ESPN NBA

Welcome to the last night of the 2008-2009 NBA regular season, where there are five games to determine matchups in five of the NBA's eight first-round playoff series. 

Four of those game will be going on at the same time -- 8pm ET. The fifth starts at 10:30 ET. Here's the lineup:

• Raptors at Bulls 8 pm ET (The Bulls can clinch the East's sixth seed -- and avoid Boston in the first round -- with a win.)
  
• Sixers at Cavaliers 8 pm ET (If the Sixers can beat the Cavaliers' scrubs, and the Bulls lose, Philly gets the dubious prize of facing the Magic.)
• Hornets at Spurs 8 pm ET (The Spurs need the Rockets and/or Blazers to lose to get homecourt, and can be the West's third, fourth or fifth seed. The Hornets can sixth or seventh -- depending on this and the Maverick game.)
• Rockets at Mavericks 8pm ET Watch online. (The Rockets are another team with homecourt in play -- if they win, they have it. They can finish second, third, fourth or fifth. The Mavericks will be watching the Hornets and worrying about being sixth or seventh.)
• Nuggets at Blazers Watch online. 10:30 pm ET (The Nuggets can be second or third. The Blazers can be third, fourth or fifth, but guarantee homecourt advantage with a win.)

Watching and liveblogging with me tonight:

• Matt McHale of By the Horns
• Zach Lowe of CelticsHub
• Niall Doherty of Hornets247
• Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company
• Kurt Helin of Forum Blue and Gold

HENRY ABBOTT: Welcome, welcome. Here goes one crazy night of NBA liveblogging. We'll get started in a minute.

HENRY ABBOTT: OK, here we go. The ball is live in Dallas, where the Rockets are on the road trying to take the season series from the Mavericks 3-1. These two teams could face each other in the first round.

NIALL DOHERTY: Hornets-Spurs about to tip. Tyson Chandler back from injury tonight for the Hornets, expected to play 15-20 minutes and sit out the second half. I'll be interested to see how he's recovered from the ankle injury. Having him at 100% is key to the Hornets success in the playoffs.

HENRY ABBOTT: All Houston in the very early going. Yao Ming -- once one of the more careful players in the NBA -- is wholly decisive and feisty at this point. He's in my top ten of MVP candidates.

ZACH LOWE: Sixers have their normal starting line-up going up against the Cavs B-team. As a Celtics fan--do I cheer for the Sixers to upset the Cavs bid for 40-1? Or the Cavs, to ensure the C's play Philly and not the Bulls?

HENRY ABBOTT: Every once in a while Jason Kidd masquerades as a 3-point shooter, and Mavericks yank back the lead. Also, J.J. Barea does more with less than anybody in the NBA.

ZACH LOWE: The Cavs continue to yuk it up, with Varejao doing the LeBron chalk thing with the King in street clothes. Kinda funny, actually. Pavlovic, Darnell Jackson and Wally in the starting line-up.
NIALL DOHERTY: Spurs playing for a division championship and homecourt advantage tonight. Big game for them. Tyson Chandler looks good for the Hornets early. Not his usual explosiveness, but he's challenging jump shots and just got fouled trying to finish an alley oop from Chris Paul. 10-8 Spursat the 7:50 mark.

HENRY ABBOTT: The Mavericks are in the mix to play the Nuggets, against whom they have not won a game all season. Winning tonight would probably reduce their likelihood of a Nugget showdown. Meanwhile, they have been killers against the Blazers, another team they could face.

KURT HELIN: Yao Ming sets some of the best high picks in basketball. Not that Ron Artest knows what to do with them, but the picks are great.

HENRY ABBOTT: Dirk with 12 straight Dallas points, Dallas up by seven. If I were a Rockets fan, I would have long conversations with myself about Ron Artest's shot selection.

NIALL DOHERTY: Spurs settling for a lot of jump shots so far vs. Hornets, but they're open looks so why not? Hornets tried to get secondary weapons involved early, as per usual, but Rasual Butler and Peja Stojakovic continue to struggle. 12-10 Spurs lead at the first timeout.

ZACH LOWE: Four turnovers for Cleveland in the first six minutes, but they're shooting the ball well.

HENRY ABBOTT: Zach, you're a Celtics fan ... are the Bulls SO scary? I think the Sixers -- a very high energy team that gets after the ball nicely when motivated -- are a bigger threat.

ZACH LOWE: I don't know about you guys, but my League  Pass seems to be overwhelmed by the evening. All the games are on different channels than my cable guide indicates. Don't worry, I found the Kings-T'Wolves game, so I'll keep you updated.

ZACH LOWE: Fun stat: Sixers announcers say Andre Iguodala has taken 20 or more shots just three times this season.

MATT MCHALE: The Bulls are totally a bigger threat than Philly right now.

KURT HELIN: I don't want to speak for Zach, but Chicago seems to have finally started to figure it out, as has Rose. He really is a beast right now and could win a game by himself in the playoffs. Chicago now now the fourth best team in the East, and they may not beat Boston/Orlando, but they will make it a series. Rafer Alston could not handle Rose.

NIALL DOHERTY: 10 early points for David West keeping the Hornets close, trailing the Spurs now by 4. Only three players have scored for the Hornets, while the Spurs have six players on the scoreboard. That right there is why the Spurs are playing for homecourt advantage tonight and the Hornets aren't.

ZACH LOWE: Cleveland is 9-of-14 early, and the Cavs that are playing this game are doing so with a ton of energy--they really want to get to that 40-1 mark.  

