Game Five Preview: Blazers at Suns

After a Game One explosion of offense from Andre Miller, the Phoenix Suns adjusted and really held him in check for Games Two and Three. In Game Four, when Brandon Roy miraculously returned, Andre was freed up again to do what he does best: scoring when necessary and distributing the basketball.

Tonight, in Phoenix, Andre should be able to do that again considering the Suns will double Roy which will leave Miller available to take advantage of Nash and Dragic or whoever tries to guard him. I think the Blazers will want this game in Phoenix and try to avoid coming back for Game Seven. No one wants it more than Andre Miller.

The key, as always, will be stopping Steve Nash. Because so many of these games are about teams doing something out of the ordinary and the other team adjusting, it might be time to really put pressure on Nash. I'm torn here, but since I'm superstitious, Suns win the matchup.

The momentum and swagger for this game has changed significantly thanks to Brandon Roy's return. Whether he is playing well or not, he's going to help every other Blazer player. The Suns have to respect Roy, making them play honest defense instead of throwing an extra guy at Miller or Aldridge.

As has been the case in the previous four games, Jason Richardson's contribution will mean a lot to the outcome. With Roy back, it changes the way Richardson approaches the game. Previously he could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Now he has to concentrate on defense and deal with the bigger and better Roy. I like Brandon here.

Grant Hill's stats may be slight compared to others on this team, but he's really been a great complimentary guy for Phoenix. He's averaged almost nine rebounds a game for the series and hit big shots when it mattered. Not to mention he gave Andre Miller fits on defense in Game Two. With Hill's steady play and the possibility that Dudley could finally break out of his playoff shooting woes, this could be a surprisingly rough matchup tonight.

Nicolas has also been solid for Portland, but I'm not so sure he can contend with what the Suns may do on their home court. Also, with Roy back, I'm sure we'll see Martell here at the small forward position hopefully picking up where he left off in the first three games. Despite what I'm hoping for, I think the Suns win here.

LaMarcus Aldridge obliterated his critics on Saturday afternoon, scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Game Four victory over Phoenix. The return of Roy did wonders for LA's confidence and his one-on-one offensive attack. I believe LaMarcus can carry that motivation into Phoenix but it's still a big question mark at this point. I think chances are good that he will have a nice game.

The problem is Amare Stoudemire is really starting to feel it. He feeds off the banter, opposing crowds, and violent dunks. If Portland lets him get loose at all tonight, I think it could be a long game. He was relatively mediocre in Games One and Two but has since slowly increased the scoring. Don't let Nash get the ball to Stoudemire. I'm afraid we can't stop him tonight.

Since crushing guys in Game One, Marcus Camby has been somewhat pedestrian in his last three games. His rebounds are decent, scoring is down, and mostly it's been average. I think he'll get back on the horse tonight; I expect him to really take it to Amare and whoever else gets in the way.

The Phoenix center combo has been about as sorry as our shooting guards before Roy returned. Collins is slow and deliberate and Frye has shown almost no shooting consistency. I think we could use some more Juwan Howard toughness to go along with Camby's defense, and the Blazers win this matchup.

I have no idea what to think anymore, really. Who knows who'll come out hot, who makes the better adjustments? I just can't fathom anything. So much has already gone on in this series. What I will say is Phoenix is at home and favored to win because they really need to win. I'm going to pick them to win purely for my own superstitious reasons. You can thank me later.

Overall Winner: