With one day to play on the 2003/04 regular season, the LA Lakers were bickering, they were stumbling, they were going to finish 4th. They were going to draw the Dallas Mavericks in round 1, and the upcoming Playoffs were going to be a huge uphill battle where they would face every possible opposition and distraction from every direction.

That’s what we were told.

But that’s not what Kobe Bryant had to say.

Last night at about 1:30 in the morning East Coast time, the Lakers incredibly beat Portland in double-OT, all the time knowing that Sacramento had choked at lowly Golden State, which ensured LA won the Pacific Division title that appeared improbable weeks, if not hours, before.

All of a sudden the nation awoke to the fact the Lakers are not dead. Oh no. Oh no.

There’s nothing like the NBA Playoffs. Nothing like the feeling of anticipation and consideration before the games are even tipped-off, and as the matchups breakdown and memories are made and dreams are crushed, it becomes all that more feverish.

With 32 games in the next week and a half… ohhh, there’s nothing like this time of year.

Here’s the Western Conference;

1. vs. 8.

It’s been a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness for the mature, consistent TWolves, who to their eternal credit finished 2003/04 with 58 wins and the 1st seed in the Western Conference. But there’s a long way from the best regular season record to a Conference Championship, and even further again to the Larry O’Brien Trophy. But all this lies ahead for a franchise which, up until now, has never won a playoff series. This year, Minnesota finally get play the role of experienced, veteran older brother and someone else the upstart underdog destined to have their hearts broken. That’s what the script says, anyway, but just imagine how often footage of the Nuggets’ stunning upset first-round victory from 1993 is going to be replayed throughout Colorado over the next fortnight. Denver may not have been favoured to come out of that tough 3-way scrap with Portland and Utah for the final playoff berth, but win it they did thanks almost exclusively to the superb play of Carmelo Anthony down the stretch. Anthony is a special player, and the NBA is blessed to have him and LeBron in the vault for the next decade. For now, all the Nuggets have to do is get close to knocking off the men from Minneapolis, and everyone will forget about #23 for the Cavs. But to actually defeat the TWolves, 4 times in 2 weeks, is entirely another matter. Minny beat out the Lakers, Spurs, Kings and Mavs for top spot in the West due to their suffocating team defense as much as their stellar, 3-pronged attack. Minnesota finished 4th best in the league in Field Goal Percentage allowed, which explains why Trenton Hassell plays more minutes than Wally Szczerbiak, and why Ervin Johnson often starts over Michael Olowokandi. This poses a huge challenge for the young Nuggets on both ends, but on the upside, Tim Hudson is gone for the playoffs, meaning Minnesota has one less body with which to try and tackle Earl Boykins. Denver, despite winning 15 fewer games, seem to actually have a deeper roster, and if Carmelo, Camby, Nene and friends can get KG in foul trouble, it will hurt. Wolves 4-1

4. vs. 5.

This is the 3rd year in a row Dallas and Sacramento have squared off in the playoffs, but tellingly, this is the first time they’ve met in the 1st round. Coming into this season, these teams probably planned on meeting in the Conference Finals, yet for both squads 2003/04 has been one of head-aches and flux, instead of the hoped-for synergy and dominance. From March 1 ’til yesterday, Sacto went from 1st place in the West all the way down to 4th, going 12-12 in a worrying period which co-incided with the return of Chris Webber. It’s a classic case of Patrick Ewing Syndrome – without their superstar, an already talented team bands together and everyone goes to the glass more, helps out on defense more, and they win. However, when the big fish comes back, all that movement on offense stops, momentum shifts, and the formerly tight squad loses its all-for-one mentality. And if the franchise player returns not fully in game shape, as is apparent with Webber’s knee, the effect can be even worse. So it’s a good thing Sacto are facing a team with a similar lack of cohesiveness – although for different reasons – as even this out-of-synch Kings squad may well be too much for the yet-to-click Mavs. Dallas lead the league in scoring, fewest turnovers, and FT%, all measures which attest to an efficient offense, and when they have the ball the Mavs are as balanced as they are adept. But they may in fact have too many offensive weapons, as they don’t always play to the level their bountiful skills demand, and don’t even mention their non-existent D. The Mavs will try to out-score the Kings, each night rolling out 7 or 8 players who are capable of going for 20-points plus, rookie sensations Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard among them, but can they find a go-to-guy to do it consistently? At its best, this will be a fun, up-tempo 7 game series between 2 wonderfully talented teams giving it all in order to ressurect their seasons. The Kings have the most to lose – they should be cruising through the first round as the #1 or #2 seed, and if they fall here, it may herald the end of the Chris Webber era. Mavs 4-3

3. vs. 6.

Thanks to an 11-game win streak to finish the season, the reigning NBA Champions seem perfectly placed for another run at the title. Not only have they drawn the first-round opponent arguably least likely to spring an upset (in the West, that is), they’ve gained home court over the hated Lakers should they meet as expected in round 2. There’s no David Robinson in the Alamo anymore, so Tim Duncan will again bear, pun intended, the brunt of a Grizzlies defense designed to stop him every trip down the floor. But if Hubie Brown chooses to turn this series into a slow-down, grind-out affair, it will actually play to the Spurs’ strengths, as guess which team had the best D in the league this season; giving up the Fewest Points, and allowing the Lowest Defensive FG%? Not Houston, not Detroit, not Indy – San Antonio. Memphis play a smart game, they balance their attack with controlled explosiveness and throw multiple front-court looks, but the quick hands and feet of Manu Ginobli, Bruce Bowen, Malik Rose and the former league MVP in the middle are experienced at decomissioning weapons more sophisticated than these. It’s been a phenomenal performance by Memphis to get themselves into the big-time, although they appeared exhausted by the end of the regular season, winning just 1 of their final 7 games, which were all played within 11 days. It’s been 20 years since Brown has coached in the playoffs; the last time was the year Spurs backup strong-man Kevin Willis, who actually played in 48 games this season, was drafted. Now Brown’s got 2 more days to impart this wisdom onto the Grizz, and it will be a thrilling effort if they can, like the fearless Suns this time last year, push San Antone all the way. It’s important to note the Spurs are 6-8 in games decided by 3 points or less, when their FT shooting woes comes into play. On paper, San Antonio are too strong, too smart, too seasoned, to get genuinely inconvenienced here. First round upsets are less likely now series are best-of-7 rather than best-of-5, and assuming Mr Duncan is 100%, they’ll win. Spurs 4-1

2. vs. 7.

Never ever count out the Lakers. Never count out Shaq. Never count out Kobe. Never count out Phil Jackson. There. That’s all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. Lakers 4-0