HENRY ABBOTT: At the end of one, a game of all runs, the Mavericks have a 7-point lead. The big Maverick guns -- Nowitzki and Jason Terry -- are a combined 8-9 from the floor, even though the Rockets don't suck at D.

ZACH LOWE: Kurt: I've got Sixers-Cavs duty, and I'm rooting for Cleveland here--I'd rather the Celtics avoid Chicago in the first round. That's a dangerous team. Athletic, hungry, etc., and Brad Miller always seems to play well against Boston.

HENRY ABBOTT: Houston coach Rick Adelman's end of quarter interview on ESPN: They're setting good picks, or illegal picks, I'm not sure which one.

KURT HELIN: Zach, Salmons is good too, a professional player who can do a number of things. The Bulls needed a guy like that.

HENRY ABBOTT: Rockets are shooting about 30% Mavericks about 60%

KURT HELIN: Henry: I always find it funny when coaches say things to the mic like the people at home were the refs. I can't call in illegal pick from here. And I am wearing my whistle.

ZACH LOWE: Cleveland  is subbing early and often--we've already got Boobie Gibson, Lorenzen Wright (!) and Tarence Kinsey in there.

ZACH LOWE: Kurt: Agreed on Salmons. I stay up late  lot, and I strangely enjoyed watching Kings games--in part because of Salmons.

NIALL DOHERTY: Spurs lead Hornets 26-25 heading into the secon
d quarter. David West has 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, abusing Drew Gooden down low. Still only three Hornets on the scoreboard though. Spurs sharing the ball more and dominating the boards. Hornets centers (Tyson Chandler and Sean Marks) in 12 combined minutes so far: 0 rebounds, 0 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls.

ZACH LOWE: End of 1: Delonte West (seven points) leading hot-shooting Cavs (60 percent) to 27-21 lead. I've always liked Delonte dating to his days in Boston--a solid, underrated player who really, really cares.

ZACH LOWE: Toronto is up 12 early on the Bulls? What in the world is going on there?

NIALL DOHERTY: Tyson Chandler checks back into the game early in Q2 and sparks a 6-0 Hornets run. Hornets lead Spurs by 1.

KURT HELIN: Zach: We cursed them.

ZACH LOWE: Pavlovic is one of the only guys I've seen who will go glass from 20 feet out on the wing. He's tried twice so far--ugly misses. But the traditionalist in me appreciates the effort.

HENRY ABBOTT: Chris Bosh is +18, and put me down as a momentarily smug Bulls skeptic.

ZACH LOWE: Kurt: The last time I saw a full Raptors game, they gave up almost 80 first half points to the Knicks. I had a friend from Toronto visiting, and we went to the game at MSG. I felt so bad for her. Raps were down nearly 30 at the half. Now they are threatening to upset the eastern playoff seedings.

HENRY ABBOTT: Poor Matt McHale. We're questioning his team and he just texted me he's having computer trouble. In other news, you know what these players have in common? Mark Madsen, Jason Collins, Ike Diogu, Beno Udrih, Kevin Ollie, Brian Cardinal ... all starters in tonight's Kings at Timberwolves sad season ender.

ZACH LOWE: Reggie Evans is keeping Philly in this game on offense--eight quick points for Reggie, who normally has so little touch around the rim that I fear he's going to chuck the ball through the backboard. On cue: Reggie commits an illegal screen.

NIALL DOHERTY: Tony Parker sparks a 9-0 run for the Spurs, Hornets down 34-39 with 7 minutes left in Q2. 11 points now for Parker. Chris Paul about to return to the floor. Early second quarter has been poor for the Hornets all season; not much firepower with Paul and West on the bench.

KURT HELIN: Yao looks healthier and more fit at this time of the season than any time I can remember. That's great for Houston.

HENRY ABBOTT: Houston roars back, up three. Nearly halftime and so far we've had four total free throws, so, yes, they're letting them play.

ZACH LOWE: Charity Bulls post: Noah just laid the ball in, plus one, to cut the lead to nine.

NIALL DOHERTY: Question for everyone: In preparation for the playoffs, which players do you think could do with getting some rest instead of playing their usual minutes tonight?

HENRY ABBOTT: Reggie Evans is not to be trifled with. Without any real basketball skill, he pretty much single-handedly won a a playoff game against the Pistons last year.

ZACH LOWE: Ugly, ugly halfcourt offense for Philly. Royal Ivey just air-balled a three, Thad Young traveled, and Cleveland is up by 10 now. Maybe the Raps-Bulls game won't matter?

NIALL DOHERTY: Man, Peja Stojakovic is missing wide open threes in San Antonio. 0-5 on field goals so far.

ZACH LOWE: Niall: The word rest is connected  by a series of synapses in my brain to the word Pierce. Glen Davis too--big fella has played a ton of minutes the last 25 games--a ton for him, at least.

KURT HELIN: NIALL: Duncan is the first one to come to mind, the more rest for him the better for the Spurs.

HENRY ABBOTT: Yao Ming Yao Ming Yao Ming. Wow. Broken set, nowhere to go. He goes up against a double team, and misses. Then he gets the O-board in a crowd, then makes a high-skill putback. Next time down, another clean post bucket. I can't imagine any team out there is looking at the standings tonight and really hoping they'll get the Rockets.

NIALL DOHERTY: To answer my own question about resting players, the Hornets could do with giving Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler plenty of bench time in the second half tonight.

ZACH LOWE: Bulls update: Chicago is within four as we wind down the half.

