The 2006 NBA playoffs could be considered the best ever.
LeBron James is making his playoff debut and is performing like some of the all-time greats.
There are three 60-win teams, and two of them meet in the second round if the higher seed prevails in the first round.
Players are already being sidelined by suspensions, and a coin toss can literally determine who is going to walk away the world champions.
Wow.
There are several contenders and pretenders in the playoffs this year.
First, there are the 60-game winners: Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas and Miami.
The Pistons dethroned the Lakers in 2004 and were a Robert Horry three-point miss from making it a repeat. They also boast the best record in the NBA, a franchise record 64-18.
The most consistent starting lineup-Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace-have worked night in and night out with new coach Flip Saunders to get where they are. Antonio McDyess, a Quitman native, and Lindsey Hunter, a Jackson State alum, provide the spark off the bench.
The Spurs (63-19) are the defending champs and have three titles in seven years.
Tim Duncan is having a sub-par year, averaging less than 20 points per game for the first time in his career.
Tony Parker has helped pick up the slack, averaging a career high 18.9 points per game and making his first all-star game appearance. The addition of Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel to an already playoff-tested team has made them better.
The Mavericks (60-22) now have a defensive presence among them.
Coach of the Year Avery Johnson has guided Dallas to a tie for best record in franchise history.
Dirk Nowitzki is another player having a career year, averaging 26.6 points per game, seventh in the league.
Erick Dampier, an MSU standout who spent much of his career with the Golden State Warriors, is fifth in the league in offensive rebounds per game, 3.3, and third in total offensive rebounds, 273.
Miami (52-30) had the busiest off-season last year, picking up Jason Williams, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and James Posey.
Dwyane Wade put up impressive numbers as usual-27.2 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, 5.7 rebounds per game-but ranks second in the NBA with 3.57 turnovers per game, behind only Gilbert Arenas.
The Heat went through a coaching change and injuries to an aging Shaq, who is averaging a career low in points and is not averaging a double-double for the first time in his 14 years in the NBA.
It is now or never for the Heat. Payton, Shaq and Alonzo Mourning are past their prime and will have a negative impact on the team.
This year’s pretenders are capable of winning it all but are missing pieces of the puzzle.
The Phoenix Suns (54-28) are missing Amare Stoudemire due to injury, Joe Johnson due to free agency and Quentin Richardson due to the trade market.
Sources say Steve Nash will win the MVP again and has earned it, averaging a career-best 18.8 points per game and is averaging over ten assists for the second straight year.
He has made Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion better, but the team still lacks the physical inside player to have a legit chance to make it to the finals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) are making the playoffs for the first time since 1998. The only player on the team from then is Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
The inexperience hurts the Cavs, and James’ amazing playmaking ability cannot make up for the lack of playoff practice.
The only player on the team who has made it past the second round is Eric Snow (2001 Finals with the 76ers.)
The New Jersey Nets (49-33) won a division with no competition. After Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd, there are no true threats to help the Nets make it far in the playoffs. Another factor that hurts the Nets’ chances is who they drew in the first round.
The Indiana Pacers are the best team in this postseason that does not have home-court advantage. They are playoff tested and prove to cause problems against whomever they play.