Playoffs Arrive

Cooper Allen

At last, after a long 82-game season, the NBA playoffs have arrived. The NBA postseason is really a season unto itself. It begins today and will extend into June. The eventual champion could play as many as 28 games if every series goes the distance. I can't wait, especially since my beloved Hawks could very plausibly still be playing by the second round for the first time in a decade.

So, before the first game tips off in about an hour, I thought I'd list the three most compelling storylines to watch for in the next few weeks...other than the almost foregone conclusion of a LeBron v. Kobe NBA Finals.
 

1. The end of an era for the Spurs and Pistons. Time may have finally caught up with the Spurs, one of the more durable, underrated dynasties in recent memory. In the Tim Duncan era, they've won four NBA titles, appeared in the Western Conference Finals an additional two times, made the playoffs every season -- failing to advance out of the first round once -- while consistently winning 50-plus games every year. Meanwhile, the Pistons have almost quietly advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive seasons. That ends this year.  Detroit Basketball will be hoping not to get swept by the 66-win Cavs in their first round matchup. The Spurs, however, could certainly get out of the first round, but for the first time in a while, a trip to the Finals seems almost inconceivable. They're without Manu Ginobili and the 65-win Lakers are healthy and on a mission. Maybe the Spurs get as far as the conference finals, but that's it.
2. Will anyone challenge the Cavs in the East? Before news of Kevin Garnett's apparent season-ending injury broke this week, the East bracket looked like it may culminate with a Celtics-Cavs clash of the titans conference finals. We may still get that matchup, but it certainly won't be the same. Without KG, the Celtics simply don't have the defensive presence they had last season. Moreover, they'll have a tough road to even get to the Cavs. First, they face the surging Bulls, who won 12 of their final 16 games. Don't forget -- a healthy, very hungry Boston team was pushed to the brink last season by my Hawks, a 37-win team. Orlando is the other likely challenger to King James. But, frankly, can you see this Orlando team (albeit, a very good one) knocking off LeBron and the Cavs in Cleveland? They'd have to win at least one game there, while holding serve for all three games at home. The Cavs lost exactly one game at home this year when LeBron was playing (to the Lakers).
3. Which young star will take the next step? It's a great time to be an NBA fan -- there are plenty of young stars in or nearing their prime. And we'll get to see many of them in this year's playoffs. Some have already established their playoff bona fides (Dwyane Wade in 2006). Others, though, are still burnishing their postseason credentials. Two players to watch:  Brandon Roy and Chris Paul. CP3 is already one of the five best players in the league, and he made his playoff debut last season, where his Hornets lost in seven games to the Spurs. This year, New Orleans flew a bit under the radar, failing to win 50 games as they did last season. Portland, meanwhile, emerged this year as a contender of the future -- and perhaps present -- under the leadership of Roy. Can Roy or Paul push Kobe and the Lakers? I'm not sure anyone can take out the Lake Show in the West, but Roy and Paul could certainly make things interesting, and further establish themselves as playoff stars of the future.