KURT HELIN: The biggest thing for Toronto so far: 11 offensive rebounds. That is 40% of their missed shots.

HENRY ABBOTT: In contrast, the Mavericks got their first offensive rebound of the game with seconds left in the half.

ZACH LOWE: Darnell Jackson with a season- and career-high 11 points right now for Cleveland, who continues to lead by 8-10 points. Shooting about 55 percent.

NIALL DOHERTY: Great first half between Hornets and Spurs. Lots of back and forth. Hornets lead 50-48. Almost a pity these two teams can't meet in the first round.

NIALL DOHERTY: Tyson Chandler finished back-to-back alley-oops late in Q2. Great to see. He's made a huge difference for the Hornets at both ends of the floor. He may sit out the rest of the game not to put too much pressure on that ankle.

ZACH LOWE: Jawad Williams is in the game for Cleveland. He's played 10 minutes all season. A D-League alum who's played in Japan as well, per the announce crew. Would be fun if he made some big plays.

NIALL DOHERTY: FYI: Tim Duncan has as many turnovers (3) as shots in the first half for the Spurs. 5 points, 5 rebounds. Tony Parker is shouldering the scoring load with 16 first-half points.

ZACH LOWE: Gibson drains a three with the shot clock running down to end the half. Cavs up a dozen, primarily because they are getting--and hitting--open perimeter shots. 56 percent shooting. 49-37, Cavs.

HENRY ABBOTT: Niall makes a good point. The Spurs are candidates for the 3 spot. And the Hornets are candidates for the 6. So you'd think they could play each other in the first round. But they'd both have to win to have a chance at those spots, and they're playing each other. So it won't happen in the first round.

HENRY ABBOTT: Cleveland killing it with D-Leaguers, against a Philly team with something to play for ... worth mentioning if Mike Brown wins Coach of the Year.

ZACH LOWE: Iguodala with a very, very quiet 4 points on 1-of-4 shooting in this one. Sixers bench (8 points for Evans, 9 for Lou Williams) keeping them (kind of) close.

HENRY ABBOTT: Question in the comments: Would the Bulls rather play the Magic or the Celtics?

ZACH LOWE: I can flip around and watch Penny Hardaway on about a half-dozen channels right now--he's the halftime interviewee for NBA TV/League Pass.

JEREMY WAGNER: With the playoff positioning for both the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers depending somewhat on results of the early games between Houston and Dallas and San Antonio and New Orleans I have to wonder how George Karl and Nate McMillan are handling things.  I have seen coaches prevent the game staff from showing scores to games that might affect their team's playoff hopes to keep the players from scoreboard watching. With the game in Portland should the Rockets lose the Nuggets will have virtually nothing to play for.  If that is the case, I wonder if Portland will keep the score of the Rockets loss plastered on the jumbotron all game long to remind Denver that the game will have no impact on their seeding.

KURT HELIN: Also Jeremy, will it impact player rotations and minutes.

ZACH LOWE: The Bulls fans I know are dying to get a crack at the Celtics.

HENRY ABBOTT: Fair point. I know Nate McMillan has drilled the Blazers all season to play th
e game, not the scoreboard. Nate doesn't know how to run a game that doesn't matter. I expect the Blazers to go all out no matter what.

HENRY ABBOTT: Rockets by ten. Same lead the Grizz have on the Hawks.

NIALL DOHERTY: Tim Duncan starts the second half with a turnover.

JEREMY WAGNER: Kurt:  It might, George Karl has said that he is going to coach tonight's match up like a playoff game.  It will be interesting to see how both coaches approach the game, especially if one or the other is locked into a seed before tipoff.

HENRY ABBOTT: Yao got an offensive board and went up with it after a few seconds. The entire time, no other Rocket even entered the frame -- they were all back on D. He missed again, and didn't get the board that time. Wouldn't Rick Adelman prefer to play five on five there?

KURT HELIN: Re: Bulls' wishes: I would think Celtics, as Kevin Garnett has not been healthy, and Dwight Howard more than anyone can shut down Rose going to the hole. But I don't know the matchups that well.

ZACH LOWE: We're underway in the 3rd in Cleveland, and the Raps are up 12 at the half in Chicago--so the Raps aren't going away yet.

ZACH LOWE: **Dalembert is out for the rest of the game with a sprained right shoulder. Ratliff starts the half.

NIALL DOHERTY: With Tyson Chandler resting on the bench (replaced by Melvin Ely), the Hornets are scoreless 4 minutes into the second half and Tim Duncan has become a factor for the Spurs. 57-50 lead for San Antonio.

HENRY ABBOTT: Wow. Orlando is up 19 against the Bobcats.

NIALL DOHERTY: Quick fact: David West averaged 20.6ppg last season. This season he's averaging 20.8ppg, meaning he's increased his scoring average every season he's been in the NBA.

JEREMY WAGNER: Poor Erick Dampier. He battled with Yao to push him off the block only to have Artest blow by Josh Howard to the baseline.  Dampier left Yao to stop the penetration which left Yao open for the jumper.  Time out Dallas, Rockets up 14

ZACH LOWE: Sixers open with a 6-0 run, fueled by three offensive boards, to cut the Cavs lead in half. Cavs third quarter starters: Jackson, Gibson, Pavlovic, Szczerbiak, Wright. Let's face it, the Sixers should make a run here.

ZACH LOWE: How much do Hornets fans care about being 6th or 7th?

KURT HELIN: Jeremy, Dampier is a lot of things, but not poor.

