Home court advantage is supposed to be just that – an advantage for the home team. Through one and a half rounds of this year’s playoffs, however, the advantage has been nearly impossible to overcome.

To say that road teams are struggling would be an understatement. After winning just 32 percent of their first round games, road teams are just 1-15 in round two. The lone win was a 90-89 nail biter for Detroit over Orlando.

In fact, the Pistons are the only team with a winning record on the road in this postseason. Detroit went 2-1 at Philadelphia and split its first two games at Orlando. With a 2-2 road record, the Los Angeles Lakers actually have the second best road winning percentage in the playoffs. The other six teams left playing are sub-.500 on the road in the playoffs.

Utah was the only team to win a series without home court advantage in the postseason so far. In a year when the West’s top six teams were separated by just two games, it’s amazing how much home court has factored into postseason success.

Of course, no one is enjoying home cooking more than the Jekyll and Hyde Celtics right now. Boston is 6-0 at home and 0-5 on the road. The good news for the Celtics, though, is that if they take care of business in Beantown, their road woes won’t better. Boston’s league-high 66 wins means they have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. And that seems to mean a lot this year.

If the current pace holds, it will be the highest winning percentage since 1990, when home teams went 54-18.

With both Western semifinals series tied 2-2, it’s anyone’s guess who will meet in the Western Finals. It may or may not be the best series of the playoffs. Boston, Detroit or Cleveland will have something to say about that. But it will be a dynamite series no matter the match up.

Lakers-Spurs
This is the traditionalist pick (and mine, for what it’s worth). The Spurs have owned the West over the past few years, and the Lakers are a stories franchise that appears on the brink of greatness again. With the reigning MVP and a cast of young talent – not to mention injured Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza – the Lakers should be contending for the next several seasons. This also doubles as a “team of the decade” battle. Only once since 1998 has a Western Final been played without either the Lakers or Spurs involved.

Hornets-Jazz
For the love of point guards, who wouldn’t love to see Chris Paul and Deron Williams go at it in a best-of-seven series with a trip to the championship on the line? The third year wonders were picked back-to-back in the 2005 draft are arguably the best point guards playing. But while Paul finished second in the MVP vote, Williams hasn’t even been voted to an all-star team. That figures to change as soon as next season, but he’d first like to add a ring to his résumé.

Lakers-Hornets
Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul were first and second, respectively, for the MVP. Why not settle it the old fashioned way? The top two seeds in the West have the home court edge to advance, though both are currently riding two-game losing streaks. Hornets coach Byron Scott won three titles playing with the Lakers in the 80s.

Spurs-Jazz
A rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals would be a great series, but it’s not a network favorite. San Antonio and Utah are not flashy cities, and the Spurs and Jazz are not flashy teams, which is indicative of their head coaches. San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich has been coaching the Spurs since the 1996-97 season. That would be the longest tenure in the league if not for Utah’s Jerry Sloan, who has been coaching the Jazz since the 1988-89 campaign. No other active coach has been with his team for more than five straight years. (Phil Jackson took a year off between stints as the Lakers head coach.

There’s a subplot to this year’s NBA playoffs. Eight teams are left vying for the NBA title but two of them – the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs – can also gain a leg up in the race for team of the decade.

The Lakers (Minneapolis back in those days) owned the 50s, winning four titles during the first full decade the league was in existence. The Boston Celtics dominated the 60s, winning an unbelievable nine titles in 10 years. There was no clear-cut team of the 70s as the New York Knicks and the Celtics each won a pair of titles. But the Lakers claimed the 80s by winning five more championships. And the 90s belonged to the Chicago Bulls, who won six titles in the decade.

The present decade – the 00s? – is still up for grabs. The Lakers won the first three championships of the decade, but the Spurs have won three titles since then. If either team wins it this season, they’ll clearly be in the driver’s seat to become team of the decade.

Here’s how Los Angeles and San Antonio stack up over the past nine seasons.

