Austin- NBA Playoffs begin (BB)

Hello and welcome once again to Take Charge. The college season is over, and it seems as though that all significant college players have made up their mind on whether or not to return to the college game or enter the NBA draft. Well now the NBA Playoffs are underway. The awards are also coming out, and the first 3 have been awarded. Joakim Noah took home the Defensive Player of the Year Award, receiving 100 of 125 first place votes. Spurs coach Greg Popovich was named the NBA Coach of the Year after guiding San Antonio to the league's best record (62-20). Suns Guard Goran Dragic was named the leagues Most Improved Player, after averaging 20.3 points a night. He received 65 1st place votes. Other awards will be announced later as the playoffs continue. I expect Kevin Durant to take home the MVP award. I'd say that the 6th man award is up in the air right now. It's almost relieving to say that we may see a season in which LeBron James doesn't win a championship or an award. But anyways, let's get to the playoffs. we're in the early days of the first round, and each series has seen 2 games played. First, in the East, the struggling Pacers find themselves tied at a game a piece with the Atlanta Hawks. That series could go to 7 games, as the Pacers have seem to have lost their mojo. I still think they'll pull away with the victory in the series. 5 seed Washington has a 2-0 lead on the Chicago Bulls as Kirk Henrich missed 2 free throws with 2.4 seconds left in OT last night, giving the Wizards a 2 point victory. Toronto and Brooklyn are tied at a game a piece as well. I would love to see Brooklyn beat the Raptors and take on the Heat, as the Nets won the season series 4-0 against Miami this year. On the bottom of the bracket, Miami holds a 2-0 lead on the Bobcats, and the Heat are really seeming to luck out. Charlotte's best player, Al Jefferson suffered an injury in the first game, and the 'Cats simply don't stand a chance in this series. We'll focus on the west next week, That's all for now!