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So as of today, we're featuring the latest newsfeeds from around the world of basketball! Check out the column to your right, with the top 5 latest feeds from ESPN.com/nba and FIBA.com. These refresh every few minutes, guaranteeing you'll see only the freshest stuff available.

We'll change the feeds source occasionally to reflect whatever's going on in the game. Stick the the Basketball Exchange and enjoy the game like never before!

May 28, 2006 - Ok, may had spoken a little too soon. Having some problems with the layout especially with IE, so please bare with us as we deal with technical difficulties. We now return you to your scheduled programming.

with game that is. He's so good he even makes playing soccer with a basketball look easy.

Immensely talented, humble, approachable. A true MVP. How hard is it to idolize the guy? Not hard. Not hard at all.

The stakes are definitely higher this time.

Okay, so it wasn't a Suns-Spurs affair just like last year (I thought of it when the Pistons advanced to the East finals to face Miami) but this will be another great love-hate relationship (if there is any) between Phoenix and Dallas. Old buddies facing each other, a rejuvenated Mavs lineup and a tired Suns roster. Don't get me wrong, the fatigue factor has caught up with the speedy Suns for playing 13 games in 27 days (is my calculation correct?). Who wouldn't be tired playing on every other day with that type of offense.

Okay, so I wasn't able to watch the Mavs and Spurs slug it out but was quite disappointed with how the Spurs lost (eight points?!) because I was expecting a down-the-wire game and the margin would only be a point or two. Regardless, the Mavs advanced and Mark Cuban has another team to bash with his words.

The real deal? Dallas and Phoenix facing each other with the Suns winning in last year's semifinal affair against the Mavs, 4-2, with MVP Nash's memorable three-pointer to send the game to an extra period and put the score tied at 113. After that shot, "Irk with no D" Nowitzki lashed out Jason Terry for making poor decision and not foul Nash on the play. Then in OT, the Suns burned Dallas with their usual run-and-gun game and advanced to the West finals to face San Antonio, which did not happen this year.

Some thoughts before tipoff: Dallas has NEVER been in the NBA finals while Phoenix has been there twice, one facing the John Havlicek-led Boston Celtics in 1977, where the Suns, led by Gar Heard (oh, his shot that sent the game to an extra third period is quite memorable), lost in three overtime periods in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The other finals appearance by Phoenix was in 1993 against Chicago. In Game 6, Phoenix squandered a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter that led to an eventual "The Shot III" courtesy of John Paxson.

Continue reading 'Deja Vu: Last year’s semifinal match, now in the West finals series' » » » »

The Mavs and Suns win - and seven people out of sixteen (including myself), who voted for the Spurs are DEAD WRONG! Here's the tally as of today, May 23, 2006:

Spurs 7.04
Mavs 4.96
Suns 3.04
Clipps 0.96
total = 16

As for the East, most everyone (including me thankfully) got it right:

Pistons 7.05
Heat 4.95
Cavs 1.95
Nets 1.05
total = 15

look to your right to check out the new poll! Obviously it's Mavs vs. Suns and Pistons vs. Heat. So what are you waiting for? Rise to the challenge! Reach deep inside! Think long and hard!

Choose!

Click!

(Then tell us why below!)

The stats from games one to six doesn't matter. The performances of the players don't matter. The fatigue that caught up with the players during the game and the travel, it doesn't matter. Why? It all boils down to Game Seven.

Come to think of it, for the first time in probably a long time, three semifinal series have gone down to a winner-take-all game that sends all teams to the next level, the Conference Finals. Now this is where the "May Madness" really heats up.

Nevermind the outstanding circus show the Nets and the Heat put up for the fans because Miami is in a brief vacation waiting for the winner in the Detroit-Cleveland semifinal series. A repeat showdown with Detroit will be something, now that the Heat have a rejuvenated and much improved lineup, on paper.

You think that Detroit will fold in six games? They're not the defending East champs for nothing. Now, I wasn't able to see much of the game earlier (in fact, I only saw a couple of highlights and the last free throws of Chauncey Billups, but with the way the game ended, it seemed like it was close from start to finish. Probably a seesaw battle. The thing is, Detroit got the rhythm, but not much of it. They lack the offensive firepower they really need in this series that helped them scoring by more than a hundred half of the the regular season games. Their defense is not that rough like last year's Detroit rough-and-tough Larry Brown trademark D. True enough is they falter whenever they start to love the offensive mindset and forget about the excellence that brought them to the top of the NBA, their defense.

Continue reading 'Game Sevens: What a way to end the semis' » » » »

I overheard Bill Walton refer to Duncan as "The Great", and that got me a-thinking.

Right now, there're only a few hours before the start of the pivotal 6th game between Dallas and San Antonio, with Dallas leading 3 to 2. I should be talking about that game, or at least the game previous, and maybe I should, but I can't help talking about that moment when Walton made me wonder if Duncan is really - great.

But first, my notes for Game 5:

Two days ago at San Antonio, the Spurs started with a 3 guard lineup, putting Ginobili substitute Michael Finley in place of the usual Bruce Bowen at the number three spot, possibly in answer to the Mavericks starting with the electric Devin Harris.

I'm so impressed with coaches Avery Johnson and Greg Popovich with their almost instantaneous reactions whenever they find anything to exploit against each other. Since the Spurs started small to contain Harris, there were Marquis Daniel sightings and every so often a Mav slices in for dunks, brave enough to do so since there always seemed to be a hole in the middle and Duncan due to defensive chores would be a step late.

Then of course, as if it wasn't hard enough, whoever was guarding Dirk Nowtizki always seemed at least two feet smaller than him, and just how he makes those incredible mid range jumpshots fading away is just lost on me.

Popovich in the meantime, took advantage of the two times the Mavs went on a 1-2-2 zone, and at one point Finley came in for a highlight reel, complete-with-muscle-flexing slam over the hapless Erick Dampier, which is usually the best way to attack a zone since none of the defenders would commit to defending anyone in particular - a virtual green light for slashers like Finley.

Speaking of Dampier, this is the part where we talk about Duncan, because Dampier, along with a DeSagana Diop, and even Didier Ilunga-Mbenga and (gasp!) Keith Van Horn formed the rotation that's devoted to the Tim Duncan fans club, whose main function it is to look silly trying to defend him as photographers take poster shot after poster shot.

Duncan is just unbelievable, with 36 points and 12 rebounds in 44 minutes of play, many times looking like he, along with Parker (27 points), are the only ones producing while the Spurs middle lineup of Ginobili, Barry, Finley and Bowen take turns trying to figure things out.

But is he great?

Continue reading 'The Great Tim Duncan' » » » »

Dirk Nowitzki makes no bones about his successful freethrow shooting technique. When under pressure, as in Game 3 against San Antonio with 7.9 seconds left, or Game 4 to force overtime with 8.5 left, he shot heart stopping charities in the first to tie and win, and in the second to force overtime.

So in an interview, he admits his secret:

Smiling wide and laughing loud, he said the song was David Hasselhoff's "Looking For Freedom," a big hit when he was a kid in Germany.

And so without further delay:

I'll tell you a secret of my own. I've been dying to put up a David Hasselhoff video, and now Dirk's my hero for giving me the chance.

Now all we need is Tim Duncan admitting his secret is Chuck Norris interpretation of "Stairway to Heaven" (and since he's Chuck Norris, of course it's good, or he'll roundhouse kick you to the moon), or The Captain Patrimonio humming the opening tunes of Rico J's "The Way We Were" as he lines up at the stripe. You know, the one that goes:

"..Scattered pictures, of the smiles we left behind.."

Accck. Must.fight.lss.

This morning May 18, 2006, the following transpired:

The Detroit Pistons are on the brink of elimination. (86-84)

and

The San Antonio Spurs forge Game 6. (98-97)

The scores are indicative of the intensity as to how this came to fruition. And I have fodder for two blogposts!

First, the Cavs.

Cleveland won by playing with terrific poise. With their two 7 footers Ilgauskas and Varejao fouled out on the bench, coach Mike Brown fields in Drew Gooden, and you can almost hear him groan with reluctance.

This turned out to be the clincher though, when deep into the fourth, LeBron found Gooden underneath, and he somehow found a way to will the ball into the hoop for a fist pounding 2 that arguably turned the tide their way.

Later on, with the score tied and Chauncey and Rasheed on the bench with 6 fouls, Lindsey Hunter misses a jumper after a blocked attempt by Prince. With 1.9 left, Hamilton then muffs an inbound, and the time ticks away while he watches the ball bounce out of bounds.