HENRY ABBOTT: Something strange about the Mavericks: Jason Terry has by FAR the worst plus/minus in the game. He also has four fouls and is four of ten from the floor. Nowitzki is 8-12 and probably should be getting the ball more.

ZACH LOWE: Sixers 8-of-16 from the line so far in this game. Iguodala just missed two with a chance to cut the lead to four.

JEREMY WAGNER: Zach: Not all Hornets fans are with me on this, but I'd like to see them get a win tonight, which would guarantee us the 6 seed. We'll probably have to rely on the result of the Nuggets-Blazers game later to determine who we play in round 1 anyway. There's a good chance we'll play the Nuggets which wouldn't be a bad thing. The season series between New Orleans and Denver was 2-2 and Tyson Chandler didn't play in any of those games.

JEREMY WAGNER: I heard Damp had most of his money in Bear Stearns stock.

NIALL DOHERTY: (My fault on the reply to Zach. That response was from me but I messed up the name.)

JEREMY WAGNER: Identity theft!

NIALL DOHERTY: Yes, Chris Paul does flop every now and then. Mostly he seems to do it against teams that are known for flopping (e.g. Spurs and Mavs).

ZACH LOWE: The Andres have combined for eight straight points, and the Sixers are within one. They'd be ahead if not for some crazy Boobie Gibson jumpers. And suddenly the Bulls lose/Sixers win scenario is completely for real.

HENRY ABBOTT: Rockets are holding on to a double-digit lead eight minutes into the third. The commentators have rightly pointed out how Ron Artest has played under control.

JEREMY WAGNER: As a Nuggets fan I would much rather see Dallas than New Orleans.  With Chandler back, even if he is not 100%, they scare me much more than the Mavs who the Nuggets swept (although all four games were close).

ZACH LOWE: (And I just stole Niall's identity. Sorry)

HENRY ABBOTT: Ryan Hollins just made an amazing play for Dallas. First Aaron Brooks jumps into him, and there's no call. Then Brooks explodes back and away, while launching a floater, which Hollins blocks cleanly, and the Mavericks scoop it up. Part of a a 10-2 Mavs run.

ZACH LOWE: Flipped over to Chicago-Toronto: Bulls are down 13 and they look like they're trying hard...

ZACH LOWE: Jawad Williams, our feel good D-League story for the night, with a big three to put the Cavs back up by 8!

HENRY ABBOTT: The owners meetings are going on in New York right now, but as Tim MacMahon points out on the Morning News Mavs blog, he bolted NYC in time to make it home for this game. Life with a private jet: Not bad!

NIALL DOHERTY: Re: Tim MacMahon. He's the guy who wrote about the Hornets possibly trading Chris Paul to the Mavs this summer. That's all I have to say about that.

JEREMY WAGNER: The Rockets were dominating the paint for most of the night until the past few minutes.  Now the Rockets are the jump shooting team and Dallas is attacking the rim.

HENRY ABBOTT: Yao Ming just blocked a Josh Howard dunk that would have given the Mavericks their first lead in some time.

NIALL DOHERTY: A 3 from David West brings the Hornets to within 1 of the Spurs heading into Q4. Looks like this one might go down to the wire. West has 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting. Chris Paul: 19 points, 8 assists. Tony Parker: 20 points, 4 assists. Spurs getting much better contributions from their reserves.

NIALL DOHERTY: Hornets record this season when Tyson Chandler plays: 19-5.

HENRY ABBOTT: Shane Battier didn't just raise his hand to try to take Yao Ming's fourth foul. He also saw Yao hit Ryan Hollins on the drive, and then he hit him too. That's going the extra mile to try to keep your big man on the floor. It didn't work, though, and Yao's on the bench as Houston holds the slimmest of leads.

ZACH: Bulls down 15, 84-69, going into the fourth in what has to be the shocker of the night. Chicago shooting 43 percent; Gordon and Salmons 6-of-22 combined.

HENRY ABBOTT: Von Wafer just made SportsCenter.

ZACH LOWE: Mo Williams is dressed tonight. I'm just sayin'

HENRY ABBOTT: Tomorrow, when PopcornMachine.net has its gameflows up, you'll see a big zig zag in the line showing the leads in this one. The teams have taken turn after turn being hot. Houston has had the latest little run, and has a little lead.

JEREMY WAGNER: Shawn Marion must have realized his contract was about to expire.  He posted a 25 and 15 in the penultimate game of the season and is working on a 20 and nine with ten minutes left tonight.

NIALL DOHERTY: Peja Stojakovic has played 28 minutes against the Spurs and has given the Hornets pretty much nothing. Part of me is hoping the Hornets don't end up playing the Rockets or Blazers in round 1because Peja will likely be shut down by those teams. Against Denver he might be able to put some points on the board.

NIALL DOHERTY: And just as I submitted that last comment, Peja turned it over. Sigh.

ZACH LOWE: Jawad Williams with another big three to stop a Philly run and
extend the lead to four. Big time shots from the D-Leaguer.  9:30 to go, 75-71 Cavs.

HENRY ABBOTT: The guy at the NBA who promotes the international players is loving Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming in this one. Both have been great.

ZACH LOWE: Watching Wally Szczerbiak try and block out Reggie Evans is great TV.

JEREMY WAGNER: Kidd's toe was on the line, but he was given credit for a game tying three.  Let's see if the refs review it.

NIALL DOHERTY: Better, Peja. much better. He just hit a long 2 (his first points tonight) and followed up with a steal at the other end. Hornets 80, Spurs 78 with 5:09 left in the game.

