Dallas versus New Orleans: Game 5

Avery Johnson: This might be the Little General's last game as the coach of the Mavericks, so try to treasure every last, squeaky-voiced moment of it.

Chris Paul: After a couple of average to below-average games in Dallas, don't you get the feeling that the miniature point guard is ready to blow things up? I sure do.

Dirk Nowitzki: He's been on fire for most of this series and it probably won't matter. Again. Will he lay waste to a stationary bike? Will he strum a guitar and sing a soulful ballad? Or will he just go out and get wasted? My guess: All of the above.

Jason Kidd versus Jannero Pargo: Kidd almost killed him in Game 4, and then Pargo almost killed my funny bone when he described the incident afterward: "He has that old-man strength that kind of threw me down." Awesome. Honestly, though, I expect Kidd to be on his best behavior, and Pargo seems to classy to retaliate. But maybe David West will take a shot at Kidd in Pargo's defense...

David West: See above.

Mark Cuban: I called it. And tonight might be the night.

New Orleans fans: These folks deserve to celebrate. And my Magic Eight Ball says: "Conditions Look Good."

Philadelphia versus Detroit: Game 5

The whole 76ers team: They blew a huge opportunity in Game 4. They could have gone up 3-1 ... instead they're tied 2-2. And the Pistons suddenly look serious again. Will these young men respond, or will they be overwhelmed and get their butts kicked?

The whole Pistons team: I don't care how successful they've been the last four years, and I don't care how good they looked in Game 4. The Pistons have lost my trust. I never know when they're going to show up and take a game seriously anymore. They're completely unpredictable. Like Taco Bell and beer. Actually, no, that's completely predictable.

Andre Iguodala: Where, oh where has Iggy gone? Where, oh where has he gone?

Tayshaun Prince: He may very well be the answer to the previous question.

Rasheed Wallace: Look, I'm always going to include him in any preview. You should never stop watching Rasheed Wallace. Never.

Chauncey Billups: Man, he's been playing like crap in this series. Mr. Big Shot? Seriously? At this point, Flip Saunders would be happy to see just one big shot from his captain. Speaking of which...

Flip Saunders: See those bullets under the Detroit bench? Yeah, Flip's been sweating those out. His resume already reads "Couldn't win with Kevin Garnett." He really doesn't want to add "Couldn't win with an incredibly talented and championship-proven Detroit team."

Phoenix versus San Antonio: Game 5

Officiating: Not to take anything away from the Suns' big Game 4 win, but the referees turned a blind eye to a lot of contact from the Phoenix defenders. I doubt that's going to happen at the AT&T Center, no matter how fired up Boris Diaw is.

Boris Diaw: The Furious Frenchman took center stage in Game 4. And the collective cry of "FINALLY!" from the Phoenix fans will be affecting weather patters for the next 50 years or so. Can he do it again? Especially now the Gregg Popovich knows he's alive? Mike D'Antoni sure hopes so.

Gregg Popovich: He is crushing the Suns with his mind.

Mike D'Antoni: He is also crushing the Suns with his mind. If he doesn't perform some sort of coaching miracle — not likely — the Age of Fun and Gun might be over in The Valley.

Tony Parker: Parker has been slicing the Suns with his drives and dicing them with his jumpers (who knew?). TP was off-target from the outside in Game 4. Chances are he'll be hitting again in Game 5. He could end up being the Spurs first round MVP, even though that award should really go to...

Tim Duncan: That three ... that damned three. Steve Nash will be seeing that shot in his nightmares for the rest of his life.

Shaq: So much for the whole "Shaq can stop Tim Duncan" theory. But The Big Cactus was on hand when the Lakers downed the Spurs in another Game 5 back in 2004. If he can play half as good as he thinks he still is, Phoenix just might win this one.

Manu Ginobili: He's close to setting a new personal best for flops in a first round series. And his personal best also happens to be the league's all-time record. But only because the first round only lasted five games during Vlade Divac's prime.

