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David Thorpe ranks playoff MVPs weekly. Last week Marc Gasol topped the list, but the big Spaniard has been toppled by players from Paris and Akron.

The Heat squeak through Game 1 against the Pacers thanks in part to weird tactical stuff including the crunch time benching of Roy Hibbert. Also, we name the dirtiest player of Game 1. ESPN's Tom Haberstroh and Israel Gutierrez discuss.

Great scorers vs. great defense, who wins? Also, Kevin Durant taking too many contested shots? And a David Thorpe vs. Marc Stein trivia showdown.

Our NBA bloggers & experts predict who would have the advantage in playoff match-ups from the NBA Playoff Predictor game. Playoffs predictions on Lakers vs. Grizzlies, Lakers vs. Mavericks, Clippers vs. Grizzlies, Pacers vs. Hawks and Magic vs. Celti