Sadly, for us basketball faithful, the grueling NBA season is about to come to a close-an 82-game marathon spanning six months. Eighty-two games that don’t mean a damn thing if you don’t make it into the second season-the playoffs. The 30 NBA teams have two remaining regular season games this year, and for 14 of them those will be their final two games until next November. The other 16 will play each other for a golden trophy that Michael Jordan has kissed more times than his own wife.

Now at this point I can let my Cleveland bias come out and complain about how my Cavaliers are this close to missing the playoffs again (despite having the best player in the league in LeBron James). But I think I’ll be objective this week in the hopes that I can have a “LeBron wins his fourteenth championship” article later on. Hey, I can dream, right?

These playoffs strike me as being ripe for great first-round matchups. Call me crazy, but this year there seems to be a lot of potential for the “playoff entertainment trifecta.” I’m talking about upsets, overtimes and buzzer-beaters. Typically we don’t see these blood-pressure raisers until the later rounds, but this year strikes me as different for some reason. In particular, I see four first-round matchups that should prove to be extremely entertaining.

Eastern Conference

#4 Chicago Bulls vs. #5 Washington Wizards: Wizards lead season series 2-1

Wow, nice to see these two teams back in the playoffs after a six-year absence. The hunger SWA protesters felt during their five-day hunger strike doesn’t compare to what the Bulls and Wizards have felt for the playoffs. Seriously though-since ’97-’98, these teams have had less success than Doug Funnie had with Patti Mayonnaise. A low blow, I know. Methinks that this series will go seven games to determine which of these Eastern Conference upstart clubs is better. With the recent (and season-ending) injuries to the Bulls’ Eddy Curry and Luol Deng, I am going to have to give the series to the Wizards. Look for lots of close games, passionate play and fun-to-watch basketball from the teams that will be in the playoffs for years to come.

#3 Boston Celtics vs. #6 Indiana Pacers: Pacers lead season series 2-1

Don’t even think about claiming you knew the Pacers would be here the day after “The Brawl.” Picking the Pacers to miss the playoffs on Nov. 20 was as sure a thing as picking the 0-9 Bulls to miss the play…oh, wait. It just goes to show you that miracles do happen in the buckle of the Bible Belt. This series should be interesting because these teams have faced each other in the last two playoffs, and this matchup is growing into a nice little rivalry. We’re not talking Whig/Tory- or Tupac/Biggie-type rivalries, but this rivalry still holds its own. Despite the fact that the Celts have two stars in Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce, a Hall of Famer in Gary Payton and a sixth-man candidate in Ricky Davis, I have to go with an upset here. The Pacers will have a playoff-ready Jermaine O’Neal and a supporting cast that has surprised everybody. Plus, everybody’s got to like the Pacers matching up with the Pistons in round two. And hey, since they’ll be without Ron Artest, maybe the Pacers should sign Mike Tyson to play small forward for the playoffs. I hear he’s looking for work.

Western Conference

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #7 Denver Nuggets: Season series split 2-2

Okay, so this one seems a little more unlikely to be entertaining than the Eastern matchups I’ve picked, but hear me out on this one. Denver’s record since the All-Star break is 24-3, including two wins over the Spurs. Despite this nice statistic, the Spurs will still win this series and most likely advance to the finals-there’s no debate about that. But the Nuggets, under the cruel tutelage of eccentric coach George Karl, have been playing the best ball since the break and will not go down quietly. With the strong front courts of these two teams, I expect a lot of strong physical play down low with the Spurs’ dynamic guard duo of Tony Parker and Manu “Gold Medal” Ginobili being the ultimate difference makers. The Nuggets are still a young and relatively inexperienced team, and a six-game defeat against the Spurs should serve as a good learning experience for them.

#4 Dallas Mavericks vs. #5 Houston Rockets: Season series split 2-2

This is a dream matchup. Both of these Texas teams have been on fire lately and should provide some great first-round games. The fact that the Mavs have won over 50 games this year without Steve Nash is a testament to Dirk Nowitzki, who I think should be the MVP of the association. Anyway, this matchup screams drama. Look at these two teams-they are absolutely stacked. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming (for the Rockets) versus Nowitzki and Jason Terry (for the Mavericks). Unbelievable. Though it’s tough, I am going to have to pick the Mavs to win this one in seven. With Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Van Horn coming off the bench, the Mavs have a stronger second unit than the Rockets. These games are going to be very high-scoring, as defense is nonexistent in the Lone Star State, save San Antonio. For pure entertainment value, this is the series to watch.

Well, there you have it. I am never wrong about this sort of thing, so clear your schedules when these games are on. You won’t regret it. Besides, it’s better TV than watching meaningless April MLB games, ain’t it?

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