Steve Nash: I hope Captain Canada is ready for a new round of "Steve Nash shouldn't have won those two MVP" debates.

Home cookin': Teams with a chance to close out a series in Game 5 at home almost never lose. I'm sure there's some kind of statistic that would back me up on that, but I'm not even going to look it up. I know I'm right.

Chris Bosh: He stepped up to the challenge in Game 4, and I mean big time: 39 points and 15 rebounds. And 9 of those rebounds came from the offensive glass. The dude wants it. bad.

Dwight Howard: Speaking of dudes who want it bad, Howard had 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 [!!] blocked shots in Game 4. Forget all the Superman analogies, Dwight is a monster trapped in a man's skin. Like Godzilla, only bigger, scarier, and he's actually toilet trained.

Rashard Lewis: Okay, I've accused this guy of being soft in the past. After all, who can forget the 2005 Western Conference playoffs when Lewis — then a member of the Seattle SuperSonics — sprained his left big toe and missed the final three games of Seattle's second-round series with the San Antonio Spurs. That's right: Lewis missed three playoff games with a bum toe. That's marshmallow soft. That's Charmin toilet tissue soft. But Lewis was anything but soft in Game 4. He scored 27 points and, more importantly, grabbed 13 rebounds, 7 of which were offensive. That's pretty impressive for a dude who hates to rebound. I officially declare him "no longer soft." (Until the next time he's soft, anyway.)

T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon: These guys have formed a two-man point guard Voltron. Or maybe that's a bad analogy. What two things can be put together, sometimes sucking and sometimes awesomming? Crap, I don't know where to go with this anymore. Let me bottom-line this for you: They combined to shoot 7-for-23 in Game 4. That's not going to get it done.

Jameer Nelson: He collapsed with back spasms after Game 3, then came back to burn Toronto with 19 huge points in Game 4. Was he sandbagging to throw the dinos off his trail? Maybe. But I bet the Raptors work a little harder to close him out in Game 5.

Andrea Bargnani: He's so bad, he makes me laugh.

Boston versus Atlanta: Game 4

Anger: The Celtics don't like losing. It makes Kevin Garnett Crazy. Sorry, crazier. They got a little complacent in Game 3 and they know it. That's not going to happen again. Especially not after the way Al Horford got in Paul Pierce's face at the end of the last game. Speaking of which...

Al Horford: He's a rookie, right? Because he's sure not playing like one. The kid is averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds. Even more impressive is that he seems to be the one Hawk who isn't the least bit intimidated by the Celtics, whether he's playing at home or on the road. You have to admire that kind of youthful stupidity.

Rough play: This series has been highlighted by rough play. Some might say "marred," others might say "enhanced." But it's a butcher shop out there. Just ask Kendrick Perkins, who got his nose bloodied in Game 3. Expect more of the same in Game 4. That's how both teams want it.

Josh Smith: He soared through the air with the greatest of ease in Game 3, scoring a dunktastic 27 points. One things for sure: The dude's got hops. And the Hawks are going to need him to keep scoring.

Kevin Garnett: Forget the points and rebounds. Do you think he's going to let Smith get 27 again? Oh, hell no. He's going to go after Smith like Hannibal Lecter going after a juicy human face.

Rondo versus Bibby: The young gun versus the veteran. So far, the battle has been mostly Rondo, although Bibs had a kinda sorta breakthrough in Game 3 (12 points, 8 assists). But then again, Rondo wasn't as aggressive in that game, and he's admitted as much. I can't wait to see these guys go at it again in Game 4.

Joe Johnson: He hasn't had the breakout game I've been expecting. Game 4 is the best time for him to do that ... or the Hawks might be done in Atlanta for the season.

L.A. versus Denver: Game 4

Redemption: The Nuggets wimped out on defense in Games 1 and 2, and then they even wimped out on offense in Game 3. They're professionals. And now they're embarrassed professionals. There's no way they want to be swept out of the playoffs at home. I expect a Phoenix Suns-like pride game from the Nuggets in Game 4.

