Thoughts on NBA Playoffs, Round 1

If this is only the beginning of this year's NBA playoffs, then basketball fans are in for one of the greatest postseasons in recent memory. Seriously, how great was that first round? For starters, there was an 8-seed (Memphis) beating a 1-seed (San Antonio), only the 4th time that has ever happened. Then, there was the dramatic Portland-Dallas series, with the Blazers giving the Mavs all they could handle, and Brandon Roy, after disappointing Games 1 & 2, coming off the bench with 16 points in Game 3, and then scoring 18 of his 24 points in the 4th quarter of Game 4, including a "What just happened?!" four-point-play late in the quarter, leading the Blazers on a comeback after trailing by 18 at the start of the 4th. Roy had made headlines by voicing his displeasure with his playing time in the first two games after Game 2, and then proved his point in Games 3 and 4. Hopefully, this means that Roy is back to his old playing self, the one we saw several years ago, before he had injury issues. During all that, Chris Paul and the 7-seed Hornets gave the defending champion Lakers fits before LA won in 6 games. The Oklahoma City Thunder turned some heads by sweeping the Nuggets in what many thought would be the closest first-round series. In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers gave the best-record-holding Bulls all they had in an exciting five-game series. Bulls PG Derrick Rose proved why he is the MVP-favorite by scoring 39 in Game 1, 36 in Game 2, and averaging 27.6 points over the whole series. The Celtics and the Knicks, two franchises familiar with each other in the playoffs dating back to the 1960's, met in a 3-6 match up, with the Celtics sweeping. The Atlanta Hawks upset Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in 6 games, they will be playing the Bulls in the 2nd round. Finally, we reach the much-scrutinized Miami Heat, who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games. In their 4 wins, the Heat looked about as dangerous as any team, with LeBron James showing shades of Magic Johnson in his play, and Dwayne Wade playing some of the best basketball of his career, and Chris Bosh performing well as the third option. In their Game 4 loss, though, they showed why many believe Miami is not a championship team, yet, in their lack of crunch-time performance. The Heat will play Boston in the second round, a match up leaving NBA fans drooling. Other storylines and questions preclude this upcoming 2nd round. Are the Lakers still the team to beat? Are Rose and Kevin Durant of the Thunder joining Wade, LeBron, and Kobe as the elite of the elite with their play in these playoffs? Can the Grizzlies, after winning their first playoff series in their history, keep their mojo working against OKC? These questions can only be answered by the rest of the playoffs. Get ready.