Feet in the Paint

There’s a funny thing about polarizing sports figures, you either love them or you hate them. After a year of Joakim Noah, I’m actually starting to like him.

Joakim Noah - Chicago Bulls Center
Measurements: 6′11″ - 232 lbs.
Experience: Rookie, 23 years old
From: University of Florida

Season Highs

Points - 18 (vs. Milwaukee)
Rebounds - 20 (vs. Cleveland)
Assists - 4 (4x)
Steals - 4 (2x)
Blocks - 4 (3x)
Minutes Played - 40 (vs. Cleveland)

What This Year Proved

Joakim Noah showed the same tenacity and hustle that he displayed while in college. After Ben Wallace’s departure, Joakim must have led the team in rebounds tipped to himself. The man is tenacious.

Joakim’s a very good interior passer. He’s also quite adept at passing out of the block. Unlike the majority of big men, Joakim on the block isn’t a black hole for basketballs. He’s very much willing to toss it out and allow the ball to reverse or let himself re-set on the block.

The rookie big man also showed that he’s got some defensive skills. Oddly enough, I think his man defense is better than his off-ball defense. You would think it’s the other way around but I think you can catch Joakim watching the ball too often. He tends to drift when he’s playing weak side D. Then he overplays on help penetration, allowing his man easy buckets at the rim.

When Chicago plays zone, he’s marginally better because he’s still in college mode. Joakim still puts a hand on opponents in the zone rather than just shuffling his feet.

He has also proved that he’s willing to learn and capable of improving. His numbers in November were 3.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals. He steadily improved his game throughout the season. His improvement as well as an increase in playing time — mutually inclusive — lead to quite an increase. In April, his numbers were 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals.

Quote Him

“Sometimes the media should think before writing their stories. [They wrote that] I got into a ‘physical altercation’ with the strongest guy in the league? Do you think I’m stupid?” – from SLAM, when approached about why he allegedly fought with Ben Wallace

Looking Forward

Joakim tends to overpass, especially while on the block. I’ve noticed that when he has a good shot, instead of taking it up strong over the defense, he’ll try to force it around his man to Tyrus Thomas or Drew Gooden. Jim Boylan and the coaching staff obviously got on his case about this eventually. Towards the end of the season, Joakim was starting to actually look at the basket when the ball was in his hands.

Drastic improvement should be welcomed on the offensive end. The Bulls should teach him a few go to moves that he can employ with his back to the basket. Joakim’s got a little baby hook that he should shoot with more confidence. Drawing a few more plays up for him can really increase his confidence long-term.

Season Grade: B+

Joakim did a good job this year. He filled in as a role player early but really came on strong towards the end. Once inserted into the starting line-up, he almost doubled his productivity. Joakim is a bit outspoken, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem is that he has no credibility as a rookie and he tended to speak up at times when no one else would. You can’t blame a guy for caring though…

Happy birthday, CP3.  Rohan with At the Hive has the full set of articles here.

The value of a true point guard is hard to measure.

They are floor generals that dictate the pace of the game as well as the play of their team. There isn’t a quantifiable way to measure those statistics.

Sure, you can look at assist-to-turnover ratios or John Hollinger’s PER statistic. But statistics can only tell you so much. Do you find it peculiar that Ricky Davis is more valuable to a fantasy team than Stephen Jackson? Or that some fantasy owners may select Al Jefferson over Tim Duncan?

How do you measure being the unquestioned leader of the New Orleans Hornets? What does it say about a player when he is one of the vocal leaders on the USA Senior National Team?

When looking at a box score, it’s difficult to determine which player left their imprint on the game.

There’s a reason why people say “oh, I wish I saw Oscar Robertson play,” or “man, Pete Maravich’s game would’ve been great to watch.” If you want to see their statistics, they’re all there for you. Millions of numbers are at your fingertips.

Chris Paul’s season has been more than numbers and it’s been a joy to watch.