HENRY ABBOTT: Jason Kidd is guarding Ron Artest ... and having success.

KURT HELIN: Jeremy: I think one of the more interesting question of the offseason is what kind of market there will be for guys like Marion and Lamar Odom in this economy.

ZACH LOWE: Something I like, despite my Celtic homerism: The entire Cavs bench (consisting mostly of the team's stars) is standing with 6:00 to go in the fourth quarter.

HENRY ABBOTT: So, if the Bulls lose (looks likely) and the Sixers win (close game!) then we'll get to see Reggie Evans vs. Marcin The Polish Hammer Gortat and Dwight Howard. Those battles will be tremendous.

HENRY ABBOTT: Kyle Lowry has been excellent in this game -- has the game's best plus/minus at this point. Score one for Daryl Morey, unearthing a good point guard in a trade that many people thought he had lost.

JEREMY WAGNER: Troy Murphy has taken at least one three pointer in every game he has played this season and averages five attempts a game.  With less than two minutes left he has yet to attempt one tonight.  Oh wait, Kidd just hit another three to give Dallas a two point lead.  I should be paying closer attention.

ZACH LOWE: Andre Iguodala dribbles right around a screen and hits a pull-up three to tie the game at 81...and Wally answers with a long two. Good one going here.

NIALL DOHERTY: Hornets up 84-80 with 2:23 left in that game, free throws coming for San Antonio. Costly turnovers and missed opportunities for the Spurs. 30 points now for David West. Spurs 5-of-18 from deep, Hornets 6-of-12. These two teams are going to battle these final two minutes.

HENRY ABBOTT: Little bit of a Mavs storm. Kidd passes from the post to a cutting Jason Terry for a nice bucket, and now it's Dallas with a four-point lead halfway through the quarter.

KURT HELIN: Kyle Lowry had fantastic advanced stat numbers in Memphis, but just never fit well with what they were trying to do. Whatever that is. Maybe that was the problem.....

JEREMY WAGNER: Shane Battier of all people was ball watching as Kidd was backing down Lowry.  Battier's man, Jason Terry, cut  to the rim and received a perfect pass from Kidd for a layup and a four point lead.

ZACH LOWE: Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala had six points combined in the first half. They have 28 in this half. Big reason the Sixers have clawed back to within two here, and if you're a Bulls-fearing Celltics fan, you're getting nervous.

HENRY ABBOTT: The Hornets up four with two minutes left in San Antonio. By the time the Blazers play the Nuggets, likely the positioning will be decided.

ZACH LOWE: Toronto is up 13 with 2:16 to go. Is it safe to call the game yet? What is the Bill James formula?

NIALL DOHERTY: Hornets by 5 with 1:10 left. Tim Duncan has free throws coming. This one may be decided at the free throw line.

HENRY ABBOTT: A minute left, Duncan hits two free throws to keep San Antonio within one possession.

HENRY ABBOTT: New Orleans' offense is let Chris Paul operate, and he got in the lane then found David West for a huge jumper. Hornets by 5 with 47 seconds left.

NIALL DOHERTY: David West hits a jumper in Duncan's eye. 5-point lead restored for the Hornets. Timeout San Antonio. 47 seconds left.

ZACH LOWE: Holy cow. Wally and Andre Miller trade threes with two minutes to go. I think they had a combined vertical of six inches on those two shots. Almost set shots, both. 88-88.

ZACH LOWE: And, with 1:35 to go, the Sixers take their first lead since they were up 13-12. Not so impressive, considering the competition, but credit Philly with coming to play tonight. 90-88, Sixers after two Iggy FTs.

NIALL DOHERTY: Tony Parker on the free throw line with 13 seconds left. Spurs down 4.

ZACH LOWE: Boobie Gibson answers with a contested runner from the right side!! Tied at 90 with 1:07 left, and Philly calls a time out with the ball. Crazy game. Gibson with 20 off the bench.

HENRY ABBOTT: I think most people assumed both the Rockets and Spurs would win tonight, but they're both losing at the moment. Spurs down two with 13 seconds left.

JEREMY WAGNER: Brando Bass is doing his best Ryan Hollins impression. On one end he holds his ground against Yao forcing a miss and then at the other wrestles a rebound away from Yao resulting in a second chance three by Terry.

NIALL DOHERTY: Parker hits both free throws. Hornets ball with no shot clock. Note the lineup New Orleans went with down the stretch: West, Paul and three shooters (Peja, Posey, Butler) to spread the floor.

ZACH LOWE: Congrats to Eddie House, who just set the Celtics record for highest single-season 3-point FG% at 44.4%, and then, in a sort of anti-Ted Williams moment, asked to be taken out of the game (with a laugh) to avoid shooting any more threes.

HENRY ABBOTT: Mavs up seven with three minutes left. Blazer fans are looking for that third spot, which would be against the Hornets, if these games hold and Portland wins, too.

ZACH LOWE: WOW!! Lou Williams hit two FTs to put Philly up 92-90 with 1:01 to go...and Boobie Gibson just nailed a 25-footer (at least) to put the Cavs back up 93-92 with :45 to go. A totally irresponsible, terrible, wonderful shot.

HENRY ABBOTT: Hornets ALMOST turned it over. Stojakovic on the floor, coughing up the ball, but it goes to James Posey, who hit one of two. SA gets a crack at a 3 with 7 seconds left.

