FanHouse NBA Playoffs Five Things

Five Things takes a look at five things to watch out for in marquee games with playoff implications.

We've got a trifecta of Game 3's on Friday. We've got an Eastern Powerhouse trying to prolong its relevance, and the new Eastern Order trying to showcase how dominant it really is. We have a scrappy underdog showing you that to overlook them leads to your own peril. And we have a physically and emotionally wounded star-crossed titan battling the basketball equivalent of a populist movement.

So what should you be paying attention to this evening? 5 Things has you covered. Let's talk about Cleveland-Detroit, Orlando-Philadelphia, and Portland-Houston.

Five Things takes a look at five things to watch out for in marquee games with playoff implications. Tuesday's Magic-Cavs showdown (7 PM ET) is one such romp.

Orlando's playoffs start tonight. Sure, the Magic have locked up a playoff appearance and are virtual locks for the third seed in the East. But the Magic's season at some point turned from just a rush to compete in the semifinals to "Hey, we can win this freaking thing." In order to do that, they need to get a top two seed, and the top seed would certainly help the most.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Cavs-Wizards Game 3 tonight.

1. Let Sleeping Global Icons Lie: It would be at this point that the Wizards need to shut up and dance. No more useless fouls, no more discussions of rap artists. You're home, you're down 0-2, and you have approximately 0.00 inches to give in this series. It'll be interesting to see how the Wizards come out tonight. They can either come out the same way, talking too much, fouling too much, and playing inferior defense, or come out focused and go for the kill. This Washington team, much like the majority of the Eastern conference, is a team made of Jekyl and Hydes. They're capable of stifling defense, rough, authoritative play, swagger, high octane shooting, and brutal basketball. They're also fully capable of lazy passes, apathetic defense, confused assignments, and general malaise. The old adage says "a series doesn't start till someone wins on the other one's court." Well, if the Wizards don't take care of business, this series could start and effectively end tonight.

Things you don't expect to see. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 2nd so far in the playoffs in assists. This after being 24th in the league during the regular season. Whatever Mike Brown slipped in their wheaties, he should keep it coming. The Cavaliers have shown an uncharacteristically explosive offensive capability in these here playoffs, hitting from pretty much everywhere, and without a real "Wow" game from LeBron James yet. Which just shows you how amazing James is. He can score 30 and have it not be a "Wow" game. Speaking of ...

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the 76ers-Pistons Game 2 tonight.

1. Shock And Awe: Admit it. You didn't see it coming either. The question now is whether Detroit can get their mojo back and put a righteous beatdown on the upstart kiddos. Detroit has a penchant for taking series' off. The thing with the Sixers is now they have some belief. If the Pistons let them walk out of Detroit with a 2-0 lead, that belief is going to swell to confidence and a killer instinct. In the playoffs, you cannot let them smell blood. Detroit can't just be concerned about the Sixers. They've also got to try and save as much energy as possible, because Boston's way down the line and the Magic are suddenly looking very legit. That's all after just getting past Philly. They need a quick, decisive win tonight.