NBA

• Spurs, Suns renew rivalry in playoffs

  
  

  (Sports Network) - The defending world champion San Antonio Spurs renew their heated rivalry with the Phoenix Suns this afternoon at the AT&T Center, as the teams meet in Game 1 of the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs.

  San Antonio finished in second place in the Southwest Division and is the third seed in the Western Conference. The Suns placed second in the Pacific and are seeded sixth.

  Game 2 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday at the AT&T Center.

  There is a lot of playoff history between the teams, as this is the ninth time that the clubs have met in the postseason. The Suns defeated San Antonio in the first round in 1992 and 2000 and in the semis in 1993. The Spurs beat Phoenix in the opening round in 1996, 1998 and 2003 and also in the 2005 Western Conference finals.

  Last year, the Suns were eliminated by the Spurs, 4-2, in a very physical and emotional Western Conference semifinals series. The series took an interesting turn in Game 4, which was won by the Suns. Veteran Robert Horry committed a flagrant foul on Steve Nash. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw left the Phoenix bench briefly, and both were suspended for Game 5. Horry received a two-game suspension for his role in the incident.

  San Antonio won Game 5, 88-85, at US Airways Center and eliminated the Suns with a 114-106 victory in Game 6 at the AT&T Center.

  During the regular season, the Suns were 3-1 against San Antonio. The teams split a pair of contests at Phoenix, while the Suns swept two meetings at the AT&T Center.

  The last time the Suns lost in round one was when they fell to the Spurs in six games during the 2003 postseason.

  Phoenix' three-year run as Pacific Division champions came to an end this season, as the Suns were edged out by the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings.

  The Suns made a big move in early February and are hoping it will pay big dividends in the postseason. Thirty-six-year-old center Shaquille O'Neal was acquired from the Miami Heat in exchange for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. Shaq has two years left on his contract after this season and is set to be paid $20 million in each of the next two years.

  O'Neal has won four NBA titles during his 16-year career, capturing three with the Lakers and one with Miami. He teamed up with Dwyane Wade to carry the Heat to the 2006 NBA championship. Orlando selected O'Neal with the first-overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft and he went on to capture Rookie of the Year honors in his first season. He also won NBA MVP for the 1999-2000 campaign with the Lakers and was a three-time NBA Finals MVP with Los Angeles in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

  With Shaq, two-time MVP Nash and All-Star forward Stoudemire, the Suns are going to be tough to eliminate in a best-of-seven series. Stoudemire led the Suns in scoring (25.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg), while Nash averaged 16.9 points and an NBA-best 11.2 assists per game.

  Shaq averaged 12.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 28 games for the Suns. He shot 61.1 percent from the field and played over 28 minutes per contest.

  Veteran forward Grant Hill, who was hampered by a strained right groin at the end of the season, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Leandro Barbosa, defensive stopper Raja Bell and Diaw all did their part to help the Suns get back to postseason for the fourth straight year.

  The Spurs have captured four of the last nine NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007). History is not on San Antonio's side for the playoffs. Following a championship, the Spurs have never made it past the Western Conference semifinals in the playoffs. In 2000 they fell in the opening round to Phoenix, and lost in the semis to the Lakers in 2004 and Dallas in 2006.

  San Antonio clinched the third seed on the last day of the season, as they knocked off the Utah Jazz, 109-80, at the AT&T Center.

  Manu Ginobili lead the Spurs, who won more than 50 games for a ninth straight season, in scoring (19.5 ppg), while All-Star forward Tim Duncan posted a team-best 11.3 rebounds per game and point guard Tony Parker handed out a club-high 6.0 assists per contest.

  The 31-year-old Duncan was second on the team in scoring (19.3 ppg) and shot 49.7 percent from the floor. Parker collected 18.8 points per game and made 49.4 percent of his attempts from the field, including 25.8 percent from beyond the arc.

  The Spurs will go only as far as Duncan, Ginobili and Parker can take them. They do have a solid supporting cast, as defensive stopper Bruce Bowen does the dirty work and Michael Finley can score and adds athleticism.

  Veteran big man Kurt Thomas, who was played for Phoenix last season and was acquired in a trade from Seattle during the campaign, Fabricio Oberto, Ime Udoka, Brent Barry, Matt Bonner, Damon Stoudamire, Jacque Vaughn and the aging Horry, who has won seven rings during his career, make up a deep roster for head coach Gregg Popovich to work with.

  Horry has been sidelined with a bruised left knee. He last played on March 21 against Sacramento. The 37-year-old Horry averaged just 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 45 games this season.

  The last time the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs was in 2000, when they lost to the Suns, 3-1.

  San Antonio was 34-7 at home during the season, while Phoenix was 25-16 as the visitor.

  04/19 10:40:30 ET