At the end of overtime with the game decided, Michael Pietrus committed a strong two handed chop with both fists clenched to Pau's back. The play looked really awful on replay, and if Pau does not hold tight to the rim, it could of caused an injury.

The question for you guys is, after that play should Pietrus be allowed to lace em up for game 5?

Personally I think he should be fined and maybe even suspended at the start of the regular season. I would hate to see an important player miss an elimination game, but, in my opinion, that type of play needs to be addressed by the league.

I was/am very nervous about the Lakers winning this series. Orlando actually has the talent to contend with and beat the Lakers.  Just focus back on the first quarter of last game. Bynum was defending well, Kobe was taking Courtney Lee off the dribble and in the post, Gasol was active and aggressive...and oh yeah, the Lakers finished that quarter trailing by two. The Van Gundy put in Jameer Nelson. Jameer looked great slashing to the basket and setting up his teammates, the Magic got out to a 5 point lead and this Laker fan was decidedly uncomfortable.

After about 3-4 minutes Jameer got tired. He started standing on the perimeter instead of slashing to the basket. The Lakers offense took advantage of his slow rotations and always short stature and got rolling. At around the halfway mark of the quarter, Jameer was slogging up the court while gesturing toward the bench waving his arm. He looked to be saying something along the lines of "I'm fine, I will play through it", he continued to stand on the perimeter on offense, get torched on defense (remember that imbounds player to Fisher) and the Lakers finish the quarter up by 10.

Come the 3rd quarter, noted Laker killer Rafer Alston, was definately off. He did not go to the hole at all, he missed badly on at least 2 wide open 3 pointers. The Lakers sprinted out to a 25 point lead and the rest of the game was garbage time. Was Rafer affected physically by not playing for a good hour between runs, was he affected mentally by sitting the entire 2nd quarter? My guess is both, and my guess is that getting good play out of Alston is going to be difficult for the Magic from this point on.

What is clear is that Jameer is not yet ready to play major minutes. After the first couple of plays, he was garbage out there. I see it noted throughout the media that Jameer played a decent first half and an uneven 2nd half. This is incorrect, Jameer played a good 3 minutes, and the rest was a tired guy looking to bet back into game shape after a long layoff. We Laker fans have just witnessed this very scenario, Bynum would have a few good minutes but would quickly grow tired, he also needed some time to grow confident enough to play with his injury. The problem for the Magic is that they don't have the 6 weeks the Lakers had to work through it. 3 more stints like that  for Jameer and the Lakers are crowned champions.

Van Gundy had a good thing going in the first. He was running his offense through Hedo who was making shots, getting to the basket and making good passes. Howard was getting the Laker bigs in foul trouble, and the team looked ready to compete for a title.     In the second quarter the Lakers took control after Nelson waved off the coach and continued to try and run the team. It is at that point a good coach calls a timeout, takes Jameer out and puts Alston back into the game. But I guess Van Gundy does not have that kind of authority on the Magic. After Van Panic failed to do his job, the energy left his team never to return. And the blowout was on.

You could see the effect of Ron Panicme's inability to lead in the rest of the team. Alston looked confused and dispirited in the 3rd. Hedo was the star of the game in the first quarter disappeared after that, Howard played with little energy and less enthusiasm. Mainly because no one wanted to tell Jameer he was not ready yet.....and the guy whose job that is failed to do so.

The Magic still have a chance, they could have a team meeting where the players realize and state that Jameer should not play a longer than 5 minute stretch. Where the players come back and tell the coach what the rotations should be, where a player steps up and leads this team, just like Howard did after the 4th quarter meltdown in Boston.

But if Panic Boy just sits on the bench with his arms folded and a hurt look on his face, he will deserve to be out of Orlando, then another coach can come in and win a title with this group that is clearly capable of doing so.

     There have been so many great topics to write on in these playoffs that I regret not finding the time to do so. I have made a few notes and have a piece on Kobe v Lebron half finished, but given that the greatest franchise in the history of sports is facing the Magic tonight....the Lebron stuff can wait.

