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The Memphis Grizzlies are close to pulling off the first upset of the 2011 NBA playoffs. They lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-1 and will look to end the series on Wednesday night. Bet on the NBA playoffs with Bodog.

Memphis crushed the Spurs in Game 4, winning 104-86 on its home court and improving to 9-0 in its past nine games against the spread when facing San Antonio. The Grizzlies have done a great job defensively in this series, holding the Spurs to just 91.2 points per game, but they finally showed the aggressiveness they had in the regular season on Monday.

Memphis scored 11 of its 30 fourth-quarter points off seven Spurs turnovers. With a 2-1 series lead at the time, and growing confidence with every possession, the Grizzlies admitted they’re starting to gamble more. The “D” was especially suffocating in the second half, as the Spurs scored just 36 points.

At the other end of the floor, Memphis is getting contributions from just about everybody. Zach Randolph leads the team with just 18.0 points per game, but there are eight different Grizzlies averaging 7.8-plus points per game. The Spurs were supposed to have the depth in this series, but Memphis got 49 points from its bench in Game 4.

In San Antonio, there are plenty of people to blame, especially after Monday’s debacle. Tony Parker scored 23 points, but only four of them came in the second half. Nobody else on the team scored more than 14 points, and Tim Duncan was especially disappointing with just six points (though he helped hold Randolph to just 11 points).

Parker has played below expectations all year, and he had seven turnovers on Monday. That gives him 13 over the past two games, and it might almost be worth considering starting George Hill in his place.

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The San Antonio Spurs looked old and all but finished in Game 5, ironic one of the oldest rookies in the NBA helped them stave off elimination.

With their season on the line undrafted rookie Gary Neal hit a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to force overtime against the Memphis Grizzlies. Giving the original big three –Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili — the opportunity to come back beat the Grizz 110-103 in OT.

“It felt good. I knew I had good legs going into it,” Neal said. “It felt good. I followed through and it went in.”

The win helps the Spurs live another day. Despite being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference the Spurs looked physically outmatched throughout the series, being pummeled inside by Memphis forward Zack Randolph and center Marc Gasol. In Game 5 they came out with newfound energy and physical defense, leading by as much as 16. However, the Grizzlies were able to make a dramatic comeback with an inspired third quarter and were moments away from moving to the second round for the first time in team history. But the Spurs were able to prove they still have some championship pedigree left.

“They’re down by three, you’ve got to run them off the 3. You can’t let nobody shoot an open 3,” Randolph said. “You’ve got to contest the 3, you’ve got to deny the ball.”

The Spurs head to Memphis for Game 6 on Friday 9 p.m. ET.

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The Orlando Magic leaned on Dwight Howard heavily in their first four games against the Atlanta Hawks—and promptly fell into a 3-1 hole. The Magic backed off in Game 5, though, and crushed the Hawks. They’ll be looking to even their NBA playoff series when Game 6 gets underway on Thursday.

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Howard tore his way through the Hawks in the first four games, averaging 32.3 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. That was part of Atlanta’s strategy, however—allow Howard to run wild and focus on stopping everyone else.

Howard’s role was greatly reduced in Tuesday’s 101-76 win, and it certainly seemed to catch Atlanta off guard. The big man finished with just eight points and eight rebounds while his teammates stepped up. The bench was absolutely ridiculous, churning out 49 points. Nobody had a tremendous game—Jason Richardson returned from a suspension to lead the club with a modest 17 points—but nine different players contributed at least seven points.

Now, the big question is whether or not Orlando will go with a similar strategy in Game 6, or will it be temped to lean on Howard again. It’s tough to willingly go away from your best player, but right now that looks like Orlando’s best bet.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has to hope the disappearing act by Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson in Game 5 was an aberration—not a trend. Both players underachieved during the regular season, but they were great through the first four games of the series. Crawford and Johnson combined for just 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting on Tuesday.

