John Hollinger: Today's chat is coming to you from Bradley International Airport north of Hartford. I spent a little time at ESPN HQ the past two days, but now I'm homeward bound. I'll stay with the chat until they call my row for boarding.

Melodie Baker(Venice, CA): Do you think Carmello Anthony will get substantial MVP votes and does he deserve them?

SportsNation John Hollinger: I think he'll get some consideration because of all the clutch shots, but two things really will hurt him. First, the ball-punch thing in L.A., which was about as unclutch as a move as there is. Second, there's the other 47 minutes. Anthony has played well, but he hasn't been at an MVP level except in the final seconds.

Tad (Ithaca, NY): How is Miami going to beat out NJ? NJ is peaking while Shaq and the rest of Miami's geriatric crew is falling apart!

SportsNation John Hollinger: If you're talking about the No. 2 seed in the East, Miami doesn't play a team with a winning record the rest of the way, so they should be able to hold off NJ. As far as the second round of the playoffs, Miami has an edge there too because Zo will be back. But it should be a great series regardless.

Brent(Atlanta,GA): I know the hawks are a young team, but don't you think with the talent assembled they should have more wins. Is this a coaching issue???

SportsNation John Hollinger: It's not a coaching issue, it's a roster issue. No matter how much talent a team has, it doesn't really help if everybody plays the same position. Look for the Hawks to target point guards and centers this summer.

sean (indy): i thought the pistons' bench was their big weakness. delk, mcdyess, and hunter all looked great yesterday. what do you think of the bench, and subsequently what it means to the pistons in the playoffs?

SportsNation John Hollinger: I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago -- Detroit's bench isn't nearly as bad as it was a year ago. The unit still isn't going to *win* them many games, but unlike a year ago it won't *lose* them games either.

Travis (Lansing, MI): Give me a sleeper team from each conference come playoffs.

SportsNation John Hollinger: In the East I really don't see anybody, unless you want to call New Jersey a
"sleeper." I can't imagine any of hte top four losing in Round 1, although Washington could at least make things interesting against Cleveland. In the West, I like Memphis's chances a lot. They should have home court against Denver in Round 1 (as long as the Griz remember to lose to the Clippers next Tuesday) and Phoenix has been an absolute sieve on defense ever since Kurt Thomas went out. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see the Griz in the conference finals ... nor would I be surprised if they were routed 4-0 once they got there.

mark (winston-salem, nc): Seattle has been on a hot streak but still have suspect defense. Would a trade of Ridnour and Collison for Josh Smith (ATL) help both teams. Defense for Seattle and point guard/center for Atlanta.

SportsNation John Hollinger: Here's the thing about Smith -- he blocks shots, but he's not a good defensive player. Not yet anyway -- loses his many way too often and gets put in positions where going for the block is his only alternative. Not that Atlanta would do that deal anyway.

Doron (Philly, PA): I posted this before without thecity and state... sorry. I'm a white journalist for a small paper, and I can't shake the feeling that Nash's MVP hype is being driven by the overwhelming percentage of white sports journalists. Has LeBron's season been downplayed (until recently) because of bias? Or is it smething else? I wonder...

SportsNation John Hollinger: I've always thought the Nash thing was misconstrued as being about race when it's really about size -- We don't like rooting for Goliath, so give Nash (or Iverson before him) the MVP over Shaq and Duncan. Or we give a 5-10 guy 15 tries at a dunk and then name him the "champion' when he completes it .. you get the idea. Everybody wants to pull for the little guy.

Mikey (Jacksonville, FL): What do you think of the Magic's late run? Is it a fluke, or can we expect a much-improved team next season?

SportsNation John Hollinger: It's not a fluke and I do expect Orlando to be better next year. Nelson, Howard and Milicic are a great trio to build around and everybody forgets that Turkoglu can play. Add a lottery pick this year and, with luck, a healthy Grant Hill, and it's a pretty impressive turnaround.

George N Columbus OH: What is it going to take for LeBron to win the MVP???? 50 wins??? playoff series win???

