NBA PREVIEW | First round playoffs

EASTERN CONFERENCENo. 4 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (50-32)vs. No. 5 WASHINGTON WIZARDS (42-40)
Season series: Wizards won 3-1, with Arenas averaging 27.8 points. Washington held LeBron James below 20 points twice, including a 6-for-23 game in February.Storyline: It couldn't be more obvious: This series is all about what James does in his first postseason. Larry Hughes against the team he left behind goes as the distant No. 2.Key matchup I: James against Caron Butler. James against anyone has the potential to be a one-sided matchup. But Butler has emerged as a strong scoring complement to Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, and it's no coincidence that Washington's five-game losing streak late in the regular season came while Butler was out with an injury.Key matchup II: Hughes vs. Gilbert Arenas. The two helped key Washington's return to the postseason last year before Hughes joined the Cavs last summer. He's a strong defensive player but will have his hands full with Arenas, who finished fourth in the league with 29.3 points per game.X-factor: Flip Murray. The trade-deadline deal that brought Murray to Cleveland didn't make nearly as much news as when the Cavs landed Hughes and Donyell Marshall during the offseason. But Murray averaged 13.5 points after joining the Cavs, and he's shown he's willing -- and James trusts him -- to take big shots.
No. 1 DETROIT PISTONS (64-18)vs. No. 8 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (40-42)
Season series: Pistons won, 3-1, with Milwaukee's only victory coming Monday night when Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace didn't play for Detroit.Storyline: The team that finished with the NBA's best record against the only sub-.500 team in the playoff field. The only thing that matters to the Pistons is getting back to the NBA Finals to make up for last season's loss, and this series should be nothing more than a brief first step.Key Matchup I: Michael Redd vs. Hamilton. Redd is one of the league's best shooters, and the Bucks' best hope of making this a competitive series is if he gets hot and can carry them. But Hamilton is constantly in motion on offense, and Milwaukee can't afford to have Redd wear himself out chasing him. Tayshaun Prince will probably defend Redd.Key Matchup II: Chauncey Billups vs. T.J. Ford. Ford is one of the league's quickest players, but even if he gets into the lane, there's little chance of him getting his shot over Ben or Rasheed Wallace. And he doesn't have the strength to prevent Billups from getting to the spots he wants.X-Factor: Andrew Bogut. The No. 1 pick in the draft had a solid, but not spectacular, rookie season. He'll need to raise his level of play to keep the Wallaces occupied on defense.
No. 2 MIAMI HEAT (52-30)vs. No. 7 CHICAGO BULLS (41-41)
Season series: Heat won, 2-1, with the Bulls getting their only win last Sunday when Dwyane Wade didn't play because of illness.Storyline: The Heat won 52 games even though they seemed to occasionally lose interest, but their troubles were with elite teams, not the ones below them. With Pat Riley returning to the playoffs, he'll make sure his team is motivated against a Chicago team that won 12 of its final 14 games.Key matchup I: Wade vs. Ben Gordon. Gordon had a superb finish to the regular season and is one of the league's streakiest shooters, highlighted by a recent 9-for-9 night from 3-point range. But he's not as consistent as Wade, nor is he as good a playmaker.Key matchup II: Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich vs. Antoine Walker and Gary Payton. The Bulls have nobody who can slow Shaquille O'Neal, so they have to win the other matchups. Deng and Hinrich will have to outplay Miami's top role players.X-factor: Andres Nocioni. With double-doubles in nine of his last 12 games, his impressive play has coincided with Chicago's strong finish. The Bulls will need him to keep it up.
No. 3 NEW JERSEY NETS (49-33)vs. No. 6 INDIANA PACERS (41-41)
Season series: Pacers won, 2-1, getting the final victory in a game that Jermaine O'Neal sat out and Vince Carter played only nine minutes because of a hamstring cramp.Storyline: An Indiana team that couldn't stay healthy or consistent during the season against a Nets team that finished strong, including a league-best 14-game winning streak late in the season.Key matchup I: Jason Kidd vs. Anthony Johnson. With Jamaal Tinsley hurting, Kidd will find himself matched up against the player who backed him up when New Jersey made back-to-back trips to the finals in 2002-03.Key matchup II: O'Neal vs. Nenad Krstic. Krstic is overlooked because of the presence of Kidd, Carter and Richard Jefferson, but he's a good scorer inside and gets out quickly on the break for a big man. O'Neal has overcome his groin injury and seems back in top form, having scored 20 or more points in each of the last five games.X-factor: Clifford Robinson. The 39-old-year veteran has remained reliable for the Nets, and he will likely see plenty of time against O'Neal -- who was a rookie in 1996-97 in Portland when Robinson was in his final season with the Trail Blazers.
