The Phoenix Suns may not be the best in the west, but with Kid Canada running the point, this is always a featured game for the Toronto Raptors. Helping me break down the series is Greg from Fanster.

The Suns have a case of the runs
By: Greg Esposito @the_real_espo , Lead Writer at Fanster.com/Suns

The headline isn’t necessarily “pretty” and the same can be said for the Suns return to their “run and fun” style. They have the pieces to be an entertaining fast paced club with Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Leandro Barbosa but, as usual for the Suns in recent years, the defense is suspect at best.

With Alvin Gentry as the coach, the Suns will return to the “Seven Seconds or Less” style that made them popular with fans and an easy target for defensive juggernauts like the Spurs come playoff time. Steve Nash is extremely happy to be returning to the style he thrived in under then head coach Mike D’Antoni. He even went as far as to describe himself as “joyous” about the change at the team’s media day. Although he is happy to play at a faster pace and his numbers, in both points and assists, will increase this season don’t expect him to magically return to the MVP form of years past.

Stoudemire is returning from an eye injury that required him to lay face down for 22 hours a day for 10 straight days during the offseason. He missed all but a handful of games in the second half of last season and has been tentative at best during training camp. Along with battling back from the eye injury he’s going to be battling for a contract extension. Expect big statistics and some drama from STAT this season.

Grant Hill will attempt to do his best Benjamin Button impersonation for a second straight year, while Leandro Barbosa and Jason Richardson will fill up the stat sheet from the two guard spot. Without Shaq, Lou Amundson, Channing Frye and Robin Lopez will be expected to step up. Unfortunately that short list got even shorter with the broken foot Lopez suffered this week which will keep him on the shelf for two months. As for the other two, Amundson will continue to be the high energy guy he was last year and a main source of rebounding, and Frye will spread defenses thin with his outside jumper. The Suns are so enamored with him that he’ll start along side Nash, Richardson, Hill and Stoudemire.

The surprise player of the season will most be Jared Dudley. He came on late last season as a major contributor for the team and will pick up where he left off. If Hill misses any time Dudley will step in as a starter. As for rookie Earl Clark, he’ll see limited minutes and the Suns won’t look to rush him into a poor situation.

Championship hopes seem all but dead in Phoenix but oddly enough players and fans seem more excited than they have been in recent memory. A 50+ win season and a second round exit is probably the best case scenario.

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Last Season Record: 0 – 2
The Raptors held their own the first time the two teams met. Playing without their lead PG Calderon, they managed to stay in it by shooting a high percentage from beyond the arc and the rebounding margin was negligible. The 2nd game in Phoenix was a blowout almost as soon as it began. The Suns didn’t even need the services of Amare. Shaq went off to score 45 points (something he hadn’t done in over 2 years) and the Raptors never found a way to contain him. He pushed Bosh around like a rag doll in the paint and post game Bosh showed his frustrations which led to RuPaul-gate.

Stacking Up

The Bigs: Amare Stoudemire is the focus of this team now that Shaq has been relocated. Coming back from a major eye surgery, it still remains to be seen how effective he is going to be and how long until he is back to his former self. The depth drops off drastically for the Sun’s beyond him. Bosh and Bargnani should be able to dominate this front court on both sides. The Sun’s are long and lean with more jump shooters than bangers which suits the Raptors style of play. Bosh and Amare may be at the same talent level but the Suns will not have any answer for Bargnani. He may see Dudley, Amundson or Frye defending him and should have the advantage over all 3. Like the Raptors, the Sun’s will use the high screen and roll to get Amare his shots. Since its the teams bread and butter, it would be tragic if they aren’t able to defend it.
Edge: Raptors

The Wings: Grant Hill is playing like he is 25. The doctors in Phoenix have done wonders, making him a viable threat on the floor on every possession. The addition of Hedo comes into play here as in past years Hill didn’t have to exert much on the defensive end. Hedo has a height advantage and should be able to use that. The Raptors also have more options available if they need stops which will in turn limit how much Turkoglu is exposed on defense. The Suns are not known to close out well against perimeter shooters and the Raptors guards and forwards will need be able to take advantage of that with good spacing. Bosh and Amare will be battling at the elbow rather than down low making some room for guys to cut to the basket. This game calls for a lot of movement. The athleticism that was missing for the past few seasons is now there for the Raptors and there will be lots of chances to make cuts to the basket and along the baseline.
Edge: Even

The Guards: The Raptors have a very solid PG in Calderon but he may just be the anti-Nash. Both players could have double digit assists but Calderon is very methodical and more comfortable in the half court. Nash is willing to make the risky pass, push the ball up and his assists seem to come easier. Adding Jason Richardson took some scoring pressure off Nash and the two could be a deadly back court – atleast on the offensive end. Jose and his counterpart will be running around a lot on defense, but there will be plenty of opportunities to be effective on the other end. Neither J Rich nor Nash are known as defensive stoppers. Jose and DeMar should be able to get to the basket, mixing it up with short jumpers from moving without the ball. Things change when Barbosa enters the game for the Sun’s and the game speed triples. Having Jose defend him could be disastrous but the Raptors may be wise to put one of their newly acquired younger/athletic to contain him.
Edge: Phoenix

Predicted Record: 1-1 (Each team takes care of home court)

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