SportsNation John Hollinger: I think 50 will be LeBron's magic number. While it's stupid to say he's the MVP if they win 50 games and not if they win 49, there's something about that nice round number that makes it much easier for people to make his case. As far as the playoff series goes, it's irrelevant -- MVP voting is done before the postseason begins.

TP (Cleveland, OH): Can the Cavs beat the Pistons in a 7 game series? They've played them fairly well the past 2 years. And LeBron OWNS Tayshaun.

SportsNation John Hollinger: Realistically, the only way the Cavs can win is if somebody on Detroit gets hurt. Cleveland is good enough to make things interesting, say a 6-game series or so ... but actually win it? I can't see that happening.

Nadeem (Detroit): Can the Magic make the Playoffs, with their current run?

SportsNation John Hollinger: Doubtful. The Magic basically need to run the table to have a realistic chance at the postseason, and while they've played well lately I still think that's a major, major stretch.

Jon (Winnipeg): What about Dirk for MVP? He's been tearing it up these last couple of weeks, is close to Bron in PER, and has his team on pace for 60 wins in a much tougher conference...

SportsNation John Hollinger: Dirk is on the short list. This is the first time I can remember when it was the final week of the season and I still wasn't sure who deserved my endorsement. LeBron, Dirk, Wade and Kobe all have been brilliant, and in another season (like, say, a year ago) each of them would have been obvious MVP choices.

James (Puyallup, WA): Do you still feel the Spurs are the favorite to come out of the Western Conference with an 85% at best Timmy and a hobbled Manu Ginobili?

SportsNation John Hollinger: It would be easier to say no if anybody else in the West was healthy. But with Dallas's injured list growing by the day, Phoenix without Kurt Thomas and Amare, and Denver's entire frontcourt day to day, the Spurs actually have the upper-hand healthwise right now.

Alex (Seattle, WA): What do you think of the new Chris Wilcox and the future of the Sonics?

SportsNation John Hollinger: I've always liked Wilcox and I'm glad he's getting a chance to play. I'm sure the Sonics wished he wasn't quite doing THIS well, however, because now it's going to cost them over the summer.

Rob (Los Angeles, CA): Are the Suns slumping lately, or do they just have nothing to play for with the #2 seed locked up for the playoffs? Has this little .500 stretch hurt Nash's MVP chances?

SportsNation John Hollinger: It's definitely more than just a little malaise -- their defense has been horrible going back to the day Kurt Thomas checked out of the lineup. It's not just that Thomas is a good defender, of course, but that Phoenix has nobody to replace him and they've been horribly undersized as a result. As for Nash's MVP chances, you're asking the wrong guy since I was never on his bandwagon in the first place. I would think the answer to your question is yes, but I can't be certain.

Andre (Philly): Do you think Iverson is still in a Sixers uniform next year?

SportsNation John Hollinger: Yes I do, because otherwise they're just a bad, capped-out team with no Iverson. The only alternative would be if they could trade Webber too, but that's going to be even harder than the Knicks getting rid of Marbury.

Derreck (Veneta, OR): John, is it safe to assume your MVP will also finish with the best PER?

SportsNation John Hollinger: No. There's plenty more that goes into it than just the PER, especially with the top players so close to each other in this category.

Jerry (Cleveland, OH): Do you see LeBron (the MVP) and the Cavs riding their hot streak into the playoffs? And how far do you see them advancing?

SportsNation John Hollinger: Sure, they'll continue to play well now that Hughes is back and LeBron is going great guns. But I can't see them getting past the second round and Detroit.

Joel (Vancouver): Chauncey Billups is having a career season.. do you see him keeping it up for the next couple of years? How well do PGs with his skill set usually age?

SportsNation John Hollinger: Actually, players of Billups' type usually have fairly long peaks. Billups is both big for his position and a better shooter than most, and those are the two factors that tend to affect career longevity the most.

SportsNation John Hollinger: OK folks, time for me to get on my plane. Thanks everyone for joining the chat, and we'll do this again next Monday at 3.