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Look, after just one game, it's already in the mix for the greatest first-round ever. This series is hot. Hope you'll hang around for some liveblogging as the game unfolds.

• As a little prelude, I imagine most of you have been watching the Hornets and Mavericks. In a lot of cases, watching basketball is about rooting for a team. This series, however, is different. In these first two games, it's really not about uniforms, or cities, or allegiances. It's just about the beauty of watching someone -- Chris Paul -- perform at an extraordinary level. I'm sure Paul did make some mistakes tonight, but I can hardly remember any. Every second he had the ball it seemed like things could not possibly go wrong. The Mavericks, poor things, just happened to get the draw against the guy who apparently has lightning in his sport drink. I can't imagine how many thousands of hours of conditioning, video sessions, and drills it took for Chris Paul to achieve the level of play he has going now. I'm sure thankful he put in the time.
• OK, game on. Tim Duncan was all alone with the ball from 20 feet, and both Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal elected not to even make a step towards closing out. Maybe a smart call -- he has an open shot either way, and those guys need to conserve energy. But then again, last night Andrei Kirilenko closed out in that situation, and drew a game-changing Luis Scola foul. What I said earlier.
• Phoenix has a little lead. This happened last time. If I were the Suns, I would assume that they need a lead. Just hanging around, keeping it close, and trying to win it at the buzzer has not favored Phoenix against this team. I know, I know, every team wants to win big. Is what I'm advocating even a tactic? Here's how it comes into play. For instance: this time, if the Suns are rolling, and somebody gets two or three early fouls, I hope Mike D'Antoni will gamble on the player fouling out, and play for the fat lead -- instead of getting conservative, and helping the well-coached Spurs make a game of it.
• For the moment, the Suns are leaving both Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen all alone. Neither Spur can make Phoenix pay, which makes things crowded for Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker.
• Raptors with a one point lead and about a minute to play. Dwight Howard has 29 and 20. Whoa. People say they never call offensive fouls on the home team with the game on the line, but they did in Orlando. Keyon Dooling offensive foul, Orlando up one, 9.3 seconds left. GAME: Orlando. Chris Bosh missed a shot with a second or so left.
• Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Manu Ginobili ... that's six guys who are or have been major MVP candidates in one game.
• Speaking of Manu, news today that Chicago's Andres Nocioni, Houston's Luis Scola, Toronto's Carlos Delfino, and San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto will be in Beijing to defend their Olympic gold. Pencil in Argentina as a U.S. nemesis.
• Robert Horry just hurt Shaquille O'Neal's pride with that block. Watch for O'Neal to try to get that dignity back in some fashion over the next few minutes.
• Six-point Phoenix lead a few minutes before half-time. Whose the favorite at this point? The way Manu Ginobili is playing, I feel the home team by a whisker. Good game so far.
• Mike D'Antoni busts out a zone and gets three straight stops.
• Whenever San Antonio goes to the Hack-a-Shaq, is it smart to take him out of the game? He helps Phoenix. Seems like fouling him could become an easy way to just get Phoenix to bench one of its best players. On the other hand, as a fan I'm not sad to miss watching him shoot a bunch of free throws.
• Here's a rule question: if Amare's Hail Mary at the half buzzer had bounced on the floor and then gone in -- it was kinda sorta close -- does it count, even if the bounce is after the buzzer? It can bounce off the backboard, why not the floor? My suspicion is that it can't hit the floor after the buzzer. Anybody know the rule?
• Amare Stoudemire grabbed Tim Duncan's jersey a little. But Duncan alos feigned being restrained. I watched it three times. He did sort of a drama lunge. Pretty impressive.
• I'm surprised how often the Suns seem not to be aware of the game situation. At the end of the first quarter, I think it was, Grant Hill was looking to make a pass in the backcourt as the clock expired. SHOOT IT! Just now Steve Nash dribbled out a 24-second violation, seemingly taking his time.
• The Suns' defense has been good in this quarter, but the Spurs' has been better. It's amazing how Tim Duncan manages to get the most out of his body. He's not the fastest guy, but even when he switches to Steve Nash, he's no dead duck. Thanks to his range and his smarts, he forced Nash into a long fadeaway miss.
• Amare is leaving Ime Udoka to help on Tim Duncan. OK, fine. But don't lose track of Udoka entirely and let him sneak into the lane unchecked for an offensive board.
• This quarter, the Spurs look like champions, huh? (I wrote that, and then the commentator said the same exact thing. I better check for cameras in here.
• Quick change of topic: More Clay Bennett emails coming out. In one dated before the purchase was completed, Bennett reportedly said that if an arena deal was worked out in Seattle, the owners could complete a "sweet flip." Howard Schultz's attorney says that's proof the owners never intended to keep the team in Seattle long-term. The irony is that I think Seattle fans would love for these owners to complete their "sweet flip." If Bennett's in, I'm quite sure that would make everybody happy.
• Gordan Giricek stuck his beak into a scrum and came up with a 50/50 ball. If San Antonio had won that ball, I was about to get the feeling that Phoenix simply could not win this game. Now, I'd say the odds are long, but they're in with a puncher's chance. I don't care who wins, but please, please, please let us have a close finish with some nice made shots. That's what I want from every single game of the entire playoffs. (Only when the Blazers are in the playoffs in the future, will I learn to once again appreciate the blowout. Until then -- make my heart race!)
• The Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire pick and roll used to be SO devastating. But tonight, it ends with a shaky pass to a covered Amare, with no room at all in the lane. Some of the reason the lane is clogged is because O'Neal has Tim Duncan down there. When O'Neal was out of the game, Stoudemire got back to rolling down the middle of the lane. You know how O'Neal always says this is Amare's team? He should prove that by giving the Suns' MVP some room to roll.
• I can't remember a game where I worried as much (or at all) about Steve Nash's handle. Bruce Bowen deserves some credit for this, but it also just seems like his control is weak tonight.
• I wonder if Shawn Marion is watching this.
• Kurt Thomas still gets credit for a mid-range jumper, but I can't remember him shooting it well or often in the playoffs the last couple of years.
• OK, let's focus here. O'Neal on the bench, and the Suns appear to be much more active on both ends of the floor. Game tightening up nicely, even with Mr. (+/-) Negativity Boris Diaw on the floor for the Suns.
• Not to pick on O'Neal, but the two big buckets of this game were both exploiting his defense.
• I feel short-changed. Why didn't I get to see Amare Stoudemire with the ball down the stretch?
• Second game in a row, Mike D'Antoni is short of timeouts in crunch time.
  
• San Antonio wins, and looks great doing it. If you traded Manu Ginobili to the other side, I bet Phoenix would have won handily. He was the nerve center of this game. In a way, I feel it's a shame he comes off the bench, because he sure has what it takes to be known as one of the very best players in the league.
• OK, that's a wrap. Thanks for hanging out. Now we have a 2-0 series. Phoenix is going to have to find another gear if this is going to be the best first-round series of all time.