Unfortunately, the Lakers will not be in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant's and Lamar Odom's injuries along with generally lackluster play towards the end of the season doomed any playoff hopes. It will be interesting to see what the next move will be. As a longtime Laker fan, even during the down years, I remain optimistic that Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak can find a nucleus of players that can work with Kobe to bring the Lakers back into the playoffs next year.
But there's still a lot of basketball to look forward to. The Wizards are in the playoffs! That hasn't happened since 1997, and they haven't won a playoff series since 1988, so it's a big deal. They're finally recovering from years of bad decisions and the shadow of the Michael Jordan comeback era. I'm going to enjoy watching them play. But when it comes to real championship contention, only 2 teams in the East matter. The Heat and the Pistons. And they should win pretty handily until they meet each other, or else we are talking about a huge upset somewhere!
The rest are in the West. There's so many exciting matchups, it makes your head spin. How about the always high scoring Kings-Mavs. Or take the red hot Denver (winners of 23 out of their last 25) against anyone. How about a possible battle of contrasting styles in the top two Suns vs. Spurs. Personally, I'm rooting for the Suns to win it all. I love the way they play -- a throwback to the more exciting style of the 80's. Fast breakin', extra passin', high scorin' basketball. I would hate to see another boring defensive champ like the Spurs.
In any case, it should be an exciting second season, and I for one, can't wait. Let's get these last few regular season games out of the way, and get down to the games that matter.