In fact, only two Hawks even scored in double figures. Josh Smith was the only starter to really justify his playing time, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The other four starters combined for 20 points.

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The San Antonio Spurs stayed alive in the NBA playoffs with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday, but they’re not out of the woods yet. The clubs head to Memphis for Game 6 of the series on Friday, with the Spurs trailing 3-2.

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San Antonio needed overtime to down the Grizzlies 110-103 in overtime in Game 5. The Spurs finally got big performances from its stars in the same game. For whatever reason, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker haven’t clicked at the same time, but they delivered on Thursday. Ginobili dropped 33 points, six rebounds and six assists on Memphis, while Parker was clutch with 24 points of his own.

Tim Duncan’s role has been greatly reduced this season, but he delivered a fine effort in Game 5. The future Hall of Famer finished with just 13 points, but 11 of them came in the first quarter, setting the tone for the Spurs. Duncan also grabbed 12 rebounds.

Memphis was burned by two shots in the final 2.2 seconds of the game, but overall the Grizzlies should be pretty pleased with how they played. The Grizzlies continue to exhibit a serious size advantage over the Spurs; Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were at it again, combining for 37 points and 28 rebounds in Game 5. Gasol’s shooting was a little off (5-for-14, 11 points), but if they can both get it going the Spurs are finished.

Something to keep an eye on is the status of Tony Allen. Allen is a great defender and one of the NBA’s great leaders, but he played just 23:50 on Thursday after struggling and, apparently, getting into a shouting match with head coach Lionel Hollins. Allen has been hit-or-miss in the series, scoring seven, 15, two, 12 and seven points.

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It might be the most anticipated conference semifinal series in NBA history when the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat tip off for Game 1 of the East semis on Sunday afternoon – bet on the game with Bodog’s NBA odds.

These two teams met in the most-hyped Opening Night game in NBA lore (won by Boston) and players on both clubs have basically admitted they expected this matchup to happen in the playoffs – although most thought in the conference finals. It could be argued that LeBron James left Cleveland because of the Celtics as they eliminated him from the playoffs in 2008 and last season, when many accused James of quitting at the end.

Boston won the season series 3-1, but was crushed in the most recent meeting, 100-77 on the final Sunday of the regular season. That basically gave Miami the No. 2 seed in the East and home-court advantage in this series. The Celtics are hoping that Shaquille O’Neal can play – they do expect him in this series but it’s not clear as of this writing if he will go in Game 1. O’Neal has played in only one game, for five minutes, since Feb. 1 because of a right calf strain. Miami, meanwhile, isn’t expecting either Mike Miller or Udonis Haslem to play in this series. Miller barely played in the first-round series win over the Sixers due to injury while Haslem has been out since foot surgery in November.

Probably the key to the series is Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo as that is the one position there is a clear discrepancy among the starters on both teams. Rondo struggled late in the year – he had just 7 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound in that one loss to Miami – but was stellar in the first-round sweep of the Knicks, averaging 19 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 12 assists. He had a triple-double in Game 3 of that series (15 points, 11 rebounds, 20 assists). Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers will take turns trying to contain Rondo, but don’t be surprised if LeBron gets some defensive time on him.

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Should the NBA reseed its playoffs in the second round like the NHL does? It doesn’t seem right that the West’s fourth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder get home-court advantage in the conference semifinals while the No. 3 Dallas Mavericks don’t, but that’s how things work. And the Thunder, who looked liked the best team in the West in Round 1, host surprising Memphis on Sunday. Bet on the game with Bodog’s NBA odds.

Of course the Grizzlies pulled off one of the NBA’s biggest upsets in beating the West No. 1 Spurs in six games. Since the NBA went to a best-of-seven in the first round it was just the second time a No. 8 had beaten a No. 1. And it’s the first time the Memphis franchise has ever advanced. Unfortunately for them, the Grizzlies have to face the Thunder, who beat Denver in five games in the first round, less than 48 hours after eliminating San Antonio.