I’ve seen him give Julian Wright pointers on when to cut to the ball. I’ve seen him instruct Jannero Pargo to clear out the strong-side for David West.

I’ve seen Paul look up court immediately after a defensive board and hurl it 30 feet. I’ve seen him test opposing defenses with his dribble and then consequently pick it apart.

This has been a great season for Chris Paul, certainly one for the record books.

But more importantly, I’m glad I’ve seen it.

Mike D’Antoni and the Phoenix Suns have revolutionized the game.

The concoction of D’Antoni, Steve Nash, the Colangelos and a frenetic brand of basketball literally energized the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns challenged the long-held “defense above all” basketball axiom. Their play challenged the institutions and huffed at the purists.

They won in a way that they weren’t supposed to. Steve Nash was at the center of a free-flowing offense that would make his old Maverick team blush.

Within 7 seconds of possession, a field goal was to be thrown up. They took the first quasi-good shot the defense afforded them.

And the Suns organization had a collective grin from ear to ear. It’s as if they got caught doing something bad and they were defiantly enjoying the consequences.

After 253 D’Antoni-led wins in five years, trouble seems to be catching up to them.

There have been rumors that Mike D’Antoni may out of Phoenix next season. Rumors are rumors, of course. And I know it’s faulty logic but the very fact a D’Antoni firing is mentioned means something to me. It means that the fun may be coming to an end.

The Suns were everything that David Stern wanted. They were an entertaining, high-scoring squad that made a bunch of egotistical individuals (see: Amare, Nash and Marion) look like they were playing team ball.

In many ways, the Suns allowed the NBA to create a separate product within itself. Their success was aided by the perimeter, hand-checking enforcements. The installment of zone defenses allowed the Suns to gain some semblance of a team defense. And the often-mentioned European influence on the NBA was personified in the desert.

The Suns were created to break the mold. A perfect storm was brewing for them; everyone was cheering for an offense-first team to win it all. So what went wrong?

As Steve Kerr took the general manager position in Phoenix he said, “I’ll only be making minor tweaks here and there,” and “you don’t fix something that isn’t broken.”

If only that Past Steve could see Present Steve…

Whether it’s fair or not, a lot of the blame will fall on Kerr. Even though Nash, D’Antoni and the ownership signed off on the Shaq-for-Marion trade, Kerr will bear the brunt of that decision.

It’s safe to say that the Shaquille O’Neal experiment has gone terribly wrong. To think that the Suns actually thought they were better than the San Antonio Spurs. I guess they were a lot closer to the edge than anyone would have thought.

Trading away a long, versatile and athletic wing for an aging, over-paid out of shape big man shouldn’t even be done in video games. Everyone knew it was a terrible decision and now the writing’s on the wall.

If D’Antoni is let go, Kerr won’t have anyone to share the blame with. Steve Nash is a media darling. No one expects much out of Shaq anymore, so he will be free from harm.

For all of the hype around the Phoenix Suns, they really weren’t all too successful in the postseason. The future doesn’t look too bright but one thing is certain: Steve Kerr will no longer get the benefit of the doubt.

Did you see Game 6 of the Jazz-Rockets series?  Williams was on fire like a ring-of-fire in the New Orleans arena.  It was ridiculous.

Consider his stats for these playoffs:

20.8 points, 8.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and he’s shooting 53% from the field and 59.1% from deep.  Sick.

And the Rockets are no slouch; their steady defense has been great all season.  Jerry Sloan’s gameplan for Williams was solid.  Williams was counted on the run their precise offensive sets while limiting turnovers.

Limiting turnovers against the Rockets is very important because of Houston’s overall psyche.  Those guys are looking for fast breaks and run outs to get their team going.

Williams was also looked at to spread the floor for Carlos Boozer to operate in the post.  With Williams dropping bombs, the Jazz wingmen could slash to their heart’s content.  And although Kyle Korver didn’t shoot well from beyond the arc, the threat of him doing so did help the Jazz.

