NBA Playoffs
Every day this week, TNT/ESPN/ESPN2/ABC/NBA TV
NBA fans will get to see playoff doubleheaders every night as the first round of the NBA playoffs gets into full swing. Make sure to visit my blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com for updates each day.

2010 NFL Draft
Thursday (7:30 p.m.), Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m.), ESPN and the NFL Network
The NFL draft moves to its new Thursday and Friday night primetime slots for rounds 1-3. ESPN made this a must-see event and that continues on both ESPN and the NFL Network. — Jim Williams

BOLD PREDICTIONS

1. Shaun Livingston will re-sign with the Wizards this summer » Over the final weeks of the NBA regular season, Livingston fended off inquiries about his future in Washington. He did his best to make it clear that he wasn’t wed in any way, shape or form to the Wizards. But the fact remains that when free agency begins, the Wizards, who won’t get John Wall in the NBA draft, will be the best-positioned team to take a chance on Livingston in 2010-11 because the rest of the NBA has plenty of reason to be skeptical about his recovery from a terrible knee injury three years ago. In addition, with Gilbert Arenas, Livingston could find himself in a mutually beneficial backcourt partnership that will allow both players to flourish while neither has the overwhelming task of carrying the Wizards’ offense by themselves. — Craig Stouffer

2. Albert Pujols will win Triple Crown » It’s been 43 years since the major leagues had a Triple Crown winner (Carl Yastrzemski — 1967), and 73 years since one emerged from the National League (Joe Medwick — 1937). But this year, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger will end the drought. Two weeks into the 2010 season, Pujols is off to a good start. Through Thursday, Pujols was tied for the NL lead in RBI (15) and home runs (5), and was hitting .400. At age 30, Pujols is in his prime. He hit .325 with 47 home runs and 135 RBI last year. Joined for a full season by Matt Holiday, Pujols has the lineup protection he’s lacked since the decline of Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. In nine seasons, Pujols has never hit lower than .314 or produced fewer than 103 RBI. He is the greatest hitter of a generation, perhaps the best since Ted Williams, the last man to win two Triple Crowns (1942, 1947). — Kevin Dunleavy

3. The Redskins will acquire a second-round pick and draft Tim Tebow » It’s still the offseason, and that means that the Redskins are the biggest and best thing in the NFL. But unlike seasons past, their moves are starting to make sense, at least when the personalities in the Redskins’ front office are considered. Bringing the Florida legend to Washington isn’t as crazy as it might seem. First, head coach Mike Shanahan has already professed his admiration for Tebow, and he loves to groom project players — especially the part when he gets to boast to everybody about what he’s done. Second, in Donovan McNabb, Washington has a quarterback that it expects to hold down the fort for the next three years or more — which is the kind of time that Tebow will need to become a starter. And nobody will be prouder than Shanahan when he does. — Craig Stouffer

PLAYER TO WATCH

Shaquille O’Neal, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
Shaq missed the last 23 games of the regular season after suffering a thumb injury, for which he’ll wear a guard in the playoffs. For the Cavs, their first-round opponent, the Chicago Bulls, shouldn’t be too taxing on the big fella. It’s the future rounds, possibly against teams like Boston and Orlando and anyone from the Western Conference that would end up in the NBA Finals, that will show if their trade for the 38-year-old center was worth it. Cleveland has been on the cusp of a championship for the last several years and were derailed by Dwight Howard and the Magic last year. Shaq was brought in to help handle Howard in the playoffs. Will the thumb injury and Shaq’s body hold up through the gauntlet down the stretch? — Leon Saffelle

FIVE UP & FIVE DOWN


UP

1. Lionel Hollins » The Memphis Grizzlies may have missed the playoffs, but their coach earned a well-deserved three-year contract.

2. New York Knicks » Fans have been waiting three years for this and it’s finally here: Let the 2010 offseason begin!

3. Quail Hollow » The event will be Tiger Woods’ first stop after the Masters. How will crowds outside Augusta treat the scrutinized golfer?

4. Kentucky » Losing five underclassmen to the NBA draft is tough to replace, unless you’re John Calipari. Top-5 recruit Brandon Knight signed with the Wildcats.

5. Brandon Marshall » He finally got out of Denver and a new contract that makes Marshall one of the NFL’s best-paid receivers.


DOWN
1. Home-ice advantage » The Stanley Cup playoffs: where being the favorite doesn’t matter. Both No. 1 seeds lost at home in Game 1.

2. Toronto Raptors » They missed the playoffs by one game and now may lose star Chris Bosh to free agency this offseason.

3. Ben Roethlisberger » The Steelers quarterback was not charged, but details in the police documents were released and a cop in the case resigned.

4. Houston Astros » Losing eight straight games — scoring 14 runs in that span — is not the ideal way to open a season.

5. Portland Trail Blazers » They have been able to overcome numerous injuries all season, but being without Brandon Roy may be insurmountable.

— Jeffrey Tomik