Memphis beat Oklahoma City three of four times in the regular season. Memphis big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, who dominated against San Antonio, combined to average 38 points on 64.2 percent shooting in those four regular-season meetings with the Thunder. But none of those games included Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, who was acquired from Boston at the trade deadline (he was on the team for one Memphis game but was injured).

Look for the Grizzlies to stick Shane Battier on Kevin Durant, who tore up the Nuggets in the last round. In three games against the Grizzlies before the Battier trade, Durant averaged 33 points and shot 49.3 percent from the field. But after the trade, Durant scored just 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting.

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Complacency was already a question for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into this year’s playoffs, as they’ve already been through the grind of winning back-to-back championships. Now, NBA betting fans are wondering if they can oust the Dallas Mavericks with their second-best player slumping at the worst possible time.

Perhaps Pau Gasol has been bitten by the complacency bug. Whatever it is, Gasol certainly isn’t playing up to his standards. The big man was crucial to L.A.’s recent playoff runs, and he put up pretty much the exact same numbers in the regular season as he has the past few years with the Lakers (18.8 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game).

Unfortunately, Gasol has seemingly left his A-game in the regular season. The Spaniard scored just 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his first two playoff games combined. Gasol was just 4-for-19 in those first two games against the Hornets. He’s certainly shot the ball better since then, hitting 50 percent of his field goals, but his play hasn’t been difference-making. Gasol has yet to score more than 17 points in the playoffs, and he has just a single double-double to his credit.

With Gasol mailing it in, some fans are questioning if the club can win a third straight title, especially with Kobe Bryant having a topsy-turvy postseason (three games with less than 20 points). Andrew Bynum has stepped up, averaging 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds, but he can’t play much more than 30 minutes a night because of his surgically-repaired knee.

Game 1 of the Lakers-Mavericks series tips off Monday, and it will be a big test for Los Angeles. Will Gasol turn around his game? Can Bryant find any sort of consistency? Is the team as a whole hungry enough to push through another month of basketball?

The Lakers currently trail Miami with 27/10 odds of winning the NBA championship.

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After another shocking playoff win, NBA betting fans are beginning to wonder just how far the Memphis Grizzlies can go. The Grizzlies take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their series on Tuesday night.

Of the remaining playoff teams, Memphis currently has the third-worst odds to win the NBA championship at 14/1. Some fans might consider taking a flier on the Grizzlies at this point, especially after Sunday’s 114-101 win over Oklahoma City. The Thunder have 8/1 odds to win it all.

For now, it looks like the Grizzlies will go as far as Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol can take them. Few teams have the size to match up with Memphis when that duo is playing well—and they have played well through most of the playoffs. Randolph dropped 34 points and 10 rebounds on OKC in Game 1, while Gasol contributed 20 points and 13 boards. The tandem has combined to average 38.3 points and 21.7 rebounds per game during the playoffs, and if they can keep it up, Memphis will make a tough out for anybody.

With Randolph and Gasol dominating, the Thunder needs its big men to step up. That didn’t happen in Game 1, as Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins managed just 18 points and 17 rebounds. Perkins continues to disappoint, as he was responsible for just two points and six rebounds.

Memphis’ long-term prospects are also intriguing because of its fantastic defense. The Grizzlies suffocated San Antonio in the first round, and their aggressiveness on “D” was on full display on Sunday as they coaxed the Thunder into 18 turnovers.

The Grizzlies have now won four of their past five games against Oklahoma City, including a 4-1 run against the spread.

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Once again, NBA betting fans watched the Los Angeles Lakers get shocked on Monday. The Lakers lost at home to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 and, after a lackluster performance, once again observers are wondering if L.A. has enough gas to win a third straight championship. Game 2 of the series tips off Wednesday night.

