Welcome to the second round of the NBA Playoffs, brought to you by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s been a postseason of two-faced basketball, with teams cruising to home wins and getting walloped on the road. The stars of the show, the Boston Celtics, have taken that theory to a new extreme.

Their 35-10 regular season road record qualified as best in the league, and fourth best ever. Their 0-5 playoff road record is far from record setting- in a positive way, that is. How can a team play so well at home- Boston is 7-0 in the postseason at the TD Banknorth Center- but so pitifully on the road? Just one game in the second round has been won by the road team- the Pistons 90-89 steal in Orlando.

The premise has been so exact to this point, that even lowly Atlanta notched three triumphs over the mighty C’s down in the A-T-L. However, I’m here to tell you that it’s all about to change. The next few days of basketball will shift tectonic plates, change the orbit of the Earth, freeze over hell, and, perhaps even contain some road victories.

Let me begin by proclaiming that the Lakers will finish the Utah Jazz off in six games, and, yes, even near the Salt Lake, where the Jazz never lose. Also, San Antonio will extend their series with the Hornets to six games, and steal game seven in New Orleans, thanks to boatloads of experience, intelligence, and familiarity.

Now, for THE series. Conventional wisdom would suggest that Cleveland will drag the series out to seven games with a victory at The Q Friday night. Then, the Celtics are supposed to continue their home court dominance and win another series in seven. However, that will not happen.

The Cavs will win Game 6. Period. LeBron will not let his team lose a heartbreaking series in Cleveland, and although that may not entirely be in his control, Delonte West, Boobie Gibson, and Wally Szczerbiak have excelled at home. Not to mention, Boston is winless on the road, and hasn’t even competed a whole lot in Cleveland.

The Cavs claimed they should have won Game 1. They led the entire way, and couldn’t convert down the stretch, as LeBron finished 2-18 from the floor. The Cavs maintained a 12 point first half lead in Game 2, before faltering to a 16 point loss. The Cavs held a 14 point advantage in Game 5 before the Celtics got hot in the third quarter and won by 7. See a theme here? Cleveland, at some point, seems to grip a decisive edge in each game in Boston. Then Rondo or Pierce hits a big shot, gets the crowd back into it, and the Celtics run away. But Cleveland can’t complain about a lack of opportunities. And they won’t have to. Sure, you could say (and I have), they could have won Game 1, they should have won Game 5, and they didn’t, so there’s no way they can win a Game 7. But they’ll have that all straightened out. They have figured out how to play for a half, maybe even three quarters in Boston. Now it will be corrected, and they’ll exact 48 minutes of terror on KG and company.

LeBron looks like he has regained his stroke somewhat. In the first half of Game 5, he drained several jumpers en route to a 23 point output in the initial 24 minutes. When Game 7 rolls around, it won’t be about trying to get Wally and Joe Smith involved; the Cavs will need their King to lead them to the promise land. And he’ll succeed.

Cleveland has come out strong early on in each road game, nearly eliminating a possibility of a replicate Game 7 blowout that the Celtics handed the Hawks in Boston. This time, though, the Cavs will remain persistent. LeBron knows when he drives to the basket, odds favor him adding 2-3 points to his teams total. LBJ has the instinct to give it all he’s got when it matters, and in Game 7, he’ll be at his best. Boston still needs to decide on who takes the meaningful shots in crunch time. In recent losses, it’s been P.J. Brown or Rajon Rondo instead of the supposed “Big 3.�

The Cavs will prevail in seven. They know what it takes; Boston has never played together in the playoffs, and in the small sample that they have, they nearly allowed the laughing matter known as the Hawks pull off an indescribable upset. The NBA is salivating over a potential Celtics-Lakers rematch. But this weekend, the Cavs will crash the party.

