NBA Playoffs: Where Amazing Is Happening

By Alexander Tam

Editorial, Photos by AP

Before every NBA playoff game I bring the following (and you would be wise to do the same): a bucket, a towel, plenty of water, loose fitting clothing, and a power bar. Why do I need all of this you may ask?

Because, my eager padawans, during playoff basketball you will loose 20 pounds of sweat, which is why you need the towel. You will become dehydrated from all the sweating, hence the water. When Ray Allen makes that buzzer-beating-three with two hands in his face you will jump out of your seat, making good use of the loose fitting clothing - oh and stretching will help, you don't want to pull anything. And finally, you will need to find more energy during half time as it has all been used up from screaming and jumping, which is why you have the power bar - healthy, and a great source of energy. NBA playoffs are indeed that exciting, and then some.

With a record setting NBA playoff season halfway through, you can expect it to only get better from here. So far we have had a playoff history winning margin of 58 points by my Nuggets, a record setting seven overtimes in the series by the Celtics and Bulls,

and in that series Derrick Rose went for a record matching rookie playoff debut 36 points in game one. All of this just from the first round.

So what exactly makes NBA playoffs so exciting? You may say, what about football Tam? That’s exciting too! My friends, don’t hate me for this, but I’m here to tell you that NBA playoffs are MORE exciting than football playoffs. And here is why.

In the NFL, you have two teams going at it – winner moves on; loser goes home. In the NBA, we have best out of seven series and it goes for quite a while. You may cry foul and say, “the single-game elimination makes it that more intense!” However, with more games, you get the added drama of dragging the series out. Teams go back to game film, they come prepared the next day to counter the opposing teams’ superstar, they go over what they did wrong and you can see a completely different team on the court. The pressure only builds after game 1 and so does the excitement. Plus – Red Sox fans read this one closely – is there anything more awesome than a team coming back from down three games to none in a series?

You can also sense and see it from the players themselves. Basketball becomes physical like you’ve never seen before. Every foul becomes a hard foul. We have seen ejections, flagrant fouls and suspensions left and right. Each player gives it their all come playoff time. We saw it from a Bulls team that refused to loose. We see it when Lebron and fellow teammates go bananas when their point guard wins a simple jump ball.

And then there is the crowd. The home crowd expects nearly every single basket to go in. And if it does, they go berserk – every point sunk, every block made, every rebound grabbed. And if the game is close, expect to find 50,000 people who have lost their voice the next day.

The last time the Denver Nuggets made it past the first round, it was 1994, and they were an eight seed. The team they beat? A one seed. Now, in 2009, they look like a lock to make the Western Finals. Because in the game of basketball, a player suspended for two years for violating drug rules can return to be the team’s savior and help push them through the first round of playoffs for the first time in 15 years. In the fast-paced game of basketball, a 15-point deficit can turn into a five-point lead in a matter of three minutes. In the game of basketball, a King and an MVP has single-handedly brought a lost Cavaliers team to its first championship round ever, and may give them their first ring this year.

In the game of basketball, this is where amazing happens? You better believe it.