For those of you who listened to my podcast last week with HoopsAddict.com's Rashad Mobley , you know we talked a lot of basketball that day: The NBA Draft, his Wizards, a ton on the Boston-Orlando series.

But when it came time to talk about the Suns and Lakers, we simply glossed over those two, with me even saying, "There are only so many ways to say that the Lakers are just better than the Suns." At the time, both Rashad and I figured that Phoenix might be able to ride their home crowd to a Game 3 win, but after that the series would be over. Game, set, match.

Well, just six days later, here we are, with the Suns having tied the Western Conference Finals at 2-2 on Tuesday night, leaving the Lakers confused, bickering, and looking for answers.

So how did this happen? How did a matchup that was seemingly as one sided as a pie eating contest between Rosie O'Donnell and Jennifer Aniston turn into a series?

I'm still not sure.

Either way, here are six thoughts from Tuesday night's improbable Phoenix win.
 

1. This Zone Defense Has The Lakers Baffled

It seems simple really.

In Games One and Two, Los Angeles forced the ball down low and was literally scoring at will against the Suns, shooting close to 60 percent as a team in those first two games.

You read that correctly...60 PERCENT!!

Those are like UConn women vs. East Tennessee Tech kinda numbers. So after two games it was only logical that Phoenix at least try to play a zone, right?

Here's the thing though, while the move was logical, it was also completely illogical that after seeing the zone in Game Three, the Lakers were unable to make adjustments in Game Four.

It was almost like they showed up expecting that all which ailed them in Game Three would all of a sudden go away, simply because they were the Lakers.

Only after a game full of spotty play, turnovers, and back-rimmed jump-shots, L.A. was all of a sudden left looking like my 94-year-old grandma staring at a computer screen: Confused, frustrated and utterly helpless.

Beyond that, the zone highlighted the one thing I don't think any of us fully realized until the last two games: Other than Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers really aren't a good jump-shooting team.

The zone put pressure on Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and Ron Artest to knock down three's and they just haven't been able to.

Artest has been an especially large headache for Lakers fans, as he's gone just three for 12 from beyond the arc since the Suns switched to the zone, and is shooting just 25 percent from three during the playoffs. Ugh...

And as much as Artest's defense is really, really important against guys like Kevin Durant, his offense is leaving an awful lot to be desired.

This series in specific is really the first time I've felt that the Lakers letting Trevor Ariza walk off their championship team last summer was a big mistake.

Think he could have stretched that zone a bit the last few games?

While I still think the Lakers will win this series, that's no longer a guarantee.

Say they win Game Five at home Thursday, then lose Game Six in Phoenix (And after the last two night's is there any reason to think they won't?) We all know that anything can happen in a Game Seven.

Boy let me tell ya, what a difference a week makes, huh?

(This is just PART of Aaron's recap of last night's game. Read the remainder by clicking here or visiting him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

2. Phoenix's Bench Is Sooooooo Much Better Than L.A.'s

Now we all knew the Suns had a better bench coming into the series, I don't think I'm breaking any new ground by saying that. But in Game Four the gap between the two all of a sudden became wider than Michael Strahan's front two teeth. Seriously.

Phoenix's bench scored a staggering 54 points (With three players scoring double figures), compared to the Lakers' who only scored 20. And even that number is a little skewed, considering that Lamar Odom scored 15 of them.

Right now, the benches are the biggest difference in this series, and the biggest reason why the Suns can hang tight and not miss a beat when their starters come out.

Tuesday was when it all came together.

Looking at the stats you wouldn't know it, but Dragic absolutely played his best game of this series, controlling tempo, and dishing out eight assists to go with eight points.

Leandro Barbosa, Louis Almundson and Channing Frye had their best games too.

And Jared Dudley was, well, Jared Dudley. He had another big game, after being arguably Phoenix's best player in Game Two.

More importantly, while that lineup kept Phoenix in the game, L.A. was forced to play their starters during practically the entire stretch.

Sure the Lakers can trot out D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell when they're up 20, but they aren't doing that when it's a one possession ballgame.

Meanwhile, while Steve Nash (30 minutes played) and Amare Stoudemire (31 minutes) are resting up, there's Kobe out there chugging along for 45 minutes. Think his legs might be a little tired if this series goes seven games?

I thought the one thing that was most telling though, was after the game, when TNT elected to interview all five Phoenix bench players, rather than Nash or Stoudemire.

Each took a question, smiled, and gave an answer, not used to have the cameras in their face.

Question: Would that ever happen in a million years with the Lakers?

(This is just PART of Aaron's recap of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. To read the article in its entirety, please click here or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com .

Also, Aaron's thoughts on all things sports, be sure to add him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres and Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports )