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This is not a division. It is a gauntlet. A spiked, imperial gauntlet inhabited by minotaurs, pterodactyls, stone giants, warrior pygmy tribes, and other things that go bump in the night. There is no sense of "If we can just make it to .500" in this division. .500 means nothing. .500 is for the Central division.

The Southwest Division hosts two former MVPs, the MVP runner-up from last season, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, the reigning Coach of the Year, a bazillion All-Stars, elite shooters, elite defenders, elite scorers, and Ron freaking Artest. Yeesh.

There are not headlines here. There are omens, prophecies, and obituaries.

Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.





1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.

2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.

Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets.

1. Spring The Trap: The Mavericks happened upon something I hadn't seen a team do against the Hornets this season. They immediately trapped Paul on the perimeter with the strong side. If Chris Paul has any weakness, it's his size. By forcing his passing lanes away from West and Chandler, the Mavs made an inconsistent (this year) Peja Stojakovic and Mo Peterson the primary scorers. Needless to say, that did not end well for the Hornets. The only cost is bringing either Dirk Nowitzki or Bass off of West to trap, which can burn you. If Avery Johnson is able to effectively pull the perimeter defenders to trap Paul, they can limit CP3's effectiveness.

2. The Assassin Versus Dirkalicous: David West's versatility is a key factor in the Hornets' offense. They need him to be able to produce. Dirk has been tremendous since coming back from the injury. The Mavs need him to be the Man he's been. This could very well be the best player on player matchup in the playoffs. West's post game has improved as the season has progressed, but Dirk's touch is amazing combined with his size. This should be a clinic on both sides.