Wow. Just… wow. I’m an East-coaster and I’m still blown away by the Western playoffs. Easily the biggest story in the entire Association is the result of the first-round series between the winningest team in the league and a team that had to fight just to make it into the post-season. The big money, Xbox 360-laced locker rooms against the boys that hadn’t made it to the post season in recent memory, with half of the team not even wearing the same jerseys for a full year. The owner who can’t stay out of the spotlight versus the coach he cut loose only a few years back. Only the biggest hoops fans in Oakland could’ve even imagined this would be the result of a playoff series let alone actually predict it. Regardless, the Dallas Mavericks have been sent home for the summer.

Not only did this series surprise millions of NBA fans across the world, but it totally went against all fundamentals of the game. In no form of past professional basketball (and I’m talking about the days dating back to Kareem through Lambeer/Parish and even as recent as Shaq/Malone) would a team be able to start four guards (most of whom are shoot-first) and a 21-year old Latvian whom which many fans didn’t even know existed prior to this season. But it’s been done. These guys can flat out win games, and put up incredibly solid stats in doing so. And it could happen again given the “bigs” that reside in Utah this season. But I’ll refrain from attempting to sound like big media, but I’ll leave it with this. If these guys can somehow get past the Jazz, and the Suns would make it past the Spurs, we could be in for one of the greatest high-scoring series in the history of the NBA. If your favorite team is no longer around, you’re not a fan if you’re not rooting for a Suns/Warriors series. I’ll stop talking about it simply for the fear of jinxing the possibility.

Regarding the Suns, the brutal hit that Steve Nash took to his nose in the final minutes of game 1 most certainly affected the outcome. Nash still managed to put up a line of 31 points, three rebounds, eight assists and solid shooting – 11-18 from the floor, 7-7 from the line. The only thing that’s lacking is the minutes: 33. A 33 that should’ve been a 34 if the unfortunate collision would not have occurred with Tony Parker.

Parker was solid himself, registering 32 points, eight assists, two steals and a decent night from the floor himself (14-22). But it’s the one steal that occurred with 3 minutes left in the game that easily defined the outcome. I have to say, the fact that Parker was the one that fell to the floor still baffles me, but he wasn’t the one that had to miss the final minute.

Others in the game deserve credit, with Tim Duncan having one of his best games of the post season with 33 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks, and Amare Stoudemire not slowing down at all with his 20 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks of his own. Though losing game 1 at home is a definite blow for the Suns, this series is far from over. One key portion of this series to watch is the sixth men for each team. Leandro Barbosa has been on fire, while Manu Ginobili has struggled greatly. Will each continue down the same path? If history is any fortune-teller, I’m guessing we’ll see plenty of Ginobili sooner than later so don’t count him out just yet.

Switching over to the East, we have three teams that swept their first round opponents and one who took just a bit longer to get to the same point. After getting a few days rest, the Chicago Bulls locked up with the Detroit Pistons for their opening bout. After outscoring the Miami Heat considerably, the Bulls failed to break 70 points after being out-hustled (46 rebounds and 12 steals compared to 38 rebounds and seven) and simply out-played by the ‘Stones. Foul trouble early on for Ben Gordon and PJ Brown coupled with poor shooting by anyone not named “Deng” or “Hinrich” and it was an all-around rough game for the Bulls.

Four of the starting five for Detroit were in double-figures, with each of the five recording at least one steal – and Lindsey Hunter adding three rips of his own. Ironically, it was the guard play of Detroit that made the difference in the game as Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups each had 20. These two will likely combine for quite a mismatch for Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, so Chicago has their work cut out for them. The Bulls are a different team at home, so if they can pull out Game Two, they’re in great shape – but if game 1 was any indication, it could be a long next couple of days.

The New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers combined for a slow-starting Game One of their own. The Cavaliers did their best to seal off Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson – resulting in several easy buckets for Mikki Moore and Bostjan Nachbar, while the Nets did their best to shut down LeBron James – resulting in Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic stepping up big. Pavlovic had what was easily the biggest play of the game when he had a come-from-behind block against Kidd late in the fourth quarter, preserving what was a four-point lead.

Neither team played well, with the Nets shooting 37% as a team with the Cavaliers barely cracking 40%. Though he was relatively quiet in game 1 (with only 21 points), one can never count out Vince Carter for at least one or two 30-point nights in the upcoming games. Also, hoping for Jason Kidd to shoot 2-11 each night out is a pipedream at this stage. Game 1 is a great first step for the Cavaliers, but this series is far from a pushover that was the case with the Washington Wizards.

From the Top of the Key - May 8th 2007 (cont)

T-Mac may have some serious skills-- but don't counting winning a playoff series among those.

Looking Forward

With Tracy McGrady failing to get yet another team out of the first round, all eyes will likely be on the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors. Can the Warriors keep up with the same style of play that has gotten them this far? Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur are arguably better runners than Dirk Nowitzki and any combination of DeSagana Diop and Erick Dampier - which could also pose a problem for Stephen Jackson, who had the honor of guarding Nowitzki last series. Boozer is exponentially more of an inside presence, so the defensive sets that Don Nelson throws at the Jazz will be very interesting.

Another point of contention will continue to be the health of Baron Davis. After playing a role of Superman in the Dallas series, Davis had been held out of practices allowing for his hamstring to heal. He’s been a huge part of the 105 points per game that the Warriors have put up thus far in the post-season, so his impact is very vital to the success (or lack of) that the Warriors may have in the second round. It should be worth mentioning that the Jazz have only broken 100 points once in the post-season, and that was in the 103-99 Game Seven win over the Rockets.

Look for the Phoenix Suns to bounce back in Game Two this week. This game was definitely winnable even with the two-time MVP Steve Nash being unusable for the final minute – so having him available for a full 48 minutes could (and should) make the difference. The Tim Duncan/Amare Stoudemire match-up should continue to be one for the ages as you pit a big man known more for his sound fundamentals against a younger, more-explosive big man known more for his running and pure power. And as mentioned earlier, this series could easily come down to the bench – staring with Leandro Barbosa and Manu Ginobili.

The two series in the Eastern conference, though not as exciting, could wind up being just as important. The Bulls will definitely look to improve from game 1, but let’s face it…it can’t get much worse. If the biggest story to come out of this series is Ben Wallace facing his old team, we’ll have a huge problem. The shots of Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng are bound to fall at least one night, so if the Bulls can dictate the pace of game 2, we could have a different outcome.

Finally, can LeBron James take his team to the conference finals this season? After being up 3-2 last season, the last win of the regular season this year can prove to be that much more important – as they could’ve been the ones playing the Pistons this week. Vince Carter has historically given the Cavaliers fits, and Jason Kidd is still one of the best point guards in the league. If you could take any pair of players for your backcourt, would it be Carter and Kidd or Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic? Yea, that’s what I thought. Comparing frontcourts is like apples and oranges at this point, but if Kidd and company can compensate for that, the Nets could still find themselves back in the same position they were in only a few years back: The Eastern Conference Finals.

This whole picture will become a little clearer come next week. Until then…