We are left with the image of Wallace pinchhitter Antonio McDyess, who played a pretty good game actually, sitting dumbfounded on the bench for what I read was a full five minutes.

The images of the game are still clear in my head so i better write them down:

Continue reading 'And so it’s come to pass.' » » » »

Cavs 2, Pistons 2. Mavs 3, Spurs 1. And to some extent, Clipps 2, Suns 2. Heck, some might even argue that Heat 3, Nets 1 seems a li'l out of the ordinary.

But it's not too bizarre once it dawns upon you that underdogs don't play just to get their arses kicked, and that more bizarre things have happened in the league before. Oh, when can we quit saying that cliche line over and over again?

The Cavaliers have unexpectedly tied their series with the now-rusty Pistons at two games apiece, with no small thanks to King James. The Cavs gave the bad boys a taste of their own medicine -- nasty defense. The Pistons were scoreless in the final 3:22 of Game 4.

Well, the Pistons are not yet in a precarious situation, especially when one looks to the West and sees the embattled Spurs squad. The defending champs' campaign to retain the title really suffered a major setback in their overtime loss in Dallas. If the Spurs go out, it's anybody's game in the West. Yes, anybody. And should the Pistons go out, too (highly unlikely though), then Miami, the Mavs, and the Suns have an excellent chance to grab the title. I really believe the Cavs and Clippers ain't ready for the last dance. Yet.

You know the French have always defied explanation. From politics, and now apparently, to sports, they do and make decisions that are just... weird.

Take for example, this from the latest FIBA news:

FRA - France to travel to Japan without Noah

PARIS (FIBA World Championship) - American college basketball star Joakim Noah has yet to obtain French nationality and will not play for Les Bleus at this summer's FIBA World Championship.

The New York-born ace, who led the Florida Gators to the NCAA title this year, is the 21-year-old son of former French tennis open winner Yannick Noah and can claim French citizenship through his father. However, this process has not yet been completed.

"There are two reasons for his non-selection," said France's technical director Jean-Pierre de Vincenzi in L'Equipe. "First of all, he is still not French which is a problem if he wants to play with the national team or the Under-21 side.

"Even if he managed to get his nationality, he would not be available because he has to follow a special programme with his university and take exams which he did not have time to do before because of his adventure in the NCAA Tournament."

The rest of the story here.

I included the picture of him, probably grimacing after a missed shot, or roaring in happiness from a victory. But it might as well be annoyance at his father's native France for bone head sports officials.

I mean the guy is a champion NCAA basketball player, the son of a legendary French tennis champion. He is eligible, and he wants to play for your team. So what do you do? Throw nonsensical bureacratic red tape at him, that's what you do! Show some love, why dontcha?

Sigh. At least, this proves the Philippines doesn't have a monopoly on self important sports officials. Vive le difference!

• After an 86-77 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Pistons Forward Rasheed Wallace guarantees a win.
• "I know we're going to win it," Wallace said sitting on the scorer's table following Sunday practice at Quicken Loans Arena. "We're going to bust their [butt]. Tomorrow night is the last game here in this building for this year., quote from here.
• Everytime Sheed makes one of his predictions, made I think, to fire up his teammates than to annoy scare the opponents, it pays off with a win.
• Problem is, since he does it everytime, so what else is new?
• So why is the press even covering it?
• More importantly, why am I even blogging about it?!?

So okay, since I've run out of bullet points, might as well show a Sheed MTV cribs video, featuring his 10,000 square foot, 5 bedroom, 7 bathroom house, and then offer a link to a yugly blogspot website. I mean, why not? Nothing's made sense in this post so far!

Seriously, I like the dude. Especially after I saw the 96 Bronco. Seems like a real guy.

Remember Mark Madsen, aka "Mad Dog", Kobe Bryant's ex-teammate with the Lakers? The Minnesota forward puts in his two cents regarding Kobe's outing against the Phoenix Suns:

I felt badly after the game 7 loss that some members of the media tried to criticize Kobe for not shooting enough in the loss to the Suns...I guess if you are Kobe Bryant and you get 81 points you get criticized for shooting too much and if you only score 20-25 points then people say you are not shooting enough.