     First off I have to say, I am disappointed that the Lakers are facing the Magic in these finals. A Boston matchup would of been ideal for motivation and history, a Lebron matchup would of been acceptable and either matchup would of greatly favored the Lakers. Instead we are facing a dangerous and skilled team with the weapons to take the title away from us.

     The Magic are no joke, Dwight Howard is like a cross between Zo and Shaq in their primes. Rashard Lewis is even more versatile than Odom (and much more consitent), and Hedo is playing like a superstar. Courtney Lee has both game and good judgement on the court. Pietrus has established himself as a top end defender and a clutch shot maker from behind the arc. This team is scary. Their only seeming weakness is at the 1 where we cannot expect Jameer to be ready to make a difference, but Alston will give them credible play and will likely outplay Fish who looks like he is on his last legs. It is clear that the Magic have the team that can beat the Lakers and by winning in Boston and Cleveland, they have also shown they have the guts to do it.

     If this Laker team wants to be thought of as a champion, to have a shot at a string of titles, they need to get it done this year. Last year, they were a surprise. The Gasol gift, the impressive playoff run to the finals all seemed like a dream which turned to a crushing reality in the Boston Garden. After that loss Laker nation was down but not out. We had Bynum coming back, we had Ariza developing, we had hope. Well now all the hoping in the world does not matter. What matters is getting it done. Given Kobe's last 2 finals performances, whether they are able to get it done or not remains firmly in doubt. You all know the matchups, you know the keys to the game (covering 3 point shooters, making Howard work at both ends, hopefully getting some fouls on him, making our own 3's and moving the ball like they did in game 6 against Denver).

     The Lakers should win this, they have the lord of the rings on the bench v the master of panic. They have a big front court that should be able to match up decently v Howard. They have the best player in basketball. If they play the right way they should take this series in 5 or 6. If all that is true, then why am I so worried right now?

So it is time for some predictions. Went 4-0 last round, but that is no accomplishment, inconsistent play from the Magic and especially the Lakers made it more exciting than it should of been.

East

This is interesting. Lebron is clearly on a role and if he continues rolling, this is his league. He wants it, the fans want it, the league wants it. Only the Magic don't want it. The Magic also have the one guy in the league who can go up and swat away Lebrons dunk attempt. This gives the Magic a chance in this series. If the Magic can somehow keep Lebron from driving and dunking or driving and dishing, they can keep pace with the Cavaliers. Big Z will look like Sabonis did against Shaq in the old Blazer/Laker series, and Sideshow Bob and the rest cannot hope to keep Howard off the boards. Unfortunately this series will be greatly affected by how quickly Howard accumulates fouls. Given that it is the chosen one driving to the basket, I predict some early foul trouble for Howard in at least 4 games. The Cavs are on a mission, and listening to Stan Van Panic yesterday makes me think that the Magic is just happy to be here. So it should be Cavs in 5. The crazy part is that Orlando is actually the team that matches up best with Cleveland, so a 7 game nail biter is not out of the question. But if I have to go on record, Cavs in 5 it is.

But if for some reason the Magic fires Van Gundy and brings in Riley to coach the rest of the playoffs- Magic in 7.

West

The Nuggets have come closest to emulating the Cavaliers intensity during these playoffs. They have had record blowouts against a once respectable team (Hornets) and walked through a Dallas team that got to the second round by defeating an already defeated and depleted Spurs team. So, in my opinion, the Nuggets have not been tested yet.

The Lakers have been a disinterested Jekyl and Hyde in these playoffs. They give up huge leads to Utah on a nightly basis, They lose 2 games to a Houston team missing their top 2 players.  Talking heads across the nation are jumping off their bandwagon in disgust. But what everyone is missing is that Houston was the absolute worst matchup for the Lakers in the West other than Portland. They have a speedy penetrating point guard, 2 excellent perimeter defenders to chase Kobe, rough and tumble (if undersized) post players and good 3 point shooting.

