The intense and excitement is in the air as spring rises which only means the NBA playoffs are going on.
The first round Game 1s brought surprises across the board as the Chicago Bulls witness their Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, go down in the late minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers with a torn ACL.
The costly injury to Rose has changed the picture in the Eastern Conference playoffs as the Bulls are close to zero percent to win the NBA championship this year.
The clear favorite to come out of the East is now the Miami Heat as it has been tearing up the New York Knicks with a 33-point win in Game 1.
The Knicks have felt the frustration with their 12 game losing streak in the playoffs as Amar'e Stoudemire punched the glass window of a fire extinguisher after the Game 2 loss.
The Boston Celtics are still hanging around as they were able to split the first two games against the Atlanta Hawks as the series heads back to Boston.
The Celtics are still showing they are capable of competing as Paul Pierce led the team to the victory as the team was without its starting guards, Rajon Rondo (who is serving a suspension) and Ray Allen (who has been out with an ankle injury).
In the last series in the East, the Orlando Magic are playing without its superstar center, Dwight Howard, as it has split the first two games with the Indiana Pacers as the series heads back to Orlando.
The Pacers are a young team as they were able to surprise the league this season with an impressive start but the team is inexperience in the postseason and winning the series against the Magic will be an accomplishment for Indiana.
Now the excitement swifts West as the playoff series in the Western Conference has been amazing as always.
The San Antonio Spurs came out swinging and dominating throughout the season as they were able to lock up the top spot in the West and draw a first round match against the Utah Jazz.
The Spurs are gliding through the Jazz and the series is looking to be one-sided and the Spurs will eventually end it in four.
The up and coming Los Angeles Clippers made a big impression in Game 1 versus the Memphis Grizzles as the Clippers were able to come back from 21 points and beat the Grizzles on the road.
The Grizzles have the edge in the series as they made noise last postseason with their first round upset against the Spurs, but with the task of beating the Clippers and Zack Randolph trying to come back from an early season injury, the Grizzles will have a tough time getting passed the Clippers.
The other Los Angeles team, the Lakers, have had their doubts from critics throughout the season but the Lakers are looking great as the postseason moves along.
The Lakers are being pulled by Andrew Bynum, who had a triple double in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, and Kobe Bryant, who had 38 points in Game 2 against the Nuggets, and at the same time the Lakers offense is looking solid as the defense is impressive.
The Lakers aren't the clear favorites in the West but they are making it known that they are out to kill and win another NBA championship.
The Lakers are deadly with a healthy Bryant, a dominating Bynum, a skilled Pau Gasol and a supporting cast of talented players such as Ramon Sessions, Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Metta World-Peace, Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill.
The last series in the West is between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defending champion, Dallas Mavericks, the series looks like last year's second playoff series against the Mavericks and Lakers as the first two games could have went either way.
The Thunder lead the series 2-0 at the moment but the first two games have been so close that the Mavericks could have been leading 2-0 right now or at least the series could have been heading back to Dallas tied at one.
The Mavericks are not done yet in the series but they have to find a way to hold late leads because this series can easily go seven games and it would not be a surprised if Dallas wins the series.
The first games of round one have been finalized and it is only the beginning so as the first rounds play out and the postseason continues, the intense and excitement will rise to new stressful levels for the NBA fans.
And on a side note, the Lakers and Heat will be the teams to meet in this year's NBA finals as the Lakers edge the Heat for the championship in seven games.
