By Jon Loomer After an up and down (mostly down) start to the NBA Playoffs, The Experts have rebounded nicely during The Finals to put up some respectable Drive to the Finals numbers. It's that "never say die" attitude. It ain't over 'til it's over. Play to the final whistle blows. There's no crying in baseball. Anyway. Kevin Garnett opened The Finals for The Experts with the best PRA performance of Game 1, and his best during the three games. We followed that up with Rajon Rondo in Game 2, and he responded with a 26 (play the home/road splits!). We went with the suddenly steady Ray Allen instead of the hobbled Paul Pierce for Game 3, and he gave us the best PRA performance of the night from anyone not named Kobe Bryant. It's a nice start, but we still have work to do. Game 4 is where it gets tricky. We do still have Paul Pierce in or back pocket, but I'd like to keep him there for now. He had a rough Game 3, and he probably isn't fully healed from a sprained knee. Considering this series is guaranteed to go at least five games, there's no reason to pick him yet. We're saving him for a home game or elimination game in LA. After a big Game 3 in which Sasha Vujacic broke out for a playoff personal best 25 PRA, the popular pick has been to go with the hot hand. In fact, 10% of all users (the second highest amount behind 15% for Pau Gasol) are going with Vujacic in Game 4. Popularity doesn't make it the right pick. I don't like chasing hot games, particularly when it comes to role players. Whether or not you get a big game or a complete dud from a role player is partly due to the luck of the draw. If you choose a role player a game after a big game with hopes that lightning will strike twice, you'll often be disappointed. A good example of this phenomenon is Leon Powe. Powe had a 23 PRA in only 15 minutes on Sunday. Think he was a popular pick for Game 3? You bet. And you've got to imagine people weren't particularly happy about that 3 PRA in Game 3. I'm not against picking Vujacic, but there are other options. Powe is an option, but only because of one game. Otherwise, we should also be looking at Vladimir Radmanovic, Kendrick Perkins and James Posey. Posey and Perkins both had decent games on Tuesday, but I'm never confident picking role players on the road. The possibility of a big game just isn't great. That's the way it is. All things being equal (and the four main players we have to choose from are very equal), I'd rather go with the player at home. And if this series goes seven games, we'll pick one of these Celtics eventually anyway. That leaves us with Vujacic and Radmanovic. Many will be scared off by Radmanovic's horrid Game 3 in which he played 13 minutes and finished with a 4 PRA. The truth is that Radmanovic was in immediate foul trouble (two in the first quarter, three by halftime and four by the third). He couldn't get on track. Throughout the Playoffs, Radmanovic has outplayed Vujacic in 10 of the 18 games. Vujacic's 25 PRA on Tuesday was by far his best game of the Playoffs. He hadn't otherwise touched 20. Radmanovic, on the other hand, had four games over 20. So, it would sound like I'm leaning towards Radmanovic. I was initially. But some final numbers changed my mind. Including Tuesday's game, Vujacic has outplayed Radmanovic in six home games. That's right, in eight of the games Vujacic has come up bigger, six of those games have been at home. On the other hand, Radmanovic has been coming up bigger away from LA (three of his four 20 PRA games were on the road). Only three of his superior PRA games were played at home. This isn't just a few random games. Let's look at the last nine games: Date Radmanovic Vujacic H/A Better Game 6/10 4 25 Home Vujacic 6/8 25 9 Road Radmanovic 6/5 12 11 Road Radmanovic 5/29 10 12 Home Vujacic 5/27 19 5 Road Radmanovic 5/25 20 7 Road Radmanovic 5/23 6 12 Home Vujacic 5/21 15 17 Home Vujacic 5/16 17 15 Road Radmanovic Downright silly. This is more than a trend, it's practically a law. Of course, two things: 1) this is bound to end eventually, and it could very well end on Thursday, and 2) if the Lakers win Game 4, we'll likely pick Radmanovic in Game 5 anyway. You're rolling the dice on either player. Radmanovic has proven to be the much safer bet on the road. Vujacic, though, is our best bet at home -- big Game 3 or not. Play Drive to the Finals Now!

Sasha Vujacic, LALWhen: Thursday, June 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET Opponent: vs. Boston Pts: 8.7 Reb: 2.2 Ast: 0.8 Playoffs Average PRA: 10.7 Most Recent Pick: Ray Allen, BOS Expert Pick Playoffs Total: 1,201 Expert Pick Archive 1. Vladimir Radmanovic, LAL vs. BOS (13.2 PRA) 2. Paul Pierce, BOS @ LAL (28.0 PRA) 3. Kendrick Perkins, BOS @ LAL (13.9 PRA) We will end up using all of these players if the series goes seven games, so it will be all about proper timing. Pierce could break out for a big Game 4 after a sub-par Game 3. I'd just rather play the numbers and save him (and his knee) for a home game. The most logical second option for The Experts is Radmanovic, and this one is going to haunt us for a while if Vlad puts up a big game. We're hoping Sasha makes this pose often on Thursday. (S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)