It’s been three weeks since the NBA Playoffs started and there is no clear cut favorite to be the champion. Three of the four semi-final series are all knotted up at two games apiece. The Pistons have the only decisive 3-1 lead and did so without the services of their veteran point guard Chauncey Billups. Just last week the home teams in these series had won all eight home games with conviction. The title hopes of the Spurs, Cavaliers and Magic looked bleak. It’s almost back to square one on trying to figure which team might be the one to make it to 16 wins. The Celtics have struggled on the road losing their first five games outside of Boston. The Hawks forced the round one series with the Celtics to game seven before getting manhandled by Boston. In theory the Celtics could lose all their home games and still win the championship. The only problem is that no team has ever won a championship after losing their first five road games of the playoffs. The Celtics were 31-10 on the road during the regular but have lost their road warrior mentality. LeBron James is due for a big game and it might happen in Boston. The Spurs looked down and out when the Hornets blew them out in both game 1 and 2. The Spurs woke up and returned the favor to New Orleans by demonstrating that they still have the best trio of players in the league. The Spurs still have to play two games in New Orleans and has to steal one on the road if they hope to advance to the conference finals. By switching Bruce Bowen off of Chris Paul and having him blanket Peja Stojakovic the Spurs turned the series around and now have the momentum. Stojakovic has scored just 8 and 6 points since the move. If the Hornets can’t find some scoring help for Paul, they may be out of the playoffs. The Lakers looked like the early favorite to win it all when they swept the Nuggets in the first round and up ended the Jazz in Los Angeles. The Lakers had their chance in both games in Salt Lake City to steal a victory but were unable to get the job done. In the fourth game of the series Kobe Bryant, the league MVP, hurt his back on a turnaround jumper. The report out of Los Angeles is that Kobe is in constant therapy and will start game of five. The Jazz had the best home record in the league with a record of 37-4. The problems have been on the road where they have a losing record. The Jazz may come with some confidence knowing that the Bryant will not be at full strength.
 

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