It's not too late. Play Drive to the Finals Now!

By Matthew Berry, aka "The Talented Mr. Roto"

Previous Expert Picks

April 24 - The nice thing about picking for Day Three is that there are very few games.

The tough thing about picking for Day Three is that there are very few games.

Game 2 of Bulls-Heat and Nuggets-Clippers are tonight, so with only Mike Bibby and Michael Redd off the board, we have full reign of all four teams. Could this be Francisco Elson’s night?

No.

Today's Expert Pick

Player: Ben Gordon, CHI Opponent: Miami Regular Season Averages Pts Reb Ast 16.9 2.7 3.0

The Pick: Scoring is based on points, rebounds and assists so the stars of each team – that is to say, the guys who touch the ball the most – are the obvious choices. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’ Neal, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, Elton Brand and Carmelo Anthony sit before me. The world is my fantasy oyster and I am hungry.

Don’t worry, that makes no sense to me either. What does make sense is that you can pick any guy you want but you can only use him once. Which means when there are fewer teams in the playoffs, we want to still be able to choose a stud.

Don’t send me hate mail, Chicago, but that means we’re looking at the Bulls.

The Bulls have a lot of options and where they get their production from can be fairly inconsistent. It is one of the reasons they have made the playoffs as such a good, young team. Helps us not at all.

All that said, the two constants from the Bulls are Gordon and Hinrich. During the season, they were fairly even by our game’s scoring standards. Hinrich averaged 15.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. Ben scored slightly more – 16.9 points per game but only 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

I’m taking Gordon.

Carmelo is an intriguing option for later. Tim Heitman/NBAE/Getty Images

General Strategy: To me, the difference maker here is match-ups. As in, I do not like Hinrich having to chase Dwyane Wade around all game. That is bound to take up energy, leaving him a bit run down. Ben dropped 35 points along with two rebounds and three assists in the first game against the Heat while Hinrich scored 19 points along with 8 assists and a rebound. Both sets of numbers strike me as right in line with expectations.

I think the Nuggets/Clippers series is going the distance so we will have a better chance at Carmelo, Brand and the like later, not just in this series but later in the playoffs. Keep in mind that these two series, plus the Nets/Pacers, are the only games on Thursday, so we will be back here soon enough.

I think you will go along with me that we like the Heat’s chances of advancing past this series and possibly very far. So once we have eliminated the teams we do not want to pick from, we pick from the teams left. Which would be the Bulls.

One of two things happen: The Bulls get blown out, in which case Ben Gordon scores a bunch during junk time; or the Bulls, on the road, keep it close. And if they keep it close, it will be because Ben Gordon is lighting it up. Just like he did in Game 1.