-Zack Meisel

Sure, the MLB trade deadline is 10 weeks away. Sure, only a handful of teams can consider themselves out of the playoff chase. Sure, big name free agents such as Mike Piazza and Barry Bonds continue to dwell on their couches, eating potato chips and throwin’ back brewskies. But the annual trade winds have started to blow here in mid-May, as names like Griffey and Dunn have been tossed around.

The Kid Back to Seattle?
The most scorching rumor on the hot stove has former Mariner phenom Ken Griffey Jr. heading back to the northwest to boost Seattle back into the playoff hunt. Cincinnati, mired in last place in the NL Central, obviously needs a shakeup in the rebuilding process, and unloading Griffey and Dunn is a start on the right path. They could ask for catcher Kenji Johjima and a package of young arms. Griffey has an option for’09, one that the M’s don’t need to pick up if his return deems unsuccessful. It’s a low-risk maneuver for Seattle, though Johjima is a solid option behind the plate. Griffey could play DH, hit his 20-30 home runs, and sell out Safeco Field for the rest of the year. This deal will likely occur, though certainly not until Junior clubs #600 in Cincy.

Tribe Trying to Add Punch?
One rumor suggests the Indians are in talks with Colorado for third baseman Garrett Atkins. The Rockies want a package of southpaw Aaron Laffey and second baseman Josh Barfield, a pretty hefty price, though it would merit an equal return. There’s no secret that Cleveland must address an anemic offense. Travis Hafner, Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, Casey Blake, and Asdrubal Cabrera have suffered through season-long slumps. Atkins hits for average and power, and has proven that he’s not just an example of the Coors Field phenomenon. Though his career batting average at home is much higher (.334 to .277), he has hit just as many home runs on the road as in Colorado. He would be a good fit in the middle of the Indians’ order, and officially put an end to the failed Andy Marte project. Laffey has been brilliant in filling in for injured Jake Westbrook, but when he comes back, Laffey will be the odd man out. The Tribe has Jeremy Sowers to replace CC Sabathia and/or Paul Byrd next season, and Colorado always needs more pitching. Barfield doesn’t have a future with the Indians anyway, so long as Cabrera keeps turning unassisted triple plays.

Closer Carousel
Dominant closers are rare commodities these days. Contenders St. Louis and Milwaukee have already yanked their last lines of defense. Not that anyone is surprised by Eric Gagne’s struggles, but many teams are in need of a trustworthy, ninth-inning stopper. Along with the two aforementioned NL Central squads, Atlanta, Houston, Colorado, Florida, and Arizona could use a bullpen savior. If St. Louis falls out of contention, Jason Isringhausen could become available. Cincinnati doesn’t hold many leads for Francisco Cordero to protect, so a team willing to take on $44 over 4 years may be able to land him. And once (not if, but when) Baltimore falls out of the AL East race, lefty George Sherrill will likely be moved for younger talent.

-Zack Meisel

It was a far tenser affair than game three, to be certain. A three-point game with 3:31 to play, LeBron James came around a screen on the left wing and sized up his fifth attempt from distance on the night. Despite only canning one of the previous four, this one was all bottoms.

The Celtics – now 0-5 on the road in the playoffs – answered with a two-point bucket of their own, only to be followed by a Boobie Gibson three (assisted by you-know-who) and the dunk.

This dunk doesn’t demand a great deal of exposition here, as all one need do is search YouTube for “LeBron Dunks over Garnett.� The thunderous slam pushed the lead to nine, and the boys in green were all but finished for the night.

To add insult to…insult, Anderson Varejao drilled a couple uncharacteristic jumpers to pad the margin and log his highest scoring total since April 2.

So while the game was much closer this time ‘round, and while LeBron’s shooting woes continued, the formula that spelled success in game three worked just as well Monday night. The bench, particularly Varejao, Gibson and Joe Smith, came through in fine style, combining for 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 19 of the team’s 42 rebounds.

For LeBron, his 7-for-20 night from the floor (now 20-for-78 versus Boston) furthered the perception that his jumper is ‘broken’. But his other contributions – as mentioned many times by TNT’s announcers – outweighed the inconvenience of his missed shots.