Quotation via True Hoop, an award-winning blog by sportswriter Henry Abbott. (Read the complete entry.) And while you're visiting True Hoop, it won't hurt to check out Madsen's own journal, aptly-titled the Mad Dog Blog. Any blog written by a league insider -- in this case, a player rubbing shoulders with the superstars -- is definitely a great read.

I've always been a fan of Tim Thomas. Yeah I know what you're thinking - I'm saying that now since he's been playing well. But truth is, I've always known he's good, and hell so do a hundred other guys I'm sure.

But the problem is, like so many hundreds of other talented ballers out there, you watch him, admire his skills, expect him to do great things, and then - pfffft.

Continue reading 'There’s more than one Tim in the playoffs' » » » »

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Miami Heat bounced back in their respective series in style. Both squads blew out the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets and were able to tie the series at one game apiece. Both had similar stats, with the Clippers and the Heat shooting at will from all angles, not to mention giving their opponents a dose of their own medicine on defense.

The Suns didn't seem to have an answer for the Sam Cassell-led onslaught that included Elton Brand, Vlade Radmanovic, and Cuttino Mobley, who, in Game 1, had only three points on 20% field goal shooting. This time, Cuttino had scored 23 by the start of the fourth quarter and at the time "El-Ey" was able to maintain a double-digit lead and contain the Suns, the highest scoring team in the league, from using their high-octane, fast-paced game. On the other hand, Dwyane Wade led the hot-shooting Miami Heat in Game 2 to rout the Nets and eventually, went for the equalizer. The Head went into a barrage of threes, especially in the second half, where the Head had a 20-point plus advantage over their New Jersey counterparts.

Continue reading 'A tale of two series' » » » »

from a FIBA.com article, entitled "ESP - Gasol looks to Spain to ease play-off pain.

MEMPHIS (FIBA World Championship) - Stung by defeat, and a realistic assessment of his talent by NBA legend Jerry West, Pau Gasol is hungrier than ever to make his mark in international basketball.

Gasol has plenty of time to get ready for the FIBA World Championship in Japan after he and the Memphis Grizzlies were swept by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA play-offs. Memphis' President of Basketball Operations West, who shot to fame as a champion with the Los Angeles Lakers many years ago, spoke of Gasol in the aftermath of the play-off exit to Dallas.

"We have a very young player who is very good and that is Pau Gasol, but he is not a superstar at this time," West said.

"He is an All-Star player, but there is a great difference.

Continue reading 'Jerry West on Paul Gasol' » » » »

By defeating the suddenly Ritualo-less Air 21 Express, 93-86, in this night's double-header, the Purefoods Chunkee Giants joined an elite group of PBA teams with at least 500 wins tucked under their belts. Ginebra, Alaska, and San Miguel are the other three franchises in the said group.

Read more here.

Featuring the humble homes of Elton Brand, Tony Parker, Jermaine O'Neal and Kenny's himself.

Check out O'Neal's Rolls, Elton Brand's empty home (they goofed on this one. The house isn't finished yet), and my fave - Tony Parker's face as he tells poker buddies David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry what his favorite show is. Man. Letting your poker buddies, who happen to be NBA stars, know you go out with the #1 hottest woman in the world has gotta be sweet.

See how they live here. Fast connection recommended.

The Los Angeles Clippers wanted to waltz. Phoenix came to boogie.

In the end, the Suns had their way in a 130-123 victory, outscoring the Clippers, 74-62, in the second half in the opener of their Western Conference semifinal Monday night.

"Tempo wasn't exactly what we needed," the Clippers coach, Mike Dunleavy, said.

Steve Nash, presented with the league's most valuable player trophy by Commissioner David Stern before the game, had 31 points and 12 assists, and the Suns pulled away over a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.

Read the rest of the article here.

PARIS (FIBA World Championship) - France forward Mickael Pietrus has ruled out a departure from the Golden State Warriors despite their disappointing NBA season and is relishing the forthcoming FIBA World Championship with Les Bleus in Japan.

The 23-year-old French international, who has 17 caps for the national team and won a bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2005, has played in only 12 ties this season, with an average of 10.5 points and 2.8 rebounds.

The Warriors failed to qualify for the play-offs after finishing 12th in the Western Conference table, however, Pietrus insists that injuries were a major factor.

Read the rest of the articlehere.

All hail Steve Nash.

Excellent article about him here.

