game during the series against the Spurs, the highest ever by a player in the Western Conference Finals. The 2005–06 NBA season began with Stoudemire undergoing microfracture surgery in his knee on October 18, 2005, missing all but three games that season. Shooting guard Joe Johnson also demanded a sign-and-trade deal to the Atlanta Hawks, in which the Suns got Boris Diaw and two future first-round picks. Other acquisitions included Raja Bell and Kurt Thomas. Despite the turnover in players, the Suns again won the Pacific Division, going 54–28 and capturing the second seed in the Western Conference. Nash was awarded a second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the second point-guard, after Magic Johnson, to win the award in consecutive seasons. Also, Diaw was named NBA Most Improved Player. The Suns began the 2006 Western Conference Playoffs as favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning the first game in Phoenix, they found themselves trailing in the series 3–1 after impressive performances by Lakers' shooting guard Kobe Bryant. However, the Suns went on to win three straight games. With 7:33 left in the fifth game, Suns guard Raja Bell grabbed Bryant around the neck and threw him down as the Lakers' star drove to the basket. Bell earned a technical foul, his second of the game, and an automatic ejection. The Suns took game six in overtime, their first overtime win all season, despite 50 points from Bryant and Bell out serving a one-game suspension with last-second help from mid-season acquisition Tim Thomas. On their home court, the Suns won game seven 121–90, eliminating the Lakers for the first time since 1993. The Suns are 1 of 9 teams in NBA history to win a playoff series after being behind 3–1. In the second round, the Suns faced the Los Angeles Clippers. The series was played closely, with both teams trading games on each other's courts. The series was 2–2 and the Suns were behind in game five before coming back and won in double overtime. After a game six loss, the Suns won the series in the seventh game on their home court at US Airways Center, winning by a margin of 20 with an NBA record fifteen 3-point FGs on May 22, 2006. They went on to play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals as underdogs. The Suns took game one in Dallas by