10 Reasons to Watch the 2012 NBA Playoffs

With just one day remaining in the 2012 NBA regular season, the moment NBA fans have been waiting for is finally close to arrival. The weak are set to be sent home and the NBA's elite will finally compete under the bright lights with championship dreams on the line.

For those unaware of what truly separates these games from the rest, educate yourselves. There are more than a dozen reasons to witness such a spectacle, but for time-consuming purposes, I have cut it down to 10 solid reasons of why this is a can't-miss event. Each and every night.

Follow the subsequent slides for all the information you need to truly enjoy the 2012 NBA postseason!

Honorable Mention: Nuggets-Thunder, Part II

Denver Nuggets must lose and Dallas Mavericks must win for this to occur.

In 2011, the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder had a series that, on paper, seemed one-sided. The Thunder won 4-1 and advanced to the next round while the Nuggets were written off as post-Carmelo trade failures.

The fact of the matter is, that series may have been the most competitive of the entire postseason.

Three out of five games were decided by three points or less, while a fourth was decided by four. While the Thunder have made tremendous improvements in 2012, so have the Nuggets. So much so that a series between the two would somehow top that of their 2011 battles.

The potential Russell Westbrook vs. Ty Lawson, Kevin Durant vs. Danilo Gallinari and James Harden vs. Wilson Chandler match-ups would be a delight to witness. As would the depth of the Nuggets against the mature youth of the Thunder.

Fingers crossed that Kevin Love and company can grant us our wish.

10. Low-Seed Favorites

You can accredit this to the shortened season if you'd like, but never in this era have we seen such a level playing field at the start of the playoffs. The lower seeds are preseason favorites, while the higher seeds lack the experience necessary to truly call themselves "sure things."

Almost every matchup is up in the air.

The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and defending champion Dallas Mavericks are all five-seeds or below. All have stars in Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Paul. They also have solid supporting casts, including Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Terry and Blake Griffin.

Who's to say that these teams can't upset a favorite?

9. Hidden Treasures

You know those players who everyone knows are good, but never really acknowledges? You know, the Morgan Freeman of athletes.

Most of them suffer from the fact that their games are never on national television. Some simply suffer from the fact that they're lost in the depth of their franchise. Fortunately for their star value, the entire world will be watching as they lead their team into battle starting Saturday.

There are more than a handful of players to watch. Denver's trio of Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. Utah's front-court duo of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Even Indiana's Danny Granger and Paul George.

By the time this year's postseason is over, multiple stars will have been born. Just make sure you know what to expect, because these players could take over a series before you've memorized their name and number.

8. Youth Movement

There are quite a few teams with star players under the age of 25, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies. There are also a handful of players under 25 who are poised to break out, including George Hill, Ryan Anderson and Ty Lawson.

In other words, it could be time for the older players to move aside and allow the youth to take over.

This massive overhaul is not uncommon in professional sports, as nearly every veteran has been surpassed in popularity by the younger stars. What is uncommon, however, is the quality of these younger athletes' play.

This surge could continue if the 22-and-under core of the Thunder goes as far as they're expected. Don't count those old-timers out just yet, though.

7. Clippers-Grizzlies

One of the most highly-anticipated series will be the showdown between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. Both are deep, both have stars and both came into the season with high expectations. Not hard to understand the hype behind this one.

The Los Angeles Clippers have Chris Paul, while the Memphis Grizzlies have actually won a playoff series. The Memphis Grizzlies have low-post menace Zach Randolph, while the Los Angeles Clippers have the contemporary human highlight reel, Blake Griffin.

The Clippers have unreal athleticism and talent, while the Grizzlies have unbreakable depth and team chemistry.

Pick your poison.

Just make sure you keep your eyes on Mike Conley Jr., as one of the league's best perimeter defenders makes a name for himself against MVP candidate Chris Paul.

6. Knicks-Heat

If we're talking playoffs, there aren't many players who are better in the postseason than Carmelo Anthony. There also aren't many teams that are built quite as adequately for a playoff run as the New York Knicks.

In the middle, the Knicks play reigning NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Tyson Chandler. Alongside him is All-Star and former MVP-candidate Amar'e Stoudemire. Then, of course, you have Carmelo on the wing.

