Much to my chagrin, the time for non-binding suggestion is over. The NBA playoffs start tomorrow, so without my usual pomp and ceremony, here's your viewing guide to the first round:
- Fear the Beard. After a vindicating inaugural season with the Houston Rockets, James Harden, the former ugly duckling in the Oklahoma City Thunder's litter of superstars, returns to his spawning ground to face top-seeded Thunder.
As time elapsed in the deciding fifth game of the NBA finals last June, most people watching envisioned the Thunder's trajectory as a steep ascent. Even with their continued improvement, when Harden goes off on one of his patented hot streaks and takes on entire defenses all by himself, folks in Oklahoma City will surely be left wondering if they spoiled their best shot at a championship. Now one of the top five scorers in the league, Harden should bring a level of competitiveness not usually seen in a matchup between the first and eighth-ranked teams.
Oh, and Oklahoma City has Kevin Durant.
- Teetering Towers. While the Thunder and Rockets franchises still have their best days ahead of them, the series between the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers is a matchup of dynasties in their twilight years. The Spurs have a mechanical efficiency that's a product of their coach, Gregg Popovich, and an unrepentant commitment to their offensive system.
Before Kobe Bryant went down with a season-ending ruptured Achilles, I was giddy at the thought of a vintage Bryant and Tim Duncan matchup. But alas, cursed by injuries from the get-go, the Lakers head into the playoffs shorthanded. Kobe's toppling Kobe has instead led to an open casting call for "the man" on the Lakers and Dwight Howard has, so far, nailed the audition. We've seen Howard put a team of middling players on his broad shoulders and march all the way to the NBA finals before. Will we see it again? Doubtful, but certainly worth watching.
- The Fastest Hands in the West. The Wild West takes physical form in the high-octane matchup of the third-seeded Denver Nuggets against the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors. These teams both rank in the top five in pace of play, or number of total possessions per game, and at the same time, each is in the top 10 in offensive efficiency, or points scored per 100 possessions. Put these together and you get an explosion of fast-breaking scoring and three-point barrages.
Keep an eye on Warriors golden boy Stephen Curry, known for having the purest shot in the association, perhaps even in its entire history. While the Nuggets were expected to waltz through their first round series after their post-All Star break demolition of everything in their path, a torn ACL for Denver's Italian stallion, Danilo Gallinari, could provide Curry and Golden State with an unexpected route to the second round.
- No Clever Title: A Can't Miss Series. The main event for the first round of the playoffs is a rematch of last year's fourth-ranked versus fifth-ranked matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies. The series went to game seven last year and is widely expected to once again reach the culminating win-or-go home moment. The Grizzlies, known for their ability to slow the game down and turn any contest into an unsightly slugfest, will limit the Clippers' opportunities to take on their exhilarating Lob City persona.
The dearth of alley-oops will by no means limit the entertainment value of this series. Instead, as seen during last year's playoffs, the Clippers will likely empower point guard and part-time Hogwarts professor, Chris Paul, to manage the game with his wizardry. If you tune in to just one series during the first round, this should be the one.
- Regularly Scheduled Programming. If you're going to watch an Eastern Conference game at the expense of a Western Conference game: don't. Just don't do it. Think about your spring break trip and how everyone told you not to drink the tap water and you did it anyway. That's what this is like.
Sure, you've got a flawless Miami Heat team and the sharp-shooting New York Knicks as the one and two, but the rest of the bracket is just so boring: the original sin of playoff basketball.
So, here's to the playoffs. May David Stern be ever in your favor.
