NBA Playoff Impressions: Your Reliable Veterans.

Spurs 108, Suns 101 - Guess that Kurt Thomas defending Tim Duncan could only work for so long. Timmy went off for 33 points in the game, and Manu Ginobili had 24 (10 of those in less than 2 minutes). The Suns offense would get into it at times, but Steve Nash didn't play like his usual self, going scoreless in the first half and committing turnovers he normally wouldn't.

Nets 96, Cavaliers 85 - The Cavaliers are alwats vulnerable, even though they hadn't lost a game this postseason (that made for a 10-game winning streak) until this one. Never, ever count out Jason Kidd in a playoff series; with today's game, he now owns second place in playoff triple-doubles by his own self after sharing it with Larry Bird for a while. LeBron James had only 18 points. Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson all had 23 points a piece. Despite being down 2-1 still, the Nets have a damn good chance to steal this series if they can keep that level of play up.

(Photo: AP/Eric Gay)

NBA Playoff Impressions: That's A Response.

Suns 101, Spurs 81 - Boy, guess chewing out your team works; Nash and D'Antoni ought to do it more often. D'Antoni makes a necessary adjustment by placing Kurt Thomas on Tim Duncan for the game, and the Suns took over in the second period and didn't really look back after that. So, we leave Phoenix with a split, and the question is whether the Suns can take one near the Alamo come Saturday. Amare Stoudamire had 21 of his 27 in the second half.

Cavaliers 102, Nets 92 - Yes, LeBron popped in a big-time 36 points tonight (25 in the second half) and 12 assists, and Sasha Pavlovic scored 17 while playing some lock-down D. But here's the stat that probably makes the difference right now, and why an experienced Nets team is down 2-0 when they should be able to get a split on the road: they were outrebounded 49 to 32, with only 3 offensive rebounds the whole game. That won't just get you beat; that's likely to get you swept if it keeps up.

(Photo: Garrett Elwood/NBAE/Getty)

NBA Playoff Impressions: Blood On The Dance Floor.

Spurs 111, Suns 106 - A nip-and-tuck game determined ultimately by a collision on the court, as Steve Nash's nose burst and the Suns staff couldn't stop the bleeding in order to get him back in the game, and without Nash, the Suns on the court looked confused, running around with their head cut off. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker went big for the Spurs, each clocking over 30 points. Nash was on fire with 31, but those 45 seconds he had to sit out meant the game. Hopefully every game in the series is as close as this one was.

Cavs 81, Nets 77 - Hm. It seems Cleveland can play defense. The Nets shot only 37 percent for the game, and Vince Carter had the game he has at least once every playoff series, where he can't hit a thing. However, those games are usually followed up by ones where he explodes. LeBron had 21 points, but a crucial block near the end of the game helped out.

(Photo: Garrett Elwood/NBAE/Getty Images)

NBA Playoff Impressions: The East Semis Are Set.

Nets 98, Raptors 97 - New Jersey pulls off the upset in six games that damn near everyone was expecting: no one really looked to this Toronto team to advance past veterans like Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson, despite their utter lack of a post presence. Despite that, this was the one Eastern series that provoked any sort of excitement or close play, and Game Six was the same way: won a Richard Jefferson shot with eight seconds left in the game. Enjoy it while you still can, Jersey fans.

Now, let's have a look at the Eastern semifinals and make some blissfully uninformed picks:

Bulls vs. Pistons -- competitive series, to be sure. The way Ben Gordon and Luol Deng have come on so far is nothing short of incredible to watch. However, that was a decrepit Miami team on the court (despite my thought that the Heat would win in six), and it showed. This is the first real test, and while they'll give the Pistons a really good workout, this series will be over in six games, in Detroit's favor -- due to experience, and the way they spread the points around to all five starters, plus Antonio McDyess.

Nets vs. Cavaliers -- If there is anything I have harped on more and more with these recaps, it has been the Cavaliers' miserable attempts at defense. Despite sweeping a Wizards team that is a shadow of itself without Caron Butler or Gilbert Arenas, none of those four Cavs wins were what anyone would call dominating. Antawn Jamison was repeatedly allowed to score 30+ points in those four games. The Nets lack a post game, but unless Zydrunas Ilgauskas somehow makes them pay for not having an inside defender and LeBron James has another performance like last year against Detroit in the semis, I'm giving this series to playoff experience. Nets in five, but I would love to be wrong.