To counter that, the Heat have a nice little big three of their own. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are two of the Top-5 players in the NBA, while Chris Bosh is Top-5 at his position. This creates some great individual match-ups, as the re-invigorated Knicks' defense battles the Heat's smothering perimeter D.

If it comes down to the point and the 5, it's not farfetched to say the Knicks have the advantage at both. Chandler is much better than any center the Heat deploy, while Baron Davis is a proven playoff killer.

You may call it unlikely, but there is a very good chance that the Miami Heat see a first round exit.

5. Great Coaching

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I can't wait to see what the coaches have in store.

From legends to new faces, the quality of coaching has been absolutely phenomenal in 2012. Gregg Popovich has led the surprising Spurs to first place in the West, Doc Rivers has brought the Celtics back into title contention and Frank Vogel has helped the Pacers take the leap from mediocre to regular-season greatness.

Oh, and don't forget how Tom Thibodeau has overcome Derrick Rose's injury-ridden season by leading the Chicago Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Beyond those names are a handful more to watch, including Lionel Hollins of the Memphis Grizzlies and Mike Woodson of the New York Knicks. This list of coaches highlight the batch of signal-callers who could add an NBA championship to their resumes.

4. One Last Big Three Title Run

The one thing that has always separated the Celtics' Big Three from the rest is their fiery, win-or-die passion. From Kevin Garnett's vocal leadership to Paul Pierce's "play through the pain" dedication, there's nothing that screams "guts and glory" quite like the Beantown green.

And that's before we even get to Ray Allen's demand for success and Rajon Rondo's unbreakable resilience.

With both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen poised to become free agents, however, the Boston Celtics' legendary trio could be on its last legs.

With a difficult road ahead of them, which could potentially include the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, it's hard to imagine them getting it done. If anyone can do it, though, it's these guys.

And boy, will it be fun to watch as they scratch and claw their way to victory.

3. Legacies to Be Made

The stars of today are looking to add to their potential Hall of Fame resumes. The stars of tomorrow are looking to prove that they're worthy of placement amongst the NBA's elite. And finally, the greatest our game have to offer are looking for one last ring to solidify their status as one of the best of all-time.

From Derrick Rose to Kevin Durant to LeBron James, the superstars all want their first ring. From Dwyane Wade to Dirk Nowitzki to Rajon Rondo, the champions want to prove that they can do it again. And from Kobe Bryant to Tim Duncan, active legends want to take their place aside Michael Jordan and Bill Russell.

Add in the "my time is now" attitude of players including Al Jefferson and Danny Granger, and you've got one heck of a playoff atmosphere. Yet somehow, there are two duos that surpasses this all.

2. Carmelo vs. LeBron

I don't think it's quite understood how legendary this matchup could be.

While the new generation of NBA fans has been raised on LeBron's physical dominance, I'm one of the few that recalls Carmelo Anthony averaging 27.2 points per game over the span of 16 playoff games in 2009. Most iconic was Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

For those who don't remember it, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant put positions to rest and dedicated themselves to covering and overcoming one another.

The result was one of the greatest one-on-one battles in NBA history, with Kobe putting up 40 points and Melo scoring 39. The two also matched one another with six rebounds, four assists and one block apiece.

At the end of the evening, it was the Lakers who prevailed with a 105-103 victory. Kobe Bryant ended that game with six consecutive free throws.

The point of this history lesson is to show how remarkable this playoff series could be. Melo's team is much better now, as is he as an individual player, which makes this even more notable.

While the potential upset is outlined in a previous slide, this match-up cannot be overlooked. Don't be surprised to see this go down as one of the greatest individual face-offs of our era.

1. A Realistic Dream of Kobe vs. LeBron

You can talk up the potential LeBron vs. D-Rose meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals. You can even talk about the possibility of a Kobe vs. Durant showdown in the Western Conference Finals, with LeBron and KD meeting up for a title match.

If you're like me, you may even be most excited about a potential Kobe vs. D-Wade showdown for seven games.

The fact of the matter is, the potential of a Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James NBA Finals would rival that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. For modern fans, it may just surpass it.

It's the debate that we all seem to have forgotten about, as one of the game's all-time greatest takes on today's face of the league. While the faithful fans will remain by their favorite's side, there is nothing that could settle the debate quite like this.

Kobe vs. LeBron. Don't call it a dream just yet.