Von Wafer ended up being available for Houston's Game 6 against the Blazers after he was ruled out due to back spasms.

"I felt good in the workout," Wafer said before Rockets team physician Tom Clanton cleared him to play. "It?s not really tough. I just want to be out there with my teammates. I was home today. I thought I wouldn?t be able to play. I just thought about my teammates. I wanted to be there. I just want to play."

Von Wafer will not be available for the Rockets in their Game 6 contest with Portland on Thursday night.

Wafer, who is averaging 10.6 points and 1.2 assists in the series thus far, underwent MRI exams on Wednesday which revealed back spasms that were caused by a bulging disk.

Originally drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, Wafer has been an integral part to Houston's success this year.  He has found a consistent spot in Rick Adelman's rotation, mainly due to the injury of regular starter Tracy McGrady.

There is no word yet if Wafer will be available for a potential game seven.  He is listed as day-to-day.

Ron Artest was interviewed by TNT's Craig Sager at Houston's Wednesday practice and spoke to how good Brandon Roy is on the offensive end.

"Roy is probably the best player I've played against," said Artest.  "He's the best shooting guard, not on defense now, defense is kind of suspect, but he's the best player I've played against."

Artest was then asked if he thinks Roy is better than LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.

"He's the best player I've played against," said Artest.

Andrew Bynum is already looking forward to the second round and a potential match-up with Yao Ming.

"I expect to play more just because of Yao Ming being out there," said Bynum. "That's who I'm thinking we're going to play.

"They have the lead and they have two games to win one."

Rockets coach Rick Adelman refused to criticize the officiating in his team's Game 5 loss to the Blazers on Tuesday night.

"Come on, you want me to say anything after what happened," said Adelman, who was fined $25,000 by the league for harping on referees inbetween Games 3 and 4.

"I mean, you can't be serious. Unless you want to loan me some money I'd be glad to say some things. I'm not going to say anything," he added.

Portland attempted 23 foul shots on Tuesday night, against just 10 for Houston.

The Magic, Bulls and Rockets enjoyed dramatic victories on Sunday, thanks to heroics from Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Gordon and Yao Ming, respectively.

- Chicago 121, Boston 118 (2 OT)

Team FIC Differential: Bulls +17.4, Celtics -17.4

The Bulls (2-2) outlasted the Celtics (2-2) in two overtimes to even up the series with a win at the United Center. Derrick Rose led with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, Tyrus Thomas posted 14 points and 10 boards, and Ben Gordon scored 22 points on 10-for-22 shooting. Chicago hit 48% of their shots, while holding Boston to 42% and narrowly winning the rebounding battle by two. Ray Allen made a three-pointer to force the first overtime, and Gordon converted his own long-range bomb to take the game into the second extra period. Paul Pierce had a game-high 29 points and 7 rebounds, Ray Allen tallied 28 points on 8-for-17 shooting, and Rajon Rondo contributed 25 points, 11 boards and 11 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 26.9

Derrick Rose, Chicago ? 17.2

Joakim Noah, Chicago ? 16.2

Ray Allen, Boston ? 14.0

- Cleveland 99, Detroit 78

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +42.3, Pistons -42.3

The Cavaliers (4-0) completed a four-game sweep of the Pistons (0-4) on Sunday afternoon with a methodical victory in Detroit. LeBron James starred with 36 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, Delonte West tallied 12 points and 5 dimes, and Maurice Williams turned in 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting in the win. Cleveland held Detroit to 39% shooting, while outrebounding the home team by 11. The Cavaliers were also an amazing 23-for-24 from the foul line in the series-ending game. Antonio McDyess had 26 points and 10 rebounds, Rodney Stuckey posted 14 points and 6 assists, and Will Bynum scored 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 29.1

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 16.5

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 14.0

Will Bynum, Detroit ? 10.9

- Orlando 84, Philadelphia 81

Team FIC Differential: 76ers +1.6, Magic -1.6

Hedo Turkoglu shot the Magic (2-2) past the 76ers (2-2) with a dramatic three-pointer with just one second left in regulation. Dwight Howard led with 18 points and 17 rebounds, Rashard Lewis posted 17 points and 7 boards, and Turkoglu scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the win. Orlando hit 47% of their shots, while holding Philadelphia to just 38% at the Wachovia Center. The Magic used a 28-19 edge in the third quarter to take control heading into the final twelve minutes, but the 76ers used a strong fourth to make things interesting. Andre Miller had 17 points and 5 rebounds, Thaddeus Young tallied 15 points and 7 boards, and Andre Iguodala stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 21.0

Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia ? 16.0

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 12.9

Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia ? 12.8

- Houston 89, Portland 88

Team FIC Differential: Rockets -0.8, Blazers +0.8

The Rockets (3-1) won a hotly contested game against the Blazers (1-3) on Sunday at the Toyota Center. Yao Ming led with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Luis Scola tallied 17 points and 8 boards, and Shane Battier put up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. Houston shot just 39% from the field, but grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and turned the ball over just nine times. Kyle Lowry missed a pair of free throws with one second left in regulation, allowing the clock to run out before Portland had a chance to attempt a last-second shot. Brandon Roy scored 31 points on 8-for-17 shooting, LaMarcus Aldridge posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Steve Blake chipped in 11 points and 8 assists in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Brandon Roy, Portland ? 22.4

Shane Battier, Houston ? 19.3

Yao Ming, Houston ? 18.3

Joel Przybilla, Portland ? 13.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Rockets won a hotly contested Game 4 against the Blazers on Sunday night, moving them to within one victory of the second round.

Houston, who hasn't won a playoff series in 12 years, has been one win away from advancing on a few occasions in the past.

"We still have one to go," center Yao Ming said. "We've been in this situation before."

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Portland as the Rockets look to reach the second round for the first time since 1997.

Yao Ming has attempted just 13 shots for the Rockets in their last two postseason games, but he's fine with the reduced role.

The Blazers have made stopping Yao a priority, and he's fine with deferring to his teammates as long as Houston continues to win.

"We have a lot of weapons," Yao told the Associated Press. "Actually, I'm not very frustrated. I have not caused the damage I did in the first game, but I think I have still helped the team win. That's the only thing I care about."

Houston's offense is balanced, even behind Yao and Ron Artest.

"Yao and Ron don't even score in double figures and they win the game," said Portland's Brandon Roy after Friday's game. "They made some good adjustments, some guys came off the bench and played well. We felt like we did a good job of taking away the two guys, and their other guys got it going."

Game 4 is Sunday night, with Portland looking to even up the series.

Thaddeus Young entered his name into playoff lore on Friday night with a game-winning layup for the 76ers.

- Cleveland 79, Detroit 68

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +23.7, Pistons -23.7

The Cavaliers (3-0) clamped down defensively to push the Pistons (0-3) to the brink of elimination with a win on Friday night in Detroit. LeBron James starred with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, Joe Smith posted 19 points and 10 boards, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 13 points and 6 rebounds in the victory. Cleveland limited Detroit to 38% shooting from the field, while attempting 18 more foul shots than the home team. Richard Hamilton led with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Antonio McDyess tallied 8 points and 8 boards, and Rodney Stuckey contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 dimes in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 27.4

Joe Smith, Cleveland ? 17.9

Richard Hamilton, Detroit ? 12.3

Antonio McDyess, Detroit ? 7.0

- Philadelphia 96, Orlando 94

Team FIC Differential: 76ers -3.1, Magic +3.1

Thaddeus Young slipped into the paint for a game-winning layup to give the 76ers (2-1) a dramatic win over the favored Magic (1-2) at the Wachovia Center. Andre Iguodala had 29 points and 7 rebounds, Willie Green scored 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and Andre Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, 9 boards and 7 assists in the victory. Philadelphia hit 52% of their shots, while holding Orlando to 42% on the night. Dwight Howard starred with 36 points and 11 rebounds, Rashard Lewis posted 14 points and 7 boards, and Rafer Alston turned in 17 points and 5 rebounds in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 25.5

Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia ? 20.6

Andre Miller, Philadelphia ? 15.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 12.9

- Houston 96, Portland 93

Team FIC Differential: Rockets +14.2, Blazers -14.2

The Rockets (2-1) held off the Blazers (1-2) in the final seconds to secure a victory in the pivotal Game 3 on Friday night. Luis Scola had 19 points and 9 rebounds, Yao Ming posted 7 points and 13 boards, and Shane Battier scored 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Houston held Portland to 42% shooting, while winning the rebounding battle by nine at the Toyota Center. The Rockets also attempted 14 more foul shots than the Blazers. Brandon Roy led with 19 points and 7 rebounds, Steve Blake tallied 16 points and 10 assists, and Rudy Fernandez scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Steve Blake, Portland ? 18.5

Shane Battier, Houston ? 15.8

Luis Scola, Houston ? 14.4

Rudy Fernandez, Portland ? 12.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets are frustrated with the way that officials are allowing the Blazers to play Yao Ming.

?They were very physical,? coach Rick Adelman said. ?They put their hands on him. They wrestled with him from the top of the key all the way down. It?s up to us to have more patience, to move the ball more. It?s up to him to understand what they?re doing and counter it. ... If the officials are going to allow them to manhandle him like they did, we?ve got to find an answer for that.?

Added Yao: ?I know coach has complained to the league for me. I just have to do my job.?

Adelman said the whistles were inconsistent.

?In the first six minutes, they must have called seven or eight fouls on both teams,? he said. ?Hand-checking, everything else. Then it was like, ?Let?s don?t call anything else the rest of the game.? ?