The Dallas Mavericks are looking to close out the Western Conference Finals tonight when they take on the Suns in Phoenix. Dallas leads the series 3-2. In game five, the Mavs were able to regain control of the game flow and they won by a landslide. Looking at the trends of this series, the Suns should come out on top and force a game seven.

Game five of the Western Conference Finals went to Dallas. The game ended up being a blow out, but it was closer than the score shows. The game did not get out of hand until the closing minutes of the forth quarter. In fact, Phoenix led by 7 at one point in the second half. Dallas pulled out the game, because they were able to regain control of the pace late in the second half.

Tonight the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks meet in Dallas to break the series tie, which stands at two games apiece. In game four, the Phoenix Suns controlled the tempo of the game and the Dallas Mavericks simply looked stunned. It was not a high scoring affair per se, but it was definitely an increase in pace. Phoenix ended up blowing out Dallas by twenty, 106-86. The fact that Dallas only scored 86 is a little suspect, because Phoenix does not have a rock solid defense. The game was in Phoenix and the Mavs may have been a little off—or perhaps resting.

The Suns did exactly what I talked about yesterday, the increased the tempo of the game. As a result, the Mavs simply could not keep up. In the 4th quarter, the Mavs had no choice but to increase their play, which played right into the Suns’ hands. As a result, the lead widened. The Mavs were really never in this game. They managed to close some to end the first half, but the writing was on the wall. To win they must slow down the pace and make the Suns play their game.

Tonight in Phoenix game 4 of the Western Conference championship is going down. The Suns are looking to get their offense back in gear. Their offense, which was brilliant all season long, has been sputtering of late. In game three, the Suns managed just 88 points of offense and that was not good enough. Now, they are in a hole 2-1 to Dallas who smells blood.