WESTERN CONFERENCENo. 1 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (63-19)vs. No. 8 SACRAMENTO KINGS (44-38)
Season series: Spurs, 2-1, winning two games by a total of four points before Ron Artest came to Sacramento. The Kings won by 10 at San Antonio in early April.Storyline: The Spurs start their quest for a second straight title against a dangerous No. 8 seed: Sacramento is 26-14 since acquiring Artest in January.Key matchup I: Tony Parker vs. Mike Bibby. Both are point guards who look to score without disrupting their team's offenses. Parker had his best season, averaging 18.9 points and shooting 55 percent. He is more of a slasher, while Bibby relies more on his outside shot to average 21.1 points.Key matchup II: Artest vs. Bruce Bowen. Perhaps the two best 1-on-1 defenders in the league, but they probably won't waste much time covering each other. The Kings may prefer to use Artest on Manu Ginobili, since Bowen spends most of his time behind the 3-point line. San Antonio will put Bowen on whichever Sacramento player gets hot.X-factor: Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Brent Barry. Those perimeter players are supposed to give San Antonio one of the league's best benches. The Kings aren't very deep, so this could be a huge advantage for the Spurs.
No. 2 PHOENIX SUNS (54-28)vs. No. 7 LOS ANGELES LAKERS (45-37)
Season series: Suns, 3-1, even though Kobe Bryant averaged 42.5 points in the four games. Steve Nash and Raja Bell sat out the Lakers' only victory, and Phoenix averaged nearly 112 points in its three wins.Storyline: This series is all about offense, so it could be the most fun of the opening-round matchups. The high-flying Suns and Nash, their MVP candidate, against NBA scoring leader Bryant, who also has MVP hopes.Key matchup I: Bryant vs. Bell. Lakers coach Phil Jackson respects Bell's defensive abilities, but Bryant has no use for Bell. After scoring 51 points in a loss at Phoenix he said, "I've got bigger fish to fry than Raja Bell," he said. "Are you kidding?"X-factor: Kwame Brown. He may never reach the potential that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft, but Brown has had some of his best moments in the league in the second half of this season. The Suns will always give up rebounds and points in the paint, so there's a chance for Brown here.
No. 3 DENVER NUGGETS (44-38) vs.No. 6 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (47-35)
Season series: Clippers won 3-1, taking the last three meetings and sweeping a home-and-home series in January by a combined 51 points. Carmelo Anthony averaged 25 points for Denver.Storyline: The Clippers are back in the postseason for the first time since 1997, and plenty of people think they can even advance. Los Angeles has home-court advantage even though it is the lower seed because it finished with a better record.Key matchup I: Elton Brand vs. Kenyon Martin. Regarded as a tough interior defender, Martin has been slowed this season by a variety of leg injuries. He'll have to be at his best against Brand, who quietly had one of the best seasons in the NBA, ranking among the league leaders in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.Key matchup II: Anthony vs. Sam Cassell. They won't be matched up against each other, but they are two clutch players who long to take big shots. In a close game, both teams should know where the ball is going down the stretch.
No. 4 DALLAS MAVERICKS (60-22)vs. No. 5 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (49-33)
Season series: Mavericks won, 3-1, after the Grizzlies won by 20 in the first meeting.Storyline: The Mavericks had the second-best record in the Western Conference, but had to settle for the No. 4 seed because the top three go to division winners and they finished behind San Antonio in the Southwest. The Grizzlies have never won a postseason game.Key Matchup I: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Pau Gasol. Nowitzki is a much better defender than he was earlier in his career, Gasol was slowed by a sore foot at the end of the regular season, and if he's limited at all, it's hard to imagine Memphis having any shot.Key Matchup II: Mike Miller vs. Jerry Stackhouse. Arguably the two best sixth men in the league this season. Whichever produces the quickest when he comes off the team will give his team a huge boost.X-Factor: Jake Tsakalidis and DeSagana Diop. Both centers were first-round picks who never looked like they would be productive NBA players until this season. But now either could help swing a game with his rebounding and defense, and Tsakalidis has even provided the Grizzlies with some unexpected offense from time to time.
Associated Press
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