King James tallied 13 assists against just four turnovers (a couple of which were crisp passes that just weren’t reeled in by their targets), six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. And, ultimately, when it mattered, LeBron knocked down (and threw down) shots.

Another point of encouragement for Cavs fans was the team’s defensive performance. They held Boston to just 77 points on .386 shooting, making it the eighth game out of ten that Cleveland has held its opponent to under 90 points, dropping the points allowed average to just under 88 per game.

The series now becomes a best-of-three, with games five and seven to be played in Boston’s Fleet Center, where the Celtics are still undefeated. Game five is to be played tonight (Wednesday) at 8pm eastern—will this be the night James gets back on track?

We shall see. No matter what, the Cavaliers have held serve and answered the bell. Here’s hoping they can crack the Fleet Center magic.

— V.R. Bryant

Last week, Greg Maddux became the ninth pitcher in baseball history to win 350 games, a feat we may not see again for decades. The traditional Hall of Fame guarantee stands at 300 victories, but which young aces project to even reach that total? Here are five possibilities, although the actual answer may be none of the above.

Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres
Age: 27 Wins: 80
Need: A miracle

Without a doubt, Peavy one of the top-five pitchers in the league. But he could win 20 games a year for the next decade, and still come up shy of 300. He’s on this list solely because of the lack of pitchers with a legitimate shot at the target. He’ll most like finish in the 200-250 range, averaging 14-18 wins a year for the next 8-10 years before tailing off as he nears the age of 40. But with that anemic San Diego offense, he’ll miss out on 4-6 wins per year, regardless of how well he throws.

Odds: 10%

Johan Santana, New York Mets
Age: 29 Wins: 97
Need: 10-12 seasons of 18+ wins

Had the Twins installed Santana into their rotation at the start of his major league career, the southpaw would have a realistic chance at 300. However, his days in the pen severely hampered his opportunity, as it will take a Hall of Fame type run to make up his first 3.5 years in the middle of the Minnesota bullpen. It’s not to say that Johan can’t achieve such towering possibilities; since becoming a full-fledged starter, he’s averaged 17.5 wins per year. Project that same number over the next 12 years, and that’s another 210 victories, assuring him over 300. If that happens, he’ll make Mets fans forget about a certain 2007 collapse.

Odds: 25%

C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland Indians
Age: 27 Wins: 102
Need: About 15-20 wins per year for the next 12-15 seasons

Carsten Charles has the best shot of any pitcher currently in their prime. When he suits up in pinstripes next season, he’ll need to begin a run of about 12 seasons of 15+ wins. If he can stay healthy, and, more importantly, out of the buffet line, it’s a manageable task.

Odds: 30%

Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks
Age: 44 Wins: 286
Need: 2 more seasons, with 7 wins in each

The Big Unit has the most interesting case of this group. At the ancient, decaying age of 44, after countless knee and back surgeries, how he still manages to whip a menacing slider to home plate is astounding. If he can stay healthy, an astronomical IF, he could end ’08 with about 293 wins. I can’t see him walking away that close to the desired milestone of 300. But to reach that number, he would have to stay relatively healthy for two straight seasons, which is very hard to see happening. It’s possible, and he’s on the brink, but the old man will need his eroding body to cooperate.

Odds: 45%

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Age: 22 Wins: 32
Need: 18 more seasons, 15 wins per year

King Felix has the best chance of any young phenom in the big leagues at this point. He got his feet wet early, at the age of 19, so he has a head start on the rest of the field. The keys to obtaining 300 wins are longevity and consistency, so if Felix can win 15-20 contests a year for the next 15-20 years, he will reach the milestone. He has a tremendous arsenal, and has improved each season. As he matures and gains experience, he will leap to the top of the list of pitchers in baseball.

Odds: 50%

-Zack Meisel

It’s time for Schroder to shine.

Here’s hoping OSU can knock off Duke in anything for the first time in forever.