#3 San Antonio (56-26) vs. #6 Phoenix (55-27)
Season series: Suns, 3-1
The Spurs and Suns would be a good matchup in the Western Conference Finals, so this is the most compelling first-round series. The Suns are 18-11 with Shaq in the lineup (15-5 over their last 20 games), and this series will determine if Phoenix made the right move in trading for him. If the Suns lose, everyone will wonder if they would have been better off with Shawn Marion on the roster. After all, if it weren't for a couple of bench-clearing suspensions in last year's playoffs, the Suns probably would have upended the Spurs in the semis. San Antonio has home court advantage, but the Suns won the season series and are 2-0 against the Spurs with Shaq in the lineup. In those two games, Tim Duncan has shot a combined 38% from the field, so it seems like he's a little bothered by Shaq's presence. It's tough to bet against the defending champs in the first round (especially with Manu Ginobili p...
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