The Celtics have been exposed thanks to the Atlanta Hawks. The same Hawks that won 37 games in the regular season – that would’ve been good for 12th place in the Western Conference – pushed the 66-win Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination in round one of the 2008 NBA playoffs. In doing so, they exposed what could prove to be a fatal flaw for Boston – the inability to win close games.

The Celtics had a dominant regular season, posting a league-high average scoring margin of +10.3. Second place Detroit had a scoring margin of just +7.4. So what does that scoring margin tell us about Boston? Essentially it means the Celtics won a lot of blowouts, and they did.

Only 20 of their regular season games were decided by five points or less. But they struggled in those games. In fact, after losing two close ones to Atlanta in the first round, Boston is just 11-11 this season in games decided by five points or less, including a mark of 5-8 against playoff teams.

All of this is music to the ears of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The defending Eastern Conference Champions and second round opponent of Boston is much more comfortable in crunch time. Cleveland’s regular season games were decided by five points or less 41 percent of the time. The Cavs had a record of 22-12 in those games. That’s much better than their mark of 23-25 when the game was decided by six or more.

Throughout the course of the year, the Cavs beat a total of16 teams in a close game, and they went 13-6 in games decided by five or less versus playoff competition.

The good news for Boston is that they won each home game against Atlanta by at least 19 points, including a 99-65 drubbing in Game 7. And the Celtics have home court advantage again against Cleveland. Boston won both home games versus Cleveland in the regular season.

The bad news for Boston is that they lost all three road games against Atlanta. They also dropped both games on the road at Cleveland this year.

Worse for the Celtics, the average margin of victory in the four regular season games was just 5.25 points. The Celtics won by 10 and five. The Cavs won by five and one.

The Celtics don’t know who their go-to guy is down the stretch. Kevin Garnett is their MVP. Ray Allen is their best shooter. And Paul Pierce is the career Celtic and most versatile scorer. Yet none stepped up in the close games with the Hawks.

The Celtics also had no crunch time answer defensively for Joe Johnson. Now they square off against one of the top closers in the league in LeBron James. That spells danger for the Celtics, and that’s why I’m taking the Cavaliers to win the series and score the upset in seven games.

Check out the rest of my round two picks

Dirk Nowitski and Tony Parker both received MVP awards last season from the NBA yet neither of them had as much to do with the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs’ run through the playoffs as Tim Duncan. Unfortunately, the NBA only gives out MVP awards for regular season (Nowitski) and Finals (Parker) performances, neglecting the other playoff games a team must play and win to earn a championship.

Teams have only played a game or two in the 2008 NBA playoffs, but a number of players have already made waves. Some good and some not so good. Here’s a quick tracker of player trends through games played April 21.

Of the five players going up, the average age is 23. Of the five players going down, the average age is 28. Basketball is a young man’s game. Just don’t tell that to the San Antonio Spurs.

Going up

• Pau Gasol, 27, Los Angeles Lakers
  After enjoying zero playoff wins in Memphis, Gasol wasted no time erasing his playoff demons in L.A. The 36-point, 16-rebound, eight-assist stat line was impressive, but it was the little things Gasol did, including three blocks and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line that have Laker fans wondering if Shaq and Kobe was only an appetizer.

• Dwight Howard, 22, Orlando Magic
  As Orlando tries to win its first playoff series since Shaquille O’Neal was in town, the Magic is relying heavily on its fourth-year center. In each of the first two games, Howard had 20-20 vision – 20 or more points, 20 or more rebounds – against Toronto. Only four other players have recorded 20 and 20 in four straight games.

• LeBron James, 23, Cleveland Cavaliers
  The King made the leap to an elite level last season with his 2007 Eastern Conference Finals performance. If his first two playoff games this season are any indication, LeBron is going to give Boston all they can handle in round two. LeBron is asked to do more with less than any other NBA superstar. And in just his fifth NBA season, he is already a don’t-you-dare-bet-against-me-in-crunch-time player.

