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The Pistons are against the cliff, now. They're at home, but they no longer have the luxury of any more "off games." The switch has to be "on' from here on out. And with the Celtics smelling the Finals, pushing this back to Boston will be difficult. But if anybody has the experience to kick this brutal series back to seven, it's the Pistons. In another of our continuing series, here's our look at 5 things to keep an eye out for tonight in Pistons-Celtics, Game 6.

1. Pierced Lung: Paul Pierce provides the oxygen for this Celtics squad. When his stroke is in rhythm, it's all over but the shouting. In order for Boston to end this thing, Pierce has to get more into a scoring role and concentrate less on other areas. The Celtics can live with Tayshaun Prince going a little nova if they can counter with Pierce, a la Game 7 from the Cavaliers series. What can't happen for the Celts, and what the Pistons need is ...

2. You Don't Know Rip: Rip Hamilton and his offensive versatility is on display late in May. Again. And the Pistons' season hinges on his ability to carry them. Again. And he still won't get enough of the credit. Unfortunately, Rip's got an elbow issue and won't be close to 100%. With the elbow injury, Hamilton's post game is going to be limited with how much he uses his elbows to create space. The Pistons' season hangs on Hamilton and his elbow tonight.

Do or die. Win or go home. Other clichés. The Champs are up against the cliff, and the Lakers have the spear pointed at their backsides. Manu! The Machine! Kobe! Bonner! Okay, maybe not Bonner. Either way, this should be fun this evening. In the latest in our continuing series, we look at five things to keep an eye on tonight in the Western Conference Finals Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.


1. Ginobility In Defeat: It's pretty clear Manu Ginobili is not 100%. And with him struggling as much as he has, it puts the Spurs in an even dicier proposition than just being down 3-1. The Spurs offense has eroded into the big three and the occasional shot from the supporting cast, and with a third of that on one leg, it effectively puts the pressure on the Spurs aging bench to produce. Granted, sometimes that results in Brent Barry scoring 23 points and nearly winning the game. But it also forces too many perimeter shots from players that are struggling with confidence in shooting and allows the Lakers to gamble more on pressuring Tony Parker on pick and rolls and attacking Tim Duncan with the double in the post. Ginobili is going to have to have three absolutely knock out games back to back to back if the Spurs are going to have a prayer of getting back in this thing, starting with Game 5.

2. Barry Barry Good To Me: Speaking of Barry, he's emerged as the Spurs' veteran shooter du jour for this round of the playoffs. Greg Popovich has a tremendous amount of respect and confidence in Robert Horry, but Big Shot Bob has lost most of his value, outside of trying to injure the other team's squad or drawing suspensions. Popovich needs energy, speed, and shooting, and Barry is supplying all of the above right now. We'll see if the Lakers dedicate more pressure on Barry with their rotations or continue to roll the dice on whoever is in the second pass shooter spot, Barry or otherwise.

In the latest in our continuing series, we look at five things to keep an eye on tonight in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics.

1. Roll Of The McDyess: Antonio McDyess of all freaking people has proved pivotal in this series. The Celtics are supposed to dominate inside with Kevin Garnett and the Perkins/Powe/Davis trifecta, but it's been the Pistons who have been controlling the down low. McDyess is averaging close to 15 points and 11 rebounds, and has come up with huge shots when the Pistons have needed it. The Celtics have to have bigger contributions defensively from their young players to get McDyess back to average.

2. Dual-Sided Mismatch: Sam Cassell is too old to effectively contribute against the Pistons. Chauncey Billups is too injured to effectively contribute against the Celtics. Rajon Rondo is too young to take the reins for too long. Rodney Stuckey is too young to take the reins for too long. This matchup has been fascinating due to the subtle differences between the two point guard combos (as opposed to combo guards). Rondo has terrific defensive acumen but his youth causes him to overplay sometimes, picking up useless fouls and leaving the baseline vulnerable. Stuckey tends to force things offensively and doesn't always allow the system to flow through him like it does through Billups. Whoever takes control of this game tonight, and it's usually Rondo at home, will probably provide the cornerstone for a victory for his team.

In the latest of our continuing series, we look at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Pistons try to even the score against Boston.

1. Comparing leashes. Flip Saunders told reporters Chauncey Billups will be on a shorter leash, which means Rodney Stuckey should see extra playing time. But Stuckey's a rookie, and while he's looked great so far, could a few youthful mistakes ping pong Saunders back to his hobbled vet? Meanwhile, Sam Cassell finally got some minutes (8) but spent them looking pissed off and trigger-happy (5 FGAs, 1 turnover). Paul Pierce seemingly took issue, and you wonder if Doc Rivers will tonight, either by benching the vet or keeping his minutes superlow. What a league, when two 30somethings will be on tight leashes in favor of a rookie and sophomore (Rajon Rondo).

2. Die by the three. Detroit made 1-of-13 threes on Saturday, pitiful by any standard, but especially for a team which shot a swell 37% on 16 attempts for the season. Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton need to make their threes count, in particular, else Boston's Pierce-Allen-House barrage provide a decent cushion.

3. Shattered glass. Both teams have been traditionally able on the defensive glass, but neither team showed it on Saturday. Boston came away with 14 offensive rebounds in 32 opportunities, and Detroit had 10 in 40 chances. Antonio McDyess' got to seal off and handle his business, and there's no reason for Jason Maxiell to only record one rebound in 20 minutes when so many misfires were available.

Two more, after the jump.

In the latest of our continuing series, we look at Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, as the Lakers visit San Antonio.

