The following year, a Suns team without Stoudemire (who was injured), Joe Johnson, and Quentin Richardson, but with a core of new players led by Raja Bell (who clotheslined Lakers star Kobe Bryant in a first-round series game), Boris Diaw and Tim Thomas to go along with Nash and fellow All-Star Shawn Marion. Phoenix had to play seven-game series against the two Los Angeles teams, the Los Angeles Lakers (who had a 3–1 lead against Phoenix) and the resurgent Los Angeles Clippers. In the Western Conference finals, they faced a Mavericks team who won 60 games, but were forced to be the fourth seed since the division winners got the top three seeds. On their way to the Western Conference finals, Dallas swept the Memphis Grizzlies, and beat in-state rival San Antonio Spurs in seven tense games. Phoenix won game 1 121–118 after Diaw hit a game-winning shot in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Bell, though injured himself in game 1, missing Games Two and Three. After that, Dallas took control of the series, winning Games Two and Three by the scores of 105–98 and 95–88. Bell came back for game 4 and led Phoenix to a 106–86 win. Dallas however, beat Phoenix 117–101 in game 5 which included a 50-point performance from Dirk Nowitzki, and eliminated the Suns in Phoenix 102–93 in game 6. Dallas would later lose to the Miami Heat in six games, despite winning the first two games.
The following year, a Suns team without Stoudemire (who was injured), Joe Johnson, and Quentin Richardson, but with a core of new players led by Raja Bell (who clotheslined Lakers star Kobe Bryant in a first-round series game), Boris Diaw and Tim Thomas to go along with Nash and fellow All-Star Shawn Marion. Phoenix had to play seven-game series against the two Los Angeles teams, the Los Angeles Lakers (who had a 3–1 lead against Phoenix) and the resurgent Los Angeles Clippers. In the Western Conference finals, they faced a Mavericks team who won 60 games, but were forced to be the fourth seed since the division winners got the top three seeds. On their way to the Western Conference finals, Dallas swept the Memphis Grizzlies, and beat in-state rival San Antonio Spurs in seven tense games. Phoenix won game 1 121–118 after Diaw hit a game-winning shot in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Bell, though injured himself in game 1, missing Games Two and Three. After that, Dallas took control of the series, winning Games Two and Three by the scores of 105–98 and 95–88. Bell came back for game 4 and led Phoenix to a 106–86 win. Dallas however, beat Phoenix 117–101 in game 5 which included a 50-point performance from Dirk Nowitzki, and eliminated the Suns in Phoenix 102–93 in game 6. Dallas would later lose to the Miami Heat in six games, despite winning the first two games.