April 20 - Welcome to the inaugural Drive to the Finals article.

If you hadn't yet noticed, we are offering a new playoff fantasy game this season called Drive to the Finals Presented by AutoTrader.com (sign up if you hadn't already). You may have played our bracket game Pick 'n Roll in the past, and that game is again available this season.

If you are looking for a daily challenge that could lead to $25,000 towards a vehicle from AutoTrader.com plus other great prizes, Drive to the Finals is the game for you.

Today's Expert Pick

Player: Mike Bibby, SAC Opponent: San Antonio Regular Season Averages Pts Reb Ast 21.1 2.9 5.4

You can play by yourself and match up your results against the NBA.com staff as well as the fellas at TNT, or you can create or join a league. Before we get to my pick for April 22, the first day of the NBA Playoffs (which you already see to the right, you're no fool), let me provide you with some background on the game and the strategy involved.

It's a simple premise: Pick one player for each day's NBA Playoff games. You will accumulate fantasy points for each point, rebound, and assist your player adds to the stat column (Fantasy Points = Points + Rebounds + Assists) for that particular day. Easy, right?

As you can see, I have decided to go with Mike Bibby to open things up.

(If you read this article earlier in the week, you'll note that this selection was changed from Michael Redd. The Bucks are no longer playing on the first day of the playoffs, so I was forced to make a switch).

So, why did I pick Bibby instead of LeBron James, who also opens with the Cavs on Saturday? There is method to my madness.

Oh, yes, there is strategy involved here as well. You can only pick the same player once throughout the entire playoffs. If I pick LeBron today, I can't pick him tomorrow, next week or in future weeks. The key, then, is to analyze which teams you expect to advance and which you expect to be eliminated. If you expect the Kings to advance, you would be best served to refrain from using any Kings players until at least next round. If you think the Kings are going to be eliminated in the first round, it's best to start using at least their best player or players now. Why? Because if I don't use Bibby, Ron Artest, and Brad Miller now, I can't use them next round -- assuming they lose.

While you are making certain to reserve the players on teams that you expect to make it to the NBA Finals, you should also do the same with players on teams that you expect to make it to the Conference championships.

Let's say that you expect the Pistons to make the Finals, so you are reserving all of your top Pistons. Once the Pistons face off with the Heat, you will then want to use Wade and Shaq. If you used them previously, you will be forced to use lesser-valued Heat players or Pistons players in this round. It all adds up to one monster strategical chess match.

That doesn't mean that you can't read and react. I pick Mike Bibby today, but if the Kings surprise me and win Game 1, I won't rush to use another Kings player until they fall behind in the series. Likewise, I will be hitting the panic button on "elimination games." You'll notice that within the fantasy game itself, these games will be highlighted in red. You see, this game is stupid proof.

It is yelling at you: "A TEAM IS ABOUT TO BE ELIMINATED! PICK A PLAYER FROM THIS TEAM NOW!"

Hmmm, who to pick: Bibby or Hinrich? Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

Hey, maybe you don't like this strategy. There's nothing forcing you to follow it. Pick the best players available every day, and maybe it will get you further than it will get me.

Check back to the NBA.com Fantasy Resource Center every day for a new Expert Pick as we advance into the playoffs. All picks will go into a master Exptert Pick entry. What that means is if I pick Mike Bibby today, Rick Kamla can't pick him for Day 2. We play the way you play. The other expert picks will be less extensive, focusing on their pick, why, and their general strategy.

Why did I pick Bibby? To be honest, it was a very difficult choice. Of the games scheduled to be played on April 22, I feel the biggest underdogs are Chicago at Miami and the Kings at the Spurs. Kirk Hinrich is the only Bulls player I'd consider using at this stage, but I'm in no hurry to use him yet. The Kings are more attractive, but it is a difficult choice between Bibby, Miller, and Artest.

According to this game's scoring system, these players are very evenly matched based on per game averages. Of the teams in the playoffs, Bibby is the 20th rated, Miller 23rd, and Artest 29th. As you can see, the best players either are not playing on the first day of the Playoffs or are playing for a team that is heavily favored. So, I went with Bibby.

What is my general strategy? I expect the Western Conference to go down to a group of Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix and Denver. The Eastern Conference will go down to Detroit, New Jersey, Cleveland and Miami. For the time being, I will avoid using players from these teams. There may come a time when I am forced to use a player from one of these teams earlier than I want, but I'll keep those selections to a minimum. As the Playoffs proceed, I'll need to continue to evaluate which players I should be reserving.

Get it? Good. If you have already registered, enjoy. I think you'll love it. Check into TNT because they'll be talking about it and we'll be posting their picks within the game as well. If you haven't registered, do so now.

Good luck!