We double-dip this week to bring you the latest musings on the twists and turns of this year?s post-season. The following comes from Special Ed since I was asleep last night, having been tucked in by Katherine McPhee?s mesmerizing rendition of ?Somewhere Over the Rainbow.?  Buy stock in Katherine McPhee right now. Maybe she?s not the best singer, but damn can she fill out a dress. Here?s what Ed learned this week:

? Can they please televise the Eastern Conference games overnight and put the Western playoffs on for Prime Time EST?  No one out West has a real job anyway, so they can watch at some Tiki Bar waste deep in a heated pool for all I care. God, I need to move.

? I can only assume Shaun Livingston read the Musings, because we no longer are waiting around for him.  14 Assists in the Round 1 clincher?  Brilliant. If this guy can stay healthy and learn the point from Sam I Am he?ll be a player. I?m drafting him now for next year?s fantasy league.  Too bad he shoots like the drummer from Def Leppard.

? Rasheed is still an idiot. Run your mouth, guaranteeing a win, and then your team shoots 33%? Dude just shut up, you?re nothing more than a relic, the 6?10? wing shooter who still thinks the line has been moved in and tries to hit form outside. You?re a bit part on that team and everyone knows it, and if LB can be replaced so can you.
 
? Can LeBron please post someone up and quit shooting off-balanced fall away jumpers?  He?s bigger and stronger than anyone who guards him (Hamilton) and should be taking advantage. So quit going ISO every time down and start getting people involved. Drive and kick. That said, they are tied 2-2, but eventually his shot selection will cost them, mark it down.

? The Suns willingness to tinker and exchange parts is going to be what keeps them interesting and competing for as long as Steve Nash can play.  He?s been the PG on the top scoring NBA team the last 5 years. Coincidence? I think not. Not overpaying for guys like Q-Rich or Joe Johnson and replacing them with Boris Diaw and James Jones proves that the Colangelo?s know their way around the economics of basketball.  Not only do they not overpay for players that are being overvalued by other teams (Isiah, I?m looking at you) but they are finding great value in players that are being overlooked by everyone.  Sure, playing with Steve Nash helps, but he was a free-agent not too long ago and anyone could?ve made an offer.  A slow, deliberate clap for the Phoenix Suns franchise, they know what they?re doing.

? Hey, didn?t you used to be Shaquille O?Neal, Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning?

? The first round victory by the Clippers was great for them and the NBA, really.  But let?s not make this wipe away all the poor management by Elgin and Don Sterling.  You know they?re one off-season away from tearing this thing down and starting over.  It?s almost over, Clippers fans.  Tick,-tock, tick-tock.  If you look closely enough you can see the purple and gold t-shirts under their Chris Kaman Jerseys.  Even Jack Nicholson was at the game last night, that?s pathetic. What?s next, Frankie Muniz gets indicted on drug-trafficking charges?

? Mavs-Spurs:  Not to beat a dead horse, but it?s a low down dirty shame this is not the western conference finals.  Now Stern is adding a rule to prevent this in the future.  I still like the Spurs to win the series.  Watch for them to get back to what they do best in game 5, control the flow of the game and play defense.  They?ll have to win a high scoring game in Dallas in game 6, and then game 7 back on the River Walk, and back to keeping the buckets few and far between.  Can?t you just watch these 2 teams play a best of 11?  What?s great is the depth of talent on both sides, but it still comes down to the best players to make the big shots.  

? Surprise!  The Lake Erie LeBrons have managed to pull even their series with the previously unbeatable Detroit Pistons.  After ?Sheed shot his mouth off (no way, really?)  King James did something only Magic had ever done, grab his 2nd triple-double of hi first post-season.  Is this the case of the supreme talent possibly beating the system-basketball team?  That remains to be seen. One thing is for certain though, ?Sheed never knows when to shut his mouth.

? Surprise Again!  Mavs 3, Spurs 1. Jason Terry has proved every bit the capable playoff PG, something that shocks the hell out of me. But Dirk getting 40 ft?s in the last 2 games?  He?s a 7-footer, he doesn?t need protection from the refs. Is Tim Duncan entering into Shaq-zone, where he dominates early and is left off the floor late with personal fouls or foul-shooting problems?  

? This just in: Avery Johnson can coach, man. Going small with Devin Harris starting to make the Spurs have to counter without Rasho or Nazr? Genius. And if the Conference Finals are Mavs-Suns, you won?t be able to get away from the Dirk and Nash interest stories.

? Suns push Clippers to the brink.  Shawn Marion is a dominant basketball player, hands down. I don?t think he stopped running or jumping for 55 minutes 36 points and 20 boards is enough to make Moses stand up and take notice.  Not that Moses, you idiots. Was he overshadowed by the raw power of Amare in the last few years? Probably, because he is the most complete player on that team with the possible exception of Boris Diaw. An absolute joy to watch at Power Forward, he may be redefining the position right before your eyes.  Unless you fall asleep every time he?s on TV, like Kev does.

? So the Heat vanquished the Nets in 5. Ok, we were wrong, so sue us.  A bad pass on the final possession is all that kept VC from his predestined fate to hit the game winner.  The Nets will be back, and are definitely the class of the Atlantic for the time being.  If the Cavaliers win and face Miami in the East Finals, I don?t want to hear from Oliver Stone about how David Stern and President Bush want LeBron in the spotlight with Dwayne Wade. Its entertainment, deal with it.

? Mark my words, Elton Brand is less than 2 years away from being a solid NBA player.

Thanks for making the Weekly Musings the most requested article I write on RealGM.com.  For the Weekly Musings? Kevin Casini, I?m Special Ed.  Kevin will return next week with a brand new set of kidneys. Woo-hoo!