1. All eyes on Manu. (And Turiaf.) How bad is Manu's ankle? Bad enough the Spurs coaching staff considered locking him in the showers before Friday's Game 2. A warning regarding San Antonio's plausible plight with a continually gimpy Ginobili should be valued without my dictation, but: the Spurs desperately need Manu to play OK or better in order to win. The San Antonio Express-News' Spurs blog says Manu will again come off the bench, but has looked OK in shoot-around, for whatever that's worth.

2. San Antonio makes me board. The Spurs are a terrific defensive rebounding team, leading the NBA by a solid margin this year. As such the Lakers, a rather poor offensive rebounding team, has gotten only 12 o-boards in 72 opportunities this series, a 16.7% figure which would be dead last by a bundle over an entire season. L.A. has shot plenty well enough to negate the need for second chances, but you have to figure the top-flight S.A. defense will assert itself at some point. If that point's today, and L.A. isn't able to capture some key offensive rebounds, it could spell offensive doom.

Three more, after the jump.

In the latest of our continuing series, we look at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Celtics visit Detroit.

1. But will it last? Game 2 in Boston saw an offensive explosion, as each team made at least 48% of its shots and limited their turnovers to leave us with a fairly beautiful exhibition. But Boston and Detroit represent two of the top four defenses in the league (based on the regular season). Both squads were in the top 10 in team offense this season, but surely their defenses set them apart. It's hard to imagine Boston giving up 100 again, as it's also difficult to envision Boston shooting 48% and having but 12 turnovers against Detroit one more time. 86-82 slobberknocker, anyone?

2. Rotational access. Boston's bench performed poorly Thursday -- just 8 points in the ledger on 3-of-11 shooting. That's a surprise, because the bench was really pretty good from November through April, and has even shone at times in these playoffs. But Thursday's loss didn't really feature the bench options you'd think Doc Rivers would promote, save James Posey. Sam Cassell hasn't played in four consecutive games, and Leon Powe (the best bench big, and perhaps second behind KG on the roster in terms of post play) didn't get three minutes. What is there to lose, really?

Three more, after the jump.

And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Western Conference Finals, Game 2 tonight between the Spurs and Lakers. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlog of Game 1.


1. One Would Think You Wouldn't Forget About Him: San Antonio, Kobe Bryant is not David West. He's not Chris Paul. And he's definitely not Carmelo Anthony. So maybe just maybe, covering him straight up is not the answer. The Spurs didn't bring the double team on Kobe until he'd already lit the fires, and once that happens, you can cover him with flame retardant blankets and you're still getting cinged. Greg Popovich won't fall for the same trick twice. Expect heavy double teams at the wing from Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka, and for the under side of picks to aggressively trap him. It might work. It might not. In reality, with the way Kobe's playing right now, that's pretty much up to him. The Spurs have a much better chance against...

2. The Pau-Wow: Pau Gasol came to the startling realization in Game 1 that Tim Duncan is a mite bit better than Mehmet Okur. Gasol needs his mid-range working against the Spurs, and in order to get anything inside, he's got be pulled kicking and screaming by Kobe. When Kobe started going ballistic in the fourth, he kept hammering passes at Gasol. He never got angry, even when Gasol dropped them, he just kept tossing them at him and encouraging him. The Spurs need to keep him floating outside of the paint. Gasol's not comfortable getting down and dirty, and the Spurs need to encourage that.

And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Western Conference Finals, Game 1 tonight between the Spurs and Lakers. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlog of Game 1.

1. Seventeen Thousandth Verse, Same As The First: Yes, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale world. Lakers versus Spurs! Who would have thunk it? Okay, that was my last complaint for this series, I swear. In all honesty, this is a pretty fantastic matchup between the two best teams in the league right now. The familiarity between the two will make for advanced strategy that will make pundits like myself polish their monacles in greedy expectation. Will the Spurs stay with the single man defense against Kobe Bryant, using Bruce Bowen like they have in years past, or has age made that too much of a mismatch, forcing the Spurs into man-help? Will the Lakers bring the curl around double team on Tim Duncan or bring Vlad Radmonovic off of Manu Ginobili? Will the Spurs be able to adjust to Pau Gasol? Will the Lakers be able to adjust to Gasol getting his milkshake drank by Tim Duncan? Questions abound! Who needs different teams?

And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Eastern Conference Finals, Game 1 tonight between the Pistons and Celtics. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlogs, both of the game and the NBA Draft Lottery.

1. Someone's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail: Buckle your seatbelts, kiddos. This is going to get rough. One is a jersey-popping, pre-game fireworking, major market BullGod featuring a maniacal screaming Hall of Fame power forward that periodically blacks out, a franchise player they call the Truth, who is False about 40% of the playoff time, and the ghost of Ray Allen. The other is the old street gang. The one that's been running the block for a decade, and has no intention of giving up its turf. These two teams don't like one another. At all. The Celtics whooped and hollered when they beat Detroit in the regular season, and Detroit didn't take kindly to it. The Celtics just don't take kindly to anyone. This is going to be physical, intense, and downright mean. Watch for the techs, starting tonight.

2. Truth Versus Tay: Multi-talented, defensive, intense small forward. Both teams can stake the claim to having one of these on the roster, and just like last series, both have their hands full. Both did good jobs against superstars (though Paul Pierce obviously had a much tougher task and didn't require double teams) in the last round and both came up big when their teams needed them. Tayshaun Prince has the defensive edge with his freakishly long arms but Pierce has the offensive edge with a startling array of moves. Most of the pundits agree, it comes down to this matchup for the series.

Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.





1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.

2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.