It is on, baby! After three years of being used and abused by their arch nemesis, er nemeses, uh, nemesises ... whatever ... the Suns traded the future and a piece of their very souls to bring The Big Lord of the Rings to Phoenix. And they did it for the express purpose of beating the Spurs. Now we get to find out if their plan is going to work, and it's only the first round.

The season series: The Suns won it 3-1.

Bad news for the Suns: I've been avoiding all the obligatory "Man, the Western Conference is crazy!" exclamations in my previews, but man ... the Western Conference really is crazy, isn't it? The Suns finished exactly one game behind the Spurs, yet Phoenix is the sixth seed and San Antonio is the third (despite a second-place finish in their own division). The end result of all these shenanigans is that the Suns will have to win at least one game in the AT&T Center — where the Spurs are 34-7 — if they want to move on.

Good news for the Suns: The Spurs lost only seven times at home all season. Two of those losses came against the Suns. So Phoenix can beat them on the road. In the regular season, anyway. Now they have to prove they can do it in the playoffs. And, as you probably already know, the playoffs are a whole different animal. Not "shark with a buzzsaw-looking thingy in its mouth" different, but definitely different.

Reality check: Like Rudy T. said, you should never underestimate the heart of a champion, and part of me wants to pick the Spurs because, well, they're the Spurs. Manu Ginobili has played (at times) like an MVP, Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan, Tony Parker continues to be both annoying and French (actually, aren't those synonyms?) and they went 12-3 down the stretch, including wins over the Mavericks, Magic, Rockets, Warriors and Jazz. Then again, they're an old team, Duncan is showing the first slight signs of decay, and one of those three losses in that 12-3 streak came at home to the Suns. They may have the third-best record in the West, but they don't feel as dominant as they used to...and besides, they're not that much better than the Suns in the standings, and certainly not on paper.

Spurs player(s) to watch: Tim Duncan. Parker might have been the Finals MVP last season, and Manu Ginobili might have been MVP-like this season, but Timmy's still the centerpiece of the Spurs' championship buffet. Yet in the two games San Antonio has played against Phoenix since the Shaq trade, Duncan's shooting eye has been off (15-for-40 in two games). Moreover, Shaq's physical defense really seemed to bother him in the late stages of those games. I also can't wait to see if San Antonio's grumpy old men - Brent Barry, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, and Robert Horry - have anything other than fumes left in the tank. And don't forget Damon Stoudemire. He won't play much, but the dude is in full championship piggyback mode, so expect him to cheer like crazy from the end of the Spurs' bench. Also, Bruce Bowen ... you know what I mean.

Suns player(s) to keep an eye on: Shaq. He's supposed to be The Big Difference Maker, right? Phoenix can only beat San Antonio if the Diesel can provide interior defense, contain Tim Duncan, and score from the post when Mike D'Antoni's offense bogs down. Amare Stoudemire. People seem to have forgotten this, but Stat averaged 37 PPG against the Spurs in the 2005 Western Conference Finals. That was before his first knee injury. And — especially since the Shaq trade — Stoudemire sure looks like he's got that mojo back, doesn't he? Steve Nash. He needs to at least try to stay in front of Tony Parker. Gordan Giricek. The Suns need him to provide scoring off the bench and the long-range shooting necessary to establish the proper spacing, especially when Shaq's working it down low.

Key(s) to the series: Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw and whoever else you want to name need to keep their butts firmly affixed to the Phoenix bench when Bruce Bowen and/or Robert Horry start pulling their inevitable crap.

Prediction: Suns in six. Then we will celebrate good times, come on!

Can a playoff series be slow and low-scoring, yet still fun exciting to watch? Probably not. (For further information, please refer to the Knicks-Heat Rivalry.) But that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it. After all, there's a very good chance you'll get to see Tracy McGrady cry. Again. And wouldn't that be worth sitting through dozens of hard fouls and several hundred pick-and-rolls? (Don't answer that. Just read on.)

The season series: The Jazz won it 2-1.

Bad news for the Jazz: They're nearly unstoppable at the Delta Center Energy Solutions Arena (an NBA-best 37-4), but they truly suck struggle away from home (17-24). And everybody knows it. The Jazz have dropped four of their last five on the road, including an end-of-season blowout at San Antonio that they needed to get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Which, of course, means that they don't have homecourt advantage for this series ... and they're awful on the road ... do you see where I'm going with this?

