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.

1. Which matchups will ultimately decide the conference finals?

	Kobe Bryant (8) has been Mr. Fourth Quarter in the playoffs.

There are so many great matchups in the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series. The Kings know they'll have to contain Kobe Bryant, who has become Mr. Fourth Quarter, especially in the playoffs. He'll be a difficult matchup for Doug Christie, so that will be interesting.

But Shaq scares Sacramento the most. Look for him to be a major factor. In the San Antonio series, the Spurs had Tim Duncan and David Robinson to challenge Shaq's shot. But the Kings have no one to challenge him.

There are also some some terrific matchups in the Boston Celtics-New Jersey Nets series. First of all, there's a mismatch between Jason Kidd and Kenny Anderson. Anderson is too slight and small to guard a guy as big and powerful as Kidd.

Meanwhile, it will be difficult for New Jersey to control Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. New Jersey lacks the athletic players to guard these two guys. Pierce and Walker can both play one-on-one and they're good ball-handlers who get to the basket. Keith Van Horn lacks the lateral quickness to guard them. Kenyon Martin is an inside player who'll be like a fish out of water if he has to go outside and guard them. I give the advantage to Boston in this series.

2. How vital are Bobby Jackson and Hedo Turkoglu to the Kings?
Both Bobby Jackson and Hidayet Turkoglu have to continue to play well for Sacramento. Especially with Peja Stojakovic out of the lineup due to his injured ankle, both have to step up and score not in one game but in every game.

In last year's playoffs, Rick Fox did an outstanding job shutting down Stojakovic. It's up to Fox to do the same with Turkoglu this year. If Fox can do that again, Sacramento could have a problem.

3. How much will home-court advantage matter in these series?
Because it's tough to go in and win the odd game on the visitors' floor, home-court advantage really only matters when you get to Game 7. But there's pressure on the home team in the first game of a playoff series. The Kings are in trouble -- they have to win Game 1 if they want to establish anything. If the Kings lose Game 1, the Lakers will control the series. And when the Lakers have control, they usually step on your neck.

4. Who, on each conference finalist, must step up their game?
With only two offensive players of note, Boston needs Pierce and Walker to really step up against New Jersey. And even though Sacramento may be America's favorite, the Kings can't just rely on home-court advantage. They've got to come out and play well every game.

Mike Bibby, who's had a great postseason and played extremely well against Dallas, must continue to step it up and play the way he's been playing. Against Dallas, we saw Bibby grow up. If he can keep it up against the Lakers, Sacramento will have a great chance.

5. Who will be advancing to the 2002 NBA Finals?
In the Lakers-Kings series, I like the Lakers advancing to the Finals. They've got the experience; they've been there, done that. The Lakers know how to win, both on the road and at home. And they're a team with composure -- they know how to win close games.

In the Celtics-Nets series, I like the underdog Celtics to advance. Boston has played well defensively all year: third in the league in defensive field-goal percentage (meaning they don't give up a lot of quality shots), first in steals, second in forcing turnovers and fifth in the league in defensive rebounding. The Celtics are a complete defensive team with two tremendous offensive players.