It's playoff time again, which can mean only one thing — players looking to make fashion statements in postgame interviews so that we can all gawk at/marvel at/scott at/denigrate/worship their swag. (Which action you choose probably says more about you than it does about them.)

There weren't very many bold sartorial choices in the aftermath of a chalk-heavy weekend that saw favored teams win all eight Game 1 matchups, but two stars — reigning league MVP LeBron James and reigning style MVP Russell Westbrook — opened the postseason with a bang.

Here's LeBron getting his tropicalia on, sweater-wise, after putting up 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to pace his Miami Heat to a 110-87 Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night:

Floral. (Screencap via @BleacherReport)

Athlete style maven Megan Ann Wilson informs us that James' sweater comes from Staple Design's 2013 "Spring Training" collection and retails for $54. Seems like a small price to pay for something so seasonal, florid and warmer/brighter-but-still-makes-me-think-of-"Garden-State"-y.

Not to be outdone — ever, in a million years, by anyone — after kicking in 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 120-91 pasting of the Houston Rockets, Westbrook took the postgame podium in something a bit less restrictive in the arms:

Read More »from NBA postgame fashion showdown: Russell Westbrook vs. LeBron James

Let's be honest: While Sunday's series-opening matchup between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks was closer than many expected throughout the first half and early third quarter, it wasn't an especially thrilling game. Sure, LeBron James was looking customarily marvelous and Brandon Jennings had hit a couple of step-back jumpers, but not much had happened to really stir the emotions of the 20,006 white-clad fans in attendance ... or the passions of TNT announcer Kevin Harlan, whom NBA fans know to be a pretty passionate sort.

You got the feeling that the man behind "LeBron James, WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE," "Chris Paul with a three ... good! Right between the eyesssssss," "Arron Afflalo ... is AN ASSASSIN," "Metta ... World ... PEEEEEEAAAAAACCCCCCEEEEEE" and whatever happened after this Russell Westbrook dunk was just itching to let something special fly when the moment called for it. Luckily, as captured by our friends at the Yahoo! Sports Minute, Harlan's voice was allowed to soar late in the third quarter, thanks to — who else? — Heat reserve big man Chris Andersen, a.k.a. "The Birdman."

"Ohhhhhh, and here comes 'The Birdman!' Flappin' his wings and soaring for a sweet flush! When you're aerodynamically designed with that hairdo, you can do those kinds of things! With that SWEET mohawk! It helps him fly!"

Read More »from TNT announcer Kevin Harlan clearly loves Chris ‘The Birdman’ Andersen’s style (Video)

Kobe Bryant can't travel with his Los Angeles Lakers after undergoing surgery to repair his torn left Achilles tendon, so taking in Sunday's Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs live wasn't an option for the superstar guard. But despite being couch-bound, "Coach Vino" still had an itch to break down the game, chatting about the series-opening proceedings with his Twitter followers in a running 140-character commentary that led Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni to (somewhat curiously) call Bryant "a fan" in his postgame press conference.

Bryant started weighing in right after the opening tip, and kept chiming in throughout the matchup, kicking things off with a brief analysis of his just-returned-from-injury teammate, point guard Steve Nash:

I like how Nash is moving so far. Both teams a lil out of rhythm to start

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 21, 2013

Pretty good description of the Lakers and Spurs combining to shoot 5 for 16 through the game's opening four minutes, I'd say.

[Also: Clippers ramp up pace to take 1-0 lead over Grizzlies]

Speaking of that shaky shooting, the Lakers' first eight field-goal attempts were jumpers. This fact did not escape the Mamba's notice.

Read More »from From the mind of the Mamba: Injured Kobe Bryant live-tweets Lakers’ Game 1 loss to Spurs

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings made some waves Thursday night when he told the crowd at the Wisconsin Sports Awards just how confident he felt heading into his team's first-round matchup with the heavily favored Miami Heat: "I'm sure everybody is writing us off but but I see us winning the series in six." The brash young guard has stuck to his guns over the past two days, prompting TNT's Craig Sager to ask Heat star Dwyane Wade for his response to Jennings' prediction.

So, Dwyane: What do you think?

Yeah, that sounds about right.

For more on Jennings' comments, Wade's response, Wade's health heading into Sunday's Game 1 and more, hit the jump.

Read More »from Dwyane Wade’s reaction to Brandon Jennings’ Bucks-in-6 prediction is perfect (Video)

David Lee will miss the rest of the season. (Garrett Ellwood/NBA/Getty Images)

Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee will miss the rest of the 2013 postseason after suffering a complete tear of his right hip flexor during his team's 97-95 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff matchup, the team announced Sunday.

