The NBA playoffs could include games on consecutive days in the conference semifinals for the first time since 1999, the last time teams had to endure the vagaries of a lockout-shortened season.
That was the year the eighth-seeded New York Knicks made it all the way to the Finals before succumbing in a game of two on 12, with Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell unable to sprout clones to help combat the considerably deeper San Antonio Spurs.
Similar upsets seem most likely this season in the deep Western Conference, where the defending champion and still formidable Dallas Mavericks dropped to ? gulp ? seventh in the standings.
Contrast that with the East, where Chicago and Miami are so much better than their first-round opponents that they should receive byes into the conference semifinals.
A breakdown of the Western and Eastern conference matchups:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. San Antonio vs 8. Utah
San Antonio 50-16 (Home: 28-5; Road: 22-11)
8. Utah 36-30 (Home: 25-8; Road 11-22)
Season series: San Antonio, 3-1.
Key stat: For all the talk of the supposedly decrepit Spurs, the average age of their primary starters is only 27.6 years old versus the Jazz's 27.4.
Outlook: Kudos to the Jazz for rebuilding so quickly given such drastic turnover in personnel ? and coaching, for that matter. One season after Utah said goodbye to Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, making the playoffs is quite an accomplishment. Too bad it will be such a short stay against a San Antonio team determined to avoid another first-round flop.
Prediction: The only thing keeping this from being a San Antonio sweep is the boost the Jazz receives from a raucous home court. Spurs in five.
2. Oklahoma City vs. 7. Dallas
Oklahoma City 47-19 (Home: 26-7; Road: 21-12)
Dallas 36-30 (Home: 23-10; Road 13-20)
Season series: Oklahoma City, 3-1.
Key stat: Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to average 51.6 points per game, more than any other duo in the NBA.
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