By Rob Peterson Ah, a closeout game. How refreshing. This should make things easier for our Drive to the Finals pick for Wednesday. With the Wizards facing a 3-1 deficit heading back to Cleveland, it's clear we need to take a Washingtonian to fill the bill. We could go Gilbert Arenas. And you know, we love us some Gil. But thanks (or, no thanks) to his knee injury, Mr. Arenas hasn't been himself all season or postseason. Gil's got a skinny 15.6 PRA this postseason and had to sit out the second half of Washington's only win this series when he tweaked that knee in Game 3. I know people say the Wiz play better without Arenas, but I don't buy it. To advance, the Wizards need him ... big games from him. But can you count on him for a huge PRA? I say no. That's why you go with Caron Butler, who had a stellar 31.9 PRA in the regular season. Those numbers have dipped a bit in the postseason as Butler has just a 23.8 PRA, but he's all we feel comfortable with this late in the series. Plus, Antawn Jamison is off the board. Regardless, Washington needs a stellar game from Butler to draw the series back to Washington for Game 6. And even if the Wizards get a stellar game from him and lose, it's not as if you're going to shake your head and rue that you didn't use an injured Arenas or a streaky DeShawn Stevenson in the series. There's no use worrying in not making those selections. Speaking of the word butler, it's derived from the old French bouteillier, which means "cup bearer." Another incarnation, according to the Wikipedia entry (which are never wrong: Encyclopedia Brittanica ain't bad, either): "The role of the butler, for centuries, has been that of the chief steward of a household, the attendant entrusted with the care and serving of wine and other bottled beverages which in ancient times might have represented a considerable portion of the household's assets." Sir, our Drive to the Finals assets are in your hands. Please present us with a handsome PRA on a silver platter. That's all we ask. Play Drive to the Finals Now!

Caron Butler, WASWhen: Wednesday, April 30 at 6 p.m. ET Opponent: at Cleveland Pts: 20.3 Reb: 6.7 Ast: 4.9 Regular Season Average PRA: 31.9 Yesterday's Pick: Jason Kidd, DAL Expert Pick Playoffs Total: 290 Expert Pick Archive 1. Gilbert Arenas, WAS @ CLE (28.4 PRA) 2. Paul Pierce, BOS vs. ATL (29.2 PRA) 3. Ray Allen, BOS vs. ATL (24.2 PRA) If you're not thrilled with Butler, Gil's not a bad choice. Although the Celtics-Hawks series is knotted at two games apiece, if you're feeling daring, picking one of the C's big three may suffice. May we suggest Pierce or Allen, because if the Celtics do go down 3-2, then you're going to want KG for sure in Game 6 in Atlanta. If not, you can get another Hawk -- Al Horford, more than likely -- for the potential close-out or clincher.