Those same issues will need to be executed against the Los Angeles Lakers.  Even with the triangle offense in place, Phil Jackson lets his second unit run up and down the court.  Limiting turnovers will help deflate the overzealous back-ups.

Spreading the floor against a very long Laker frontcourt will be key.  Mehmet Okur will need to keep Lamar Odom honest by hitting some long shots from the outset.

All in all, the Lakers-Jazz series should be very good.  Deron Williams will have his chance to shine against subpar opposing point guards.  But will Kobe Bryant’s play overshadow the young man?

I have been in New Orleans for a business trip this past week. So that’s why I’ve been missing since the 25th. I made an interesting note about New Orleans folks though:

They’re very nice and they love their Hornets.

The New Orleans arena always seems half-empty during televised broadcasts. It’s odd because you can easily get Hornets tickets; and the tickets run as low as $20.

The NBA hasn’t given me a grant just yet so my research on this topic is a bit flawed. But still, with all the buzz about the Hornets, wouldn’t they be able to sell out more games?

There was also lots of basketball billboards around the city. I thought this was very interesting because you don’t often see major basketball teams mass-marketing in this way.

I was walking back from Bourbon Street one night and noticed that there was a huge Kevin Garnett billboard in the NOLA streets. I thought, “maybe I’m just drunk. Why is there a KG billboard in New Orleans?” But then I realized that I hadn’t had anything to drink and did a double-take.

The billboard was of KG with the words “Basketball is a Brotherhood.” Very odd, isn’t it?

There was also a very loud parade going down Canal Street yesterday.  I looked away from work for a second and was surprised to see all the noise coming from only a dozen people.  Half of these people were cheerleaders and the other half were holding cardboard cut-outs of Peja Stojakovic’s head.

The NBA’s recent rule changes are changing the perception of its defensive stalwarts.

Everyone talks about these rule changes. Recently, Reggie Miller commented that this NBA isn’t the same league in which he played. “Now you can get a [technical foul] for anything,” Miller says. He went on to talk about how most people don’t even pretend to be playing defense anymore.

Rule changes on hand-checking and overall perimeter physicality as well as more subjective calls – taunting, trash-talking, repeated physicality – have taken the tooth out of the game.

Should it be a surprise that players with a penchant for legitimate man-to-man defense have become vilified? Ask your buddy who the dirtiest current player in the NBA is. The answer will most likely be Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs.

Bowen has taken tremendous heat in the last few years for being a dirty player. In fact, even casual basketball fans think the man should be castrated.

Bowen is so aggressive defensively that both players and their loyal fans are yelling from the streets. Isiah Thomas, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Amare Stoudemire have all had their gripes with the Spurs’ defenseman. They cite Bowen’s elbows or his habit of getting a foot underneath an opposing shooter’s jumpshot as staples of his dirtiness.

I can see that and it’s a valid argument. But I don’t understand why Bowen is being singled out as this undeniably dirty player.

There are certain players that are undeniably dirty. James Posey injures a Chicago Bulls player each time he comes to the United Center. Bill Laimbeer would literally throw his body into someone while they were up in the air and in the act of shooting. I don’t believe Bruce Bowen should belong in that category.

Dirty is a subjective term. There are those that believe “dirty” means intent to injure. I agree with this statement yet Bowen hasn’t exhibited a blatant attempt to injure. Sure, he throws elbows. But if you’ve played a game of basketball in your life, you’ve most likely been on both ends of an elbow.

As early as middle school, coaches would teach me to throw a ‘bow for space after a defensive rebound. Unfortunately, much like oil on your driveway, elbows are ubiquitous in this game.

And you know what? Offensive players throw elbows too! While driving or when in a triple threat position, offensive players have perfect opportunities to throw elbows. However, it’s very nonchalant and difficult to catch because the movement looks so natural.

