This matchup is going to be vital. Some feel Shaq is going to dominate Dream, and the fact of the matter is the last year or so Shaq has gotten the better of Olajuwon later in his career. But Olajuwon is another kind of beast in the playoffs, as Shaq found out first hand in 1995.

The key here may be the officiating. In the past Dream has been unable to play Shaq straight up. Apparently the "Shaq Diesel" technique, used to run over an opponent, is the opponents fault and it hasn't been uncommon in the past to see Hakeem pick up 2 fouls in the first few minutes.

If Hakeem's in foul trouble, the Rockets are in trouble. Keep an eye on how the refs call the game, and whether they allow Olajuwon to play his game against Shaq.

But if Shaq is going to mature as a player and step his game up to another level, he'll have to get the better of Olajuwon and lead his team to victory.

Advantage: Slight edge to Lakers.

Plain and simple, Charles Barkley is the key to success in the first round. The Lakers had no answer for Chuck in their game in Houston on April 26th. Chuck had 20 points, 16 boards and 6 assists. The Lakers will throw every frontcourt player they have, with the exception of Shaq, at Barkley. We'll see Robert Horry, JR Reid, Travis Knight and Sean Rooks.

The X-Factor for LA will be Horry. Horry, an ex-Rocket who is facing his former team for the first time in the playoffs, will surely feel he has something to prove and has always been a stronger performer in the playoffs then the regular season. It was Horry's defense against Chuck, then with the Suns, that propelled the Rockets to victory in the 1995 West semifinals.

Advantage: Huge edge to Rockets.

If Glen Rice, who scored 40 points against the Blazers to end the season, is allowed to go nuts against the Rockets, this could be a very short series. Rice is a deadly three-point shooter, possibly the most dangerous in the league. Keeping him out of a shooting groove will most likely be Pippen's job.

Scottie has been a terrific help out defender this season, but in one-on-one matchups he has gotten burned often. Rudy may decide to have Pippen guard Kobe Bryant, but the youngster had 2 brilliant games against Pippen earlier in the season. I expect Rudy to take notice that Rice got many more looks as the season ended and will put Pippen on the sharpshooter, leaving Dickerson on Kobe.

Pippen's offense is the biggest enigma of the series. Will we see the 4-points, 4-rebound, 5-assist and 5-turnover Scottie, or the one who scored 26 points and picked 6 steals the last time these two teams faced off?

Stay tuned.

Advantage: Slight edge to Rockets.

Kobe Bryant is a very talented player who is more worried about his image and his game than his team. That's not my opinion, that's just about what every fact pointed to in the last month or so of the season.

That is also what will probably make Kobe lethal in this series: He wants to prove himself and be "The Man". If he's on, he's deadly and could be more than a handful for Rocket defenders.

Michael Dickerson on the other hand finished the season on fire, scoring a combined 58 points in his last two games and hitting 11 of 14 threes. If Dickerson is stroking the long ball, the Rockets will be tough to beat. Experience, however, may be the difference. It's pretty sad when you treat a 20-year old (Bryant) like a veteran, but the fact remains that Bryant has more playoff experience than the 23-year old Dickerson, and some said in Arizona that Dickerson disappeared in big games.

Keep an eye on this matchup.

Advantage: Edge to Lakers.

A simple case of 'Youth vs. Experience'. Brian Kagy feels Derek Harper, a longtime Rocket killer, will be crucial in this series (meaning he's been a scrub all season, so watch him go ballistic against the Rocks). Harper was huge in a rout of the Rockets on opening night, scoring 16 points and dishing 7 assists. He hit 4 threes in that game.

His playoff experience could be big.

Mobley on the other hand is looking to prove himself. He scored 15 points in the last game with the Lakers, but hit just 6-16 from the field. He finished the season strong, averaging 18 ppg in his last 2 contests. Like Dickerson, it will be interesting to see how he responds as the playoof pressure cooker kicks in.

Either way it won't be strictly these two. We'll see a lot of Derek Fisher, Brent Price, Tyronn Lue and possibly Bryce Drew some in this series.

Advantage: Even. (Probably the only point guard matchup in the West the Rockets are EVEN on)

The Lakers biggest asset off the bench is Rick Fox. In a game on February 28 in LA, Fox torched the Rockets for 21 points.... and he didn't even get into the game until the third quarter. He hit 7-7 from the field, including 5-5 from three-point range.

The three biggest contributors off the bench for the Rockets are Sam Mack, Othella Harrington and Brent Price. It will be interesting to see if Othella has rounded into game shape as the playoff begin. He looked rusty since coming back from toe surgery.

But Sam Mack will be the key off the bench for the Rockets. He's been a tremendous lift off the bench and provides long range shooting.

Advantage: Edge to Rockets.

Call me someone who has lost faith, but I'm not feeling tremendously giddy about this series. The Rockets had their chances to gain homecourt in this series and blew each one (any team that loses to Dallas at home... twice ... in the same week should not only be eliminated from the playoffs, but should be asked to give up their next 23 first round picks). The Rockets haven't been a good team all season on the road and have been nothing special against the league's elite.

But, their lack of intensity has been their main problem. Perhaps putting them in the playoffs, a do or die situation, will help them maintain that intensity. They're also facing the Lakers, a team that could actually win the NBA championship (easily) if it played up to its potential, but has been as mentally weak as they come. If the Rockets win one of the first 2 in the LA, it should be enough to rattle the Lake Show. But that's a big "if". I can't pick against the boys though.

Prediction: Rockets in 4

All-Spurned Rockets path to the Finals

If by some miracle of God the Sacramento Kings beat the Utah Jazz and the Portland/Phoenix winner, the Rockets path to the Finals would most likely be Los Angeles, San Antonio, Sacramento.

That would mean each team would have a very good reason to beat the Houston squad. Robert Horry (Lakers), Mario Elie (Spurs) and Vernon Maxwell (Kings) all hold different degrees of animosity towards their old team and certainly would like to be responsible for eliminating the Rocks.