With Head Bloody but Unbowed

It's the NBA Playoffs again!!! Like any basketball fanatic, I am watching TV and hitting NBA.com like crazy because two of my favorite teams - the Bulls and Pistons - have made it!!! Here's the round-up:

The Chicago Bulls broke expectations when they were vanquished by the Miami Heat in Game Six. Other teams were not as sturdy as the Bulls. The Dallas Mavericks had an easy time dispatching the Memphies Grizzlies in four games. Denver bowed out of contention after snatching one victory from the resurgent L.A. Clippers. It took the heavy favorite Pistons to crush Milwaukee in five games. New Jersey sent the Pacers packing in Game Six. The only teams left are the Spurs versus the Kings, Cleveland and Washington and the most-watched first-round showdown between leading MVP contenders Steve Nash versus Kobe Bryant. Nash and Bryant's teams are so locked in competition that their series is the only one headed to a decisive Game Seven.
I do pity the Bulls. I have watched them play against the big men from Miami and to say that their series was a physical mismatch would be an understatement. They were energetic and hustled on court, but they simply had no answer for Shaquille O' Neal except for an elephant gun - if it is allowed on the arena. As if having Shaq is not intimidating enough, Pat Riley also has Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker and other players with tank-like physique in his stable that the Bulls looked puny beside them. But the Bulls still gave their all. I just hope that they will face a smaller team next playoffs to literally level the playing field.
As for the Pistons, methinks that the Heat have meet their match. When they collide, it will be like watching two bulls - the animals this time - lock horns in mortal combat.