There is a general perception of Bowen that is quickly permeating basketball ranks. He is seen as a demon that should be sent to basketball purgatory for half of the regular season.

Let me remind you that the men officiating these games have been through hell and back. Most of the playoff referees easily have 15 years of experience each. They remember that John Stockton threw elbows and low blows during his thousands of moving screens. They remember millions of Karl Malone’s elbows. They remember John Starks’ playoff football tackles.

And only one suspension has broken Bowen’s 500 consecutive game streak. He was suspended for kicking Chris Paul about a month ago. Of all the officials calling Spurs games and with all the angst about Bowen’s game, he was only suspended once. The rest of his antics were reprimanded by fouls – personal, flagrant and technical fouls.

Mind you, Kobe Bryant drew a similar suspension for his forced follow-through that resulted in an elbow to Manu Ginobili’s face. So is Kobe dirty too then?

The role of NBA defensive specialist seems to be a very polarizing issue.

For better or worse, athletes’ value and talent are measured by their offensive skill-set. Marketers and league officials have caught onto this trend and subsequently resulted in the recent rule changes.

This is why you hear the phrase “Kobe Bryant is a great player AND he can turn it on defensively when he needs to,” as though deficiencies during half of a game can be overlooked.

This trend can be seen if you examine those who gets the league’s highest individual award. Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkeley and Magic Johnson are amongst recent (1985 and on) MVP winners that were nothing but serviceable defensively.

Everyone’s attention is on the star offensive player. And guess who’s guarding that player?

Offensive players are given a “silver spoon,” so to speak, when it comes to going pro. So if a player isn’t as gifted offensively, they create a niche for themselves. They become a role player in order to get on a roster.

Basic basketball fundamental: a defender’s job is to harass the offensive player and create a turnover, disrupt the offense or force a bad shot.

There’s obviously a line between good, hard play and dirty play. And it’s Bowen’s job to get as close to that line as possible. Since specialists, by definition, focus on only one aspect of their game, they’re often pigeon-holed. I will admit that it’s difficult to root for one-dimensional players. This fact also accounts for the public dislike of players like Bowen.

But you can see it steadily changing. Compare Bruce Bowen with Raja Bell and DeShawn Stevenson. Those three players present a very subtle evolution of the defensive specialist role.

Bowen is a defender that has developed into a kick-out option beyond the 3-point line. Raja Bell is a defender with a steady long ball and an ability to score off the bounce, albeit with limited efficiency. Stevenson is a defender with a shot and slashing ability who has been entrusted with setting up the offense on various occasions.

These developments may go a long way in alleviating the hate for defensive specialists.

As for Bowen: he’s doing his job. If he’s defending your favorite player, of course you’re going to hate him. But let’s not pretend like he’s the scorn of Western society.

Who loves Scott Skiles?  I do!

In fact, I’m ecstatic the ball club in my adopted city has picked him up.  I’m only a two hour drive away from seeing his bald head gleaming along the sidelines.  His menacing, dinosaur-like glare gives me goosebumps.

Goosebumps in the way of R.L. Stine.  God, I love Scott Skiles.

And R.L. Stine.

Thanks to John Hammond, Skiles is coaching the very team that drafted him as a player.  The man can help the lowly Milwaukee Bucks win.  In each of Skiles’ full seasons, his teams all finished over .500.  He can coach and it’s exactly what the Milwaukee franchise needs.

Is Skiles a rethread?  Yes, but lots of other NBA coaches are.  If Larry Brown’s name comes up every now and then in the coaching carousel, those same teams should do their due diligence on Skiles.

John Hammond is Joe Dumars’ protege.  Hammond can allow Skiles to resuscitate the franchise much like how Dumars used Rick Carlisle to jump start the Detroit Pistons.

The knock on Skiles is that he’s an old-school coach; he’s too tough and he doesn’t mess around.  Every professional sport is a players’ league so Skiles’ style can create dissonance within a team.  But all of Skiles’ drawbacks double as his strong points.

