Henry hit the nail on the head: 

"Those two meet again tonight. I love the NBA."

As fun as yesterday's skirmish was, Tuesday's to-do featuring the Nuggets and Suns figures to be a little nastier, more heated, more pointed, and (likely) more interesting.

That's not to say Monday's game was not without conflict. Amare Stoudemire was (sometimes rightfully, even) complaining about calls all game long. Suns assistant coach Dan D'Antoni got a T (you see an assistant get a whistle maybe three times a season), Steve Nash had a little fire in his eyes, and Kenyon Martin looked like he was seconds away from a flagrant foul for the ages for most of the second half.

But, just as it is in the playoffs where teams get sick of each other awfully quickly, it's only going to get touchier tonight. Then again, it's the NBA, where "I've no clue what to expect" often happens, so I'm relegated to offering a list of hopes:

*I hope the Suns aren't satisfied with splitting the home-and-home.

Even in the midst of a tense playoff race, this is often the case. The team that won the first game at home will tend to give up midway through the second quarter as the inspired home team pulls away. The visiting team will attempt one last mini-comeback at the outset of the second half, usually based on trying to make up the deficit three points at a time; and when the bombs don't connect, they bow to the home team and a blowout is in the offing.

*I hope the Nuggets stop hacking.

Denver really worked the perimeter last night, and it did well to get out on the Suns and force them into a miserable shooting effort. But when the Suns were able to get into the lane, Denver gave up on the play, and sent Phoenix to the line. Stop that. See if Stoudemire can shoot a 12-foot runner with Martin underneath him and Camby nearby. Make them earn it.

*I hope George Karl earns his paycheck.

Call a play. Call several. Stop relying on screen/roll, easy transition buckets, and the individual brilliance of your scorers. This Denver team reminds of the Milwaukee Bucks teams from 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003: teams that could barely win half their games inside a crummy Eastern Conference, in spite of a wealth of offensive talent.

*I hope we get a game.

There's reason to believe this could be a blowout, for either team. The Suns could be cool with the split, and the Nugs could be too cool for school and give up early. Either one wouldn't be a surprise. But we could also get a barn-burner, and it would also be nice to see the Nuggets play 48 minutes of sound basketball, instead of turning in one half of it - seriously, Monday night's second half combination of pathetic defense was just miserable, and beneath a team of Denver's talents.

Both teams have eight games left. This is a big one. I love the NBA.

Phoenix Suns: 50-24, 95.4 possessions per game (4^th in the NBA), 115.7 points scored per 100 possessions (2^nd in the NBA), 109.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (15^th in the NBA).

Denver Nuggets: 45-29, 97.8 possessions per game (1^st), 112 points scored per 100 possessions (11^th), 107.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (8^th). 

Related: Game to pay attention to