Three-for-three:

Probably the most significant thing for me in this series is the three best players for each team play the same position.

You have Kevin Garnett against Chris Webber. You have Sam Cassell against Mike Bibby. And you have Latrell Sprewell against Peja Stojakovic.

The Kings' big three of Stojakovic, Webber and especially Bibby could give the Timberwolves fits. Rocky Widner NBAE/Getty Images

They'll be matched up most of the time. And for Garnett -- being the MVP -- that's a big advantage for him because of what I saw from Webber in the Kings-Mavericks series. Webber doesn't have the lift. He still put up some decent numbers in the last series and played pretty well, but he didn't have the lift that he normally has. Maybe he'll get better as time goes and he plays more, but that will be the key: How well will Webber play?

Point guard matchup is also key:

Cassell has had a great year, but Bibby is the type of player that bothers other point guards because he's a scorer. He's not a prototypical point guard where he's dishing it off. He's a scorer. That bothers Cassell a lot. He has a tendency to get frustrated and into foul trouble.

Plus, the Kings go to Bibby for the big shots, probably more than anyone on their team. It's a very interesting matchup to me.

More and more we're seeing point guards take big shots. Dwyane Wade did it in a big game for Miami and Baron Davis does it in New Orleans. Point guards are scorers in most cases. There are very few John Stocktons left.

Injuries will play a part:

Both teams are missing some key players. Fred Hoiberg and Trenton Hassell will need to play very well because Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson are out. And if Bobby Jackson is out the entire series, it's a tremendous, tremendous loss for Sacramento. The Kings aren't an outstanding defensive team. But when Jackson is in there with Doug Christie, that really picks up their defense.

As the Big Three for the top seed in the West, Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell have reason to smile. David Sherman NBAE/Getty Images

As far as Webber's knee, it affects him a lot because he plays over the rim. I think his lift is not nearly what it was. And when you think about the injury, you also think about the psychological part of it. You're not reacting, you're thinking about your injury. It takes away the lift, the hang-time where you can change your shot in the air, which Webber is customarily very good at.

Plus, since they play a motion offense, lateral movement is very important with the Kings.

Does Minnesota's playoff "inexperience" hurt them?

None whatsoever. I hear that all the time on TV, that it's experience, experience, experience. This is a different Minnesota team. They have so many new players that they don't remember what happened in the past to that team. Plus, they have Cassell and Sprewell, who both have experience in the playoffs.

They've had a great season. They got the home court. And the reason in the past that the Wolves never got out of the first round is that they played better teams that had the home-court advantage.

How do the benches compare?

I liked Sacramento to win it all at the beginning of the year, because I thought they had the deepest team. They certainly miss Bobby Jackson, but Darius Songaila has played well off the bench. Brad Miller is a reserve now, and Anthony Peeler has had a great year off the bench. I would give the edge to Sacramento.

Divac hopes to do more directing from the floor than the bench in this series. Jed Jacobsohn Getty Images/NBAE

Can Divac make a difference?

Vlade Divac was not a factor in the last series. He'll play against Ervin Johnson. When Divac and Miller were playing together when Webber was out, everything went through Divac. And they were very successful. I think he'll have a bigger role in this series.

Who has the edge overall?

I think the edge goes to Minnesota a little bit because of the homecourt advantage. For me, if Webber can play up to Webber's standards, this will be a seven-game series and anyone can win it.

Another thing that should be mentioned is the time frame between games, and needing to have players who like to practice. That's something that's difficult coming down toward the end of the season. And one thing I will say is when you play on Kevin Garnett's team, you have to like to practice. And that could be an edge to Minnesota.

When you're talking about three or four days between games, some players can mentally wander. It's a whole new ball game. Teams are going home between games. You have a new issue because of how far games are spread out.

Who will win this series?

I'm not so sure. I think it will go seven games. I'll go with Sacramento, though. If Minnesota suffers another injury, even a minor injury, they won't be able to survive. The minutes can pile up.

The Kings were my pick to win it all at the beginning of the year (though I like San Antonio now) and I'll stick with them for this one.

-- Kevin Loughery

Kevin Loughery appears courtesy of the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA).