Columns

Consider the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs a gift for finals week. The second round will feature two long, gritty series: the Chicago Bulls take on the Atlanta Hawks, and the Boston Celtics play the Miami Heat.

Playoff basketball never fails to excite me. A constant criticism of the NBA is that, in an 82-game season, players are prone to take games or quarters off and not play their hardest, which makes the games less interesting at times. Frankly, I’m fine with players or teams not playing at their peak capacity for 82 straight regular season games, and the San Antonio Spurs set a prime example of why it is important to peak at the end of the season instead of in the middle.

If we choose to save and invest now, the debt-related budget cuts to come will not hit us so hard and we will be better able to cope with the taming of American entitlement infrastructure.

Rarely, at the start of baseball season, does any event of particular intrigue come to light. Typically the commencement of every team’s 162-game march begins with some disappointing performances, other surprising ones and the realization that current standings likely have no bearing on the playoff outcomes in September.

This first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs is rather like the boring dinner that precedes a delicious dessert. I could hardly blame a fan for saving most of his or her basketball appetite for what should be two brilliant second-round matchups: Heat vs. Celtics and Bulls vs. Magic or Hawks. In short, round one of the East is likely to be very uncompetitive.