So the premise is, Manu gets out an elevator to hell to plays one on one vs. a punk rocker with running mascara. He gets dunked on, then retaliates by bouncing the ball out of bounds and dunks back (didn't LeBron do that?). He then wakes up (it was a dream!), drinks gatorade (ahh so he was dehydrated. that explains it), and then reminisces some Spurs highlights.

Or is that, highlights first, then reminisce? Or drinks first, then highlights, then..

aww who cares? Watch:

Why play in the playoffs when you can get yourself suspended and watch it on tv? Sure you could be there, playing the game of your life with your teammates (the 2nd seeded team in the West), or you could chillax in your hotel room, watch it on cable and order in. I mean, makes terrific sense right?!

Well, at least to Raja Bell.

Sigh. Raja Raja Raja.

But before anything else, I'd like to admit that I'm part of the mainstream, and I hate dislike Kobe Bryant.

Yep, just like that Nike ad below says, I also dislike the reasons I do are also the same reasons he's loved.

And so you're Bell, assigned to defend one of the world's deadliest basketball players. It's your chance to make a difference, or suffer the fate or many a Kobe defender before you - become just another footnote in a Superstar's history. What are you going to do?

But wait, before all that, let's do a retro (insert retro music here).

Remember if you will - John Starks. See, this guy defended Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller. As such, aside from having meaningful oncourt discussions about their mothers and ancestry, he would get punched, kicked, poked in the eye, spat on, tripped, kneed, and what else.. oh yeah.. elbowed.

That's right Raja my boy. Those guys don't get 40 point games just like that. Sometimes they *gasp* bent some rules. Then if the physical abuse isn't enough, Starks ends up in their posters too, to be hung on a bedroom wall so some kid will wake up to his image getting dunked on many years into his adolescent life.

But you know what? John took it. In fact, he gave it too. And I bet all my good looks that when some superstar checks their schedule for the Knicks, they're thinking "I gotta work out cause John Starks is there". Sure they'll never admit it, but I'll bet my good looks and a tub of spaghetti. And I make very good spaghetti. Trust me.

So anyway, where were we? Ah oh yeah. Bell. Like Bell pepper. Good for spaghetti. Ok, losing focus now. Yes it's better to play than to watch from your hotel room.. and order spaghetti. With meatballs and green pepper. Gawd I'm hungry.

Who were we talking about? Raja who?

The Phoenix Suns played like NBA Champions when they defeated the tenacious Lakers in OT, 126-118, in their 2nd straight elimination game. The series is now tied at 3-3. The deciding game is going to be played in Phoenix, and if the Suns continue their outstanding play and feed off the hometown crowd, the Lakers are goners.

Should LA fall, the rest of the surviving Western teams have cause for alarm. The Clipps? Hell no, they don't have a chance against the Suns team I watched play earlier. The Spurs and Mavs...these teams can beat the Suns, especially the defending champs, but it'll be a long series.

With Raja Bell suspended for one game, the Suns entered the match teetering on the brink of an early playoff exit. But Phoenix showed class, grit, composure, and of course their famed firepower to overcome Kobe Bryant's tremendous 50-point performance. The heart-pounding game deserves to be included in the NBA's Hardwood Classics for sheer basketball drama.

I wasn't a Suns fan before this game. Now I am. Let's see if LA can give Phoenix a dose of its own medicine in hostile territory. With Kobe putting up Jordan-esque performaces, they surely can -- but they'll need a reinvigorated Suns team to cooperate.

Postscript. The New Jersey Nets ran the Pacers out of their own turf, 96-90, thereby eliminating Indiana from the playoff picture. The Miami Heat did the same to the Chicago Bulls, 113-96; Shaq seemed to be his old dominant self, scoring 30 points and hauling down 20 caroms.

Now for some local basketball news...

The Purefoods Chunkee Giants downed the erstwhile league-leading San Miguel Beermen, 82-75, in a match-up of the possible Finals contenders. The Giants stopped the Beermen's scorching seven-game winning streak, and extended their own streak to four.

The season series between the two teams is now tied 1-1, as the Beermen beat the Giants 93-77 in their first outing. The two teams are now locked at the number one spot in the standings with identical 9-3 slates. The two teams are running away from the rest of the pack, but the PBA season is far from over, and we all know that weird things always happen in the playoffs.