Good news for the Jazz: They played the Rockets in Houston only once this season, and they won the game 97-89. (Random note that might or might not mean something: That was the loss that preceded the Rockets' historic winning streak.)

Reality check: You can go ahead and give Utah the three home wins. There's no way Houston is going to beat them at ESA. This means that the Jazz need to win only once in four tries at the Toyota Center. As bad as Utah has been on the road this season — and they've been pretty bad — I have a feeling they can win one out of four games in the Rockets' house.

Rockets player(s) to watch: This series could be the unofficial Tracy McGrady Suicide Watch. I know he's rich, famous, and probably sleeps on stacks of $100 bills and hookers, but you have to wonder how much more emotional trauma McGrady can take. Between the Orlando years, the chronic injury problems (to himself and Yao), and the fact that NBA historians seem ready to carve "The Greatest Player To Never Get Out Of The First Round" on his tombstone 30-40 years before his death...well, it ain't easy being T-Mac. It'll also be interesting to see how many meaningful minutes they can get out of Dikembe Mutumbo and whether Rafer Alston can handle Deron Williams. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see Rick Adelman put the ball in Bobby Jackson's hands if there are any close games.

Jazz player(s) to keep an eye on: Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Those guys are the pillars. Utah's offense pretty much begins and ends with them. Also, can Jerry Sloan afford to use Andrei Kirilenko to guard McGrady? It'd be nice to see the Russian Rifle get his defensive mojo back. Mehmet Okur has been solid lately. Can he keep it up against the Rockets bump-and-grind defense? And the entire world will be watching for futher occurrences of Kyle Korver's gay elf defense.

Key(s) to the series: The Jazz have to win on the road, plain and simple. So how they perform away from home is going to decide the series.

Prediction: Jazz in six. And I say they win the sixth game going away. Expect the broadcasters to eulogize for the Rockets, saying something like, "They really couldn't win without Yao Ming, but they should be proud of themselves for what they've accomplished, especially that 22-game winning stre ... hey, is T-Mac crying again?!"

After Dallas wrapped up their season and secured the seventh seed by beating the Hornets, Dirk Nowitzki went and opened his big German mouth. "This was definitely a win we wanted to get. The Lakers are probably the hottest team in the West. We definitely didn't want to face them in the first round. ... (New Orleans) had a great year, but I think we match up pretty well."

You know, it's one thing for a team to have a preferred first round matchup — everybody has one — but it's another thing altogether to tell it to the media. Do you really want to give your opponents additional ammunition? (No.) Do you want your enemy to be able to motivate themselves with the "lack of respect" card? (No.) And do you really want to tempt the fates that have been so cruel to you over the last few years? (No.) Seriously, Dirk ... WTF?

The season series: The series was tied at 2-2, with the home team winning every game.

Good news for the Mavs: Dallas went 6-3 down the stretch, and that streak included wins over the Warriors (who were fighting to make the playoffs), Suns (who trying to get homecourt advantage), Jazz (ditto) and Hornets (who had nothing to play for but were seemingly trying to win the game). Even better, Dirk Nowitzki won the Phoenix and Utah games with big shots down the stretch. Could it be ... is it possible ... that Dirk has finally overcome his case of clutchshotitis?!

Bad news for the Mavs: The Hornets are 30-11 at home and won both games against Dallas at New Orleans Arena. On the flipside, the Mavericks — while great at home (34-7) — have the same road record as the "they're tragically bad on the road" Utah Jazz (17-24). And did I mention they don't have homecourt advantage? As Hubie Brown would say: "You've got to win on the road in the playoffs if you want to advance."

Reality check: Do you trust the Mavericks? They're like a girlfriend/boyfriend who keeps cheating on you: It's going to take a lot for them to earn your trust back, you know? At the end of the day, I just don't think they have it in them to win in the playoffs ... even with Jason Kidd.

Hornets player(s) to watch: Chris Paul. He is the New Orleans offense. David West. He must score points so Paul doesn't feel pressured to do everything (and perhaps too much). Jannero Pargo. He must be the spark plug off the bench. Bonzi Wells. He's their only lowpost option, and an inside game is critical in the playoffs.

