NBA Playoffs 2011: Parity Threatens Thriving League Franchises

In the first round of the playoffs, the outcome was reasonably predictable. With all of the shape shifting going on in the NBA, there were only a few things that a fan could still rely on to be true.

Fact 1: Los Angeles Lakers would advance to the Finals.

Fact 2: Boston Celtics were the most threatening team in the East.

Fact 3: Memphis would fall to the Spurs in Round 1.

The only problem with those facts is that none are seeping through to reality. The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of elimination at the hands of a hungry Dallas Mavericks team. Dirk Nowitzki will not be denied once again and is giving the Lakers big men a run for their salaries and their title that they covet so much.

Memphis is barreling through competition with the underrated Zach Randolph leading the charge and the Boston Celtics are looking like chickens with their heads detached against teams they have a clear advantage over. Or at least used to.

The parity in the 2011 NBA playoffs is beginning to create doubt in the minds of those who felt that they knew the outcome. Teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks have something to prove.

Whether their opponents like it or not, they run offensive strategies that seem to separate men from boys. There was an unforeseen edge in the competition while players scrambled to assemble themselves alongside other superstars. Talent is lurking from the darkness and standing front and center challenging all who feel they can endure the battle.

The Lakers, the Thunder, the Celtics and the Bulls have all fallen to those that were not regular season proven. Maybe it was Derrick Rose’s ankle that ultimately led to Chicago’s demise. It is becoming quite visible that the little guys are becoming fed up with references excluding them as far as talent and worth in the league.

How many times have you turned on the TV and seen stories swirling around the super trades that are threatening every franchise’s ability to adequately showcase themselves in games. Boston was the original while Miami’s Pat Riley had his hand in the assembly of the three super friends in South Beach.

Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni felt like they had everything they needed with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire before being swept under the rug by Boston in the first round.

Now, we are watching the league’s most explosive tandem in OKC be humbled by a franchise that was not even supposed to be there without Rudy Gay’s active command.

The time is coming upon us where predictions only shake the will of those who are involved. Players like Zach Randolph, Joe Johnson and Dirk Nowitzki are tired of being undervalued and dismissed. The ignorance of fan bases that plague the larger franchises with more star power only feed their desire to prove the world wrong.

Their backgrounds may vary, but the common goal remains the same. Predictions will be put to shame and the most informed will question their own knowledge as these players rake aside the doubts of analysts and commentators. I’m just happy I am here to witness it all.