Subpar Teams Could Surprise On Suns' Road Trip

A bad franchise habit will have the opportunity to rear its ugly head this week: playing down to the competition.

The Suns embark on a four-game-in-five-nights road trip starting Tuesday evening at New Jersey.  The trip also features Indiana, Chicago and Milwaukee. 

None of those teams are widely expected to make the playoffs, but none of them can be considered cellar-dweller pushovers, either.

Tuesday - New Jersey Nets

 It will be tempting for Phoenix to sleep on New Jersey, with a semi-washed up Vince Carterand a plethora of half-way decent role players.  That kind of temptation could haunt them before the night is over.

Carter is still capable of big plays and big games.  If he catches fire, defensive stalwarts Matt Barnes and Raja Bell will have their hands full.

Devin Harris will look to give the slower Steve Nash fits with his speed, and will test the help defense the Suns are still looking to solidify.

After the Suns' Robin Lopez sat out in the Suns' win over Portland, his playing reunion with/against his brother Brooke may become a moot point.

The Suns frontcourt combo of Shaquille O'Neal, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diawshould prove too much for the Nets' own front line, which features incumbents Josh Boone, Lopez, and Yi Jianlian.

Prediction: Suns 106, Nets 99

Wednesday - Indiana Pacers

Phoenix should take a look at the game film from Indiana's early-season win over Boston and learn a lesson.  Kevin Garnett (18 points and 14 rebounds) was successful inside.  Paul Pierce and Ray Allen (3-for-15 and 4-for-10, respectively) were ineffective outside.

Against a Pacers lineup that features Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy and Rasho Nesterovic, the Suns should take advantage through Stoudemire and O'Neal's superior strength and skill.

Like the Nets, Indiana's lesser-known starters could give the Suns fits, especially Danny Granger.  The 6-8 small forward presents a potential matchup problem with his combination of size and strength, areas that Barnes and Grant Hill may not be able to completely neutralize.

With Granger playing out of his mind, point guard T.J. Ford and forward Mike Dunleavy may have enough breathing room to hurt the Suns just enough, especially against a Phoenix team playing on the second game of a back-to-back set.

Prediction: Pacers 94, Suns 86

Friday - Chicago Bulls

There's a theme on this road trip: pound it inside.  At least, it should be against a Bulls team whose only true center is seldom-played Aaron Gray.  Add to that the flawed presences of Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, and ideally Shaq and Stoudemire should have a field day.

Chicago presents a unique challenge, as their backcourt is deep enough (Derrick Rose, Thabo Sefolosha, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon) that Steve Nash, Bell, Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic won't have a moment to let up defensively.

ROY candidate Rose in particular presents a challenge, as he has the speed and IQ to give the Suns (especially Nash) fits in the pick-and-roll.   If the Suns can't contain him, they're in for a long night.

Look for Phoenix to pull off the win after having a well-deserved day off, but don't expect Chicago to be an easy out.

Prediction: Suns 96, Bulls 93

Saturday - Milwaukee Bucks

Assuming the Michael Redd recovers from his ankle injury he sustained on Sunday, the Suns will face the most offensively potent team of the road trip.

Redd teams up with former Arizona Wildcat Richard Jefferson to form a shooting/slashing wing tandem which will keep the Suns' adjusting defense on its heels.

Unlike the three previous teams on the road swing, Milwaukee actually features a legitimate front line: Australian Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva. 

Bogut has the size and skill set to neutralize a O'Neal, if only because the Suns will once again be playing the second of a back-to-back.  Villanueva will use his outside touch and inside scoring to test Stoudemire's still-improving defense.

Phoenix's main advantage in this matchup lies in its bench, assuming they come to play.  Barbosa can't afford to have a no-show like he did against Portland on Saturday (1 point on 0-3 shooting).  Diaw is equally responsible for contributing right away on a night when the starters could be potentially fatigued from playing Chicago the previous night.

Expect the bench to carry the Suns to a win, with rookie Goran Dragic contributing significantly for the first time this season.

Prediction: Suns 109, Bucks 98