Column: X factors for the remaining 1st-round playoff games

The middle of round one is a perfect time to explain the X-factors for the remaining series. Here are the X factors for six of the seven of the losing or underdog teams remaining :

Chicago Bulls (1) vs. Indiana Pacers (8), Bulls up 3-1

x factor — roy hibbert

Roy Hibbert, the Pacers’ 7-foot-2-inch center, guards the basket deep in the heart of the Pacers’ defense. Hibbert has to work on not getting into foul trouble, which has limited his playing time in the losses to the Bulls so far in the series. As long as Hibbert keeps out of foul trouble, he can gobble up rebounds and serve as a solid 15-points-10-rebounds player to run along Danny Granger. Without Hibbert in the game, the Pacers have to count on Jeff Foster to pick up the slack, and that hasn’t worked well so far.

Miami Heat (2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7), Heat up 3-1

x factor — the 76ers’ bench

For the games to be close between these two teams, Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala absolutely have to give the 76ers something. These two players aren’t enough to give the Heat’s big three a close call though. For the 76ers to make the rest of the series interesting, Evan Turner and Lou Williams have to come up big like they did in the last game, combining for 34 points to top the Heat. The Heat’s main weakness is their terrible rotation outside of James, Wade and Bosh, and the 76ers need to take advantage of the Heat when they are playing one of their sub-par bench players in place of one of the big three.

Orlando Magic (4) vs. Atlanta Hawks (5), Hawks up 3-1

x factor — hedo turkoglu

One thing I wonder constantly is, “Why did Turkoglu leave the Magic after their great run to the NBA Finals in 2009?” Instead of coming back to a team he fit in well with and helped lead to the NBA Finals, he ditched them for Toronto. Hedo didn’t last long in Toronto, eventually moving to the Phoenix Suns before finally returning to Orlando. Hedo’s reinsertion into the Magic offense hasn’t gone as well as most would have hoped, as he went a combined seven for 32 in the three losses this series to the Hawks. While Dwight Howard has done a good job of grinding the Hawks down on offense, he hasn’t had much help from his supporting cast. If the Magic are going to make this series interesting, Turkoglu has to find his shot by next game.

San Antonio Spurs (1) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (8), Grizzlies up 2-1

x factor — marc gasol

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So far Zach Randolph has put the Grizzlies’ fans’ hopes on his back and carried the team to a 2-1 series lead. Gasol has been a large part of this effort, however. Gasol provides a second big man for the Grizzlies to go to, and the Spurs have had a tough time matching up with the Grizzlies if both men are playing well. Gasol went a combined 16 for 23 in the two games that the Grizzlies won, but only two for nine in the game that the Spurs won. Gasol has shown that he has the potential to be one of the premier big men in the league. If he can realize that potential in this series, we will be looking at the second time a No. 8-seed upset a No. 1-seed in playoffs since the field was expanded.

Los Angeles Lakers (2) vs. New Orleans Hornets (7), series tied 2-2

x factor — andrew bynum

Lamar Odom’s name has become almost synonymous with the term X factor because of his inconsistent play and unreliable shooting. He has improved his reliability this year and come into the playoffs playing consistently. Bynum and his knee, however, have not been all that reliable recently. In the two losing efforts, Bynum shot a combined seven for 15 (not a great percentage for a big man), as opposed to 14-24 in the games the Lakers have won. Bynum also struggles with foul trouble, having accumulated four fouls in three games and having fouled out in the last. The Lakers need Bynum on the floor as both a defensive presence and an offensive threat to put the series to rest.

Dallas Mavericks (3) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6) , series tied 2-2

x factor — brandon roy

Brandon Roy finally seems to be getting over his knee injuries, and not a moment too soon for the Trail Blazers, as his play led the Blazers past the Mavs. If Roy can get his three-ball to start falling again, the Blazers will be very hard to stop.