NBA Playoff Previews: San Antonio vs. Phoenix

With the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday, that means Foul Balls is allowed to start enjoying basketball again. So throughout the day today, I will be previewing each of the eight first round matchups.

Why You Should Watch This Series: Let's start with the past, shall we? Remember the second round of the playoffs last year when the Suns lost Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for a game for leaving the bench during a fracas? Well, the Suns would like some revenge, and these teams can't stand each other. Revenge and animosity always make for a fantastic playoff series, and I haven't even mentioned Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Steve Nash, and Shaq yet.

Why San Antonio Will Win This Series: Because they're the Spurs and all the Spurs ever do is win playoff series. They have the best coach in the NBA, three of the league's best players, and they're 100% committed to stopping you on the defensive end. All of which makes the Spurs the team to beat every year out west, no matter the seeds.

Why Phoenix Will Win This Series: Because as I said earlier, they're incredibly pissed off about the way their series with San Antonio finished last year. Plus there's the fact that they're probably sick and tired of hearing how their style of play just doesn't work in the playoffs (And it hasn't so far.) Plus if Shaq has been saving it for the playoffs like he used to, the combination of him and Amare could be just too much for San Antonio to handle.

Who Will Win This Series: Spurs 4-3. To me this is by far the most intriguing matchup of the first round, and should be incredibly entertaining to watch. In the end though, I think the Spurs will get by thanks to the home-court advantage and championship experience.