Lee suffered the injury just after the start of the fourth quarter on Saturday night.

After working a pick-and-roll with point guard Stephen Curry on the right-hand side of the court, Lee slipped to the basket, received a pass from Curry and elevated to attempt a layup, which was contested by JaVale McGee. After the Nuggets center fouled Lee on the play, the Warriors All-Star hit the floor hard and landed awkwardly, immediately grabbing for his right leg as he lay under the basket. After making one of two free throws, Lee limped back on defense before being escorted off the court and back to the locker room. He finished with 10 points on 4 for 14 shooting, 14 rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot in 29 minutes.

Read More »from Warriors’ David Lee out for season after tearing hip flexor in Game 1 loss to Nuggets

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Oakley and Allen. A very important supercut of New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson being very upset at, in all likelihood, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert compiled from throughout the 2012-13 NBA season.

PF: Project Spurs. After Monday's tragic explosions at the Boston Marathon, Spurs blogger and artist Jesse Blanchard decided to donate some of the proceeds from any of the pieces of art he sells from April through the end of the playoffs to Boston relief efforts; he reached out to a few likeminded artists, who decided to join him in doing so. You can check out the participating artists, the great pieces of NBA-related art they've got for sale and contact information so you can reach out for more info on where your money's actually going to go, if you're so inclined. It's pretty neat when communities, especially ones as disparate and oddball as The Basketball Internet, come together to try to help out people in times of need.

SF: Deadspin. Yeah, that sounds like a pretty "late-era Chris Duhon with the New York Knicks"-style of effort.

Read More »from The 10-man rotation, starring Mike Woodson, the coach of 1,000 faces (Video)

Well, it took a while, but we're finally here, on the verge of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Thirty teams have been whittled down to 16, eight from each conference, set to square off in eight opening-round series for the right to advance to the conference semifinals and take one step closer to hoisting the good ol' Larry O'Brien Trophy this summer.

The two eight-team brackets weren't totally locked in until the wee hours of Thursday morning, but now that we know who's playing who, when and where each series will start, and where we can watch — and if you're not sure about any of that, please consult our handy 2013 NBA playoff schedule — the question is this:

Which first-round playoff matchup is best?

In the interest of providing guidance to BDL's readership in a trying time, I submit to a trusting public a new installment of Dan Devine's Inarguable Power Rankings, my ongoing attempt to identify which items in a group of things are most powerful. In this episode: Dan Devine's Inarguable First-Round Playoff Matchup Power Rankings.

[Related: Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry sets new NBA record]

Click the jump to dig in and weigh in with your thoughts on which opening-round series will be the best in the comments. And please remember, as always, that the list is the list.

Read More »from Dan Devine’s Inarguable Power Rankings: First-round playoff matchups

By the time their season finale tipped off at Staples Center on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers already knew they'd clinched the West's final playoff berth thanks to the Memphis Grizzlies' 86-70 win over the Utah Jazz. But both the Lakers and their opponents, the Houston Rockets, still had something to play for — the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, which would earn the winner a date with the San Antonio Spurs ... and, perhaps more importantly, allow them to avoid the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1.

Thanks to the scoring punch of James Harden and Chandler Parsons, poor Lakers transition D (natch) and sluggish shooting from an L.A. offense missing the injured Kobe Bryant, the Rockets had the upper hand late in the third quarter, holding an eight-point lead with 1:15 left in the frame. But five quick points from reserve Laker guard Darius Morris kept L.A. within hailing distance entering the fourth, setting the stage for a comeback sparked by the passing of Pau Gasol, the interior defense of Dwight Howard, and timely shotmaking by Steve Blake and Antawn Jamison.

With the iso-heavy late-game Rockets offense stalled, the Lakers held a 90-87 lead with 16.7 seconds remaining and a shot at the No. 7 seed in their grasp. And then, this:

A scrambling, desperate line-drive launched by Parsons with one second remaining that — in defiance of all we know about jumpshots and the properties of physics — banged right through. Just like Kevin McHale drew it up, no doubt.

Hit the jump for a slow-mo look at Parsons' deep triple, thanks to the NBA's Phantom cameras, plus more from Wednesday's season-ender between the Lakers and Rockets.

Read More »from Chandler Parsons’ deep buzzer-beating 3 forces OT, but Lakers beat Rockets, finish 7th (Video)