite as solid as I had thought. Awful puns, I know.

Playoff Picture: Bottom of the West

The Suns are in the midst of a 5-game winning streak and hold the 5th seed in the West, just a game behind the Jazz. They could easily extend their win streak to ten games, as the rest of March is against teams currently out of the playoffs. April could be a tough month for them with games against the Bucks, Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets, and Jazz.

It's definitely possible that the Suns make it out of the first round, but I doubt they can go any further. Despite having the best offense in the league, they're still a lousy defensive team, ranking 22nd in the league. They also rely heavily on their three-point shooting, which will be hard to maintain throughout an entire seven-game series. It will be interesting to see if this team's core remains intact after this season, as their championship window is closing if it's even open at all anymore. Steve Nash is still one of the best point guards in the league at age 36, but I get the feeling he might be moved for younger talent if they're bounced in the first round. As for Amare, who knows what'll happen with him.

Projected Record: 52 - 30

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Utah Jazz

The Spurs sit two games behind Phoenix, tied with the Thunder for the 6th seed. They have a rough schedule ahead of them, so the Thunder could squeeze past them. In March, they face the Lakers, Cavs, and Celtics. In April, they have games against the Magic, Lakers, Suns, Nuggets, and Mavs. They also will face the Grizzlies in April, who could be fighting for their playoff lives.

Tony Parker's broken right hand at the beginning of March was a big set back for the Spurs, but they were struggling after the All-Star break even before he went down. George Hill has filled in capably and Ginobili has also taken on some point guard duties in Parker's absence. Parker is expected to return before the end of the regular season, which is good news for San Antonio, but I still have trouble seeing them as a real threat in the playoffs. They just aren't the same team they used to be. They haven't been the same on defense since Bruce Bowen retired, and Richard Jefferson hasn't seemed to fit in their system. They still have Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker though, so you can't count them out.

Projected Record: 49 - 33

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Dallas Mavericks

The Thunder are tied with the Spurs for the 6th seed and have a chance to pass them up. They'll have to close the season strong though, as they have a difficult schedule down the stretch. In March, their toughest games will be against the Lakers, Blazers, and Celtics. In April, they'll face the Mavericks, Jazz, Nuggets, Suns, Blazers, and finish the season against the Grizzlies. They'll have to do it largely without injured rookie James Harden, and his beard. The beard is clearly the bigger loss.

Everyone knew the Thunder would eventually be good, but nobody knew they'd be this good this soon... except for Teenage Mustache, of course. Many people have compared this year's Thunder to last year's Blazers, who made the transition from talented bunch of youngsters to playoff threat quicker than expected. Portland went into the playoffs last year with a "nothing to lose" mentality, and were put in their place by Artest and the Rockets in the first round. I think the Thunder will have more of a collective focus than last year's Blazers, but will ultimately have the same fate. They'll need a better bench and a more imposing presence at center than Nenad Krstic before they take that next step. I'll still be watching and hoping they prove me wrong (if they play someone besides the Nuggets).

Projected Record: 50 - 32

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Denver Nuggets

The Blazers sit just a game behind the Thunder at the 8th spot, with the Grizzlies four games behind them. I'm going to assume that the Grizz won't sneak in the playoffs, but it ain't over 'til it's over. Portland has a road heavy schedule ahead of them, which isn't a huge concern since they've been decent on the road. In March, their toughest games are against the Mavs and Thunder. They're schedule in April is manageable other than games against the Nuggets, Mavericks, Lakers, and Thunder.

It's been a tough year for Portland, as injuries have taken out several important players. Not long after losing Greg Oden for the year, center Joel Przybilla also had a season ending injury that has forced them to use 37-year old Juwon Howard at center. Not only is Howard old, but he's also not a center. Despite these and other setbacks, Portland has maintained playoff positioning throughout the season. Unfortunately, they'll probably end up getting bounced in the first round yet again at the hands of the Lakers or Nuggets. Even if everyone was healthy, I still think they lack the type of gritty, hard-nosed player you need in the playoffs.

Projected Record: 49 - 33

Opponent if Playoffs Started Today: Los Angeles Lakers

Heat split back-to-back

The Miami Heat are now 4-1, which is an encouraging start for a team many observers had missing the playoffs. They should be 5-0 if it weren't for an awful 4th quarter in which they only scored 15 points. Michael Beasley was largely absent in the past two games during the final quarter, as coach Erik Spoelstra seems to still lack confidence in Beasley when the games matter most. While it is understandable with Haslem playing strong down the stretch in the previous game against the Bulls, you can't help but wonder if Michael's offense could've helped them win the game.

Speaking of Spoelstra, sometimes his rotations are truly mystifying. At the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Suns, Spoelstra had a lineup of Carlos Arroyo, Dorell Wright, James Jones, Joel Anthony, and I think Quentin Richardson. That just isn't going to work. Maybe if J.O. were on the floor, Spoelstra might explain that he is spacing the floor with shooters, but Joel Anthony was playing center, who doesn't even come close to demanding a double team. Hell, Anthony can more or less be left open on offense. That's not how you close games as a coach.

The Heat started out strong against the Wizards last night, ending the first quarter up 31-17. While the Heat's defense has looked strong, this good start can also be credited to turnovers by the Wizards. Dwyane Wade carried most of the offensive load early in the game and the Heat also had to rely on Wade to close out the game, which is a growing concern. Wade finished with 40 points, going 14 of 26 from the floor.

Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal have got to step up their offense and rebounding if the team wants to be considered even marginal contenders. O'Neal finished with 4 points and 7 boards, while Beasley had just 10 points and 4 boards. The Heat forced the Wizards to 37% shooting, but they also gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Quentin Richardson continues to be a big addition for the Heat, especially in these last two games. His defense has been great throughout the season, but he's finally starting to find his outside shot going 5-7 from deep against the Wiz. He's also provided great hustle on both ends of the court.

Another glaring problem for the Heat that has come to light in the past two games is the point guard position. Chalmers has provided some quality offensive play, but he just couldn't handle guarding Steve Nash and Gilbert Arenas who both had big games. Carlos Arroyo couldn't even stay on the floor against the Wizards as Arenas quickly forced him into foul trouble.

Despite all of the Heat's problems, they've shot well as a team, played overall good team defense, and they're off to a 4-1 start. I'm hoping that Daequan Cook can come back soon from his shoulder injury, as he was a key factor to the Heat's success in the first half of last season. I'm also wondering what the status is on Jamaal Magloire who's yet to play after serving a two game suspension due to an altercation in the preseason with Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko. Magloire has proved to be a serviceable center in limited minutes.