NBA Season of 2005-2006!

[Sinthiya]

Suns bury Lakers for series win
06/05/2006 11:08:23

The Phoenix Suns whipped the Lakers in Game 7 on Saturday night, completing a series comeback and denying an all-Los Angeles matchup in the second round of the playoffs.

Victoria native Steve Nash had 13 points as the Suns never trailed in a 121-90 home victory at U.S. Airways Centre to close out their Western Conference quarter-final.

Nash, who overcame a mild sprain to his right ankle near the end of the half, also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Leandro Barbosa had 27 points, while Boris Diaw scored 21 points and collected nine rebounds.

Seven Suns players finished in double digits as the team shot 61 per cent from the field.

Kobe Bryant had a spectacular first half, but was completely shut down in the second to finish with 20 points and six rebounds. Lamar Odom was the next-highest Laker starter, with 12 points.

Luke Walton had 15 points for Los Angeles, most of which came in the waning minutes.

Phoenix became only the eighth team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. The Lakers had never lost a series when leading 3-1, while their coach Phil Jackson lost in the first round for the first time in 15 playoff appearances.

Phoenix, meanwhile, had never won a series in which they faced a 3-1 deficit.

The Suns now advance to face the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round, beginning Monday night in Phoenix.

Hopes had been high in Los Angeles for a celebrity-studded crowd for what had already been dubbed the "Hallway Series," so named due to the fact the dressing rooms for the Lakers and Clippers in the shared Staples Center facility are separated by 70 feet of hallway.

It was apparent from just about the opening tip that those plans were premature.

Phoenix burst out to a 16-6 lead and expanded it to a 32-15 gap by the end of the first period. Nash dished the ball around to all of his teammates, setting up Tim Thomas for a dunk on one occasion.

Barbosa had a strong first quarter after a disappointing Game 6. He continued early in the second, adding a pair of layups against the befuddled Lakers.

But Bryant, who poured in a playoff career-high 50 points in a Game 6 overtime loss, hit four three-pointers in the quarter to bring the Lakers to as close as eight points.

Unfortunately for him, his teammates were ice-cold. Los Angeles shot 39 per cent from the field.

His last trey was answered by Diaw with one second left in the half for a 60-45 Phoenix lead, with Bryant accounting for 20 points for the Lakers.

Any hopes for a Los Angeles comeback in the second half were quickly dashed as the Suns keyed on Bryant and his young teammates continued to appear rattled.

The Suns extended the lead to 25 points as the third quarter ended.

Nash was rested with six minutes to go, and Bryant quickly made his exit for the season soon after, having taken only three shots in the half.

Even the matchup of the team's reserves was one-sided, with Phoenix's Pat Burke and Eddie House nailing three-pointers to further elate the sell-out crowd.

Nash was interviewed after the game and said the ankle problem would not prevent him from playing Game 1 against the Clippers on Monday.

from: http://sports.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/H...howbyline=True

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Suns all the way!!! ....this is all for STEVE NASH!!!!....