If you close your eyes and let your mind wander, you can almost smell the bluegrass in the air and hear the sound of the thundering hoofs.

"And down the stretch they come."

Instead of the Kentucky Derby, though, it's a crowded field of different thoroughbreds running for the wire in the final week of the NBA regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers are dueling for the best overall record in the league and home-court advantage all through the playoffs. Meanwhile the defending champion Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic are trying to join them with 60 wins. It would be only the second time in league history that four teams reached that plateau. The only other was in the 1997-98 season, with Chicago (62), Utah (62), the Lakers (61) and Seattle (61).

That's just one of the scenarios still to play out in final seven nights. So many pieces of the puzzle are left to fall into place, and there's so little time. Here are 10 reasons to keep a close eye on the stretch run:

1.) Cavs vs. Lakers for home-court advantage: No team in the league has made better use of its home court than Cleveland, still on a pace to tie the 1985-86 Celtics record of 40-1. Of course, the only team to come away with a win so far in Cleveland is the Lakers and location, location, location could make all the difference in a Finals showdown in June. LA is one game back in the loss column.

2.) MVP closing arguments: While the lines may have been drawn already in many camps regarding the three-way showdown between LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, there are some voters still waiting for every last speck of dust to fall in the battle. If the Lakers overtake Cleveland, will that help Kobe pass LeBron?

3.) Splintering Spurs?: Now, it's official. Manu Ginobili is out for the rest of the season and the playoffs with a stress fracture in his right ankle. The Spurs' Big Three is down to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and A Lot of Hope. Several weeks ago, the Spurs appeared solid as the West's No. 2 seed. With three of their final five away from San Antonio, the Spurs could open the playoffs on the road.

4.) The return of Kevin Garnett: Doc Rivers says that KG is making slow and steady progress from the right knee strain that's kept him out of the lineup since March 25. Can the Celtics even think realistically about defending their title if Garnett is not at full strength? Can they even hold off Orlando for the No. 2 in the East in a stretch run that has road games at the Cavs and Sixers? Garnett is not expected to play in Cleveland, but he could test the knee at Philly or in the finale against Washington.

5.) The return of Andrew Bynum: Sure, the Lakers are still chasing down the Cavs for the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs. But just like last year, the difference between reaching the NBA Finals and winning it all could depend on whether the franchise Player of the Future can help Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol win in the present. Bynum is back on the floor for 5-on-5 scrimmages and says he hopes to play Sunday against Memphis or Tuesday against Utah.

6.) There's a new deadeye in town, Calvin Murphy: Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors is on a pace to shatter Hall of Famer Murphy's 38-year-old record for best free-throw percentage in a season. Calderon has made 141 of 144 (.979). Murphy made 206 of 215 (.958) in the 1980-81 season. Calderon could miss his next three free throws and still be ahead of Murphy.

7.) Pssst, my name is Chris Paul: While most of the debate swirls around LeBron, Kobe and D-Wade, and the "overlooked" talk usually centers on Dwight Howard in the MVP race, little ol' CP3, the runner-up from last year, is heading for another dazzling finish. Paul is keeping the Hornets' hopes floating while on track to become the first player in history to lead the league in both assists and steals for consecutive seasons.

8.) Bobcats still growling: Their best opportunities may have gone out the window when they blew an eight-point lead in Boston and then tripped on Sunday in Detroit. But one of the most entertaining stories of the season has been watching Larry Brown remake the Bobcats from an afterthought to a contender for the final playoff spot in the East. It might take a miracle with four road games to finish, but Brown won't let them quit.

9.) Who gets the Lakers?: In a Western Conference that's more tightly packed than Mariah Carey in a dress, the Lakers stand above the rest. So who gets the No. 8 seed and the unenviable task of running into Kobe & Co. in the first round? The loser of Wednesday's Utah at Dallas game will have the inside track. But New Orleans, Portland, Houston, even San Antonio could still wind up in the crosshairs and facing an early summer.

10.) Kings of the ping-pong balls: Can the Sacramento Kings and their 16 wins lock down the best odds of winning the NBA draft lottery? The Wizards and Clippers have 18 wins each and the Kings are along in last place with 16. The Kings also have a tough finish with three road games and pair of home dates against Houston and San Antonio, teams that are desperate for victories.

Longtime NBA writer Fran Blinebury's column appears weekly on NBA.com.