Mid-March means March Madness for most basketball fans. But for the avid NBA fan, this time of year means the NBA playoffs are only a month away. Now is the time when teams on the bubble start making their final push for the last few spots in their respective conferences. As always, the Eastern Conference's No. 7 and No. 8 seeds will have losing records, but out West, the fight for the playoffs is between multiple quality teams.
The surging Los Angeles Lakers hold first place in the West by eight and a half games, and they are still cruising without the injured Andrew Bynum. But seeds two through eight are only separated by four games, and as of today, the Phoenix Suns are on the outside looking in, four games behind the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks. Although the Suns have a steep hill to climb, there is one reason -- one big reason -- that they have a great chance at stealing Dallas' playoff spot: Shaq.
The resurgence of Shaquille O'Neal to NBA prominence has caught many experts and critics by surprise. The legendary big man just turned 37 this month, and he had seemed incapable of dominating the paint as he used to. After the news broke last month that All-Star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire would be out for the season with a detached retina, the Suns appeared to be destined for another disappointing season that began with such high hopes. But Shaq has found his step again, averaging 23.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in Stoudemire's absence. In a 133-113 win over the Toronto Raptors, Shaq dropped 45 points and 11 rebounds, his highest point total since he was with the 2003 Lakers.
Without Stoudemire, the Suns are certainly a weakened team, but the resurgence of Shaq and the veteran leadership of two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash make for a solid combination that could lead a serious playoff push. The Suns have an excellent supporting cast that can step up and cover the loss of Stoudemire and his 21.4 points per game. Newly acquired swingman Jason Richardson has added a dynamic wing option that Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, whom the Suns traded for Richardson, could not provide. Richardson's athleticism cannot be matched, and his improved three-point touch has made him an even bigger threat, as he has put up 17.1 points per game this season.
Leandro Barbosa, Grant Hill and Matt Barnes are great role players, and Nash has the ability find them when open. Barbosa has been a solid shooting guard this season, averaging 14.1 points per game and shooting 36.4 percent from behind the arc. Grant Hill is far from what he used to be, but he is still capable of putting up good numbers on any given night. Matt Barnes has been a pleasant surprise for the Suns as well, coming off the bench at 6-foot-7 while providing a serious three-point threat, shooting 35.7 percent from long range.
The Suns will have a chance to make a run in the coming weeks, as after battling the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers this week, they will have a stretch of four straight at- or below-.500 teams in the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards. The Suns' last four games of the season include another group of the NBA's lower tier, as they'll play the two games with the Memphis Grizzlies and one apiece with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Warriors. The Suns are notorious for making the playoffs with much promise and falling short in the early rounds, but if they cash in on the eighth seed, they may be able to give the Lakers some trouble in the first round. The story behind a Shaq-Kobe playoff series would also make the media and NBA fans ecstatic.