John Hammond is no fool.  He’s seen Larry Brown, Flip Saunders and Carlisle coach.  Non-player positions in the NBA are like revolving doors.  Given the unpredictable nature of Hammond’s position, it says something that he’s willing to put his eggs in the Scott Skiles basket.

The man is one tough cookie.  He demands as much from his players as he does from himself.  Jeff Van Gundy once said that Skiles was one of the best-prepared coaches in the NBA come game day.

Skiles owns a 281-251 record as a coach with 15 playoff wins.  This may have been a questionable move if the Bucks were an established, playoff team.  But they’re not.  They have no identity and forging a defensive mindset is the way to go.

Maybe Charlie Villanueva will think he’s playing for Jim Calhoun.  That way, he’ll forget that he’s supposed to lose every game.

Long ago, a forlorn young baller played in a far away land. This young baller had the promise of many but his potential was quickly overshadowed by his older cousin’s amazing skill.

This young baller was Tracy McGrady and he played in the faraway land that is Toronto, Ontario.

In three seasons and 192 games, young Tracy averaged 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting a healthy 44.8% for the Toronto Raptors. He had a lot of promise, that much cannot be disputed. There was a fluidity and confidence to his game was dazzling, especially when paired with cousin Vince’s high-flying antics.

Tracy got his first taste of the playoffs in his third season; the Raptors made their first ever playoff appearance in a first-round exit. Tracy was that team’s second highest scorer. But his appetite could not be satiated in the barren grounds of Canada.

The young man, full of promise and desire, traveled to the southern reaches of the league. He went to Orlando, Florida. Another young franchise had plans for him to become “the man.” Once there, he would team with the once-great Grant Hill by his side. Magic fans had echoes of Jordan and Pippen in their mind. At the very least, they could become a modern Drexler and Terry Porter.

However, trouble struck central Florida. The talented duo never got off the ground. In Tracy’s four seasons with the Magic, Hill played only 47 games.

So Tracy would have to do it himself. He made Magic fans forget about Penny Hardaway and look for a new beginning. But regardless of Tracy’s efforts — in his four seasons, he averaged 28.1 points, 7 rebounds and 5.2 assists — his playoff aspirations bore no fruit.

His lack of success in the post-season began to create whispers. These whispers were something every great player dreads. “Loser” began to be associated with the proud Tracy McGrady. And as his injuries began to accumulate, so did questions of his toughness and durability. Could he succeed in the playoffs? Can he be trusted with a franchise? Can he stay healthy?

At one point, this man was considered a top 3 player in the league. How could this be happening? He’s never had any help and never has he played with a dependable big man.

That would change. Enter Yao Ming and the Rockets. The 25-year-old Tracy would now share the spotlight with a Western giant. He now had a legitimate force down low to throw the ball to. But it hasn’t been enough so far.

In Tracy’s four seasons with the Houston Rockets, they have never won a playoff series. Those whispers from his Orlando days have followed him to the Western Conference. His Rockets just dropped both home games to the Utah Jazz. They are about to travel to Salt Lake City where the Jazz own a highly-publicized home-court advantage.

And now I whisper to myself… Maybe some people just weren’t supposed to win. The game has been so good to Tracy McGrady but what else will it give? Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe Tracy will never win a playoff series.

The tragedy of Tracy McGrady is all I hear and it’s breaking my heart.

1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8. Denver Nuggets

Match-up to Watch: Ronny Turiaf and Ed Najera

Enough talk about Pau Gasol and Marcus Camby. Wanna see what happens when two balls of hustle and energy slam into each other? When they’re on the court together, Turiaf and Najera are going to meet at every loose ball and rebound. I give the edge to Najera because he’s been around the block and back. Turiaf’s probably just happy to be here. He’ll be wigging out like he did when Kobe “jumped” that Astin Martin.

