Out of the Park-er

Following the right-from-the-opening-tip aggressive play of Tony Parker, the Spurs obliterated Utah in one of the most one-sided closeout games you'll ever see this late in the playoffs. The Jazz are definitely the future of the Western Conference, but they were no match for the present in Game 5.

Michael Finley also helped set the tone early, and Tim Duncan finally returned to his normal self, after a two-game on-court hiatus. But when it's all said and done, the MVP of this series just might be that nutty Argentine with the rubber-banded hair and the beef-jerkyed name: Fabricio Oberto...Oh boy, Oberto! I've never been much of a fan of his prior to these playoffs, but now can truly appreciate what he brings to the table.

In addition to the fact that the Spurs won in five games, the other thing that really made this series enjoyable for me was the ESPN/ABC booth. While Mike Breen is pretty generic, I absolutely love the chemistry between Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy! If Van Gundy was smart, he'd give up coaching forever and stay in the broadcast booth, because he is GREAT! And it's probably time for him to face facts that, well, he's not really an upper-echelon coach, is he?