Do or Die: Every Western Conference Playoff Team Must Win Remaing Game

Houston Rockets (52-28) at Dallas Mavericks (49-32) Tomorrow Night

This is it for both teams. The end of the road is here, they're both in the playoffs, so what's the problem? Dallas has been on a roll lately, eclipsing the Suns and gaining the last playoff berth as well as taking out the Jazz and Hornets last week at home. On Sunday, they lost on the road to the Hornets.

The Jazz took a stunning defeat to Golden State, and that just about cemented the Mavericks' escape from the dreaded eighth seed, where the Lakers look to destroy in the first round. The Rockets have been on the other side of the bracket in the top four.

After the Lakers and Nuggets secured the first and second seeds, respectively, the Rockets found themselves in a three-way dance with the Spurs and Blazers (all 53-28).

Seeding is very important in this case, as they want the best possible opponent. Rather, it's the Hornets, Mavericks, or Jazz. The problem is that one of those three teams will fall into the fifth seed, meaning no homecourt advantage.

Dallas is also in a three-way dance with Jazz and Hornets (49-32; Jazz are 48-33), but winning alone can secure the seventh seed, and if Hornets lose along with that win, Dallas could jump to the sixth seed.

The Rockets will need this win to avoid possibly falling to the fifth seed. The Rockets are on fire with five straight wins, but they've got to win on the road against a Dallas team who wants nothing to do with the Lakers. Houston has shown they can handle the Mavs, but they must be careful of J.J. Barea and Jason Terry, who can and will be looking to cause damage off the bench.

Utah Jazz (48-33) at Lakers (64-17) Tonight

The Utah Jazz were destroyed in Dallas and lost to the Golden State Warriors last week. Utah seemed to be in control a few weeks prior with a massive win streak of 12 straight victories, including winning 18 of 20 games.

The Jazz have been plagued all season with injuries, but so have the Lakers, Rockets, Mavs, Spurs, and Blazers. The whole team seems to be back together, but the Jazz must win on the road against the team they are trying to avoid in the first round, the Lakers.

The Lakers have Andrew Bynum back, and things aren't looking good for Utah. Not only must Utah win, but Dallas must lose for them to avoid in the first round the team that they're playing tonight.

D-Will, Boozer, and Co. better tune up the band tonight, because the Lakers might be looking to send a message. Losing to the team that you have a big chance of facing in the first round isn't exactly good, so good luck, Jazz. How many minutes will Kobe play? Better yet, how much will he score?

Denver Nuggets (54-27) at Portland Trailblazers (53-28) Tomorrow Night

This is big for one team and not so much for the other. The Denver Nuggets have safely secured the second seed, leaving the Blazers, Rockets, and Spurs to a three-way tango, and the Mavs, Hornets, and Jazz to another three-way dance.Then again, a loss for the Nuggets can pull them into the tango with the Spurs, Blazers, and the Rockets. Looks like the second seed isn't so safe after all.

With the six other teams on the backburner, the Nuggets can sit back and relax, but will they? The Lakers are certainly off their radar and their season has been stellar, starting with the Chauncey Billups-Allen Iverson trade (Sorry, Detroit).

The Blazers must win to avoid falling to the fifth seed and losing homecourt advantage, which isn't good for the young team. Brandon Roy better be looking for a big night.

Houston and the Spurs are right on their tail with the same record, so losing isn't an option, especially if one or both of those two teams win. Can they survive the onslaught from Melo, Billups, and Smith? The good thing is that the Blazers will be at home.

New Orleans Hornets (49-32) at San Antonio Spurs (53-28) Tomorrow Night

Both of these teams are in the midst of a seeding battle, and both teams must win. Too bad there can only be one winner. Despite splitting two games against the Mavs last week, the Hornets are still tied with them.

They can either maintain the sixth seed or drop to the seventh seed, while Dallas leaps over them. The bad news is that the Mavs face the Rockets at home in the last game. The Hornets have to win on the road against the Spurs, who must win as well to regain homecourt advantage in the first round.

Both teams are looking for a victory, and the Spurs will be at home. I'm sure Greg Popovich alerted Duncan and company that they must win tonight. Byron Scott will need numbers all across the board, and not only from CP3.

Will Chris Paul be a one-man machine in Texas? Or will Mason, Duncan, and Parker crush the big easy team in hopes of regaining homecourt advantage?

All eight teams are facing off against one another in their last games. What a coincidence, huh? It's going to be messy, so all eight teams better be checking their tie-breakers just in case.