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Nash, Suns seek quick start in playoffs, host Lakers

Apr 22, 2007 - 1:38 PM LA Lakers (42-40) at Phoenix (61-21) 3:00 pm EDT Western Conference First Round Game One

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- This time Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns want to end things quickly.

Nash and the second-seed Suns aim to start quickly in the playoffs when they host the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in Game One of their Western Conference first-round matchup.

Phoenix won a first-round series vs. Los Angeles last year, but had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to do so. This year the Suns want short playoff rounds on the way to what they hope is an NBA Championship.

Phoenix went hard down the stretch, winning eight of nine over a two-week stretch to hold off San Antonio for home-court advantage if the two should meet in the Western Conference semifinals.

Nash did his part, leading the Suns (61-21) to the second best record in club history. The two-time MVP led the league in assists (11.6) while quarterbacking the team to the highest scoring average (110.2 points) and field goal percentage (49.4) in the NBA.

He was ably assisted by the healthy return of All-Star center Amare Stoudemire, who who posted a team-leading 20.4 scoring average while playing every game this season.

Not to be overlooked was the play off the bench by supersub Leandro Barbosa, who averaged 18.1 points and is a favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. The 6-3 Brazilian was a main reason why Phoenix also led the NBA in 3-point shooting (39.9 percent).

The Suns were not kind to the Lakers in 2006-07, winning three of four.

Superstar Kobe Bryant hitched the Lakers to his back, averaging 41 points over the final 16 games to help Los Angeles make the playoffs for the second year in a row. The nine-time All-Star scored 50 points nine times, including two 60-point efforts.

Bryant will need a Herculean effort to get Los Angeles back to a Game Seven in this series, which is not likely as Suns guard Raja Bell and others held him to just 17 points on 7-of-26 shooting in a 93-85 victory on April 13.