Carmelo Anthony: After that awful loss in Game 3, 'Melo called out his teamates, his coaches, himself...hell, he even called out a little old lady who was watching the game at home. He's going to come out fired up for Game 4. I figure Denver will still lose, but Carmelo might score 40 or 50 points.

Kobe Bryant: Don't think for one second the Mamba wouldn't like have another uber-game against this defenseless squad. A Bryant-Anthony duel is a very real possibility.

Allen Iverson: The Answer was left with nothing but questions after Game 3. Why? Why did he have to suck so badly in such a big game? This little dude is full of pride, though. Expect big things from him in Game 4. I'm thinking 30 points and 10 dimes. And several floor burns.

J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin: Don't be shakin' any trees, boys. You don't want any more leopards dropping out, do you?

Conspiracy theories: The Suns sure got a lot of leeway from the officials in their series-extending win against the Spurs on Sunday. And you know the league makes more money the longer a series lasts ... especially if that series has a cluster of stars in it. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Detroit versus Philadelphia: Game 3

The Pistons' attention span: They can beat anybody. The can also lose to anybody ... when they aren't totally focused. Which Detroit team is going to show up tonight? It's anybody's guess.

Andre Iguodala: Philly's leading scorer (19.9 PPG during the regular season) is averaging only 10 PPG on 20 percent shooting through the first two games of this series. Expect those numbers to improve tonight.

Rasheed Wallace: 'Sheed is Detroit's playoff leader in points (20.0), steals (1.5) and blocked shots (5.0). But even if that wasn't the case, he's always worth keeping an eye on.

Reggie Evans: What he did to Chris Kaman was horrible. But tell me the truth: Wouldn't you sort of like to see Reggie try doing that to 'Sheed? Wouldn't we end up talking about that for the rest of our basketball-watching lives?

Chauncey Billups: Mr. Big Shot has been pretty quite so far. If the Pistons are going to bust the Sixers on the road tonight, they're going to need Billups' leadership...and probably a few big shots, too.

The Philadelphia crowd: They're going to be loud and rowdy, but things could turn ugly if their team doesn't bring it. And objectivity be damned, I wouldn't mind seeing this long-suffering fan base get a little something to be happy about.

New Orleans versus Dallas: Game 3

Chris Paul: Through two games, CP3 has done everything short of eating Dirk Nowitzki's liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. Translation: He's been a stone-cold cowboy killer. You know, if you're impressed by 33.5 PPG and 13.5 APG ... and a 2-0 series lead. Of course, I have a feeling the dudes in the striped shirts are going to give the Mavericks a little more defensive leeway in Dallas ... which would sure make it a lot easier to hold Paul in check.

Dirk Nowitzki: In Game 2, Herr Poopypants looked like he was about this close from having a conniption fit, especially after his soulless scream into empty space. With Dirk, you never know whether mindless rage is a good thing or bad thing; it might mean he's going to come out and destroy the Hornets tonight, or it might mean he's finally going to get led off the court in a straightjacket. The odds are about 50-50.

Mark Cuban: Whether it's tampering with the game discussing the finer points of officiating with the referees or staring daggers at his own coach, everyone's favorite billionaire blog-hater will be somewhere in the vicinity of the Dallas bench, making his presence unmistakably known.

Peja Stojakovic: On one hand, he's averaging 18 PPG and shooting 60 percent from three-point range against the Mavs. On the other hand, he has a rather infamous history of disappearing on the road in the playoffs.

Jason Kidd: It's hard to believe, but J-Kidd has regressed to being a slightly-better-than-average point guard (9.0 PPG, 8.5 APG, 40 percent shooting). And a way-below-average defender (against Chris Paul, anyway). Can he recapture some of his old triple-double magic and revive the Dallas offense while putting the clamps on Paul? I doubt it. It's more likely he's going to become Paul's new poster boy.

The New Orleans bench: The Hornets don't get a lot of production from their bench, which puts a lot of pressure on their starting give to all have big games. That can wear out anybody, even young fellas like Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler. If Bonzi Wells and/or Jannero Pargo could provide a spark, that could go a long way toward helping New Orleans break through on the road.

