WBRS Sports Blog

The NBA Playoffs have only just begun, but if the last two weeks have shown us anything, it's that a golden age is about to dawn in the NBA. These playoffs have had it all; buzzer beaters, refereeing controversy, star players stepping up, crazy layups, Cinderella stories; and we're just getting started. As the Black Eyed Peas say, "Let's get it started in here."

To start off, there's the Lakers-Suns series that has shocked everyone so far. Many expected the Lakers to be competitive against the Suns, but nobody figured it would be a team effort. After all, the Lakers rode Kobe Bryant all season to the tune of 35 points and 45 wins. Experts agreed that if the Lakers were to win this series, they would have to have a superhuman effort from Kobe Bryant. When Bryant curiously deferred to teammates Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, and Smush Parker in a Game 1 loss, these experts were puzzled. Why would the Lakers deviate from what they've been doing all season? Surely they couldn't consistently rely on three journeymen who have bounced around the league for years.

But Phil Jackson knew something that the so-called experts didn't. He knew that while Phoenix may have survived 82 regular-season games without Amare Stoudamire, they were going to miss him in the playoffs, where the game slows down. So he told Odom and Brown to get their acts together inside and put them in positions to succeed. He told Kobe to stop gunning and get Odom and Brown good looks inside. And then a funny thing happened. It worked. The Lakers stole Game 2 and won Game 3 with Kobe scoring only 17 points, or less than Smush Parker and Luke Walton.

And then there was today's game, a game that the Lakers were supposed to lose. But they suddenly remembered that they had Kobe. Smush Parker's timely steal against 2-time MVP Steve Nash set up Kobe's coast-to-coast layup that reminded everyone why he is one of the greats. But in case anyone forgot, Kobe reminded us once again with his overtime buzzer beater. After Luke Walton tied up the aformentioned MVP (it was a good call, by the way), Kobe took the tip, drove right, rose up, and hit the game-winner over two Phoenix defenders.

If there's any doubt that Phil Jackson is one hell of a coach, this series proved it to everyone. At the beginning of the season, who would have thought the Lakers had advanced to the brink of the second round through a team effort? Thanks to Jackson, that vision is now a reality.

But it would be blasphemous to say that the Lakers-Suns series is the only compelling series out there. Consider the Cavaliers-Wizards series. If one were to look up the word "dramatic" in the dictionary, they would see a definition entitled "Cavaliers-Wizards series 2006." With every game, the momentum pendilum has swung in a different direction. After LeBron James' breathtaking triple-double in Game 1 (his first playoff game ever, by the way), prognosters were saying that the Wizards had no chance. But the Wizards understood what they needed to do, and sent a message to LeBron in Game 2, fouling him hard and forcing turnover after turnover. Suddenly, everyone was wondering if LeBron and the Cavs were tough enough to compete with the Wizards (a notoriously soft team, by the way). Cavs fans pointed the finger at the officials, saying that they were letting the Wizards get away with too much physical play.

As the series shifted to Washington, both stars came to play for their respective teams. Gilbert Arenas had a terrible Game 1, and LeBron James had a terrible Game 2, but in Game 3, they pushed each other to new heights. It was if as they were saying to each other "Anything you can do, I can do better." Gilbert and the Wiz had the upper hand early, but LeBron led his team back in the third quarter. They traded jabs until the final minute, where they somehow managed to outdo their own performances. First, it was LeBron driving down the land and somehow muscling the ball into the basket as Jared Jeffries attempted to tie him up. Cleveland up 2. On the next possession, the Cavaliers knew who was getting the ball, but they still couldn't stop Gilbert Arenas from knifing his way into the land and hitting a floater off the glass and drawing the foul. Wizards up 1. It was now LeBron's turn to respond, and respond he did. James drove right, jump-stopped around Jeffries, collided with Michael Ruffin, and somehow had enough strength to put the ball in the basket. Cavs up 1. Gilbert had a chance to have the last word. After Cleveland inexplicably double-teamed Caron Butler off the inbounds, Arenas had a wide-open three pointer for the win. All he had to do was hit this open shot and he would have the last word. The shot went halfway down and shockingly popped out. LeBron and the Cavs had shocked the Wizards and seemingly had the upper hand.

After two quarters of Game 4 today, it certainly seemed that the Wizards were dead. Trailing by 11 at halftime, the Wiz were in trouble. LeBron was dominating them again and Arenas was nowhere to be found. But all great stars eventually find a way, and Arenas rose to the challenge. He led the Wizards back in the third, and took the game over in the fourth quarter. LeBron was nowhere to be seen.

Now, as we go back to Cleveland for Game 5, it's anyone's series. Who knows what will happen next? Either way, it will be unfortuante that one of the two great stars, LeBron and Arenas, will be out of the playoffs by this time next week.

And as for the rest, they certainly haven't disappointed. March Madness may be over, but there is a distinct Cinderella flavor in the Bulls-Heat series. The seemingly overmatched Bulls, featuring two scrawny white kids among their top 3 players, have somehow hung with the incredibly talented Heat, featuring the Big Diesel, Dwayne Wade, and a supporting cast of former stars. Nobody gave the Bulls much of a chance in this series. Sure, they play tough, but the Heat have too much talent. Well, here we stand at 2-2, and its anybody's series. Will the Bulls be this year's George Mason to Miami's Connecticut, or will the Heat survive the scare?

And I haven't even discussed the San Antonio-Sacramento series. After Game 1, nobody gave Sacramento any chance in this series. On the heels of a 34 point blowout and a suspension to their star, the series appeared to be over even though it barely started. The Kings played their hearts out in Game 2, but somehow, the Spurs found a way to win. As Game 3 winded down everyone assumed the defending champs would find a way to win like they did in Game 2. But then the ball slipped through Manu Ginobili's hands and Mike Bibby picked it up. He fed Kevin Martin, a skinny third-year player who only three years ago was toiling in anominity at Western Carolina University. All Martin had to do was take the ball up against Tim Duncan, a superstar who is 5 inches taller and 85 pounds heavier than Martin. Somehow, Martin found a way to twist around Duncan and hit the game-winning layup. Suddenly, instead of being one game away from the second round, the defending champs were on the ropes, and the Kings had momentum. Two days later, the Spurs didn't show up, and the Kings tied the series.

And I haven't even mentioned the Nets-Pacers series, tied at 2-2, or the Clippers being one game from the second round. Clearly, there aren't enough storylines to go around. Sure, there have been some stinkers (wonder if Memphis is wondering why they didn't tank at the end of the season), and the referees have been horrible, but I can't complain. These NBA Playoffs have been the best since the Jordan era ended, and we've only just begun.

(photos via CNNSI.com)