What's the first thing you notice when you see ESPN's Fred Carter on NBA 2Night or SportsCenter? Of course, he points at you. It's his way of saying hello. So we've asked NBA expert Fred to greet us and make some points for ESPN.com each week. Enjoy.

	Reeves

1. Saturday night is the last time the Vancouver faithful will get to enjoy their Grizzlies at home. What fond memories will these people have of a basketball team that had one of the worst six-year runs of any franchise in the history of sport? Big Country Reeves? Never winning on the road in March? Anything?
The NBA in Vancouver was pretty much a disaster from beginning to end. Just about the only thing that the people of Vancouver can look back on fondly is the fact that they got to see other good teams come into their building and play the Grizzlies.

They had a chance to see some of the greatest athletes in the world perform at incredible heights. They got to see Michael a handful of times. And the Grizzlies were usually so bad that their opponents looked very, very good. I don't know if that is enough for them to hold on to as they go through this divorce, but it's going to have to do.

2. The Spurs have ensured themselves the top West seed throughout the playoffs, but the other spots are still open. How critical is it for certain teams out West to get home court advantage, or might we see a 6 or 7 seed win a round or two?
It's absolutely critical to get homecourt advantage, especially in the first round. In a five-game series having the first and last games at home is an even bigger advantage than in a seven-game series. It makes it almost impossible for the visiting team to win the series.

But if the visitors can take the first game, then I think it makes an upset a bit more likely. The team in the West that might be able to pull this off is the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks shoot the basketball exceptionally well. If they get into a shooting game with a team that's not as adept, they could steal the first game. Once that happens in a five-game series an underdog can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The true advantage from the home court is the last game of the series. It is so difficult to go into another building in that atmosphere with everyone in the place literally hating you. If you win a game like that you've truly earned it.

	Duncan

	Iverson

3. The MVP race: Is it all Allen Iverson or do Tim Duncan and/or Chris Webber still have a shot?
People are trying, late in the season, to make a case for Tim Duncan and Chris Webber as the league MVP. But Duncan's run came too late in the season, and both of them have so much more of a supporting cast around them.

Allen Iverson has carried the Philadelphia 76ers to the best record in the East as basically their only offensive option. He went into each and every game knowing the defense he would be facing had only one mission: solve the Answer. And not many were able to do it.

Duncan can rely on David Robinson and Derek Anderson to take some of the offensive load and bail him out when he faced double teams. Webber is playing with a boat load of talent in Sacramento. Allen had none of the help either of them did. However you define MVP, Iverson wins it, hands down.

	D.Davis

	Smits

4. The Pacers have finally gotten hot and appear to be all set to make the playoffs. Isiah Thomas has been the focus of some attention for his coaching job recently. Do you think he has done a good job, or has this team underachieved?
I think Isiah Thomas has done a good job in Indianapolis. All you have to do is look at the talent he lost from his starting lineup. Rik Smits, Dale Davis and Mark Jackson represented not only three-fifths of last season's starting lineup, but a wealth of veteran experience as well.

Those three were responsible for scoring points, playing defense and rebounding. Smits required teams to double him. Davis was a fine rebounder and Jackson only ran the offense. All that is gone, not to mention the coach that was able to sit back and watch his veteran team take itself to the NBA Finals.

This year required a new approach. Isiah had new players playing a new style. His team is extremely young and, although it wasn't final until late in the season, he's brought his team back to the playoffs. And this, like Dallas, is a fairly good shooting team. Philadelphia needs to watch out in the first round. Their not a tough, physical team. Considering what the Pacers lost from last year to this, Thomas has done a very good job of coaching, indeed.

5. One of the rules changes making the most noise is the one about the zone defenses. Do you think zone defenses will add offense to the game, or decrease it, and would you like to see this change?
I think allowing the zone defense would kill the NBA game. They can't even afford to take the gamble of putting in the zone.

Basically, what the zone will do is keep all of the slashing, driving stars of the NBA out of the lane. It will make superstars into jump shooters. In the pros they play the game above the rim. It's exciting, it's athletic. This is not college. There is a lot of excitement around the basket in this league. The ability to play zone will result in a large man standing in the lane who will become a ticket-taker. The lane is clogged and the game is changed.

If a move like this were to fail, it would be very difficult for the league to bounce back from it. The NBA should stay away from zones at all costs.