May I culpa again?

My attempts at postseason prognosticating have not gone so well thus far. The Suns are down 3-1 with no apparent signs that they will be able to come back. Kobe Bryant is now universally loved and showing himself to be the true MVP, rather than Nash.
What I will say for my predictions is that I wrote the Suns dominate teams that are one-man shows or don't play solid defense. For most of this season, those two negative attributes were the Lakers stock in trade. But one way or another, the Zenmaster convinced Kobe to play team ball and the role players to play well enough to make Kobe stick to the game plan.
Everyone is praising Phil, as they always do, but really any sensible coach would have his team play the way the L.A. has if it was facing a jump-shooting team whose strongest inside presence is Tim Thomas.
No Amare this year has meant Phoenix just doesn't have what it takes to truly contend. They face an uncertain future because without him, they can be fun to watch but nothing more than a sideshow. With him, they can be champs - without him, they can't beat many teams in the West in a 7-game series.
I haven't given up on the Suns, but the odds are obviously long on a comeback. Even when the inevitable Lakers victory occurs, it sets up an exciting matchup with the Clippers, assuming they can take care of business with the Nuggest, that I'm dubbing the Smog Series. I like the weapons the Clippers have, but L.A. will be flush with confidence. The Final Four in the West, assuming the Spurs can get through, is enticing.
Maybe I'll return with some more predictions, or I might not. But keep watching, these playoffs are excellent.
What I'm reading: A Simple Plan by Scott Smith. This was made into a movie a few years ago. It's about unattractive people who find a lot of money in a crashed plane. It's pretty intriguing thus far.