NBA Playoffs provide lack of upsets, lots of story lines

I can't help but feel like I'm somehow going to be cheated if all of the higher seeded teams win in the first round of the NBA playoffs. That said, it worked wonders for the NCAA Tournament to have all four one-seeds in the Final Four. Many experts predicted zero upsets and so far the only team leading the series that isn't favored is the Philadelphia 76ers against Detroit. While Detroit can be a bit lackadaisical at times, there is little doubt that they'll bounce back and get out of the last 6.

While there may not be any first round shockers, and it's still early so we can't quite tell yet, there are some solid story lines emerging. The Suns vs. Spurs opening game was ridiculous to watch, and while it didn't have the late night appeal preferred by the sports insomniac audience, especially for two west coast teams, the game was an instant classic and immortalized Tim Duncan. Shaq needs to show up big in the coming games in order to avoid looking old and defense-less against Duncan and the Spurs, a team he was supposed to help the Suns in beating.

Tracy McGrady is already well on his way to his typical choke job and first round exit. There's little doubt Utah will take the series behind the strength of Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. McGrady looked really strong in game 2 of the series, for three quarters...again. There is a reason analysts and casual fans weren't picking Houston to go anywhere in the playoffs, even during their 22-game winning streak.

In the East Chicago and Miami...err... Sorry about that slip, I momentarily forgot Chicago fired one coach, didn't offer a job to his replacement, and missed the playoffs and Miami was statistically eliminated so early in the season their coach spent more time on vacation than on the sidelines. The East is looking like a two-team race. Boston is a cinch to win the top half of the bracket and Detroit should emerge from the lower half. When it became apparent that the Cleveland deal didn't help out LeBron it started the countdown to the Boston vs. Detroit showdown for the Eastern Conference Championship.

At this stage in the game, it's tough not to like the Lakers to come out of the West. Los Angeles won't have to face Phoenix, San Antonio, New Orleans or Dallas until the Western Conference Finals, if at all, and Utah doesn't really scare me with how solid Pau Gasol is looking. And yes, I made a reference to the fate of the Lakers being in the hands of Pau Gasol. Kobe may win the NBA MVP, and ESPN has been putting on a love fest for him as the best player in the league (how we keep forgetting LeBron, Howard and Garnett in these discussions is beyond me) but once again if the Lakers win a title Kobe will have to be in a backseat role. Kobe Bryant does not make his teammates better, but having the dominant presence of Pau Gasol and the mismatches he creates is what is making Los Angeles difficult to play against. When LA acquired Gasol they were a borderline playoff team and went on to finish the season as the top seed in the conference and a favorite to win the NBA Championship.

With only a few days of the playoffs complete the one question to ask; how does Gilbert Arenas' 7 points on 2-10 shooting fit in with the plan to beat Cleveland? I'm guessing an embarrassing 0-2 start wasn't part of the master plan.