The Lakers need to slow it down

LA can try to run with the Nuggets. The Lakers are averaging 108.6 points on the season compared to the Nuggets’ 110.7, so they can get their share of buckets. But they went out and got Pau Gasol so use him. After all this hype about Gasol bolstering their half court sets, it’d be plain stupid not to use him now.

Anyway, the Lakers’ second unit loves to run. Phil Jax likes to put Jordan Farmar, Sashsa Vujacic and Vlade Radmanovic out there and run them. So loosen the reins on the second unit for a change-up. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll piss George Karl off even more.

The Nuggets need to feed Carmelo early

Carmelo Anthony needs a good game out of the blocks. Melo needs to get his mind off his legal trouble and focus on the game. This man needs to establish himself as the go-to guy on the Nuggets early. There are lots of questions swirling about who their go-to guy is. Melo needs to come out and ball because otherwise Allen Iverson will need/try to do too much.

Pick: Lakers in 6

2. New Orleans Hornets vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks

Match-up to Watch: Peja Stojakovic and Josh Howard

Even though Dirk Nowitzki isn’t quite 100%, his return takes a lot of offensive pressure away from Josh Howard. It will be interesting to see how Howard D’s up Peja. Given that Peja’s reputation of pulling a Chris Webber and choking in the playoffs may be a little harsh, he isn’t exactly Michael Jordan either.

Chris Paul’s orchestration will give him enough looks, especially in transition. Does Howard step down to help Jason Kidd on penetration? Or does he glue himself to the sharpshooting Serbian?

The Hornets need to work inside-out

Erick Dampier, Bulls cast-off Malik Allen and Dirk Nowitzki need to be taken down low and challenged. This is when Bryon Scott tells David West to make a name for himself. West needs to get his confidence up before a potential second-round match-up against Timmy Duncan or Amare Stoudamire. We’ll find out if West’s 20 points per game is due to Chris Paul’s inflation.

The Mavericks need to get back on D

Stopping penetration and fast-breaks are key here. As soon as the ball hits the rim, Mavericks defenders need to sprint back to get on D. You look up and down the Hornets roster and each person shoots a respectable percentage. Absolutely no one on that team is an established jump shooter. So how are they getting their points? Chris Paul? Of course. Easy run-outs and outlet passes behind the defense? Hell yes.

Pick: Hornets in 5

3. San Antonio Spurs vs. 6. Phoenix Suns

Match-up to Watch: Fabricio Oberto/Kurt Thomas and Amare Stoudemire

I am guessing that they’ll put Tim Duncan on Shaquille O’Neal. This will leave Oberto and the Big Dirty on Amare. Dirt’s always been a good defender and Oberto has that Argentinian awareness so you can never count them out. Has Amare matured enough to realize he shouldn’t rely on his athleticism against the Spurs?

The Spurs need to be quick with rotations

San Antonio’s going to challenge the outside shot. They have to; the Suns are shooting 39.3% from outside. Where they’ll get into trouble is if their bigs slide too late in the paint. Because you know Joey Crawford’s going to call blocking any time there’s contact.

The Suns need to keep Amare out of foul trouble

I can hear Mike D’antoni now: “Damn boy, quit reaching!” Amare Stoudemire owns a 3.7 foul average for the year. This is rivaled only by Shaq’s 3.4 with the Suns. What’s it with big men and reaching? Compare that number with Timmy D’s 2.4 fouls, Dirty’s 2 and Oberto’s 2.5. Just stop reaching, man. Don’t do it.

Pick: Spurs in 7

4. Utah Jazz vs. 5. Houston Rockets

Match-up to Watch: Carlos Boozer and Dikembe Mutombo

Boozer is a beast. Deke eats beasts. It’ll just be funny to see Boozer’s rainbow shot over Dikembe’s out-stretched arms. I think the Rockets will start Luis Scola on Mehmet Okur. They may have Chuck Hayes stick Okur but that’s probably an adjustment for the second or third game. Tracy McGrady needs quality minutes out of Dikembe in order to advance.

