By Greg Boeck, USA TODAY PHOENIX — Play it again, L.A. Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and the Los Angeles Clippers are the next Hollywood team to get a crack at pounding the ball inside and slowing down the run-and-stun Phoenix Suns in the NBA playoffs. Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers employed that strategy but came up short in a physical, seven-game first-round series. "It's no secret," said Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. "They pound it in to Kaman and Brand, but they also have some outside shooters." "If they play their tempo," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy told reporters, "they can beat anybody in this league. They want to play one way, and we don't want to play that way against them." So it's small ball vs. big men all over again for the Suns, who open the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at home Monday night (10:30 ET, TNT). Game 1 comes 48 hours after Phoenix stared down Kobe Bryant and the Lakers' go-inside strategy with a 121-90 Game 7 blowout Saturday. The win made the Suns only the eighth NBA team to overcome a 3-1 deficit and handed the Lakers' Phil Jackson the first opening-round playoff loss of his coaching career after 14 consecutive wins. The Suns turned the Lakers series around by cranking up their running game. "These guys," Bryant said during the series, "are like Olympic runners." The Suns' front line is faced with another Olympian task. Forward Shawn Marion will give up 1 inch, 26 pounds and seven days of rest to Brand, and center Boris Diaw will give up 4 inches, 50 pounds and seven days of rest to Kaman. "If we play our pace and our rhythm, we should win like we did the last three games," said Diaw, a triple-double threat from France. That's been the Suns' refrain all season. "They have an advantage against every team, let alone a smaller team like us," said MVP Steve Nash. "We've seen it before." Marion celebrated his 28th birthday with a cake after practice Sunday. Tonight, he gets Brand gift-wrapped by the Clippers. Brand was an MVP contender most of the season, the inside anchor of a Clippers team that won its first playoff series since 1976 with its 4-1 romp against Denver. The 6-8 power forward averaged 24.5 points and 10.8 rebounds vs. the Suns in the regular season. "He's a handful," said Marion, who averaged 20 points and 12.3 rebounds against the Clippers. "He's a lot bigger than I am." The Clippers are also a lot more rested than the Suns. They finished off the Denver Nuggets a week ago, then watched the Suns survive three elimination games. "The Clippers are better than the Lakers," said guard Raja Bell. "And they've had seven days to watch us. It's been an uphill battle from a rest and scouting standpoint." http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/playoffs/2006-05-07-clippers-suns-preview_x.htm --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.224.29.111