NIALL DOHERTY: Peja almost turns it over on an inbound but Posey ends up with and gets fouled. Misses the second free throw. Spurs ball, down 3 with 7.4 seconds left.

JEREMY WAGNER: A lot of Nuggets fans think J.R. Smith should be getting as much attention for sixth man of the year as Jason Terry.  Smith has had a good season and has been great over the previous three or four weeks, but Terry has carried the Mavs down the stretch tonight and he has done it all season long.

ZACH LOWE: Remember all of those jokes about Theo Ratliff's expiring contract/corpse? Well, he just flew over from the baseline to block what looked like a wide open Daniel Gibson lay-up with 19 seconds left. Ball out of bounds to Cleveland, who are down 94-93 after a Lou Williams step-back.

NIALL DOHERTY: NOOO! Finley knocks in a 3 at the buzzer. Overtime.

ZACH LOWE: Here we go...Cleveland inbounding with 19 seconds left, down one...what do they run with this group?

JEREMY WAGNER: Does that Finley three pointer end up winning the Southwest for San Antonio?

HENRY ABBOTT: Rockets vs. Mavericks has been a game of runs. And Dallas has had the run that has mattered most. Up 9 with 90 seconds left.

ZACH LOWE: Answer: a pass back to Gibson (the inbounder) who misses a three; big, big rebound by Iguodala, and the Cavs foul Dre Miller to stop the clock with 9.4 to go.

NIALL DOHERTY: With the Mavs in control, about
to beat Houston, the Hornets will draw the Nuggets in round 1 if they lose in overtime.

ZACH LOWE: Miller makes both FTs (clutch?), and the Cavs call timeout to draw something up with 9.4 left. Boston fans: we are now looking at Bulls-Celtics barring a Cleveland three here.

HENRY ABBOTT: Hats off to Coach Pop for an inventive play with the game on the line. Roger Mason was the target, but everyone knows he wants that shot, so he was doubled off Finley, who flared for an open look right at the last second.

HENRY ABBOTT: Dallas wins.

JEREMY WAGNER: There you have it, the Denver Nuggets are the second seed in the Western Conference.  Let me soak this in...The Nuggets have quietly been one of the worst franchises in the league over the previous 20 years and this is sweet.

ZACH LOWE: Weird decision: Pavlovic turns down a three from the top (which looked the designed play), drives and hits a foul line jumper to cut the lead to one. But after a foul, there's just 4.4 to go. Miller makes both to give Philly a three point cushion again (98-95).

ZACH LOWE: No choice here. Cavs have to shoot the three. Sixers have TWO fouls to give.

ZACH LOWE: HOLY COW!!! The Cavs run almost the same pass-back inbounds play to Gibson (the inbounder), and he hits a three to tie with .6 left!! Thad Young tried to foul Darnell Jackson (who received the inbounds pass and handed it back to Gibson), but Young slipped and missed Jackson. Wow, wow, wow.

HENRY ABBOTT: Avery Johnson points out that Michael Finley dribbled ... and could have been fouled at that moment.

NIALL DOHERTY: If the Hornets lose to the Spurs in OT, there's no way the Hornets can draw the Nuggets in round 1. It will either be the Rockets or Blazers depending on the outcome of the Blazers-Nuggets game.

NIALL DOHERTY: Whoops, my mistake. The start of my last comment should have read: If the Hornets beat the Spurs in OT...Spurs up 100-95 with 1:21 left in OT.

ZACH LOWE: Willie Green fumbles the inbounds pass, and we're headed to overtime. Crazy. Cavs are 9-of-21 from three, the only reason they are in this game.

HENRY ABBOTT: Now the Mavericks rush to the locker room to watch overtime in San Antonio, to see if they'll get the sixth or seventh seed. Wonder when Mark Cuban flies back to New York.

ZACH LOWE: Take off the street clothes, LeBron! Heck, Mike Brown hasn't even let Varejao see the floor this half.

NIALL DOHERTY: Wow. Spurs were up 7 but Posey just dropped an impossible and-1 with 35 seconds left. 4-point game.

NIALL DOHERTY: Hornets are going to lose this one. Spurs up 6 with Parker at the line. 12 seconds left.

HENRY ABBOTT: Lakers set as first seed. Nuggets set as second. Assume the Spurs will be third in the West. Up seven with 12 seconds left after Udoka dunk.

NIALL DOHERTY: HORNETS vs. NUGGETS it will be in round 1. Any thoughts Jeremy?

ZACH LOWE: LeBron is out on the floor begging an official to change a block call to  charge on Andre Miller. LeBron wins the argument, called changed, Cavs up 2 with 3:19 to go in OT.

JEREMY WAGNER: Ready to tip off in Portland.  This game is meaningless for Denver other than a chance to set the NBA franchise all time single season win record (55).  Portland needs the win to clinch home court.

HENRY ABBOTT: Portland will play the Rockets in the first round. Now they play for home court.

ZACH LOWE: Awesome moment: Szczerbiak at the line, and the crowd is chanting Wal-ly! Wal-ly! What fun the last game of the regular season can bring. Wally, by the way, has a season-high 21 points.

JEREMY WAGNER: I think Denver knows they have clinched the second seed.  The energy is lacking to start the game.

ZACH LOWE: Sixers now up by 4 with 1:39 to go in OT, and the Cavs offense has begun to play like you'd expect an offense featuring Boobie Gibson as Option One to play. They can get nothing inside. Stat of the game: Philly has 37 FTAs, Cavs 10.

HENRY ABBOTT: Sixers by 3 with a minute left in OT in Cleveland.