• Chris Paul, 22, New Orleans Hornets
  In his first two playoff game, all Chris Paul did was lead his team back from a 12-point halftime deficit against a playoff-tested, veteran bunch from Dallas in game 1 and then scorch them for a 24-point win in game 2. Paul scored 67 points, dished out 27 assists and added seven steals in the two impressive victories.

• Deron Williams, 23, Utah Jazz
  Chris Paul’s MVP campaign buzz has overshadowed Deron Williams’ own candidacy as the best young point guard in the league. He beat Paul to the postseason by a year – leading the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals last season – and has Utah up 2-0 in its first round series with Houston this year after netting 42 points and 15 assists in the Jazz’s two wins on the road.

Going down

• Gilbert Arenas, 26, Washington Wizards
  He was considered a top-20 star early last season. After missing the end of last year and much of this year with injuries, however, Arenas has likely cost himself a lot of money. He’s now no better than the third best Wizard player and some critics have made the case that his insertion into the lineup actually hurts the team.

• Andrea Bargnani, 22, Toronto Raptors
  Last year’s number one overall selection, Bargnani scored just five points in 28 minutes of action in game 1 against Orlando. Perhaps even less impressively, the 6’10” power forward managed to grab just three rebounds. Among the players who have already had better performances in this year’s playoffs are ’06 draft classmates Rajon Rondo (21st selection), Jordan Farmar (26th) and Daniel Gibson (42nd).

• Mike Bibby, 29, Atlanta Hawks
  Remember 2002? It was Bibby’s first trip to the playoffs, and playing for the Sacramento Kings, Bibby averaged more than 20 points and five assists per game, while shooting 42 percent from long distance and nearly 83 percent from the line. Six years later, Bibby’s teams have never made it as far as that Kings team, which lost in game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Now in Atlanta, Bibby was outplayed by a next generation playoff newbie, Boston’s Rajon Rondo, who tripled Bibby in points (15-5), doubled him in rebounds (6-3) and torched him (8-1) in assists.

• Jason Kidd, 35, Dallas Mavericks
  Once a top defensive point guard, Kidd has no answer for Chris Paul. And Kidd’s offensive production from two games – 18 points, 17 assists – is not equal to what Paul did in game 2 alone (32 points, 17 assists). He was brought in to lead the Mavericks in the playoffs. It’s not working.

• Tracy McGrady, 28, Houston Rockets
  It’s not his fault that Yao Ming went down mid-season, but the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak gave the Houston fans hope that this team could finally win a playoff series with McGrady as the catalyst. After two straight home losses to open the series against Utah, McGrady is in serious danger of going 0-7 for his career in playoff series.

On the heels of a whirlwind season in the NBA, the playoffs tip off this weekend. By all accounts, this should be one of the most competitive and compelling postseasons in NBA history, especially in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. With the eight playoff teams separated by just seven games in the final standings, there is no such thing as a serious series upset in the West à la Golden State over Dallas last year. Any of the eight teams could make a run to the championship. The question is, who will they be dancing with at the end

Things are a lot less congested in the East where anything other than a Boston-Detroit matchup in the Conference Finals would be very surprising. All indicators point to the Finals beginning in either Boston or Detroit. But since the 2008 NBA Finals pairing won’t be known for nearly two months, all 16 teams can spend the next couple days dreaming of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.

There are plenty of fine Finals couplings to pine for – matchups that would make the Finals must-see TV because of intriguing storylines on and off the court. Since one wants to go to prom alone, I’ve decided to pay homage to prom season by playing the role of NBA matchmaker, pairing each of the 16 playoff teams with their hottest date for the Finals – yes, even the Hawks.

Without further ado, here’s a countdown of the top 8 NBA pairings I’d like to see in the Finals.

