Of Astros and NBA playoffs

Greetings from Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, where the 2005 National League champion Houston Astros are playing the 2007 NL champion Colorado Rockies.

More on the Astros in a minute. First, a little on the NBA playoffs.

HORNETS
How 'bout them Hornets? They just won't quit. Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West are too much for the Mavericks to handle.

The Hornets will move on to play the winner of the San Antonio-Phoenix series.

ROCKETS
The Rockets had a terrific regular season, but it's a bit much to expect them to beat a Utah Jazz team that beat them WITH Yao AND Rafer Alston last season...

I talked to former Tech star Paul Millsap after last night's game, and he was feeling pretty good after the Jazz took one from the Rockets on the road.


SUNS, SPURS PUT ON A SHOW
The Suns-Spurs game is an example of what makes the NBA playoffs so exciting. Double overtime. Shaq. Tim Duncan. Steve Nash. It doesn't get much better.

KING JAMES
And what about LeBron's performance yesterday? Think he's overrated, DeShawn Stevenson?
James did what superstars do; he put his team on his shoulders and carried them to victory.

ASTROS
Back to the Astros.

They're riding a three-game losing streak, but think about this: they're in the NL Central.
This division won't be decided until the last two or three weeks of the season - I'm talking September. Five months from now!!

Until then, everybody's a contender in the NL Central.