Great expectations

Do you want to know why this could wind up being the greatest NBA playoffs of all time? (Heresy, I know, but give me a chance.)

In the second round, the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, both 60-game winners, should meet. We repeat: Two 60-game winners should match up in the second round.

Sure, that's a byproduct of the NBA's ridiculous insistence on rewarding divisional champions with the top three seeds, but it also promises to fuel a spring where the best action will occur early and won't likely abate.

This is a year that boasts not only three 60-win teams (add the Detroit Pistons to the royalty), but also at least two other teams (Miami Heat and New Jersey Nets) that can make a legitimate case that they can win the championship in June.

This is a year when this wave of outrageously talented young players – LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade – flourish across the league in the high-profile playoffs. All of them are expected to lead their teams on deep runs.

This is a year when every second matchup (second round!) can be an absolute classic. For the sake of argument, presume home court holds in what should be a pretty good Round 1. That would give us Miami-New Jersey, Detroit-LeBron, Dallas-San Antone and Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Clippers.

Look, when Suns-Clips, which should be a frenetic and frantic series with a great story line (the pitiful Clips in Round 2?), is the least exciting possible second-round matchup, well, you have something rolling, OK?

And that series could be even more eventful and historic if it wound up the battle of Los Angeles – Lakers vs. Clippers, big brother vs. little brother, storied franchise vs. upstart – with all games played in the same building.

About the only downer in the NBA right now is that Amare Stoudemire's knee never got better, or else the Suns could be considered serious title threats rather than just a dangerous second-tier contender that just happens to play a most fan-pleasing style.

It may be sacrilege to say the NBA has never been better, which is why I'm not actually saying it, but I am at least offering it up for consideration. It is possible.

The NBA has rebounded from its post-Michael Jordan blahs to become a dynamic, diverse, highly entertaining and unpredictable entity. If you are still among the many sports fans who claim the NBA is boring and unwatchable, you are either very boring yourself or you haven't been watching.

A season with three 30-points-a-game scorers, night-in-and-night-out megastar duels and ultra-competitive elite teams is never dull.

The NBA isn't generating the media hype it deserves because the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers – three historic, big media East Coast market franchises – have been mismanaged into the ground. Plus, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls have reached the playoffs, neither is a high seed.

But don't be fooled by the lack of attention because the best teams and best players hail from fly-over country.

This is a season when the NBA has seven or eight legit MVP candidates – LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki to just start the list.

"I know it is definitely entertaining," said Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who will try to ride LeBron's Oscar Robertson-style talents into the playoffs. "You have three guys averaging over 30 points a game, you have a ton of guys out there you can bill as the next great one, from Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, LeBron James.

"Who would have thought a guy like Ben Wallace could get the notoriety? He is a household name. People love his hair. That kind of stuff is entertaining for the media [and] entertaining for the fans."

The best part of the NBA right now is that there is something for everyone. You want uptempo? Try Phoenix and Dallas. You want individual stars? How's LeBron and Kobe? You want team play? It doesn't get any better than Detroit and San Antonio. You want great point guards? Enjoy Jason Kidd and Nash. You want defense? Watch Bruce Bowen or Wallace. You want a Cinderella story? One can't get more unlikely than the dangerous Clippers.

We could go on. Whatever you want, the NBA has it. Pick a team and then marvel.

Everyone points to the early 1990s, the mid-1980s, the early 1970s or some other time as the salad days of the NBA. And we aren't going to argue with any of those memories.

But were the second-round matchups those years better than the potential ones this year? Did this many teams have a true shot at winning it all? Were there this many storylines and superstars? Were the styles of play this diverse?

The NBA took some well-deserved beatings in recent years for ugly play and poor fundamentals, the Pat Riley Knicks making everything look atrocious and the league foolishly grasping for "the next Jordan" to market.

But those days are done. There turned out to be 10 "next Jordans," none as good (yet) as the original, but each carrying part of the load. Strong fundamental, team-first franchises have won the last two championships. Meanwhile, offenses have opened up to the point that even Riley is running a bit in Miami. The hack-and-grab days are over.

Five teams can win this thing. Five more can scare you. Two dozen players can put on awe-inspiring performances each and every night.

The playoffs begin Saturday. Once they get heated up, it may turn out that the NBA has never been hotter. There, we said it. Sacrilege be damned.