Shaq to Phoenix: The Desert's Runners Switch to 'Diesel'

We all know that diesel engines, on top of being environmental friendly, are more fuel efficient. In other words, you get more 'bang for the buck'. Think about a huge truck, or even some local buses, reliable and powerful... and unfortunately slow.

Still, the NBA playoffs are more about power than speed, something that the Suns have been trying to disprove for the last couple of seasons. Did they give up to early? That we'll never know. How do they stack up regarding potential playoff contenders?

Here is a quick one-to-one preview of potential playoff match-ups for the Suns in reverse order of current standings. I'm assuming the Suns will keep one of the top seeds on the West:

Houston/Portland (both currently 'out'): Either team will be a 'dream' match-up for a first round. Phoenix will have Shaq to deal with Yao and everyone else to run around. Recall that Yao and T-Mac still are 0-fer on playoff series wins. Portland? They will be just happy to be there, probably Shaq won't have much to do on a series like that.

Golden State (8^th): Another first run upset for the Warriors. Shaq will try to clog the paint on 'D', but that probably won't be enough to stop the barrage of 3's and long shots that this team likes to hoist. Probably come playoff time GS will still hold their current 109.6 ppg mark, something that we cannot assure any more for the Suns (currently at 109.4)

Denver (7^th): This would be a nice series to watch. Shaq against Camby. It can go either way, except that Phoenix still has Nash and Amare and all the playoff experience. Probably a close call, but still a Suns win.

San Antonio (6^th): Was this team the real reason for the trade? Well, unless Steve Kerr wasn't watching last year, Phoenix had the Spurs on the ropes during that series, until the questionable suspensions that shifted the pendulum to the champion's side. This could've been a winnable series even before the trade.

LA Lakers (5^th): If San Antonio was the real reason, the Lakers trade for Gasol was the main catalyst for the trade. If they meet on the playoff, probably this will happen on the second round or conference finals. While people will be talking about Kobe vs. Shaq the match-ups will be Shaq vs Bynum, Amare vs Pau, and Kobe vs Bell/Barbosa/Hill. Probably it will boil down to a battle of wills. Mix in the Zen master on LA's bench and Nash directing traffic for the Suns and this could be a very interesting conference final to watch.

Utah (4^th): This series could be a chemistry bomb for the Suns. Who's Shaq going to match-up against? Is he going to follow Okur or Kirilenko to the three point line? Is he going to put-up with the pick-and-roll side of Boozer? Probably this is the series where D'Antony has to sit Shaq the most, either because foul trouble or just plain need. And you probably know what the Diesel will say after spending 20+ minutes on the bench... A series like this could be the beginning of the end for the Shaq experiment.

New Orleans (3th): This series can be an easy one for the Suns if it happens after the first round. The Hornets will be threading in unknown waters, even with CP3 playing the way he's playing now. Now, move this series to the first round (something like 4^th vs 5^th seed) and it could go either way. It's hard to predict the intangibles of a team on the rise, like the Hornets.

Dallas (2^nd): If this series happens it will be on a later round. Shaq's value will be probably at its max on a series like this. The slower pace of Dallas will enhance Shaq's 'D' and neither Dampier nor Diop will be able to stop him on the post. Now... throw JKidd into Dallas mix and this series will be really fun to watch. Minus Kidd, the advantage goes to the Suns.

In summary: Getting Shaq will help against Houston, Denver, Dallas and LA; will not have an effect against Portland, San Antonio and New Orleans; and probably will be very bad against Golden State and Utah. If you are a Phoenix fan just hope for a good seeding chart at this season's end.