JEREMY WAGNER: With all of this exciting basketball I temporarily forgot that I still need to get my taxes in tonight.

ZACH LOWE: The best and worst of Pavlovic: Hits a three to pull Cavs within one, burned on the other end by a spinning Iguodala, who goes baseline for a lay-in. 107-106 Philly with :55 to go.

HENRY ABBOTT: Tony DiLeo could not express more confidence in Andre Iguodala. A shocking percentage of key Philly possessions are Iggy isolations.

ZACH LOWE: The Sixers, by my math, have made 22 straight FTs and are up 109-106 wit 30 tics left.

HENRY ABBOTT: Tarence Kinsey hit a great shot. Cavaliers back within one, until Andre Miller gets two free throws with 15 seconds left.

ZACH LOWE: Make it 24 straight  foul shots made for Philly (the announcers say 17 straight, but I think they are off), and the Sixers are up 111-108 with 15 to go. Do Boobie and Wally have anything left?

ZACH LOWE: The Cavs AGAIN eschew the three, and Gibson opts for the easy lay-in to bring Cavs within one. But, again, 4.7 to go. Tough hill to climb, but they did it in regulation, I guess.

JEREMY WAGNER: The only reason Denver is even close is the Trail Blazers are being very sloppy with the ball.

HENRY ABBOTT: If you told me I'd be watching a Sixers vs. Cavs scrubs timeout instead of home-clinching Blazers v. Nuggets, I'd have never believed it could happen. But I'm here.

HENRY ABBOTT: Love me some crunch time.

HENRY ABBOTT: Andre Miller misses. Twice. Cavs ball, down one, 3.7 left.

ZACH LOWE: Cavs foul Andre Miller, who's 9-of-11 from the line so far...and promptly misses the first. And the second. Rebound to Wally, who calls timeout with 3.7 to go. 111-110 Philly. Another great finish coming.

JEREMY WAGNER: If Cleveland pulls this game out I nominate their bench to be the sixth seed in the east.

ZACH LOWE: Advice for Philly: watch the pass-back play to Szczerbiak. Cavs have already run it twice to Boobie.

HENRY ABBOTT: Philly wins!

ZACH LOWE: And Royal Ivey pokes the ball away from Gibson, and time expires. Sixers win! And Boston will face the Bulls in the first round. Wow. Sixers get the 6th seed and will face the Magic.

HENRY ABBOTT: Magic vs. Sixers in the first round. All matchups now set, just duking it out for home court between Houston and Portland.

NIALL DOHERTY: I'm checking out for the night. Keep up the great live blogging, guys. Lots of fun doing this.Jeremy, IT'S ON!!!

JEREMY WAGNER: I love the way Melo is attacking the rim.  He has not had much success yet, but it will come.

JEREMY WAGNER: Niall, we will be talking to you soon.

HENRY ABBOTT: Lakers vs. Jazz. Nuggets vs. Hornets. Spurs vs. Mavericks. Blazers vs. Rockets. Cavaliers vs. Pistons. Celtics vs. Bulls. Magic vs. Sixers. Hawks vs. Heat.

JEREMY WAGNER: Who is keeping track of the Thunder/Clippers conflagration?

HENRY ABBOTT: And the Warriors are whooping it up on the Suns. Honestly, this is a sad time of year. Couldn't be more exciting for SOME people. And it's the end of the line for many others ... time to start thinking about the draft. As a Blazer fan, I have been sad on this day ever since TrueHoop was founded.

ZACH LOWE: I'm out for now as well, guys. It's been a pleasure. I may pop back in later, but it's time to go research the Bulls now.

HENRY
ABBOTT: Travis Outlaw has been cold from downtown since a finger injury a few games ago. Now he nails a 3 and the Portland crowd gets fired up.

JEREMY WAGNER: I do not anticipate Denver staying in the game as time passes.  Desperation is a big motivator and the Blazers are desperate to have home court against the Rockets.

JEREMY WAGNER: Fernandez is doing a good job of containing Smith on the drive.  Twice Smith has tried to drive right and twice Rudy has been there, once drawing a charge.

HENRY ABBOTT: Rudy is not the best defender in the NBA, but he's crafty and always trying something. It makes him 10% more effective than most guys with his physique.

HENRY ABBOTT: Chris Andersen has a piece of paper shoved up his nose. Ostensibly it's to stop a bleed, but I like to think it's just part of his look.

JEREMY WAGNER: Part of me thinks Karl is insane to play Melo, Nene, Kenyon or Chauncey, but the other part thinks a comeback win in this game would be pretty sweet.

HENRY ABBOTT: Greg Oden's off-season to-do list: Dunking lessons.

HENRY ABBOTT: You know what's stuck in my mind? Out of Nuggets, Spurs, Mavericks, and Hornets, someone is going to make the Western Conference Finals. Could be any of them.

JEREMY WAGNER: Henry, I am telling you right now.  It will be Denver, and by the way, I am a pessimist.  

HENRY ABBOTT: Jeremy, this'll seem like an insult, but I don't mean it that way. But I suspect that whoever wins the second round series on the other side, the Lakers, Blazers, Rockets, Jazz side, will make the NBA Finals.

JEREMY WAGNER: Henry, that is absolutely not an insult and I think you are absolutely correct and as well as Portland has played the Lakers this season it will absolutely be the Lakers.

JEREMY WAGNER: Look for Melo to get a T tonight.  He has had 14 for a few games and he looks like he is getting frustrated.  And there you have it a little scrum between Melo and Przybilla.