Top Finals Couple #8: Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets

The relationship: The first international NBA Finals just wouldn’t be the same with Houston’s former number one pick Yao Ming out of the lineup, but the Raptors have six foreigners on their squad, including last year’s number one pick Andrea Bargnani. Toronto was also the first NBA home of Rockets star Tracy McGrady before he left as a free agent. Raptors star forward Chris Bosh was born in Texas and point guard T.J. Ford played his college ball at Texas.

Prom king candidates: Bosh for Toronto; McGrady and Shane Battier for Houston.

Drama factor: Low. The north-of-the-border effect hurts here as most casual fans simply don’t know much about the Raptors. And without Yao, the Rockets’ red glow is a lot less bright.
Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): None. Unless Yao finds a miracle cure to return for the playoffs. And even that wouldn’t help the Raptors get there.

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Top Finals Couple #7: Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Hornets

The relationship: You may have heard about this already, but the Hawks could have drafted Chris Paul in the 2005 NBA Draft. They elected to go with Marvin Williams instead. Williams had his best season this year, averaging nearly 15 points and 6 boards. The problem is that Paul led the league in assists and steals while scoring 21 per game and leading the Hornets to a franchise-record 56 wins.

Prom king candidates: Al Horford, Joe Johnson for Atlanta; Chris Paul, David West for New Orleans

Drama factor: Moderate. Most would take the Hornets in no more than five games. The drama would be coming from watching Hawks fans watch CP3 terrorize them all series long.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Very slim. The Hornets could make a magical run, but the Hawks are happy just to be in the playoffs. If they win a game in the first round, they’ll be overachieving.

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Top Finals Date #6: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets

The relationship: Denver and Philadelphia made the blockbuster trade of last season when Allen Iverson, who led the Sixers to the 2001 Eastern Conference Championship, was shipped to Denver in exchange for Andre Miller. Iverson received a warm reception in the City of Brotherly Love when he made his return as a Nugget in March, but Philly won the game 115-113 when Iverson’s last-second shot missed. Neither team has seen its fortunes greatly affected positively or negatively since the trade. If this matchup were to happen, it would be the ultimate measuring stick of that deal.

Prom king candidates: Miller and Andre Iguodala for Philadelphia; Iverson and Carmelo Anthony for Denver.

Drama factor: Moderate. The Iverson storyline would certainly carry the series as would Anthony’s ability to get join ’03 draft mates LeBron James and Dwayne Wade with a Finals appearance. The Sixers have no household names, however, they would be an ultimate Cinderella story.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): None. There’s a better chance of Rocky scaling the Rocky Mountains.

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Top Finals Couple #5: Washington Wizards vs. Dallas Mavericks

The relationship: There’s something about the nation’s capital and Big D that just doesn’t seem to jive. Perhaps it’s the historic Redskins-Cowboys rivalry in the NFL or George W. Bush relocating from the Lone Star State. There’s also the Antawn Jamison-Jerry Stackhouse trade from a few years back. But the real intrigue here comes from the blogosphere where Mavs owner Mark Cuban and Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas surely would exchange a war of words. They are two of the most colorful characters in the game today, and who knows what kind of antics they’d stir up with the spotlight of the NBA Finals upon them.

Prom king candidates: Reigning MVP Dirk Nowitski, Josh Howard and Jason Kidd for Dallas; Jamison, Arenas and Caron Butler.

Drama factor: Medium-high. Plenty of big name players looking to win their first NBA title in this matchup.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Slim. Both teams have the talent of a potential Finals combatant, however, they face difficult roads to get there and both would have to likely win three series on the road to do so.

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Top Finals Couple #4: San Antonio Spurs vs. Detroit Pistons

The relationship: The Spurs and Pistons have been the dominant teams of the decade. The Spurs have more to show for it: three titles to Detroit’s one, but the Pistons have been a model of consistency with five straight trips to the conference finals. They met in the 2003 Finals with the Spurs winning in seven games.

Prom king candidates: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker for San Antonio; Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace for Detroit.

