The Discarded Crown Prince "Josh Smith" and "The Flash" Threaten the Heat Management!

Several days later, every first-round playoff matchup had concluded.

The league-leading Los Angeles Lakers swept the Oklahoma Thunder 4-0 to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, utterly silencing all the pre-series talk of an eighth-seed upset.

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-2. Although the Warriors had fallen, the inside-out combination of Stephen Curry and Yao Ming gave their fans a glimpse of a bright future. Most surprising of all was Stephen Curry—over six playoff games, he averaged 24 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1.7 steals, with nearly every stat higher than in the regular season.

Before the playoffs began, many fans believed Tyreke Evans deserved Rookie Season MVP more than Stephen Curry. But after these six playoff games, voices like that had grown much quieter.

Without question, the Golden State Warriors would become regular playoff fixtures over the next few years, playing the role of disruptors. They looked much like the "Los Angeles Lakers" of four years ago.

The Phoenix Suns swept the Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 to reach the Western Conference semifinals. Old Shark had headed east once again, joining Cleveland, but instead of causing the Suns' record to decline, they had once more unleashed the seven-seconds-or-less run-and-gun style that had once made them proud and stunned the entire league.

As Yellow Mamba, Brendan Haywood was able to drag his team out of the mire on numerous occasions through his own efforts. But against a Suns team firing on all cylinders, he suffered a brutal sweep.

The victorious Suns would meet the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals.

Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, former partners, would once again stage a "Mavericks-Suns showdown."

The fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets and fifth-seeded Utah Jazz pushed their series to a Game 7. In the final moments, Carmelo Anthony scored nine