Spurs/Hornets: With the Spurs knocking out the Suns, and the Hornets knocking out the Mavericks (and Avery Johnson too), this is a very interesting series to watch. Chris Paul and Tony Parker will be the highlights to watch as both players seem unstoppable right now. Tim Duncan will get his, but will Manu Ginobili coming off the bench be too little too late for the likes of the hot-shooting Hornets? Will someone… ANYONE else step up for the Spurs outside of their main three guys? Can the Hornets keep up their hot shooting or will the Spurs defense stifle their season-long run? This series hinges on the play of CP3 against the Spurs tough defense. If Paul can find a crease and stay in it, the Hornets will upset the Spurs. But, if the Spurs are able to throw a blanket over the Hornets and wrap them up on defense, the series will be a short one.

The Lakers will wait to see if the Rockets can upset the Jazz with a comeback victory or if the Jazz can get some play out of their team after last night's humiliating defeat. Utah needs to get better play from Kirilenko and the bench, and Houston can't have Tracy McGrady shooting 5-for-17 from the field any more. It is one and done for the Rockets and they played game five like they knew it. If the Jazz can get something out of their bench they can win game six and move on to match up against Los Angeles. If they can't get something from the bench, the Rockets could turn this into a game seven. The Rockets are a sneaky team that seems to win when they should be out of it. Look for game six to be more pivotal than normal, because if the Jazz lose they have to play game seven in Houston.

The Lakers need to focus on getting their big three rested up for either Deron Williams or Tracy McGrady. Each team poses different strengths and weaknesses, so there is no fix all for their game plan. Kobe needs to be more assertive and take control of his team. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom aren't and don't want to be leaders, so this is the perfect group of teammates for Kobe to take control with. Look for the Lakers to dismantle the Rockets in a short series and struggle with containing Deron Williams on the floor.