Published on 05/4/2005

The NBA Playoffs are underway and each series deserves commentary: intelligent or otherwise.

First round provides action on and off the court.

The 2005 NBA Playoffs are off to a great start with nail-biting action, great announcing and outstanding Dr. J commercials. Some first round observations:

Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies

* Why did Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello basically ban Bonzi Wells from the series? Perhaps he knows something we don't.

* People are proclaiming the Suns as the inevitable champions. Why, because Phoenix did was it was supposed to do and beat an average Memphis squad? Let's see them conquer a Dallas or a Houston before we start planning the parade route.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets

* Shame on the TNT camera crew for cutting to a bad angle that caused viewers to miss the Tim Duncan-Earl Boykins jump ball.

* If you TiVoed Game 4, rewind to somewhere during the middle of the game. Watch the Spurs' masterful ball movement that culminates in Manu Ginobli dishing off to a wide-open Robert Horry for an easy three. That's why San Antonio is the team to beat.

* Carmelo Anthony continues to lack the maturity necessary to be an elite player. His silly foul at the end of Game 3 being the latest example.

Seattle Sonics vs. Sacramento Kings

* Sorry Maloofs. The door is closed. On a related note, when is Mike Bibby going to play the "make this team great or trade me" card? What team wouldn't want him over Jason Kidd? He's younger, quicker, shoots better and has tats.

* Jerome James... the enigma, wrapped in a riddle, wrapped in millions of dollars. Make that paper Jerome.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets

* By far the most exciting series in the playoffs and that's not even considering the action on the court. It was revealed on Monday by Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy that an unnamed source (possibly Deep Throat) informed him that the league instructed referees to call more fouls against Houston center Yao Ming. Van Gundy was subsequently fined $100,000 for his comments and faces additional punishment from Commissioner/Master David Stern.

Miami Heat vs. New Jersey Nets

* The best part of this series was Shaquille O?Neal calling Nets head coach Lawrence Frank "Laura" after completing the sweep .

* Hopefully, this series silenced complaining Cleveland Cavaliers fans. Would it really have been worth it to back into the playoffs and face Shaq, Wade and Company? Exactly. Now just sit back, hope the lottery balls bounce your way, reload in the off-season and pray that owner Dan Gilbert doesn't screw things up.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

* Sagely advice -- Never tick off Rasheed Wallace.

* Why would a healthy Larry Brown leave a team-oriented Detroit to coach a Kobe-oriented Lakers?

Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers

* Paul Pierce is one the few players in the NBA who can single-handedly carry a team in the fourth quarter. Is Jermaine O'Neal among those few?

Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards

* Maybe this series would receive more attention if the games were aired on a channel other than NBATV.

* The fact that the Bulls are competing without Tyson Chandler and Luol Deng is a testament to how good this team really is. Their young nucleus is scary.

* Kwame Brown has been kicked off the Wizards for the remainder of the playoffs and will likely sign with another team this summer as a restricted free agent. Thus closes the sorry excuse that was the Michael Jordan era in Washington.

Let's hope that the second round won't be the fiasco that Kwame was in the first.