Drama factor: Medium. No seriously, medium. People complain about their style of play, but a true basketball fan knows that both the Spurs and Pistons play the right way – balanced attack on offense and solid, lockdown defense.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Pretty good. No one would be shocked to see either team in the championship again. Both have great veteran leadership and championship experience.

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Top Finals Couple #3: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz

The relationship: Bill Simmons of ESPN.com: “This saga becomes more astounding over time: Inexplicably (the version in which you believe Cleveland would just walk away from an option year worth $700,000 and allow Boozer to become a restricted free agent for no good reason) or explicably (the version in which you believe the Cavs made an illegal handshake deal to “forgo” Boozer’s option year, allow him to become a restricted free agent, then sign him to a $41 million deal), the one thing we know is Boozer used his newfound leverage to sign a six-year deal with Utah for $68 million and screw over Cleveland’s benevolent, blind owner in the process.”

Prom king candidates: LeBron James for Cleveland; Boozer, Deron Williams for Utah.

Drama factor: High. LeBron making a return trip to the Finals with a new cast of characters around him would be big. Doing it with his former sidekick-turned-all-star Boozer on the opposing team would be scintillating. With Boozer, the Cavs very well may have knocked off San Antonio last year. Without him, LeBron is a one-man wrecking crew.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Fair. Each team is the four seed in its respective conference so they’re in contention, but they’ll need to catch some breaks to get there.

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Top Finals Couple #2: Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns

The relationship: The Shaquille O’Neal era in Orlando ended in a nasty divorce, and now he’s in Phoenix vowing to lead them to a championship. The Magic was the only team Shaq left without winning a championship, and he’s won four titles since departing. Phoenix also features Grant Hill, who played less than 30 games four times during six injury-plagued seasons in Orlando. Needless to say, Orlando has some beef with two of the Suns’ key cogs. The Magic’s new superhero? Dwight Howard, the cape-wearing dunk champion who many compare to a young Shaq. Wouldn’t it be great to see the most dominant center of the past decade square off against the man who may be the most dominant center of the next decade?

Prom king candidates: Howard, Hedo Turkoglu for Orlando; O’Neal, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire for Phoenix.

Drama factor: High. The Suns have come so close in recent years without making it to the Finals. If O’Neal can get them to the promised land, watching Nash and company go for the ring would be exciting to watch.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Fair. Orlando has received next-to-no publicity for a 52-win season. If Howard can make the leap the way LeBron did in last years playoffs, who knows what Orlando is capable of. For Phoenix, it’s all or nothing. The Shaq trade was made for postseason – particularly championship – success. Anything less is a disappointment for the Suns. With their playoff experience only aided by O’Neal’s championship pedigree, they are a legitimate contender to win it all.

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Top Finals Couple #1: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

The relationship: This one dates back generations. Jerry West and Bill Russell. Magic and Bird. Could Kobe and KG be next? Bryant and Garnett are among the top candidates for MVP and it’d be great to see their teams meet on the ultimate stage. Last season the Celtics were a joke and the Lakers were smoked out in the first round. This year? Best in the East and best in the West just like the good ol’ days. They’ve met in the Finals 10 times before but not since 1987.
Prom king candidates: Bryant, Pau Gasol for Los Angeles; Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen for Boston.

Drama factor: Ultimate. Because of the history between these two storied franchises, this is the ultimate matchup in the NBA. It should come as no surprise that the league’s resurgence this season has happened in a year when the Celtics and Lakers were at or near the top of the standings all year long.

Chances they’ll actually date (in the Finals): Good. Nothing is taken for granted, but with home court advantage, Boston and L.A. are favored to win their conference and make it to the championship. The uncertainty comes from the fact that neither team ahs won a playoff series as presently constructed. But if they both make it there together, it’ll be a fantastic spectacle and a hotly contested series. And the best part about it? Prom is only one night, but this series is likely seven nights of excitement.