How can the Phoenix Suns rally at home after losing the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series to the top-seeded Denver Nuggets?
Despite the cliché that a series doesn't start until the road team wins, history tells us the Suns are in a tough spot. Since 1984, teams that lose the first two games on the road have won just 8% of best-of-seven series.
The chances are much better for teams like Phoenix, which were favored entering the series without home court advantage. According to pre-series odds from SportsOddsHistory.com, four of the 13 teams (31%) like the Suns that started those series down 2-0 -- including the Golden State Warriors in Round 1 -- came back to win.
Still, Phoenix was favored in part because of how dangerous it appears at full strength. We won't see that version of the Suns, at least in Friday's Game 3 after Chris Paul was diagnosed with a groin strain that puts his status for the rest of the series in jeopardy.
What adjustments can Phoenix coach Monty Williams make to compensate for Paul's absence and help the Suns even up the series heading back to Denver for Game 5? Let's take a look.