[Raji]

Cleveland Cavaliers at Washington Wizards (+4, 190)

Caron Butler really thought he could do it. The Wizards All-Star small forward broke his hand April 1, but was hoping to return sometime during the first round of the playoffs. He had his cast removed on Monday, but doctors told Butler to avoid contact for 10 days, eliminating any chance of an early return.

“He is not in our plans, right now – not as a player,” Jordan told The Associated Press. “If we get deeper in the playoffs possibly, but not in the first round.”

Without Butler and point guard Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards are just playing their four games waiting for the sweep.

Cavs coach Mike Brown employs a defense-first philosophy and will surely focus on slowing down tempo.

“We had some careless turnovers and we have to make sure that we do a better job of not doing that and being solid down the stretch, because when we do, we’re pretty good,” Brown told the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Pick: Cavs –4

Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic (+4.5, 182)

Losing Game 3 and going down 0-3 in a best-of-seven series is normally a backbreaker in professional sports. It has been nearly impossible for NBA teams in the hole to cover the spread in the fourth game. Since 2004, five teams have lost the first three games and each time those teams have lost the fourth and failed to cover.

Orlando was just happy to make it to the playoffs and should be satisfied with the progress it's made this year. The Pistons will want to get this game good and over with right away so they have a chance to rest before the second round begins.

“When we were up 2-0, we weren’t talking sweep,” Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince told the Detroit News. “But now that we’re up 3-0, it’s really important that we close this thing out. You don’t want to give this team any life.”

Pick: Pistons –4 ½

San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets (+2, 193)

Returning home after splitting the first two games in San Antonio should have Nuggets excited, but winning at home this year hasn’t been an easy thing. The team’s 23 home wins matched a low for Denver playoff teams and was the seventh-worst home record in the franchise’s NBA history.

“I can’t pinpoint it,” newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year and Denver center Marcus Camby told the San Antonio Express-News. “We set a record for road wins. If we’d had a few more wins on our home court we’d have put ourselves in better shape for the playoffs. But there were a lot of games we lost in the fourth quarter.”

Denver went 20-21 ATS at home and 4-5 as a home underdog. The Spurs are a veteran team and won’t be intimidated by playing in the Pepsi Center.

Pick: Spurs –2

Raji