Mavericks player(s) to keep an eye on: Jason Kidd. He has to contain Paul, and he has to hit a shot or two from the outside. Dirk Nowitzki. He has to lead — really lead — and I'm not sure he's ever actually done that before. Josh Howard. He just needs to do what he does. Erick Dampier and Brandon Bass. They need to control the boards and keep Chris Paul out of the paint. Preventing Tyson Chandler from getting all those uncontested alley-oops would be nice, too.

Key(s) to the series: The Hornets need some solid contributions from their bench. Dallas needs to play like gangbusters on the road. Mark Cuban needs to keep his mouth shut and trust his coach and players to win without his constant yelling and lobbying to the officials.

Prediction: Hornets in seven.

First off, let me congratulate the Denver Nuggets on making the Western Conference playoffs. Now, let me give them my condolences, because they're like the fat laboratory mouse that gets dropped into the mamba tank for lunch.

The season series: L.A. won it in a 3-0 sweep.

Bad news for the Nuggets: Denver lost the first game by 28 points, the second game by 4, and the third game by 17. In other words, they were competitive exactly once, and they still lost. Oh, and they gave up an average of 118 PPG.

Good news for the Nuggets: I hear that the spring and summer are lovely in Colorado. So there's that. Otherwise? I don't know. (I guess that fact that Carmelo Anthony is available for the playoffs and not living behind bars and contemplating a jailhouse marriage to somebody named "Rock" is a good thing. By the way, 'Melo: Stay off the sauce until after you get eliminated, okay?)

Reality check: The Lakers are one of the best offensive teams in the league. They rank fourth in points per game (108.6), third in field goal percentage (47.6), and third in offensive efficiency (102.8 points per 100 possessions). Now, the Nuggets might be the second-worst team in the league in points allowed (107.0), but they rank 10th in defensive efficiency (103.2 points allowed per 100 possessions). However, their defense is predicated on forcing turnovers, which doesn't work very well against efficient, disciplined teams like the Lakers ... who are tenth in turnover ratio (only 12.9 percent of their possessions end in turnovers). Have I John Hollingered you to death yet?

The point of all that statistical mumbo jumbo is this: Denver's defense doesn't have a doughnut's chance in Rosie O'Donnell's mouth of stopping L.A.'s offense, which means the Nuggets have to outscore the Lakers to win. And I just don't see that happening more than (maybe) once.

Lakers player(s) to watch: Uh, does the name Kobe Bryant ring a bell? Remember, this is the first time that Kobe's gotten to be The Man for a championship contender. Also keep in mind that he's worked his black buns off to emulate everything Michael Jordan, right down to the determined grimace/fist pump combination. And one of the defining characteristics of Jordan's career was the way he would eviscerate first round opponents. See, Mike knew he could go wild against the lower seeds without really risking a loss. It was the best possible time to show off. You know, average 40 PPG or a triple-double or something. And there's no better defense for Kobe to do that against than Denver's. In fact, there's probably a constant "CHA-CHING!" sound going off in his head right now.

Nuggets player(s) to keep an eye on: First off, A.I and 'Melo will need to score a lot of points. Second, Marcus Camby must put the clamps on Pau Gasol. As a team, Denver has to close out on the Lakers' perimeter shooters. And who the hell is going to guard Kobe?

Key(s) to the series: Denver's D ... or lack thereof. We know they can score — they have Iverson and Anthony gunning for them, after all — but can they stop L.A.? They'll have to. But Phil Jackson isn't going to let his team get careless with the ball, so the Nuggets are going to have to dig in on defense. That means being physical, staying in front of their men, moving their feet, putting hands in faces, cutting off the paint, clogging the passing lanes (without overcommitting for steals), and stopping the longball. You know, basically everything they didn't do during the regular season.

Prediction: Lakers in five. And frankly, that's being pretty generous to the Nuggets.

This is going to be the most (and only?) exciting first-round matchup in the East, and second only to Suns-Spurs in the West. The drama has been building for weeks, and now these teams are going to go the hell at it. Cancel your dates (or make her/him come over and serve you beer). Take a leave of absence from work. Tell your mom you'll call her in a few weeks. Put Papa John's on speed dial. But whatever you do, DO NOT MISS THIS SERIES.