The Lakers still have 13/4 odds to win the NBA championship—second only to Miami—but the team is hardly inspiring confidence these days. Los Angeles lost 96-94 to the Mavs on Monday, and their lack of effort was evident. The Lakers have used defense to reach this stage of the playoffs, but they let the Mavericks shoot nearly 50 percent from the field—including nearly 57 percent in the decisive second half, in which Los Angeles blew a 16-point lead.

Kobe Bryant isn’t hiding his worries. “I’m highly concerned,” Bryant said after the loss. “The team can beat us. It’s clear.” Obviously, Bryant is trying to motivate his teammates, but his words ring true—the Lakers are vulnerable. Right now, Bryant seems like the only one who is truly trying. Bryant racked up 36 points on Monday, with only two other Lakers cracking double digits—and none but Kobe topping 15 points.

If you’re looking for a scapegoat, look no further than Pau Gasol. Though he posted a solid line in Game 1 (15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists), Gasol has yet to put forth a dominating performance and ease some pressure off Bryant. The Spaniard hasn’t topped 17 points in the playoffs, and he’s scored 20-plus points just once in his past 15 games.

But jumping all over the Dallas bandwagon might be a little premature. The Mavericks are also severely lacking legitimate threats beyond Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, and getting modest contributions from players other than those two is crucial. Dallas is 50-15 this season when four or more players score in double figures; when it doesn’t happen, the Mavericks are just 7-10.

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It’s gone from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA has suspended Ron Artest for one game, Game 3, after Ron Ron went “Queensbridge” on guard J.J. Barea, clotheslining him with just a couple of seconds left in the Lakers’ 93-81 loss to the Mavericks.

“It was uncalled for,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said of Artest’s foul.

Artest’s foul was obviously out of frustration from their play against the Mavericks in Game 1 and 2. They led by as much as 16 in Game 1 before losing 96-94, and looked lost in Game 2.

The suspension weakens the Lakers as they are headed to Dallas trailing the Mavericks 2-0 in the series. Only three teams in NBA history have ever rallied to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two games at home.

Problems stem from lack of chemistry from the entire roster, and issues with the inside game. Pau Gasol is once again struggling, getting overpowered by Dallas’ interior defense. The all-star Lakers forward had just 13 points off 5-12 shooting with 10 rebounds, a far cry from the 18.8 points per game he averaged in the regular season.

Now without Artest to play defense and hit the occasional open shot within the offense, Gasol or Lamar Odom will have to step up. It will also be up to Matt Barnes, who is the likely starter in Artest’s absence.

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After teasing NBA betting fans all season—sometimes playing brilliantly, sometimes completely mailing it in—the Miami Heat are beginning to run away as favorites on the NBA championship futures.

Miami has been at the top of the list for a while now, but its odds have reached a high of 2/1 to win the NBA championship, putting some distance between itself and the Lakers (13/4), Bulls (9/2), and Thunder (11/2). The rise is hardly surprising after the Heat opened their second-round series with the Boston Celtics with back-to-back victories.

The Heat covered both games as 5-point favorites, winning 99-90 in Game 1 and 102-91 in Game 2. Miami has been pretty impressive in the playoffs overall so far, winning six of its seven games and going 4-2 in its past six games against the spread.

Relying on a three-man band of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh was supposed to hinder the Heat at some point, but it hasn’t happened yet. The trio combined for a whopping 80 points and 26 rebounds in the Game 2 victory this week. In Game 1, when Bosh struggled en route to just 12 points, a Heat player other than the Big Three actually stepped up. James Jones went ballistic from three-point range, going 5-for-7 and finishing with 25 points.

If the Heat can get the occasional supporting performance like that, they are unstoppable. Handling D-Wade, James, and Bosh is enough work on any given night—stopping anybody else is completely out of the question.

Miami will likely soon reap the benefits of a healthy Mike Miller, another guy who could excel as a role player. Miller was held out of the final three games of the first round, but he’s been given limited minutes in the past two games and is inching closer to 100 percent.

