[Flacolaco]

There is basketball on ALL DAY TOMORROW.

So get some beer. Tell your woman what's up. And sit on your damn couch.


Bulls @ Celtics. 11:30 am CST. On ESPN

More than 24 hours had passed since they learned that Kevin Garnett would miss the first round against the Chicago Bulls, and probably the rest of the playoffs, and that general manager Danny Ainge suffered a heart attack that later was described as minor by the team.

The mood had lightened enough Friday for second-year forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis to joke about his role as the replacement for “The Big Ticket,” Garnett’s nickname, in Saturday’s series opener.

“I’m not the Big Ticket. I’m the Ticket Stub,” Davis said with a grin. “So don’t count the Ticket Stub out. You might need the ticket to get into the game, but you leave with the ticket stub because you’ll never forget this game. You need it as a souvenir.” ...

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Pistons @ Cavaliers 2:00 pm CST. On ABC

Central Division rivals, this is the third time in the past four years that they've met playoffs. Two years ago, Cleveland, behind an epic performance from James in Game 5, beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals to avenge a loss to Detroit the previous year in a rough-and-tumble conference semifinal.

The rosters haven't changed much since. The roles sure have.

With 66 regular-season wins -- and a sparkling 39-2 mark in their rowdy arena -- the Cavaliers enter as the No. 1 overall seed.

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Your Dallas Mavericks @ SA Spaaares. 7:00 pm CST. ESPN (but I recommend KTXA-21 HD.)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs were so dominant three years ago that they practically forced the NBA to change how playoff teams are stacked.

Three years later, the Spurs and Mavericks have ceded that superiority.

Tim Duncan and the Spurs are the third seed, but were a Michael Finley buzzer-beater this week from dropping to fifth and starting the playoffs on the road. Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas are seeded sixth, and had to win seven of the last nine to get there.

In the Western Conference, it's now the Los Angeles Lakers and everyone else.

"But we think we're still up there," said Duncan, embarking on his 12 consecutive postseason. "We still think we have a chance."

So do the Mavericks, who renew their playoff rivalry with the Spurs starting Saturday in San Antonio. But unlike in 2006, it won't be the same meeting of 60-win titans who played to a thrilling seven-game series in the West semifinals. The Mavs prevailed, and went on to the NBA finals before losing to Miami...

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Rockettes @ Trail Blazers. 9:30ish CST. ESPN.

The series gets under way Saturday when the Blazers host the Rockets at the Rose Garden. Portland surpassed expectations and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round.

The Blazers, the youngest team in the playoffs, went 54-28 this season and claimed a share of the Northwest Division title with the Denver Nuggets.

The Rockets, the West's fifth seed, finished 53-29, second to the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division.

But while Portland is the higher seed, their youth and inexperience have put them in an underdog role for the playoffs...

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If it isn't the Mavericks game, talk about it here.