1.   And Drexler sounded more like an excited college player than a jaded veteran as he talked about the conference finals.

2.   And for the second year in a row, they are going to the conference finals.

3.   And it is noteworthy that North Carolina lost to Wake Forest in the conference finals last weekend with Wallace sidelined late in the game with the ankle injury.

4.   And here the Lakers were, two games away from the conference finals.

5.   And its coach, Chuck Daly, was a two-time NBA champ while Nelson has never advanced beyond a conference final.

6.   And of the eight teams that needed seven games to win the conference finals, only two won the title.

7.   And Mullin could begin sneaking a peek at the conference finals, the place he has never been.

8.   And Utah has been to the NBA Finals the past two season and the conference finals or beyond in four of the past five years.

9.   Barring a late-season collapse, Utah will enjoy home-court advantage through the conference finals, an edge that the Jazz has never enjoyed.

10.   Beyond those factors, the Knicks never moved the ball like the team that picked apart Indiana in the conference finals.