Playoffs excelling this spring

The NBA playoffs this year have been perfect. Usually, when discussing the most exhilarating sporting events to watch each year, for me it's usually the NCAA Men's basketball tournament. I love everything that comes with March Madness, and it usually separates itself from every other sporting event/tournament out there.

This year, the NBA playoffs have been maddeningly interesting. Each series so far has an interesting subplot and a collection of great match ups. The No. 1 vs. No. 8 tilt is usually devoid of anything resembling intrigue. The Warriors upset of the Mavericks a few years ago notwithstanding, that first round match up usually sucks.

The Grizzlies have battled valiantly against the dynastic Spurs, pushing them to six games and making a once-proud franchise seem extremely vulnerable. In the East, the Bulls dispatched of the Pacers in five games, but if you watched any of those games, you would know it was anything but easy for Derrick Rose and Co. to push aside a spunky Pacers team that won 37 games in the regular season and featured one player (Danny Granger) who can kinda sorta be considered a star player.

Now, we get the most hyped second round match up in the history of the NBA. Celtics-Heat seemed destined from the minute LeBron James and Chris Bosh teamed up with Dwyane Wade. (I'm still embarrassed for them for this charade they pulled, but hey, if they win this year that becomes moot.)

Everyone is writing that LeBron NEEDS to beat the Celtics this year, while they're still coached by Doc Rivers and led by the Big Four -- and they're probably right. He made a fool of himself last year in his team's second round exit to the Green, and has been roundly criticized for bailing on them since.

The Celtics, meanwhile, are an impossible team to figure out. I can't decide if they have the ability to beat Miami and Chicago and make a magical run like they did last season. They looked great against the Knicks. But the Knicks don't even try and place defense and were hit by the injury bug to two of their most important players.

The key to the series is Rajon Rondo. If he plays like he did against the Knicks, the Heat have no player to neutralize him and he'll most likely control the outcome. If he looks tentative and struggles, the Celtics will but put in an untenable position of trying to beat LeBron, Wade and Bosh with lesser parts.

I think it's safe to say LeBron and Wade will get their share of points. Bosh, meanwhile, will be a key for the Heat. If Garnett can muscle him and shut him down on the defensive end, it almost doesn't matter how many points the other two pour in. You need a presence down low to win championships, and Bosh, when he plays at his highest level, is exactly that.

The next round will almost be a letdown of sorts, for either team. But that's then.

I'm just excited to be able to watch some of the most compelling basketball in years.