JEREMY WAGNER: This is not the shooting performance you want to see from Melo the game before the playoffs.

JEREMY WAGNER: Henry, I know we were hoping for a real barn burner to close things out, but if the second half is not the Petro/ Hart/Weems/ Balkman/Dahntay Jones show, I will not be a happy camper.

JEREMY WAGNER: Henry may have passed out from the euphoria of realizing the Blazers will be the fourth seed in the west.

HENRY ABBOTT: The Blazers are moving the ball, getting good shots, and winning nicely against the Nuggets -- who are not exactly throwing in the towel. It has been the same thing the last three weeks, against, in order, the Suns, Grizzlies, Jazz, Thunder, Grizzlies, Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, Thunder, and tonight, the Nuggets. This team is playing very well right now. But I skipped one game. The Rockets. Against that team, Portland didn't find those nice shots, and lost 102-88. And that's the team they get to play in the playoffs. Good stuff! A real challenge. (And the winner gets the Lakers.) Home court will be important, so Blazers have plenty to play for in the second half of this game tonight, which Blazers are winning by 19.

HENRY ABBOTT: Second half underway in Portland, and Jeremy is not going to be happy to see that George Karl is still playing all the starters.

JEREMY WAGNER: The refs appear to want the season to end as they are not calling much.

HENRY ABBOTT: Cleveland loses its chance to tie Boston's all-time home record ... in a game played without their starters that they lost by one point in overtime. I salute the idea of sitting the starters, though. Nothing in that record book is worth it if it has even a tiny chance of costing you a title.

JEREMY WAGNER: You are exactly right Henry.  Denver is playing to set a new NBA franchise win record, but really how proud should a team who has never even won 55 games be about that?  Of course, that works both ways with Denver's starters playing it forces Portland to play their studs and maybe one of them get hurt.  Blazer fans should not be thrilled with Karl's decision either.

JEREMY WAGNER: I have watched quite a few Blazer games this season and I think this is the best I have seen them play defensively.  What say you Henry?

HENRY ABBOTT: OK, now the Nuggets are showing life. In the second half Denver's offense has been much more focused. Seven-point game with four left in the third quarter. Last two Denver possessions: Six Billups points.

HENRY ABBOTT: Yes, the Portland D is pretty good tonight, but it has been very good for long portions of the last ten games. But I have never seen a whole game where they defended really well. And now they're giving up a 20-6 run.

JEREMY WAGNER: J.R. Smith and Nene have been great pick and roll partners this season, but they we have not seen that duo much lately.  I am glad to see them paired up again tonight.

HENRY ABBOTT: Warriors Suns, by the way, is high-scoring and now tied.

JEREMY WAGNER: Melo continues to go to the rim, but he is getting too deep to where the help is waiting.

HENRY ABBOTT: Huge 3 by Rudy. And Travis Outlaw is showing some fight in his attempts to slow Carmelo Anthony.

JEREMY WAGNER: We will see if Denver is content to make it respectable or if they really want to win.

HENRY ABBOTT: The Blazers often have games like this: The starters play roughly to a standstill, but the bench is winning their mini-battle against the other team. Przybilla, Rodriguez, Fernandez, Frye ... the +/- leaders for the Blazers through 3. No one thinks they have been the team's best players, but they have been better than their Nugget counterparts.

JEREMY WAGNER: Not a good possession to start the fourth from Denver.  A contested step back three by J.R.

JEREMY WAGNER: Denver shooting nothing but jumpers.  This is when they are at their worst.

JEREMY WAGNER: This game is over.  Please roll out the garbage time lineup Karl.

HENRY ABBOTT: Portland's offense back on auto-pilot. Doubled Aldridge finds wide-open Travis Outlaw. Driving Rodriguez finds open Outlaw. None of that is hard to do, but it all takes work, and teamwork, and poise, and recognition. Works nicely when it happens like that.

HENRY ABBOTT: Nuggets with six misses so far in the fourth. Portland none.

HENRY ABBOTT: The Thunder are about to get a 30+ point road win.

JEREMY WAGNER: What will it take to get Petro in the game for Birdman?

HENRY ABBOTT: Portland up 24 with 6:41 to go. Not a lot of starters coming back to this one. And Fernandez just broke a record for 3s by a rookie.

JEREMY WAGNER: In a must win game for Portland Roy has played fewer minutes than Billups, Nene, Melo and Kenyon Martin.

HENRY ABBOTT: Mark from the Painted Area just points out: Homecourt in the playoffs, for Portland, comes down to that ridiculous long 3 that Brandon Roy made in the early days of the season, to beat the Rockets. That prayer misses, and Portland has to win in Houston.

JEREMY WAGNER: What does it say when a starter like Dahntay Jones is on the floor at garbage time?

HENRY ABBOTT: Fan heaven: An alley-oop chalupa bucket.

HENRY ABBOTT: It says Dahntay Jones was in the D-League not too long ago.

JEREMY WAGNER: Looking at the western conference playoff matchups I think every series could go six or seven games and apart from the Lakers/Jazz matchup I think they all will.

HENRY ABBOTT: Big-time night for the NB
A. Mavericks, Raptors, Spurs, Blazers, and Sixers all win good games. Two go to overtime. And the playoff seedings are set with some excellent matchups to come.Thanks to everybody for participating. Big night.

JEREMY WAGNER: Nice, I have an hour to get my taxes mailed off, but I will do it with a smile as the Nuggets are the second seed in the Western Conference.