It’s that time of the year for sports fans. The time of the year when fans sit in amazement as Cleveland Cavaliers guard LeBron James swoops to the lane for a reverse layup. It is the time when fans across the United States sit around their televisions in awe as San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry beats the buzzer to win game four for the Spurs. It is the time of the year when fans in Atlanta look forward to the NBA Draft lottery. The NBA playoffs are here again, so let’s review the top-10 story lines as the second week of the play-offs comes to an end. 10. King James Brings the Pain – The Cavaliers swept the Washington Wizards, 4-0. Sure, the Wizards were without all-stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, but with a friendly draw in the Least-ern Conference, the Cavaliers may moonwalk to the NBA Finals. 9. Home Court Disadvantage – Home-court teams have won only 63 percent of play-off games played so far. This number is far lower than in the past. The Houston Rockets/Utah Jazz series has been the exception thus far, with no team winning on the road through five games. 8. Tricks are for Kidds – New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd has baffled the Toronto Raptors through four games, averaging a triple-double in the first round, including a 19-assist performance in game three. With the same favorable draw Cleveland has, the Nets have the talent assembled to make another deep play-off run. 7. Poor Kobe – The Lakers face a dilemma in the first round against the Phoenix Suns. Scenario A: Kobe scores 50 points in a loss. Scenario B: Kobe passes the ball and gets 25 points with 10 assists but still in a loss. Do you see the problem here? 6. Upset City – One five-seed has already beaten a four-seed. One eight-seed is ahead three games to one against a one-seed, and a six-seed is about to polish off the three-seed. Who says there are no upsets in the NBA play-offs? 5. Back against the Wall – Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady has received a lot of flack for never getting out of the first round of the playoffs in his career. With home-court advantage for the first time ever, the bull’s-eye is squarely on McGrady to lead Houston to the second round over Utah. With a 26-point and 16-assist performance in Monday night’s win, McGrady is ready to take his team to the next level. 4. Motor-City Mo-Jo – Early in the regular season, the Detroit Pistons did not look like a team capable of making a run at the NBA Finals, but the addition of Michigan’s own Chris Webber has the Pistons as the club-house favorite to represent the Eastern Conference for third time in four years. 3. Year of the Sun? – It seems like Steve Nash has fine wine running through his veins because he just gets better with age. With center Amare Stoudamire back in action, the Suns will be a force to be reckoned with out west. 2. Whoa Nellie – Former Dallas Mavericks and current Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson gives his former team all they can handle. Golden State is trying to become only the third team to ever defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round. Although the series is currently 3-1 in favor of Golden State, no one is giving them much of a chance. But that seems to be just the way the Warriors like it. 1. Bye, Bye Champs – Remember when Miami Heat guard Dwaybe Wade called out Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitski for not being a “leader” in the playoffs? Wade followed up with a truly heroic 23 points per game, four points below his season average of 27, while his team got swept by the Chicago Bulls. Maybe season-ending shoulder surgery was not such a bad idea.
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]