The road to The NBA Finals continues Thursday, with Dallas and Phoenix meeting in Game 5 from American Airlines Center. The winner earns a 3-2 best-of-seven series lead and the loser facing elimination.



So far the Western Conference finals and a lot of the games in the postseason have been black and white. I’ve said it once and I’ll continue to repeat, “Whoever puts the ball in the bucket, will win the game more often than not.”



This isn’t football, where a referee can toss a penalty flag and turn back a play or a bullpen in baseball can blow a save. Basketball is all about execution and the intangibles are few and far in between.



Some folks complain about referees, while others cite homecourt edge. It’s all about the “Jumper”. It’s no surprise that the final four teams in the playoffs are all ranked in the top third of the league when it comes to field goal percentage. Plus, Phoenix and Miami are one and two.



Phoenix evened up the series with Dallas at 2-2 on Tuesday by ripping the Mavericks 106-86 as a one-point home underdog. A 20-point win in the playoffs is impressive, but after looking at the box score, anything less would’ve shown flaws on the Suns' part.



Without taking anything away from the Suns, head coach Mike D’Antonio saw his squad shoot a blistering 55 percent from the field, while the Mavs barely eclipsed the 42 percent mark. Phoenix was also 7-of-15 (47%) from downtown, while Dallas connected on 30 percent (4-of-13) from beyond the arch.



The Suns have won eight of their 10 playoffs game by shooting a higher percentage than their opponents. In the eight losses, they’ve shot a lower percentage in all eight tilts. That's as crystal clear as it gets.



Again, oddsmakers have dropped the total once again – down to 207. The number in Game 3 was listed at 221, when Dallas stifled Phoenix, 95-88. The total on Game 4 dropped to 214 and the combined 192 points never threatened the closing number.



A seven-point swing from one game to another is big, but 14 points in a two-game span clearly states that the unpredictability that remains between these two teams.



Field goals attempted are always big when handicapping in totals and the pace slowed down in Game 4, with both teams taking 158 shots. In the first three games, the attempts were listed at 178, 169 and 177 respectively. To give you a better idea of how high these numbers are, the most attempts in the Eastern Conference Finals between Miami and Detroit stood at 148 shots. The low number came in at 128 attempts.



Dallas is listed as a seven-point home favorite for Game 4. The Mavericks are beatable at home, as evidenced in a 121-118 setback to Phoenix in the opener of this series. Avery Johnson’s team is 0-3 against the spread in the last three games at American Airlines Center.



Tip off is set for 8:30 p.m. EST, with TNT providing national coverage.



Following this tip, both teams head back to the desert for Game 6 on Saturday.