The Jazz need to run, run and then run again

Houston shoots 44.8% from the field as a team. The Jazz shoot 49.7%. If the Jazz push the ball and turn this into a track meet, they’ll have a chance. This is important especially because Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko aren’t exactly marksmen from outside.

The Rockets need to get a good floor game out of Rafer Alston

Deron Williams is bigger, better and tougher than Rafer Alston. Skip to my Lou has no chance against Williams on the defensive end. So he needs to play extremely well offensively to off-set this. Otherwise, T-Mac’s going home crying again.

Pick: Rockets in 7

The playoffs are coming! The playoffs are coming! I wish there was a young boy in each American town that proclaimed “the playoffs are coming!” while dressed in revolutionary war garb. If only my dreams were a reality.

Here are a few things to look forward to during the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

1. Shamelessly-integrated movie promotion

The last one, I think, was the Vantage Point amalgamation of Dennis Quiad running and Steve Nash dribbling up the court. Look for spliced images of LeBron James dunking on Chris Kaman with Prince Caspian — of the Chronicles of Narnia — chopping some werewolf in half.

2. Craig Sager decides to dress down

(Courtesy of the Sports Hernia)

In an effort to keep the attention away from his infamous wardrobe, Craig Sager usually decides to dress down for the playoffs. A selection his normal playoff fashions can be seen in the above picture. Could you imagine what Craig Sager’s parents dressed like? Craig Sager probably dreams in black and white.

3. Showtime Lakers and Oldtime Celtics comparisons

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have the #1 seed in their respective conferences. Do you have any idea how much of a frenzy this will cause with the commentators? It’s going to be ridiculous. A week from now, I’m going to be so sick of Magic and Larry Legend talk. Look for constant zoom-ins on Magic Johnson’s face throughout the Lakers-Nuggets series.

4. Southwestern feuds

The Spurs and Suns are going to get some much publicity. Look for numerous replays of Robert Horry’s hit on Steve Nash. After a while, it’ll be like we’re watching football.

5. References to injured big men

We’re going to hear so much about Andrew Bynum and Yao Ming. Any time either the Lakers or the Rockets give up a run, we’ll hear something about how their inside game is lacking. Eventually, we’ll feel like those two teams are in the movie Big.

6. Prop to the Spurs

This time of year, people stop talking about how old the Spurs are. And they start talking about the Spurs’ game. No more talk about Tim Duncan’s plantar fasciitis nor do you hear about Tony Parker’s marital relations.

The talk starts centering on the Spurs’ great team concept and their legacy. Oh, and we’ll still get to see Eva Longoria.

7. Pistons turn it on

This time of year, the Detroit Pistons turn on the proverbial “switch.” When the Pistons are on, they’re a great team to watch at the end of quarters. They show no fear and it’s like a prize fight with the game on the line, they just keep coming.

We’ll also get to see Rasheed’s pre-game dance.

8. Rising big men

The Magic-Raptors will feature two of the brightest young big men in the game. Dwight Howard’s squad will face off against the Raptors and Chris Bosh. Although they won’t be manning each other up each time down the floor, it’ll be great to see them play together. We will see which player’s game is ready for the grueling playoffs.

9. Marv Albert’s “Yes”

There’s not much better than hearing Marv say “yes” in a playoff game.

Bryant… YES. Billups… YES. McGrady… YES.

Check out Jordan… YES!

10. Playoff ball

And finally, as cheesy as it sounds… I’m looking forward to the actual games. There’s not much like an appreciation for a seven game series. These guys are professionals. Regular season ball is one thing.

The playoffs shines light on all of a team’s weak points.  It’s clearly evident who does their homework and who sits around watching Dancing With the Stars.

The adjustments that are made and then the re-adjustments that follow just make me smile. Look for my first-round picks shortly…