Beware of the Ides of March

March is a weird time in the NBA. Some teams are eliminated and thinking lottery (but maybe acting a little too soon in Danny Ainge's case), some teams think they can put together a great final month and sneak into an eight seed, and the rest are just trying not to get bored or injured waiting for the playoffs.

March is also a time when the top teams get together and the intensity is turned up for the first time. Take the Suns and Mavs game last week, for example. That game had playoff intensity from start to finish. It was so intense that even mild-mannered Mark Cuban was getting animated by game's end.

The problem with the NBA in March is that we've seen enough of everybody to think that we know where every team stands. But if recent history has taught us anything, it's that we haven't seen anything yet.

March 2004

Kevin Garnett was having one of his beast seasons yet (he ended up finishing with the MVP), and he finally had some semblance of a supporting cast. Meanwhile, the Lakers have all four of their future Hall of Famers healthy for the first time and end March on a nine-game winning streak that extends to 11 into early April.

The result — The Pistons take their game to another level after they acquire Rasheed Wallace and fly under the radar, only to completely dominate the Lakers in the Finals.

March 2005

The up-and-coming Heat are playing their way to a 59-win season in the East, led by new addition Shaquille O'Neal and second-year breakout star Dwyane Wade. The Suns play like a combination of a European team and an '80s team, reminding us what basketball looks like when a team focuses on offense before defense.

The result — Playoff-tested San Antonio beats the defending champion Pistons in the first NBA Finals to go seven games since M.J. retired for the first time.

March 2006

Detroit is a month removed from sending four players to the All-Star Game and still on pace to win 70 games. Out west, San Antonio, the defending champs and winners of three of the last seven, are on their way to a franchise record 63 wins. At the same time, Steve Nash has elevated his game to all-time great status en route to his second straight MVP.

The result — Miami catches fire late and their success snowballs into the playoffs, where they outlast newly defensive-minded Dallas in the Finals.

March 2007

Dallas has already put together three 12+ game winning streaks, Phoenix nearly swept the entire Eastern Conference in their road meetings, and they have the top two (and only two) MVP candidates between them.

The result — Who knows? We've seen great regular seasons from both Dallas and Phoenix before, and neither has anything to show for it. (Sorry, Dallas fans, where I come from, we don't put up banners for second place). The Spurs are the same as always; no fun, but dominant nonetheless. The Pistons will most likely hit the "on" switch sometime real soon. Houston has proven they can win without T-Mac, and without Yao, if they can find a way to win with both in the lineup, look out. And what if this year we witness "Playoff LeBron" and Cleveland does big things?

The point is that it's fun to watch regular season basketball. It's where you get to see things like Kobe get hot to the point where you have to watch because you don't know how many points he can get to. It's where you get to see Nash score 10 points in 55 seconds to force OT. It's where you get to see the teams nearest the Puget Sound play.

But the fact remains that real basketball doesn't start until the playoffs. It's like the old golf saying goes: "Drive for show, putt for dough." Dallas and Phoenix both hit it 330 yards right down the middle. Let's see if either knocks down a 20-footer in June.