Trailing 2-0 in the series, Boston’s NBA championship odds have plummeted to 14/1.

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We could be seeing the end of the NBA’s greatest dynasty since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls starting tonight in Dallas when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Mavericks down 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series. The Mavs opened as 2.5-point favorites on Bodog’s NBA odds for Game 3.

Where to begin with the problems for L.A.? Really only Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum have showed up so far, and Bynum said after Game 2’s loss that the players aren’t trusting each other. Kobe didn’t really disagree. But L.A. looks old and outmatched by a Dallas team that was built essentially to match up specifically with the Lakers – i.e. adding big men Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood (last year).

The Lakers will be shorthanded tonight as Ron Artest has been suspended after clotheslining Mavericks guard J.J. Barea in the final seconds of Game 2. Frankly, that might help L.A. on the offensive end as Artest is averaging just 6.5 points on 27.8 percent shooting. But he’s still a top-notch defender and that’s one fewer guy that L.A. has to help defend Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki, who has dominated by averaging 26 points on 53% shooting. It is expected that Lamar Odom will move into the starting lineup for Artest (who hadn’t missed a game this season), with Matt Barnes now seeing a lot more minutes. This might be one of those additions by subtraction situations.

What the Lakers also need is to wake up Pau Gasol. To say he has been a non-factor isn’t accurate but it’s close. He is averaging just 14 points on 45 percent shooting and was hearing the boos in Game 2 as he clanked free throw after free throw. Gasol averaged 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds during the season but hasn’t surpassed that point total yet in these playoffs and has beaten the rebounding number just once. Plus he can’t guard Nowitzki at all.

Only three teams have lost the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home and come back to win the series. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit. It’s the first time the Lakers have lost the first two games at home in a playoff series in 42 years.

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Can a combination of a return to Boston and the return of Shaquille O’Neal to the lineup help salvage what suddenly looks like a very iffy playoffs for the Celtics? We should find out tonight whether we will have much of an Eastern Conference semifinal series as Boston hosts Miami in Game 3, with the Celtics opening a 3-point favorites on Bodog’s NBA odds.

Obviously the bad news for Boston is that it is down 2-0 in the series and that the Celtics really never had a legitimate shot late in either game in South Florida to win. All of a sudden Boston’s Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen looked old compared to Miami’s Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This is the first time since Boston’s Big 3 was put together that it has been down 2-0 in a series.

But there is good news for Boston. First off, Miami has lost 10 in a row there. That’s seven straight in the regular season (including both trips this year) and three in the playoffs. The last Heat win there was April 6, 2007, when, with Wade sidelined, the Heat won with current Celtics center Shaq as the starting center. And speaking of Shaq, Boston coach Doc Rivers seems confident that O’Neal will play for the first time in these playoffs. O'Neal has played just once since Feb. 1 due to a calf injury, but Rivers says he is “expecting” him barring a setback. But certainly Shaq will only get limited minutes. In addition, Pierce, Allen and Rajon Rondo, all dealing with their own minor injuries, certainly will start.

Frankly, it won’t matter what Boston does if it doesn’t slow down LeBron, Wade and Bosh. Those three accounted for 80 of Miami’s 102 points in Game 2. Boston’s KG, Pierce and Allen managed only 36. The Heat have lost just four times in the past six weeks, winning 21 of their last 25 games. Now Boston has to beat them four times in the next five games to keep its season alive.

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Nothing against the Dallas Mavericks, but with the Los Angeles Lakers looking very much in trouble in their series against Dallas, suddenly the winner of the Oklahoma City-Memphis series can perhaps see a little easier path to the NBA Finals. But first things first, and that’s Game 3 and certainly the biggest NBA game ever in Memphis, at least until Game 4. The Grizzlies are 3-point favorites on Bodog’s NBA odds.

