Nine Weeks of Basketball at its Best

With all apologizes to March Madness, basketball season has finally arrived. Sure, the college game can get exciting because some underdog will make for a good story, and the one loss and you're out factor make each game a little more tense than an NBA playoff game. Any real basketball fan, however, will tell you that the real madness takes place over the course of nine weeks in the NBA playoffs.

Already we've seen things get crazy, and not all series have even shifted locations yet.

The Kobe Show

Kobe Bryant has been, surprise, at the center of some of the most amazing occurrences in the first week, though not always for the same reason. When he dropped for 28 in the first half of game one, I went immediately to my computer to see what the playoff record is, because after all Kobe is involved, and you never know. After finding out that it is 55 (by Allen Iverson, who certainly wouldn't have been my first guess), I convinced myself that he was getting there. He was in the zone.

Then he goes 1-for-10 in the fourth quarter and they lose badly.

So in Game 2 you've got to assume he's not going to repeat because he never has two bad fourth quarters in a row, right? They lost by 30. Or so I hear. It got so unbearable that I couldn't watch the fourth.

The first round had betrayed me. You know that San Antonio, Dallas, and Detroit are just practicing for the second round, so the first round is a chance for individuals to steal the show. Yet my favorite individual was nowhere to be found while perennial losers Baron Davis and Tracy McGrady turned into second-half scoring machines.

Then I read the quote that restored all hope in the Laker series Thursday before Game 3, when Phil Jackson said that they need to play "Kobeball" to have any chance to win. I perked up like Jack Nicholson did when he received a birthday cake from two smoking hot Laker Girls. It's not over yet.

Well, sort of. The series is still practically over. Phoenix is too much. But the idea of "Kobeball" is too intriguing to miss. So I once again got my hopes up unreasonably high, only to see him come through with one of the most efficient and dominant games Bryant has had all year. He was back, if only for one night.

Does this mean that they are going to take the series? Of course not. Kobe got a lot of help from a lot of people who rarely contribute (mostly you, Kwame Brown). But you better believe I'll be tuned in Sunday when "Kobeball" takes the national spotlight dressed in his Sunday Best (the home whites) looking to tie the series.

After all, Kobe is involved, and you never know.

Second Guess of the Week

Why on earth did Avery Johnson change his starting lineup for Game 1? I realize that he was trying to give his team favorable matchups, but come on. Why not just say, "We won 67 games, here's our best five, try and stop us"? Instead, he basically told Golden State that he thinks they can beat him, and the Warriors ran with it. Luckily, Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson acted like Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson in Game 2, and order was restored.

A more important note about the Mavs/Warriors game one was the "NBA Cares" segment where Dallas hosted a charity game. Old players and local celebrities played and wore replica Mavericks jerseys with their name and a number on the back. However, Mark Cuban's jersey had a dollar sign instead of a number. That's right, he played a charity game as number $. That is either completely arrogant or completely awesome. I'll go with the latter.

Paging Doctor Andrews

Listening to the radio broadcast of the Pistons/Magic game three, I heard the epitome of "I wish I was watching right now" radio play-by-play lines when the announcer gave this description, "Grant Hill drives the lane, Blocked by McDyess! And McDyess comes down in a heap on top of Hill."

Before both men got up I had a brief second where I thought that both of these players may have just ended their careers, and I missed it. Both guys were fine, but it's probably not the strongest testament to durability when two players collide and the fact that they'll both still be able to walk again afterwards needs to be noted.

You're Not Going to Wear That Harness

As if I couldn't despise Dwyane Wade any more, he broke quite possibly my biggest pet peeve of basketball players by wearing sleeves under his jersey. I'm guessing he got special permission from the league because of his near fatal shoulder injury. I hate when college players wear a t-shirt under their jersey. You just don't look like a ball player. Corey Brewer looks like he's got the potential to be a very solid pro, but nothing screams "college player" like wearing a t-shirt under your jersey. If he wants to be a good pro, he'd better start dressing the part.

While I'm Still Worked Up About Accessories...

Did someone create Vince Carter on "NBA Live?" If I counted correctly in Game 1, he had on seven different pieces of flare: a headband, a wristband on his right elbow, a sleeve on his left arm, high socks, two knee pads, and the NBA logo compression shorts. Now, I could care less about what a player looks like, but he was as geared up as Billy Joe Cuthbert in the "Mamba vs. Mongoose" commercials, only Cuthbert is a joke.

The playoffs are finally in full swing, and it couldn't be more entertaining. So Cinderella may not get any invitations to the dance in June, but she had her fun in March. The time has finally arrived for the big boys to host their party.