NBA Playoffs: changing of the (point) guard

For years, teams like the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been labeled as “teams of the future,” a slightly backhanded compliment.
The implication is that, while the teams have some nice playoff caliber talent that might eventually morph into a something bigger, they can’t hang with the big boys (L.A., Boston, San Antonio) at the moment. But all of that is about to change.
We are about to witness one of the most fascinating playoffs in history, a changing-of-the-guard of sorts. The young pups have been gradually creeping up the ladder, while the old dogs slowly decline. This season has been the tipping point, where they meet in the middle. And I, for one, am immoderately excited to watch how it ends.
The storylines are fantastic. Will it be one last hurrah and rubber match for the Lakers and Celtics? Will likely regular season MVP Derrick Rose live up to expectations and lead Chicago to its first finals since the Michael Jordan era? Can the small-market Thunder provide championship dreams for every team NOT located in Los Angeles or New York City? Will the Miami Heat overcome the haters and get LeBron his first ring?
No team is going to go down without a serious knockout punch, because nobody likes each other. The competitiveness in the NBA is at an all-time high, in part because of the ridiculous talent boom that is about to be represented in the playoffs.
I know I sound like I’m the Beacon’s version of Flava Flav when it comes to the NBA, but in all seriousness, this what we are in for this postseason. Pure talent and athleticism. Rivalries. More bad blood than a Quentin Tarantino movie. All packed into one smoking molotov of amazing TV ratings and stories that would make Shakespeare proud, assuming Shakespeare would have liked basketball, and I think he would. Just humor me.
Check out more of Tom’s thoughts on sports on his blog, gymratrants.blogspot.com