The season series: It was a 2-2 tie, with Washington winning the bookends and Cleveland taking the gooey center games. The first two "contests" were complete blowouts: The Wizards won by 19 in December and the Cavaliers won by 36 in January. The second two games were total barnburners: In February, Cleveland won 90-89 after LeBron James hit two freethrows with 7.8 seconds left; in March, Washington won 101-99 when LeBron got called for an offensive foul with 19.4 seconds left and then missed a 27-footer at the buzzer while getting the wet blanket treatment from DeShawn Stevenson.

Good news for the Wizards: Well, first of all, their big guns — Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas — are all back and (seemingly) healthy (or at least injury-free). Second of all, King James isn't healthy. In case you haven't heard (what, are you living under a rock?), Bron-Bron's back is hurting, which is probably the result of his season-long Atlas impersonation. And you can see that pain written in his splits: All of his numbers, particularly his rebound and assist totals, are down in April. He's still attacking the hole, but he can't hit the boards the way he usually does. Maybe he'll be fine once the series starts, maybe he won't. But if he isn't, I don't see Wally Szczerbiak or Ben Wallace picking up the slack, do you? (Man, they could sure use Larry Hughes right about now! I keed, I keeeeeeed!)

Bad news for the Wizards: They've been talking so much trash about LeBron and the Cavaliers that Charles Barkley recently came out and said: "I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization." You know it's reached the crisis point when Sir Charles makes an unintentional Waltonism. The Locksmith has gone on the record as saying that LeBron is "overrated," while Agent Zero has been spouting off on his blog about how "everybody wants Cleveland in that first round" and that the Wizards are going to "Bush" — that is, distract — LeBron with Stevenson's defense/offense combination so that they can sneak off with some wins.

This tactic backfired on Chuck Person in the first round of the 1991 playoffs, and it seems like a pretty big chance to take now. Why rile up LeBron? Why give the Cavaliers ammunition? I know that most (if not all) professional basketball players are raving egomaniacs and that they're gonna talk junk in the locker room ... but leave it there. You don't stare down an oncoming train, you don't shoot a bear in the ass with a BB gun, and you never, ever, ever tug on Superman's cape unless you're packing a fistful of Kryptonite. And guess what, Washington Wizards? Kryptonite doesn't exist.

Reality check: Angry or not, it seems pretty unlikely that LeBron is going to recapture last season's magic and make it back to the NBA Finals. Heck, he might not even make it out of the first round. Seriously. This Cavaliers team is poorly constructed and even more poorly coached. Ben Wallace is aging at an exponential rate (I expect him to burst into dust any minute), Wally Szczerbiak looks completely lost in Cleveland's one-play offense, and their best "shooter" is Delonte West. I would not be surprised to see LeBron choke a bitch, and if that bitch isn't Stevenson, it could very well be Cavaliers 2 through 12.

Cavaliers player(s) to watch: LeBron James, LeBron James, and, of course, LeBron James. How badly is he really hurting? Can he do it all by himself again? It'll also be interesting to see what Big Ben has left. My guess is "nothing," but we'll see. And who's going to be the third scoring option (after Zydrunas Ilgauskas)? West? Szczerbiak? Devin Brown?

Wizards player(s) to keep an eye on: DeShawn Stevenson, for one. He's officially thrown down the gauntlet. Actually, you know what? He's slapped LeBron upside the head with it. Now it's time to put his money where his extra-large mouth is. If he can't contain LeBron, the Wizards don't have a chance. Also, it'll be interesting to see whether Arenas is ready for playoff-level basketball. Also, Brendan Haywood needs to protect the paint from LeBron and his many basket attacks ... because nobody else on the Wizards roster seems to be able to do that.

Key(s) to the series: LeBron's back. Is it healthy? The "other" Cavaliers. Are they ready to contribute? Hell, are they even capable of it? DeShawn Stevenson. Will he hold down The King or get eaten alive. Cleveland's defense. Can they keep the Washington's Big Three from scoring 20 per game each? The Wizards' chemistry. Now that everybody's back and playing, can they adjust to working together toward one common goal?

Prediction: If LeBron gets past his back woes, Cavs in seven. If he doesn't, Wizards in six.

This is more like it! The Boston and Detroit series are pretty much in the bag already, unless an angry God decides to suck Kevin Garnett and the Pistons' starting five into an alternate dimension full of giant, angry wombats. But this matchup could actually be competitive.

