NBA

Eastern conference

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 22, 2006

NO. 2 MIAMI (52-30) vs. NO. 7 CHICAGO (41-41)

SEASON SERIES: Heat won 2-1 with the Bulls getting their only win 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 KEY MATCHUP: 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.

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. 4 CLEVELAND (50-32) vs. NO. 5 WASHINGTON (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: 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.

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 and he's shown he's willing - and James trusts him - to take big shots.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

NO. 1 SAN ANTONIO (63-19) vs. NO. 8 SACRAMENTO (44-38)

SEASON SERIES: Spurs winning 2-1 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: 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.

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.

NO. 3 DENVER (44-28) vs. NO. 6 LOS ANGELES (47-35)

SEASON SERIES: Clippers won 3-1, taking the last three 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: 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, ranking among the league leaders in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage. X-FACTOR: The Staples Center crowd. There's been enough talk about the circumstances surrounding this series that the NBA will discuss the way it seeds playoff teams. But the Clippers have the home-court advantage, and they best put it to good use.

[Last modified April 22, 2006, 01:39:14]