2006 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals thoughts

The NBA Playoffs in 2006 have been pretty exciting. While many were thinking both conference final matchups were going to end up being duds, Phoenix had other ideas last night. Meanwhile, the east has been surprisingly one-sided and I just don't know if that will change. Here are some quick thoughts on the NBA postseason. 

 

-It's a good thing that the Heat hung on to Udonis Haslem in the offseason. Amidst all of their re-shuffling and signings, no one knew just how much Haslem fit into their plans. He has been a pleasant suprise offensively this postseason, chipping in 16 points in the Game 4 win on home court. Haslem is one of the most underrated forwards in the league one the Heat can't do without- especially on the rebounding side of things. 

 

-How about the respect that Steve Nash commands from his team? The man calls out his teammates for not displaying enough energy and emotion in Game 3 and they respond by blowing out the Mavs in Game 4. When all of the pundits were saying there was no way Phoenix could shut down Dallas the rest of the way, Nash knew all along that it was possible. Kudos to him for stepping up and being a true leader. 

 

-Does Raja Bell make a big difference after all? The star defensive stopper for the Suns was suprisingly back in the lineup Tuesday night. The result was a huge win and now the Suns are 2-0 in the series when Bell plays. While he is a solid playoff performer, don't read too much into it. You may recall they won a key Game 6 in the opening round in LA versus the Lakers while Bell was suspended.

 

-Where did Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups go? Billups has been particularly disappointing, putting up some halves with either one or zero points throughout the postseason, while Wallace has been hot and cold to say the least. These two men are the top catalysts for this team and they're also the reason the Pistons are on the ropes.