But this league is about matchups. So the question really is, how do the Nuggets match up with the Lakers....the answer is, not that well. Scola was an excellent defender for Gasol. Kenyon Martin....not so much. Chuck Hayes was a bruiser with quick feet, he presented problems for Bynum and the bigger and slower Nene will not. Mellow is a definate tough cover, but Ariza should be able to harass him on the perimeter while the big boys provide cover on the inside. Ariza can also make Mellow chase him at the other end with his improved 3 point shooting and explosive moves in the paint. Jones will not give Kobe the fits that the 2 headed monster of Battier and Artest managed. Which brings us to Chauncy. Chauncy is the reason that many are picking the Nuggets in this series. He is a savvy defender, a great distributer and a clutch shooter. Whats more is that he is a winner. But, Fisher can definately do a better job on him than he could on Brooks...and Shannon Brown provides a great option for defending Billups (also Kobe can defend him on a few possesions). The Lakers have Lamar coming off the bench, and if his back is right, he is a matchup nightmare for them...remember how he killed them last year?

The Nuggets are fools gold, Lakers in 5.

So I am either 6-2 or 5-3 in the first round. Clearly not impressive, we will see what happens this morning in Atlanta, but I dont to wait until then to make my second round prediction. I expect the Cavs to take either of them in 5.

I made a bad call on the San Antonio series. I have had very little respect for Dallas since the meltdown in the finals, but Carlisle has shown that he is a good coach wherever he goes, and this may be the best Dallas team we have seen in a while. In fact I think the most interesting series in the second round is the Dallas/Denver matchup. Both teams seem to have moved past their histories of folding under playoff pressure and are playing a more mature and consistent brand of basketball.

I still think that Chauncy Billups is a better gaurd than Jason Kidd ever was, and though Nowitzky is the best player in this series, Denver has enough overall talent and live bodies to even the rest of it out. Denver is at home with a proven winner leading the team. This gives me Denver in 7, though it could be 5 if Dallas proves to be a mirage and their win against San Antonio came by default.

Speaking of teams putting their past behind them, Houston has finally overcome theirs. Using the less is more philosophy, we now have the tough, defensive minded Battier taking the role left open by the again injured McGrady. Artest has proven that he can keep it together and be a leader, and Yao has removed the albatross from his neck. Role players like Scola, Landry and Hayes provide toughness and energy, while ex Lakers Wafer and Cook come into this series with a chance to drive 3 point daggers into the team that spurned them. Aaron Brooks is an energetic waterbug on the floor, the type that typically gives the Lakers trouble. Houston beat a very good Portland team by keeping their poise and matching the Blazers vaunted athleticism. This should make them the team most dangerous to the Lakers in the playoffs before the finals.

The Lakers come into this series after an uneven 5 game pummeling of the Jazz. The Lakers looked brilliant at times but seemed unable to stay interested. Bynum looks like a young player who missed a lot of time and is unused to the playoffs, which is exactly what he is. The big question for the Lakers is; Can Bynum develop back into the force he was in the regular season? The answer is unclear and that is clearly troubling to the Laker faithful. That being said, the Lakers have plenty to be happy about. The emergence of Shannon Brown has us ecstatic. We finally see that athletic/defensive point guard that this team has needed for years. Trevor Ariza did not have a great series against Utah, but he continues to develop ahead of schedule. By running a lineup with Brown, Kobe, Trevor, Lamar and either Pau or Bynum in the post, the Lakers can field a lineup taht is both impressive offensively and potentially ferocious on defense. This is the first time we can say that about a Laker team in years, and that is what makes this group scary to the rest of the league. What makes the Lakers scary to their own fans is that we do not often see the Lakers play with the intensity and focus of a champion. They play a hard 5-10 minutes, build a big lead and coast. The second unit has been wildly inconsistent, largely due to injuries and personel changes, but the talent is there to do the job required. Though I think Farmar may of played his way off this team come the offseason.  So depending on which Lakers show up it will be either Lakers in 5 or 7.

Boston played the most entertaining series of the first round against a Bulls team that would not of made the playoffs in the west. Boston is a shadow of its former self, first weakened by the loss of James Posey and PJ Brown, further eroded by the injuries to Leon Powe and the addition of Stephan Marbury. The absence of KG takes any joy from the Laker fans heart and seeing Boston eliminated from the playoffs. With the crew of Perkins, Davis and Scalabrine all that remains to try to contend with Dwight Howard, The Celtics clearly are doomed in this series. Only a magical return of KG or a complete meltdown by the Magic could make this series a close one. Magic in 5.