(Photo: NBAE/Getty Images/Jesse D. Garrabranth)

NBA Playoff Impressions: Never Say Die.

Mavericks 118, Warriors 112 - Avery's little outburst must have worked, as the Warriors had this game in the fourth quarter and up by nine, but the Mavericks decided that this game belonged to them, and acted appropriately, much like any team should when it's up against the wall. Do we call this a momentum shift? Possibly. Let's see how the Mavs come out when facing another Oakland crowd in Game Six, but for right now, you can't accuse them of not having the will to play like any 68-win team ought to. Dirk finally cracked the 30-point barrier, scoring 12 points during a 15-0 run in the last three minutes. You know, that's what MVP candidates have to do. Now let's see him do it again, and then in Game 7 after that, and we can talk MVP.

Raptors 98, Nets 96 - This series totally could have gone seven before tonight. That's how these teams are. The Nets are utterly dependent upon the play of Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson, and the Raptors need Bosh and Jose Calderon, along with T.J. Ford. Problem is, tonight's game cost the Raptors both Ford and Calderon; Ford left in the first and Calderon pumped in 25 points in his absence. Hopefully they're ready for the next game in Jersey, because if not, this series ends in East Rutherford.

(Photo: AP)

NBA Playoff Impressions: The Badass Power Of Baron's Beard.

Warriors 103, Mavericks 99 - Golden State is one win away from a massive playoff upset, and got a 3-1 lead in fantastic style. It looked bad early, as Dallas got up and Baron Davis got two quick fouls, but the Black Baron and his Magnificent Beard would not be denied, and when he hit that 40-foot 3-point shot to end the first half, you knew it was ON. The Warriors kept mounting comebacks, and when it came time in the fourth quarter, took the game over by hitting threes and making Dallas miss 10 of 11 shots late in the game. There were over 20,000 fans packing the Oracle Arena, and the best part of that telecast was when those 20K yelled "BULLSHIT!" repeatedly after Jason Richardson got whistled for a blocking foul in the third quarter. Baron finished with 33 points, Richardson threw in 22. I want to see more playoff beards in basketball.

Oh, and SUCK IT, SIR CHARLES. (Dumbass had the balls to say the only place worth living in CA was Los Angeles during the halftime report.)

Nets 102, Raptors 81 - Man, you think this team has no shot, and then Jason Kidd and Vince Carter just open two 40s of pure whoop-ass as soon as the starting whistle blows, including some damn near telepathic alley-oops and a stretch in the first half where Carter was incapable of missing a shot. Carter had 27, Richard Jefferson had 23, and Kidd was two rebounds away from another triple-double. If you are LeBron James and the Cavs, this team should scare you, despite its lack of any inside game.

(Photo: AP)

NBA Playoff Impressions: If You Are A Laker Fan, This Is Not What You Wanted To See.

Suns 126, Lakers 98 - Ugly, ugly game from the get-go, and it was over by the end of the first half (it really looked worse on the telecast, if you only caught the highlights). Here are some gaudy numbers: Nash had 16 points and 14 dimes, Barbosa chipped in another 26, Stoudamire had 20, and Marion added 18 with 10 boards. Kobe Bryant rolled his ankle with a 15 point night, and to even be competitive, he's going to have to dominate instead of dish. This team leans on him too much for him to be altruistic.

Bulls 107, Heat 89 - Ben Gordon and Luol Deng threw in 20+ a piece (Gordon had some nasty numbers from behind the 3-point line), and both Shaq and D-Wade played like crap, with 17 and 21 points, respectively (the crap line is more for the seven turnovers each of them had.) Miami has come back from 0-2 deficits before (like last year's Finals), but they're on the line here and need to figure out how to keep tabs on Gordon and Deng and get the other Heat starters going.

Raptors 89, Nets 83 - This may be the quietly competitive series of the first round, as the Raptors salvage a split on their home court before the series goes to Jersey. Chris Bosh tossed in 25 and Anthony Parker got 26 the day coach Sam Mitchell got his Coach of the Year award. Vince Carter suffered from another poor shooting night.