Best Week Ever: NBA Playoffs

Before I start this column, I want to give a shout-out to the Columbia baseball team. If things continue to go well, they’ll be the Ivy League champions in a matter of weeks.

Now that I got that out of the way, I’m going to discuss the NBA playoffs. I’ve been waiting for the playoffs to start for awhile, and now that they’re here my procrastination has risen to new levels. In fact, I’m watching a game between Boston and Atlanta as I write this article. The fact that I have mad homework, yet I’m spending my Wednesday watching a mediocre mismatch between the Celtics and the Hawks, says a lot about my love for the game.

There have been a multitude of things that caught have caught my attention during these early first-round NBA games:

1. Chris Paul, Chris Paul, Chris Paul. I see a lot of parallels between Chris Paul in this year’s playoffs and Baron Davis in last year’s playoffs. Both point guards were matched up against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and, like Davis, Paul is exerting total control over every aspect of the game. However, while Baron dominated with barbaric penetration and flashy crossovers, Paul has been taking games over with crafty refinement. It’s amazing how a player who’s only 5-feet-11-inches, 170 pounds, can dominate the game with pure finesse and guile. The difference between Jason Kidd and Chris Paul in their first-round series has been like the difference between a Buick and an Infiniti. That’s saying a lot, considering that Jason Kidd is a future first ballot hall-of-famer.

2. Pau Gasol was phenomenal in his playoff opener as a Laker. I always knew that Gasol was nice, but I guess since he played in Memphis I never really had a chance to sit down and watch him play. After he went for 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists, I became a true believer. It’s unbelievable how after only a month and a half Gasol is already running the triangle offense to perfection.

3. As I watched the second half of game two of the Suns-Spurs series, I was disgusted by the play of Boris Diaw. During one 10-minute stretch, he committed about 6 turnovers (OK, that’s an exaggeration, but not by much.) When the Spurs started to build their lead, the Suns went to Diaw in the post on three straight possessions; the results were: weak jump-hook (miss), lazy jump-hook (miss), and timid jump-hook (miss). I’m sure it’s times like that that make Mike D’Antoni miss Shawn Marion.

4. Allen Iverson is still the truth. Period.

5. It remains to be seen whether Gilbert Arenas is still the truth, too. Period.

6. Ben Wallace is no longer the truth. Period.

7. I love the physicality of the Washington-Cleveland series. It’s like playoff hockey out there—people getting checked, sliding on the ground, cuts, blood, snot, sweat, and even ejections. I’ve been impressed with how LeBron James has risen to the occasion and dropped buckets despite all of the elbows, hard fouls, and violent activity. It looked like Cleveland broke Washington’s will in game two. I hope that Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison can get it together, and make this series competitive. Truth be told, I enjoy watching Washington play much more than I enjoy watching “The LeBrons” (while James is outstanding, his supporting cast is so boring to watch), but it’s starting to look like Cleveland is going to send Washington to a first-round exit for the third straight year.

8. The 76ers might not win another game in their series against the Pistons, but looking at their young nucleus after their upset win in the series opener, the fans of Philadelphia actually have something to look forward to next season. The 76ers are young, athletic, and hungry. With the Eastern Conference in its current condition, the 76ers could actually make some noise next year.

These are just some of my thoughts on the first few games of the 2008 NBA playoffs.

This season has been the best season I have ever seen, and I’m looking forward to seeing how things play out.

With only nine more editions of the Spectator left, this is actually my final column of the year. It’s been a pleasure sharing my opinions with you. Enjoy the summer, and I can’t wait to be back in these pages come September.

Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College sophomore majoring in history.
Sports@columbiaspectator.com