The season series: The Magic won it 2-1.

Good news for the Raptors: The first game between these two teams was close all the way. The dinos won the second game in a blowout. They got blown out in the third game, but Chris Bosh didn't play because of an injury. All of which means that, on paper, the two teams were pretty evenly matched ... but with a slight edge to Toronto.

Bad news for the Raptors: The Magic went on a mini-run at the end of the season, winning three in a row and taking five of their last seven. More important, their guards performed well (particularly Maurice Evans), and the reserves even got some meaningful PT in the season finale (J.J. Redick and Marcin Gortat both had career-highs in points). And a little confidence going into the postseason is always a good thing.

Reality check: Toronto is heading into the playoffs with all the breakneck momentum of a fat person who has grown so morbidly obese their body has actually become fused to the furniture. I'm going to let you think about that one for a minute. Disgusted? Good. Now let's move on.

The Raps finished the season by losing two of their last three games — including a huge setback to Detroit's bench while they were fighting for playoff position and the Pistons were just coasting along — and the one win was against the Washington Generals Miami Heat. Overall, Toronto has gone 9-17 over their last 26 games, which doesn't just seem bad. It is bad.

Magic player(s) to watch: Dwight Howard, for one. First of all: Dunk city, baby! Second, and more important: Defense. We know Superman is going to score and rebound, but he's also got to defend the paint and guard Chris Bosh on the perimeter. That won't be easy. Also, Orlando's guards — Jameer Nelson and Maurice Evans — probably need to start producing at some point. This is as good a time as any.

Raptors player(s) to keep an eye on: Chris Bosh proved in February that he can use and abuse Dwight Howard...under the right circumstances. And did you know that Rasho Nesterovic can opt out of his contract this summer? Well, he can. Which, in effect, makes this season a contract year for him. And, wouldn't you know it, he's been on fire lately! Never underestimate the heart of somebody who's playing for a contract. Also, T.J. Ford could ruin everything if he tries to go all "2005-06 Kobe" (without the talent) on the Magic.

Key(s) to the series: The guard play. Now that Nesterovic is on a roll and Jamario Moon has arrived, the opposing frontcourts should pretty much cancel each other out (with a slight edge going to Orlando). This means that T.J. Ford and his backup (who really should be starting) Jose Calderon need to get their boys easy shots while scoring efficiently themselves. Shouldn't be a problem for Jose — who has 66 assists and only 1 turnover in April! — but watching T.J. play is always an adventure. And not one of those fun jungle adventures where you find a golden skull and save the girl of your dreams from a giant gorilla while narrowly escaping a bunch of poison-dart-shooting natives.

Prediction: I'm thinking Orlando wins this one 4-1. The Raptors are good at home (25-16), but the Magic are even better than that on the road (27-14). However, if the irrational enthusiasm of the Toronto fanbase has any effect whatsoever, this series could go the full seven. But I doubt it.

This series doesn't seem quite as hopeless as Atlanta versus Boston. Instead of having only a snowball's chance in hell, I'd say the 76ers are more like a large, stubborn block of ice in hell. Still melting, but maybe a bit more slowly.

The season series: It was a 2-2 tie, with Detroit winning the first two games and Philadelphia winning the last two.

Good news for the Sixers: They're currently riding a two-game winning streak against the Pistons. And the two games they lost were pretty close: Detroit won 83-78 on November 23 and 86-78 on January 23. (So as long as they don't play on April 23, I guess they'll be okay? Uh oh.)

Bad news for the Sixers: This is Detroit we're talking about. So you can throw all that regular season stuff out the window. Just make sure nobody's standing on the street outside. We don't want anybody getting hurt. Unless it's Bill Laimbeer. In which case, please drop an anvil on him, Wile E. Coyote-style.

Reality check: The Pistons finished the regular season on fire, winning their final four games by an average of 14 points per despite giving their starters plenty of nappy time. Two of those wins — versus Washington and Toronto — came against teams fighting for playoff position. On the other end of the spectrum, Philly limped to the finish, losing its final four games ... including two losses to non-playoff teams (Indiana and Charlotte). Oh, and let's not forget that screw-job against Cleveland.