San Antonio versus Phoenix: Game 3

Tim Duncan: When I previewed this series, I said that Tim Duncan was starting to show the first slight signs of decay. Man, I am a friggin' genius, huh? Timmy has not only owned the paint (29.0 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 3.0 BPG), he also hit the three-pointer heard 'round the world. It's safe to say he's turned it on for the playoffs. Now, can Shaq and the Suns turn him off?

Shaq: All the Big Cactus has to do is rebound, score in the paint, stop dribble penetration and shut down Tim Duncan. That's all.

Those unstoppable drives: Phoenix was completely incapable of keeping Tony Parker (32 points) and Manu Ginobili (29) out of the paint in Game 2. I've seen more aggressive D during a layup drill. If the Suns can't come up with a better plan for their interior defense, you can expect them to fall into a 3-0 series hole tonight.

Steve Nash: Despite the fact that he's been wearing a Bruce Bowen-shaped cement overcoat, Captain Canada has picked up his game (24.0 PPG, 54 percent shooting, 11.5 APG). That's been easy to overlook, though, since the Suns are down 2-0. But make no mistake: Steve Nash is the Phoenix offense, and he will be until his plaster of Paris back crumbles into dust.

Bruce Bowen: Because he's San Antonio's first line of defense against Steve Nash. And because something like this could happen at any time.

Amare Stoudemire: Bottom line: He's dunk-tastic. (Not to mention the Suns' leading scorer at 33.0 PPG.)

Orlando versus Toronto: Game 3

Dwight Howard: Somebody call General Zod, and fast! Superman is averaging 27 PPG and 21 RPG in the playoffs. Those are, like, Wilt Chamberlain numbers. He's also shooting 67 percent from the field and blocking four shots per game. The Raptors have to slow this guy down, or else they'll get a one-way trip to the NBA tar pits.

The first quarter: Orlando outscored Toronto by 20 points in the first quarter of Game 1 (43-23) and by 17 in the first quarter of Game 2 (35-18). I hate to sound like Mr. Obvious here, but the Raptors can't afford to keep spotting the Magic double-digit leads.

T.J. Ford: In the first two games of this series, Ford has scored a total of 11 points on 2-for-17 shooting. In Game 2, he had only 6 assists and 4 turnovers. How can the Raptors fix this problem: I have a two-word answer for you: Jose Calderon.

Three-point shooting: The Magic shot 45 percent (13-for-29) from beyond the arc in Game 1 and won going away. They shot 29 percent (9-for-31) in Game 2 — with Rashard Lewis (0-for-9) and Hedo Turkoglu (0-for-4) laying most of the brickwork — and barely escaped with a one-point win. Orlando relies on the three-ball. They'll need to hit a high percentage of them to win Game 3 on the road.

Jason Kapono: He's back! Kapono — left for dead by Raptors fans and Toronto coach Sam Mitchell — is scoring 19 PPG and shooting 67 percent from the field in the playoffs. Nobody saw that coming...

Jameer Nelson: In my series preview, I said that guard play was Orlando's biggest weakness. Enter Jameer Nelson. He's hand-feeding me my own words by scoring a total of 42 points and shooting 13-for-23 from the field in the first two games.

Rasho Nesterovic: This guy's been on fire for the last month and a half — just check out his game log — and he had 16 points and 8 rebounds in Game 1. Yet in Game 2, he played only five minutes, scoring 2 points (1-for-1) and doing nothing else except committing a foul. And rumor has it that Rasho could be benched for Game 3 in favor of Jason Kapono. And people wonder why Raptors fans don't trust Sam Mitchell.

Cleveland versus Washington: Game 3

LeBron and DeShawn: Stevenson has the bigger mouth, but King James has the bigger game. So far in these playoffs, LeBron is averaging 31 PPG on 55 percent shooting to go along with 7.5 RPG and 8.0 APG. Meanwhile, DeShawn has scored a total of 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting. It's safe to say that Stevenson probably spent his day off looking for Doc Brown and his time-travelling Delorean...because he'd really like to go back in time and retract that whole "overrated" comment. Fun fact: 1.21 Gigawatts!!

