NBA playoff capsules By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer May 7, 2006 No. 2 PHOENIX SUNS (54-28, 4-3) vs. No. 6 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (47-35, 4-1) Season series: Tied, 2-2, with none of the games decided by fewer than 10 points. Steve Nash and Shawn Marion both averaged double-doubles for Phoenix, as did Clippers All-Star Elton Brand. Storyline: The Suns erased a 3-1 deficit and the hopes of an all-Los Angeles series by storming back to beat the Lakers in the first round. Now they can provide more heartbreak to that city by ending the Clippers' first trip to the second round since moving west. Key matchup I: Nash vs. Sam Cassell. Two of the NBA's best examples of how much good point guard play can mean to a franchise. But they've both been banged up in the postseason before -- Nash hurt his ankle in the clincher against the Lakers -- and the series could turn by which is healthier as the series goes on. Key matchup II: Tim Thomas/Leandro Barbosa vs. Corey Maggette/Shaun Livingston. The Suns got superb play from those two reserves to spark their comeback against the Lakers, and they figure to need more strong play from the bench with such a short break before the next series. But with Maggette and Livingston, the Clippers have a much stronger bench than their fellow Staples Center tenants. X-factor: Chris Kaman. The Suns had trouble at times in the first round with Kwame Brown, and Kaman is more polished. He averaged 11 points and 13 boards against Phoenix this season. Little-known fact: The teams met in the first game at America West Arena, now US Airways Center, on Nov. 7, 1992. Charles Barkley had 37 points and 21 rebounds in the Suns' 111-105 win. Prediction: Clippers in 6. http://0rz.net/b71jT --

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