Basically, the Pistons get to go into this series with confidence, experience and momentum. The Sixers, on the other hand, get to go into it with ... a four-game losing streak. Hey, Sixers fans! What's that over there?! Why, it's Donovan McNabb, and he looks totally healthy! (Are they looking away yet? Good.)

Pistons player(s) to watch: Um, all of them? Detroit's starters can hang with any other starting five in the league, and it seems like someone different dominates on any given night. Oh, and their bench is suddenly capable of beating playoff teams on their own. I don't see any of these games coming down to a final shot, but if they do, I wouldn't bet against Chauncey Billups taking (and making) one. There's also 'Sheed. You've always got to watch 'Sheed.

Sixers player(s) to keep an eye on: In the two games Philly won, Andre Iguodala scored 22 and 25 points, and Samuel Dalembert grabbed a total of 28 rebounds. Iggy's got to score and Sammy's got to rebound for the Sixers to stay competitive. Oh, and Andre Miller has to keep the offense running. Yep. Those three guys have to play at their highest level just to make this a series. And don't think the Pistons don't know that. Also, you should really take a peek at Philly's dance team. Especially Vi.

Key(s) to the series: The Pistons' bench. Detroit's starters have shown a surprising lack of killer instinct in the playoffs over the last couple years. In 2006, they went up 2-0 against Cleveland before dropping three straight. In 2007, they had the Bulls down 3-0 before losing two in a row, then they built a 2-0 lead on Cleveland (again) before getting shut out in the next four games. That's not likely to happen this year, because the Pistons' Zoo Crew brings energy and some big, honking huevos off the bench when the starters begin to relent. Plus, I'm sure Flip Saunders would like to save the "old guys" and their legs for the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston.

Prediction: My brain tells me that this series is going to end in a 4-0 Pistons sweep, but my heart says the Basketball Gods owe the Sixers one for that fiasco against the Cavs. So I'm going to give Philadelphia one inspiring win — probably in Game 4, because the Pistons tend to let up a little when they have an opponent on the ropes — before their playoff dreams are crushed into paste. Detroit wins 4-1.

Writing a preview for this matchup is nearly impossible, because it sort of presumes that the Hawks have a good enough chance to justify expending the necessary mental energy. And they don't. But of course nothing short of a sturdy wooden chair and several rolls of duct tape will keep me from talking about it.

The season series: Boston won it in a 3-0 sweep.

Bad news for the Hawks: The dirty birds lost all three games by double digits.

Good news for the Hawks: After losing the first game by 23 points, they lost the last two by only 10 points each. That's progress. Sort of.

Reality check: In the teams' last meeting on April 12, it was Atlanta's starters versus Boston's reserves during the fourth quarter. Note that Atlanta desperately needed a win to clinch their first playoff berth in almost a decade. And they still lost by 10. As bad signs go, that ranks somewhere between waking up next to a bloody horse's head and finding out that Soylent green is people.

Celtics player(s) to watch: Kevin Garnett put the Hawks in his hip pocket this season. In the first game, KG had 27 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocked shots. In the second game, he scored 20 points, snatched 16 boards and stole the ball twice. In the third and final game, Garnett had went off for 24, 6, and 4 despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter. So I think it's safe to say Atlanta doesn't have an answer for KG, unless it involves a Celtic Pride-style kidnapping.

Hawks player(s) to keep an eye on: He averaged only 15 PPG on 31 percent shooting against the Celtics, but Joe Johnson is Atlanta's captain and best player. He's going to go down, but he'll go down shooting. Also, Mike Bibby has a lot more playoff experience than Rajon Rondo, who has none. Of course, my grandpa has a lot more life experience than I do, but I'm pretty sure I could beat him in a game of one-on-one.

Key(s) to the series: Boston's best-in-the-league defense. It should smother the Hawks like a plastic grocery bag on a baby's head. (Warning: Do not put a plastic bag on your baby's head; it may cause skin irritation.) The Celtics could probably score 95 PPG and win this series. Actually, make that 90 PPG, since Atlanta never scored more than 89 points against Boston this season.

Prediction: Unless something unthinkable (like a KG's right leg falls off) or bizarre (like both of KG's legs fall off) happens, the Celtics are going to win this one 4-0, where the first two games will be blowouts, the third game will be close all the way, and the fourth game will be close until the Celtics pull away in the fourth quarter.