Who's gonna take it all in their respective conference? As of today May 5 2006, there are 6 teams left in the West and 7 in the East, so we've put up a poll for y'all, with results here.

Aww, don't be shy! Tell us why! Represent!

Quite a lame title, really -- as the going gets tougher and as the title contenders get fewer, nobody expects the NBA Playoffs to slip into a yawn-inducing affair. Nobody.

Maybe you can attribute the unglamorous title to rookie jitters. Phillip Kimpo II (aka Corsarius of Slip of the Pen and Crimson Crux) here, new writer for the country's spankin' new Basketball Exchange. And though it's a bit late, here's my own take on the Playoffs.

The East

What do you get when you smash a muscle car into a deer? Roadkill. That's precisely what happened when the Pistons made mincemeat of the Bucks. Question is, will they repeat their overwhelming performance when they face their next two challengers? Yes, versus either the Cavs or the Wizards. Partly yes, when it comes to the Nets or the Heat. Partly, because they won't be as overwhelming as before. I'd say the Pistons will win the Eastern Finals series in no less than six games.

I said the Nets or the Heat, because I'm betting that these teams would dispose of their rivals in the 1st round. Despite two losses to the Pacers, the Nets are still the team that posted a huge surge in the late season. Predicting Miami's win over the Bulls is a tough act for this writer, as I've been a Bulls loyalist for 16 years. I do hope I'll eat my words, but the Heat are simply the better team.

The West

Despite inflicting a couple of losses on the defending champs, the Kings still don't have the experience needed to beat the veteran Spurs. On the other hand, we can expect San Antonio to race to the NBA Finals to meet the Beast of the East, but not without some challenge from the Mavs in the 2nd round. It'll be either the surprising Clippers, Lakers, or Suns that they'll meet in the Western Finals, and they'll manage to get through.

Kobe Bryant's been playing like a mad dog recently, breaking the hearts of Phoenix fans. While the money's still on the Suns and the MVP-bound(?) Nash to recover and win the series, I'm beginning to think that Kobe won't be denied. Hey, a Lakers-Clippers showdown on the Staples Center should be interesting, after all.

Kobe's Nike comm:

Most coaches agree that for the most part, you only have to maintain a decent score throughout the game. The only time a lead really counts is during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, where you go all or nothing.

I agree. I've seen teams roar to 20 point leads leading into halftime, losing half by the start of the 4th, then BAMMM they're chasing the lead coming into the last two. Those last two minutes are where it's at.

The Playoffs I think, is your last two minutes of sorts for the whole NBA season. You got guys going boom boom boom all regular season, then come into the last stretch frantically checking their pockets for any ammo left.

And now, let's talk SUNS.

Continue reading 'What’s up with the Suns?' » » » »

The obligatory pre-first post introduction: Hi, I'm NBA Addict, delinquent blogger, and (duh) NBA Addict. Had my *forced* hiatus when my office firewall decided to ban any and all URL's with the word "blog" in it. Fortunately, this site does not have it anywhere, so here I am. Ü Now on with the entry...

Setting up brackets is always the ultimate test for a supposed junkie of any sport. Predicting who will win which matchup is best left to so-called experts, but no one gets it right... so what's the point in making one, you ask? Bragging rights, of course! And if you gamble, a little extra for your wallet. ;) And without further ado, here are my picks for the first round:

Western Conference

Picking San Antonio to win over the Kings is practically a no-brainer, and I can't imagine Memphis getting out of the first round with their history of zero playoff game wins, although stranger things have happened. Kobe has been super, but his teammates have been anything but, so the Suns should claim the series. Talent-level wise, I'd like to pick Denver over LA Clips, and they definitely have potential to beat the Clips, but they've been slumping as of late, and banged-up to boot. But I'll make them the obligatory "underdog" call.

NBA Addict's take: Spurs, Mavs, Suns, and Denver advance.

Eastern Conference

Pistons and Heat are automatic picks, but the Pistons will get their win faster. Indiana will give the Nets fits, but... hmm. I'll book Indiana on that matchup. LBJ, IMO, will have to eat more rice (and less of his nails, forgoshsakes) and wait next year for a taste of the second round. Just gut feel.

NBA Addict's take: Pistons, Heat, Pacers, and Wizards advance.

What's your take? Leave your comments before the playoffs start on Sunday!