Lakers wanted Suns, but may regret it

Be careful what you wish for, it’s not only here, it’s red-hot and rolling.

The Lakers just got a Western Conference finals matchup they didn’t expect, facing the little Phoenix Suns they have dominated since they went from tall to taller, instead of the San Antonio Spurs, of whom they remained wary.

The Lakers are 9-3 against the Suns over three seasons (4-2 in Phoenix) with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, coming off a series in which their 7-footers played over the heads of the Jazz front line, which is bigger and more physical than that of the Suns.

So what could go wrong now?

Actually, plenty.

If the Suns aren’t big, they are bigger, more physical, deeper and better than it has been in the six years of the Steve Nash era.

Oh, and nobody can defend against them now, either, the Suns having led the NBA by averaging 110 points a game this season and having just dropped 111-110-110-107 on the rock-ribbed San Antonio defense.

Amare Stoudemire, once the Suns’ biggest starter at 6-8½, is now a power forward alongside 6-10 Jarron Collins, standing in for 7-0 center Robin Lopez, who is expected back, backed up by 6-10 Channing Frye.

Instead of gazelles such as Shawn Marion, they have older but more skilled players such as Jason Richardson and Grant Hill.

Suns Coach Alvin Gentry uses 10 players with his gung-ho second team led by Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic and Louis Amundson that turned the expected marathon against the Spurs into a 4-0 sweep.

With Gentry succeeding Terry Porter who succeeded Mike D’Antoni in their two-year misadventure with Shaquille O’Neal, General Manager Steve Kerr now admits they “panicked” when they traded for him.

The Suns started 32-23 this season, still shopping Stoudemire right to the Feb. 18 trade deadline. When the smoke cleared, Stoudemire was still in Phoenix. In the real stunner, he then turned his head and their season around, averaging 27 points and 9.6 rebounds the rest of the way in the Suns’ 22-5 finish.

They are now 8-2 this postseason. With Stoudemire saying he’s open to staying, this series could have even more meaning. In any case, with this season’s Suns, the surprises haven’t ended yet.

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