Suns V Blazers: 5 Standout Moments

Jason Richardson and his 24-point average, plus the usual halo around Nash and Amare notwithstanding, here are five standout moments/plays/players that were as much of a series-shaper as the deeds of the afore-mentioned superstars.

1. Gentry's decision to switch Hill on Andre Miller, starting Game 2. Its been talked about enough, so without belaboring the point further, let me just state that Hill's lateral agility and his ability to 'beat' screens stifled Miller to such an extent that the latter went from a gaudy 31-point, 8-assist showing in Game 1 to a more mortal 12-point, 5-assist average over the rest of the series.

2. Grant Hill's Defense & Rebounding in Game 6. I have now doubt in my mind that Hill was the Game 6 MVP. He had 11 boards, defended three different players on one play at times, and ran the offense while Nash was having one of his rare crappy nights. And on top of all that was this (and this one too!).

3. Jared Dudley's timely hits in Games 5 and 6. It might be a chicken-and-egg thing....what leads to what --- the Suns tempo or Dudley/Frye's 3-point shooting; whatever the case might be, Master JMZ came up huge with his downtown bombs in Games 5 and 6. One particular game changer was his 3-and-one late in Game 6, with the Suns holding on to a edgy 4-point lead.

4. Channing Frye in Game 5. Again, in somewhat of a reiteration of the aforementioned para, it is pretty clear that Frye has to be hitting his threes for the Suns 'tempo' to look good. Without Lopez, the Suns have no point/reason to field a traditional center-type of set-up. They need Frye to shoot like an SG to create wrinkles. And he did so in Game 5.

5. Gentry's decision not to over-play Barbosa. Its clear that Leandro is a bit lost in the shuffle --- when he's in, he is not sure whether to play PG or SG, and ends up doing neither at times. He did score in bunches at times during the series, but never looked confident on a consistent basis. The Suns need to find a role/reason for him against the Spurs, because he's one guy whose quickness can bother Manu and Parker. But I am glad that at least against the Blazers, Gentry did not force the issue too much by playing Barbosa more than he should have.