The Grizzlies are an excellent home team, going 30-11 there during the regular season and beating San Antonio all three times in Memphis during the playoffs, allowing the Spurs to score more than 90 points just once (and barely). This has been the highest-scoring series by far of the conference semifinals, with both teams reaching triple digits in each game. OKC had to win Game 2 at home after dropping the opener and did, 111-102. While Kevin Durant was typically great in Game 2, the Thunder bench was the difference. After scoring just 16 points in a Game 1 loss, the Thunder's bench had 48 in Game 2, led by James Harden’s 21, and put Oklahoma City firmly in control with an 18-6 run to start the fourth quarter.

And Oklahoma City was much better inside against the Grizzlies power duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Those two combined to make just five of 22 shots for 28 points — just over half their total from the opener. OKC actually was plus-4 in points in the paint in Game 2 after being minus-14 in Game 1. Turnovers also are something to watch. Memphis had 16 of them in Game 2 after turning the ball over just eight times in Game 1. Memphis averaged only 10 turnovers in its previous four playoff wins.

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If you’re going to go out, go out with class. The L.A. Lakers didn’t do that Sunday afternoon.

Not only were the Lakers embarrassed 122-86, but two marquee players, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, were ejected after flagrant fouls. Things were close in the first quarter but quickly go out of hand when the Mavs began raining 3-pointers, Dallas put up 36 while holding the Lakers to 16 in the second quarter, taking a 63-39 lead at halftime.

“We stayed focused we came out and executed our gameplan. Break them down offensively, drive and kick it outside,” said Mavs guard Jason Terry, who score 32 off the bench, nailing nine shots from downtown.

When things got ugly the Lakers got dirty. Odom got ejected early in the 4th for a forearm shiver of Dirk Nowitzki. Bynum was ejected minutes later by elbowing J.J. Barea on a drive to the basket that threw him to the floor in pain. It was easily one of the dirtiest plays of the year.

With the Lakers swept out of the playoffs Phil Jackson’s coaching career comes to a sad end. The 65-year-old coach has said he plans to retire regardless of the outcome of the Lakers attempt at another three peat, although we doubt he expected his last game to be a blow out on national TV while his players are getting ejected.

That said, Jackson stayed upbeat after the game.

“It’s been a wonderful run,” he said.

Expect Bynum and Odom to get some hefty fines and miss some games in the 2011-12 season for their flagrant fouls.

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These NBA playoffs have that “changing of the guard” feel don’t they? It definitely feels that way after the Miami Heat were able to finally play clutch basketball to beat the veteran Boston Celtics 98-90 in overtime.

The Heat have been known as a squad that breaks down when its crunch time, but Monday night they were making the big plays while the Celtics fumbled their chances. LeBron James was clutch with a game-tying 3 that forced O.T., and Dwyane Wade made a huge step-back 3 in the extra quarter that shifted momentum squarely in Miami’s corner. The dynamic duo combined for 63 points and 23 rebounds, moving Miami just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

Wade and James weren’t the only Heat who clutched up late. Chris Bosh, the overshadowed third option in Miami, tipped in a late basket that sealed the win. After struggling in Game 3, the former Toronto Raptor rebounded with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

As for the Celtics, they had their chances to tie this series. Boston had the game in its hands with 19.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but their final shot was a desperate fadeaway from Paul Pierce after a planned pick-and-roll didn’t materialize.

Turnovers also sealed Boston's fate, as several opportunities to re-take momentum and the lead ended with bad passes. Celtics guard Rajon Rondo did brave through his bad left elbow and played 38 minutes, but playing on one arm also killed Boston’s shot at getting any offensive consistency late.

The Celtics now return to Miami as another aging franchise in these playoffs on the brink of elimination.

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After being thoroughly embarrassed by the Dallas Mavericks in being swept out of the playoffs on Sunday – and also embarrassing themselves thanks to the behavior of Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum late in Game 4 – the Los Angeles Lakers figure to look vastly different next season. All of a sudden this bunch looks old and slow, and everyone presumes that GM Mitch Kupchak will blow up the roster and essentially try to rebuild on the fly.

