Phoenix Suns News

On paper, the Los Angeles Clippers have all the ingredients a team needs to cook up a run to the NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant was in Paris when his teammates were in El Segundo for exit interviews.

Their first-round series with Atlanta could be over by Saturday. A Hawks win in Game 2 Tuesday night would be serious cause for panic.

The franchise of Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain won 19 games and lost 63 this season.

Apr 16, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Ish Smith high fives forward Marcus Morris as a timeout is called against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena.

Blake Griffin scored a career playoff-high 35 points without a foul and the Los Angeles Clippers led all the way in routing the Golden State Warriors 138-98 Monday night to even their first-round series at a game apiece.

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan battles Dallas Mavericks center Samuel Dalembert for a rebound in the first half of the NBA Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 1at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Sunday, April 20, 2014.

In this March 24, 2014 file photo, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah blocks the shot of Indiana Pacers forward Luis Scola during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago.

The Phoenix Suns turned last year's 25-57 record into a 48-34 campaign this season, just missing the playoffs by one game.

School: Arizona State University When you started with Bonneville Phoenix: October 2011 Favorite sports memory: Watching Cardinals win NFC Championship over Philly in January 2009 with my Dad...ASU wins 1987 Rose Bowl...Suns defeat Lakers in 1990 NBA Playoffs...2001 World Series Favorite all-time athletes: Don Mattingly, Jeff Hornacek, Walter ... (more)

Although many Phoenix Suns fans are sure to be disappointed with the team narrowly missing the playoffs, they should also be extremely proud of the efforts of a team that, before the season, was projected to end up in the lottery.

Lillard did just that, finishing with 31 points and making the go-ahead free throws in overtime to lift the Trail Blazers to a 122-120 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night in a thrilling first-round series opener.

Nene dominated with 24 points and Trevor Ariza scored 18 as the Washington Wizards rallied from 13 points down to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-93 in their playoff opener on Sunday.

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal , center, drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, left, and forward Carlos Boozer during the first half in Game 1 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series in Chicago, Sunday.

Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle reminded everyone after the game that Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan are two of the 10 greatest NBA players ever, either in scoring or in a general evaluation of their skills.

They're both huge centers, skilled and capable of dictating the outcome of a game.

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall is a 23-year-old blossoming superstar. These playoffs are his first opportunity to show a national audience just how great he can be in games that matter.

In their first full season with the Phoenix Suns, GM Ryan McDonough and head coach Jeff Hornacek took the team from bad to good.

But that didn't seem to throw the Warriors off their game too much because they had another playmaker: Klay Thompson.

The top-seeded San Antonio Spurs swept the regular-season series against the eighth-seeded Dallas Mavericks 4-0.