Two Ugly Players Gone

As great as Sam Cassell [right] is, he's probably twice as ugly. Even he, former baseball player Derek Bell, and current Toronto Raptor Charlie Villanueva aren't as ugly as Cassell's fellow Clipper, Chris Kaman [left]. Thankfully, the ugliness stopped after the Suns defeated the Clippers in Game 7. The Suns will play the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals beginning Wednesday. In the East, the Pistons will play the Heat, beginning tonight.

The Clippers showed that they were a well-coached and talented team, but they didn't have enough playoff experience to overcome the Suns. This was also the case in the Cavs coming up short against the Pistons. In Game 5 of the Clippers-Suns series, Raja Bell hit a 3-pointer over Daniel Ewing to send the game into overtime. That was the lone bright spot in a contest that featured numerous mishaps at the end from both squads. These included Cassell's 8-second backcourt violation and the Suns' Tim Thomas heaving the ball the length of the court instead of calling timeout with 3 seconds to go.

For the Suns, Nash saved his best for last. He remains my favorite for the entire season's MVP. Nowitski has probably leapfrogged another player this playoffs, sending Lebron back to the third spot. Raja Bell stepped up and had a great series.