And that brings us to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season. There are rumors the charismatic Howard has his eyes on landing with the Lakers – much like Shaq left Orlando for Hollywood back in the day. Magic GM Otis Smith already has said he’s not trading Howard before his contract is up, but it has to concern Orlando that Howard has yet to sign an extension that has been on the table for a while.

Put 2 & 2 together and you see why the hot rumor, with Orlando and the Lakers’ seasons cut unexpectedly short, is Howard being dealt to L.A. This way the Magic at least get something in return as opposed to when Shaq left and the Magic franchise took several years to get back to elite status. The Lakers could offer young center Andrew Bynum and some draft picks, which would allow the Magic to at least minimally appease what would no doubt be an angry fan base if Howard is shipped out.

Smith continues to say he believes that Howard will stay in Orlando when all is said and done. But he admits he expects many trade offers for his star.

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With the aging Boston Celtics heading back to South Florida now in a 3-1 hole in their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Miami Heat, it’s probably time to ponder the future of the Celtics, and it doesn’t look all that promising.

Pretty much each of Boston’s Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce looked rather old at one point or another in the Game 4 98-90 overtime loss. Pierce had 27 points but with a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, waited out the clock and then took a high-arcing fallaway jumper in the final seconds that bounced off the rim as time expired. Not exactly the shot Boston was hoping for. He was thoroughly outplayed by LeBron James as well. Allen was off all night and missed a few crucial 3-pointers in the fourth. And Garnett was nothing short of terrible offensively, shooting 1-for-10 for seven points.

Point guard Rajon Rondo couldn't use his left arm because of that elbow injury suffered in Game 3, limiting him so severely that he had to be pulled from the game in overtime. Rondo missed a right-handed layup that would have given the Celtics a 2-point lead with 1:11 left. It appears he will be virtually useless for anything other than passing the ball if by some miracle Boston extends this series past five games. The Celtics scored just four points in overtime of Game 4, shooting 1 for 6 and making four of their 18 turnovers. Garnett started things off by throwing the ball away. The Celtics were outrebounded, 45-28, committed 18 turnovers, and produced no second-chance points.

Miami's younger, more athletic Big 3 of LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 83 points Monday, their highest combined total in a playoff game. In all, Wade had lost 11 straight regular-season and playoff games in Boston. James had lost 13 of 15, including the one that ended his Cleveland career.

With the Lakers already having been swept out of these playoffs and Boston looking very much like it will be done in five (only eight teams have rallied from a 3-1 hole to win the series), it looks like a changing of the guard in the NBA.

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Just a few days ago, Dallas Mavericks president Donnie Walsh said that it was “next to impossible” that injured swingman Caron Butler somehow returned for the playoffs. Butler suffered a ruptured right patellar tendon Jan. 1 and had surgery. The Mavericks originally announced that Butler's season was over, but he set an ambitious goal of returning during the playoffs and he continues to aggressively rehab.

Well, with the Mavericks home and resting following their sweep of the Lakers (and they won’t start the West Finals vs. either Memphis or Oklahoma City until Sunday at the earliest), there is word that Butler might actually make it back after all. Butler has dropped hints since the first round that he could soon be cleared for physical contact.

“He's now at a point where he's dunking the ball and he's making more and more progress," coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. "When he's back, he's going to be back 100 percent. Timetable-wise, I don't know exactly when that's going to be. I'm not going to talk about a timetable because I'm not a doctor."

Carlisle was asked if Butler would be ruled out for the West Finals and the coach wouldn’t respond to that. And he said Butler is inspiring his teammates as it is with his work ethic just to try and return. The Mavs were 24-7 when Butler, a two-time All-Star, crumpled to the floor in Milwaukee. He averaged 15.0 points per game. Certainly the Mavericks, who will be favored against either the Thunder or Grizzlies, would become that much more formidable if Butler can contribute even a little.

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