2010 NBA Playoffs: Let the Good Times Roll

The anthem "Let The Good Times Roll" by The Cars is the best song to start anything. So here we are on Friday, April 16 and there is going to be a NBA playoff quadruple header tomorrow and suffice it to say that the good times are about to roll.

I am going to add to the good times by combining pop culture quotes with a first round NBA playoff preview. If it doesn't work then I will quote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as to why:

"Humans are the third smartest species on Earth."

1. The "History Is Gonna Change" Series

Did you know that the Cleveland Cavs have never beaten the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs before? They had guys like Ron Harper, Craig Ehlo and Gerald Wilkens to guard Michael Jordan and even with those epic NBA stars, the Cavs still couldn't handle that two guard out of North Carolina.

They say that only Dean Smith could stop MJ, whoever they are that is.

The Cavs now have Lebron James, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal in the starting five and the deepest bench in the league led by Anderson Varejao and Delonte West.

So like Marty McFly told Principal Strickland in Back to The Future, "History is gonna change."

The Bulls will win Game 3 and lose the series in five.

2. The "So Hot Right Now" Series

Kevin Durant is coming off a MVP caliber season and leading the Oklahoma City Thunder into a tilt with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Phil Jackson noticed that the youngster had a very good season and pulled some zen on him.

Then everyone on the sports chatter side broke down whether Durant responding to Jackson through the newspaper was a good idea.

I thought quoting Zoolander would be a great dichotomy for the thoughtful Jackson and it was Durant that Mugatu told all who would listen that is "So hot right now."

The Thunder will take two games and the Lakers take the series in six.

3. The "Won't Get Fooled Again" Series

Charlotte is in the playoffs for the first time and they get a series with the super deep and talented Orlando Magic. I do like the coaching matchup of Larry Brown over Stan Van Gundy but other than that, I like everything about the Magic.

Orlando had trouble last year in the first round with Philly but they "Won't get fooled again" this time around.

The Who sang about the old boss being the new boss and as of right now, in the East, that is the Orlando Magic.

I would like to say the Bobcats can win a game in this series but that probably won't happen as the Magic will run through them in four games.

4. "The Dude Abides" Series

In a Texas sized match-up, I chose a quote from The Big Lebowski, a California movie. Dallas and San Antonio are an honest to goodness rivalry in a NBA that does not want to market team rivalries.

The NBA has never known what to do with the Spurs. They have been one of the best teams assembled and have rings it back up. However, they do not have the star power of the MJ Bulls, the Magic Lakers or the Larry Celtics.

The Mavs biggest star is their megalomaniac (I use this term in the nicest, fuzziest way possible in this case) owner Mark Cuban.

Dirk Nowitzki is the best player in the series and the teams are very even. 'The Dude abides' a Maverick series win in six tough games.  

5. The "Man With No Name" Series

The good news is that the Hawks will not play Cleveland in the second round. Milwaukee is back in the playoffs and they have a good core of young talent led by Brandon Jennings.

The bad news is that the Hawks will play Orlando in the second round. Andrew Bogut is out for the playoffs.

Like Clint Eastwood walking through the Old West, the Hawks could be called a "Man with no name." Sure they have Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Mike Bibby but there whole is greater than the sum of their parts thanks to the great coaching of Mike Woodson.

The ugly is that the Hawks will sweep the Bucks.

6.The "Just A Bit Outside" Series

Phoenix is playing better defense and is a surprise three seed out West. Portland has battled injuries all year and now Brandon Roy is out for the first round.

This series could be a wild thing to behold. The Suns might just try to outscore the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers might not have the depth to run with the Suns so they might try to keep the games under 100 points.

If Harry Doyle was calling this series he would say that the shot was taken "Just a bit outside" of the three point line often.

The Trail Blazers will win Game three at home and lose the series in Game five. 

7. The "Shot of Adrenaline to the Heart" Series

Like Happy Gilmore said about his grandma, the Celtics are old. They started fast this year then they struggled through the last half of the season. The Heat are a team bereft of talent. They have some nice young pieces, they have Dwyane Wade but they are not a serious title contender.

It is hard to call Boston a serious title contender right now.

In a series where both teams are lying on the living room floor of Lance's house in Pulp Fiction with Vincent about to give a "Shot of Adrenaline to the heart" to one of them, I'm going to pick the Heat in seven lackluster games.

8. The "I've Made A Huge Mistake" Series

Every playoff team in the Western Conference has 50 wins. The Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz both were around the two seed for most of the year and now they meet in the four-five match-up.

So these two teams get to pound on each other for what looks like a seven game series then they get to face the Lakers in round two.

Like every character in Arrested Development said at one time or another (and to put both teams into a singular form), "I've made a huge mistake."

Game seven will be in Denver and that is good enough for me to take the Nuggets.

The NBA playoffs are a real long grind so any team, especially in the West, that can close out their first round series early will be in great shape for round two.

I have a few weeks to think of a gimmick for the second round preview. I usually just make fun of my wrong picks but I might have gotten them all right this time around.

The force is with me as you can tell.