NBA Playoff Previews: Houston vs. Utah

With the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday, that means Foul Balls is allowed to start enjoying basketball again. So throughout the day today, I will be previewing each of the eight first round matchups.

Why You Should Watch This Series: Of all the series in the Western Conference this season, this one probably hosts the two most evenly matched opponents. Plus, the series these two played in the first round last season was a pretty entertaining one, and I expect this series to be more of the same. Finally, there's the great question of all: Is this the year Tracy McGrady finally gets out of the first round?

Why Houston Will Win This Series: Houston will win this series if Tracy McGrady plays well, but doesn't try to do too much. He can't let the pressure of never winning a playoff series get to him, and he must let his teammates help him out. He's been doing a very good job of this ever since Yao Ming went down, but the playoffs are a completely different animal.

Why Utah Will Win This Series: Utah will win this series if they keep playing the way they have all season. There's nobody on the Rockets that is going to be able to keep Deron Williams out of the lane, and the Jazz will run the pick and roll between Williams and Carlos Boozer all day if Houston lets them. If not, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver kill the Rockets from the outside with their sharpshooting.

Who Will Win This Series: Utah 4-2. Sorry, T-Mac, it's not happening this year either. Dikembe Mutombo did a nice job this season filling in for Yao, but he's a horrible matchup covering Okur, and I expect Jerry Sloan to exploit this pretty often. Plus, the Jazz are damn near impossible to beat at home and they're good enough to steal a win in Houston. If that happens, the series is over.