By Nathan Coleman

The story of the NBA playoffs thus far goes like this:  Where did the Magic in Orlando go and who are the Phoenix Suns again?

The Orlando Magic have been struggling against the energized Boston Celtics who are coming off a 4-2 victory against LeBron James and wait, whom am I forgetting? Oh yeah, the rest of his team.

“As an Orlando Magic fan I would just like to say that I am appalled by my team’s performance,” says senior Bill Difilippo.  DiFilippo does make an excellent point.

Rajon Rondo has been a huge factor in both series and has impressed the pants off of me.  His pure penetration in the key and slick passes (all while averaging around 17 ppg and a little under 11 assists) causes opponents to shake their heads in amazement.

“Rondo’s game right now is on.  I mean he made LBJ (Lebron James) look like a fool, so maybe he has what it takes,” comments Ben Webber, also a senior.

Along with Paul Pierce, who had 22 in the first half alone in game two of the Magic series, and Garnett’s and Perkin’s rebounding presence, the Celtics are looking like a steamroller over Orlando.

As far as Orlando goes, I pose this question: Where did Rashard Lewis go?  The man disappeared off of the scorebook and is currently averaging just 5.5 ppg against the Celtics.

“I think ever since he got caught with illegal drugs, it is really having an effect on him,” says senior Brendan Gruss.

Despite Dwight Howard’s performance (30 points in game 2), the nonsense fouls were ridiculous for an all-star player to make.  But don’t hang your head Dwight, because even if Paul Pierce says it is, this series is not yet finished.

Sometimes I wonder how much the referees are getting paid for calling a playoff game. Whatever the amount is, it is way too much.  Since when is sliding across the floor with the ball not a walk?  Twice, both in the Magic Celts series and in the Lakers Suns series, players have slid across the floor with the ball without a whistle blown.  Next time they should try rolling on the floor towards the basket, and then maybe something might happen.  And what was up with Vince Carter’s technical foul last night?

Kobe Bryant dropped 40 points against the Suns in game 1.  Does anyone even need to look at the scoreboard to see who won that game?  Kobe Bryant (I apologize in advance LeBron fans) is the best player in the NBA right now hands down.  Not only does this guy drop 40 points to lead his team to victory, but he drives and penetrates. Contrary to popular belief, he does pass the ball on occasion, and he demands the ball confidently.  I don’t know about others who were  watching the Cavs in the last series, but to me, LeBron didn’t even seem to want the ball towards the end of the game.  If there is one thing we know for sure about the Cavs it’s that Shaq sure hasn’t lost any weight.

The Suns are looking like they don’t know what a layup is.  They are a shooting team through and through and insist on shooting until their death.  Channing Fry, who is around 6’11, insists on shooting at least 7 three pointers a game.  Why?  Get down low and get a layup for a change.

I only have good things to say about Steve Nash though.  He is a fun player to watch and can dish off to anyone, anywhere, anytime.  The 36-year-old Nash can also shoot the ball, averaging around 17 ppg with 10 apg.

As far as the NBA playoffs go, there are ups and downs, but the main thing is that  basketball is still the best sport in the world.   For those who don’t agree, there are always NHL playoffs.