Gilbert Arenas: Gil came back from knee surgery — and it's pretty clear he's not fully recovered from it — only to sprain his right wrist in time for the playoffs. Greeeeat. If his Game 2 performance is any indication (7 points, 2-for-10 shooting, 3 turnovers), then Agent Zero might be just plain zero for the rest of the series.

Wally Szczerbiak: He must be drinking the same rejuvenation serum that Jason Kapono's using, because Wally World is back. Well, he was in Game 2, anyway (15 points, 6-for-9 shooting). They might be able to overcome the Wizards without him, but the Cavaliers really need Szczerbiak's stretch-the-floor shooting if they're going to make a run in the second round.

Hack-A-Bron: The Wizards spent the first two games beating up on LeBron — or trying to, anyway — and those games were in Cleveland. Somehow I don't think they're going to put on the kid gloves now that they're playing at home. The Cavaliers medical staff better stock up on Arnica...King James is gonna need it.

Brendan Haywood: He's really been channeling his inner Bill Laimbeer in this series. In Game 1, he knocked LeBron to the floor and then stood over him menacingly (or at least as menacingly as Haywood can stand). In Game 2, he flagrantly fouled Bron-Bron while he was attempting a dunk, sending the King flying out of bounds. It's like the Bad Boy Pistons all over again. What's next? A hip-check? A shoulder-tackle? A clothesline? Maybe a Jake the Snake-style DDT? The possibilities are endless!

Bench play: Neither team's bench has done much. Who's going to step up and make an impact? Boobie Gibson? Rober Mason? Anderson Varejao? Oleksiy Pecherov, maybe? Nobody? I'll go ahead and choose that last one.

Houston versus Utah: Game 3

Home cookin': You've probably already read and/or heard this a zillion times. Let's make it one zillion and one: The Jazz are an NBA-best 37-4 at home. After two close wins on the road, I think the Jazz are going to blow the doors off of this one. Sorry, Rockets.

Tracy McGrady: He can be Michael Jordan through three quarters but transforms into Pete Myers in the fourth. (And I mean the basketball player, not the Love Guru.) Which is just one of the many reasons why T-Mac will never, ever know what it feels like to compete in a second-round playoff series.

Deron Williams: If you look up "impose your will" on Urban Dictionary, you'll see a picture of Williams playing against the Houston Rockets. At least, you will if they approve my submission. Anyway, Deron is having his way with the Rockets: 21 PPG, 56 percent shooting, 67 percent from beyond the arc, 7.5 assists. And those numbers don't show how much control he's had over the first two games.

Rafer Alston: I can't believe I'm saying this — and I'm not sure these words were ever meant to be strung together in any language — but the Rockets cannot win, or even compete in this series without Mr. Skip To My Lou. He's the only player on Houston other than McGrady who can get his own shot and create offense for other players. He's supposed to be back for Game 3...but it might already be too late. And even if he is back, will that strained hamstring hold him back?

Andre Kirilenko and Matt Harpring: Their offense is a boost, but their real contribution to this series has been their defense on Tracy McGrady. Kirilenko uses his length to bother T-Mac's shot, and Harpring likes to get physical with the Rockets' star. In point of fact, McGrady turned "Banging with Matt Harpring" into a household phrase after Game 2. (Okay, not really, but I like to imagine that it's become a household phrase.) I'm guessing we'll see more of the same in Game 3.

Rebounding: The Jazz haven't had a clear-cut advantage on the board so far in this series — they're up by five over two games — but the numbers are a little deceiving. Utah has been getting to key offensive rebounds, and they really hit the boards at home. If the Rockets don't protect their defensive glass, this game won't even be a contest.

Rookies: Come game time, Rick Adelman is going to be looking down his bench at a lot of inexperience - Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry and Mike Harris - and praying that one of them, any of them, can do something to help out.