what is going on?

[aexchange]

are these guys on crack or what?

http://www.basketballnews.com/conten...s_round2_3.asp

#1 Sacramento vs. #4 Dallas

Kings forward
Predrag Stojakovic
Season records: Sacramento 61-21, Dallas 57-25.
Season series: Dallas leads 3-1.
All-time series: Series tied 52-52.
All-time playoff series: First meeting.
How they got here: Sacramento beat Utah 3-1 in first round; Dallas beat Minnesota 3-0 in first round.

Overview
If you love half-court, grind-it-out defensive wars in the playoffs, this ain’t the series for you. The Mavericks (105.2 ppg) and the Kings (104.6) were the top two scoring teams in the league this season, but this matchup will come down to whoever plays better defense throughout. Turning up the intensity on the defensive end hasn’t been a trademark of the Mavs this season, but they will have to clamp down on the balanced Kings. Sacramento survived — more than beat — the Utah Jazz in the first round, but that experience should go a long way toward having the Kings ready to perform on both ends of the floor.

The Mavericks love to push the tempo and feature a star power forward in Dirk Nowitzki, a quality second option in Michael Finley, a productive point guard in Steve Nash, a jump-shooting center who can also play in the post in Raef LaFrentz and a deep bench. The Kings love to push the tempo and feature a star power forward in Chris Webber, a quality second option in Predrag Stojakovic, a productive point guard in Mike Bibby, a jump-shooting center who can play in the post in Vlade Divac and a deep bench. In other words, series just don’t get much closer than this.

Matchups
Point guard: Nash is a killer from the perimeter, but he might be even more dangerous when he takes the ball to the hole and creates opportunities for his teammates. He isn’t the most graceful player in the game, but Nash has a knack for finding the open man, and his toughness will make playing him in a physical manner a losing cause. Bibby is the more reserved of the two, but he also can put big points on the board and is very steady with the basketball. The presence of Doug Christie in the backcourt with him will allow Bibby to free-lance some when Christie takes over the ball-handling skills, and Bibby will look to wear down the Mavs with his constant movement. Edge: Even.

Shooting guard: Christie is the Kings’ best defender, and he will have to turn up the intensity against Finley. Finley can quietly dismantle teams by working off Nowitzki’s game, and he also has the ability to take over when the game is on the line. Finley must be aggressive and go to the basket often to try to keep the Kings from getting comfortable guarding the perimeter. Christie will defer to his teammates when it comes to the offensive duties, but he still can light up the scoreboard and is a deadly three-point shooter when he gets hot. Containing Finley will be Christie’s main goal, and the Kings will get a huge boost if he can pull it off. Edge: Even.

Small forward: Stojakovic has become a true star this year by taking over the team early in the season when Webber was out with an ankle injury, and he can be one of the most devastating weapons in the game from the perimeter. His outside shooting allows him to set up his drives to the basket, and he’s a better defender than people give him credit for. Stojakovic also isn’t afraid to go inside, and he has to be ready to go strong to the hole in this series. The Mavericks would like to start Adrian Griffin at the small forward slot, but he sat out the last two games against Minnesota with back spasms. Griffin is considered doubtful for Game 1, but when he gets on the floor, he is a solid defender who must play close to Stojakovic at all times. Griffin can trigger the fast break by going strong to the boards, and his ball-handling skills will allow him to set up his teammates for open looks as well. If Griffin can’t go, Eduardo Najera will continue to start. Najera is a player who is all about hustle and defense, and he’ll be all over Stojakovic when the Kings forward has the ball. Edge: Sacramento.

Power forward: Nowitzki can do a little bit of everything, and his size is going to be a key in this series. He can shoot the three, he can put the ball on the floor and he’s willing to battle for rebounds inside, something that he will have to do if Dallas is going to win. But it won’t be easy to keep Webber under wraps. C-Webb usually turns up the intensity when the spotlight is brightest, and he has to be a dominant player inside for the Kings to sap some of the Mavericks’ confidence early. Webber can’t become just a jump-shooter in this series, and he has to be physical with Nowitzki to take some of the spring out of his opponent’s legs. One of the truly marquee matchups in the playoffs. Edge: Even.

Center: LaFrentz is playing in his first playoffs this season, and that lack of experience will hurt him vs. grizzled warrior Divac. Divac is a savvy ballplayer who knows that LaFrentz has a penchant for getting into foul trouble, and he will try to get inside LaFrentz’s head early in this series. Both centers are solid rebounders and passers, and both have range to the three-point line, but Divac is the better post player and will look to work LaFrentz over with his arsenal of moves around the basket. LaFrentz is a good shot-blocker who will cut off Sacramento’s drives to the basket, and he must be ready for some physical action inside. Edge: Sacramento.

Bench: Both the Kings and the Mavericks shuffle players in and out of the lineup without missing a beat, and they can throw different looks at teams depending on who comes into the game. Scot Pollard, Bobby Jackson and Hidayet Turkoglu are the keys for the Kings, three guys who play with a lot of energy and know their roles well. Jackson’s quickness allows him to get to the basket and defend well, while Pollard is a blue-collar worker in the paint. Turkoglu’s versatility would allow him to start on most teams, but his all-around game gives Sacramento a weapon that few teams can match. The Mavs feature six bench players who are averaging better than 10 minutes during the playoffs, but guard Nick Van Exel will be the key player. Van Exel is a gunner who can score from anywhere, and his quickness will force the Kings to play help defense that will leave other Mavs open on the floor. Najera, Shawn Bradley, Wang Zhizhi, Greg Buckner and Johnny Newman won’t put huge points on the board, but they will do the little things that make teams successful in the playoffs. Edge: Even.

For the Kings to win
They can’t get too caught up in the run-and-gun game that the Mavericks are going to play. Defense is what wins championships, and although Sacramento has been successful at pushing the tempo and simply outscoring its opponents, taking the time to make the key stop and being aggressive in the half-court game will serve the Kings well. Sacramento showed that it can be vulnerable when the tempo slows down, but the Kings won’t have to worry about that in this series and may actually look to take things down a notch when Dallas gets rolling.

For the Mavericks to win
Only one team in the league — the lowly Golden State Warriors — gave up more points than the Mavericks, and even in their first-round series with Minnesota, the Mavs gave up an average of 102 points. Dallas won’t be able to outrun Sacramento because the Kings are more experienced and have just as many horses as the Mavs, so playing tighter defense will be the key for coach Don Nelson’s squad. It averaged 110.5 points vs. the Kings during the season series, but now that the stakes are higher, it will have to play with more passion on the defensive end.

On the spot
The Kings re-signed Chris Webber precisely for this time of the year, and he has to be the man for Sacramento in this series. Nowitzki has shown that he can go toe-to-toe with some of the best forwards in basketball, but it is time for Webber to be more assertive and play aggressively from the opening tip. Settling for jumpers isn’t going to cut it, and the Kings need him to show some of his heart in this series.

BasketballNews.com’s pick
Sacramento in seven.