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"FacebookPinterestGetty Images\n\nThe first round of the playoffs is rigged for maximum tedium. A longer series favors the better team when there is a clear favorite, while increasing the chances that the underdog will pull out at least one win. It can create the illusion of a young team announcing itself to the world when in fact, those wins are proof that luck and desperation can occasionally yield results. What's more, they don't so much reveal the weaknesses of a contender as they do determine if they are mortal, which should be apparent before the postseason starts. Yet every once in a while, they help complete (or start) stories or fill in some invaluable blanks.\n\nWhat makes the Grizzlies-Clippers series so enthralling isn't just that the Clippers' 3-2 lead could easily be a Grizzlies sweep, or that it provided occasion for the greatest comeback in playoff history. These are two teams who, after uneasy seasons, entered May still trying to flesh out their identities. The Grizzlies are the consummate \"surprise!\" team but this year, they're not sneaking up on anyone. While they may have gotten better (Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay are getting along just fine, it seems), there's a big difference between unexpectedly slugging teams in the face and having them prepared to get hit. The Game One comeback was indicative of the New Grizz Order: No one is stunned when they build up a lead, and they've gone from adrenaline-fuelled dirty angels to a tough-minded team whose rag-tag strategy may not be enough to hang on late.\n\nThe Clippers, by contrast, started the year by acquiring Chris Paul and the catchy LOB CITY nickname. It was assumed that they would be among the West's most dynamic teams, if not automatically one of the best. It was only a matter of time before the Paul and Blake Griffin tandem did big things in this league. Plus their deep roster, with its mix of proven vets and young stallions was as impressive as any in the league. Instead, it's been an uneven year, with long stretches of dead play, questions about whether or not Coach Vinny Del Negro exists, and a puzzling dissonance between Griffin's development and Paul's masterful running of an offense. There have been injuries, underwhelming performances, and for all the strong wins, major questions about whether this team will live up to its potential. This series has killed all the noise: Chris Paul takes over games. Especially this time of year. The Clippers can't adequately define themselves to go on a run so they'll just ride Chris Paul as far as he'll take them. It's the safest bet they've got.\n\nThe other LA team, those pesky, regal Lakers, have yet to close out their series with the Nuggets. What's strange is that the Lakers have looked darn good, maybe even establishing themselves as a legit contender. Kobe Bryant is playing that good kind of hero ball while realizing that Andrew Bynum is the team's focal point; Pau Gasol camps out full-time in the high-post, doing Euro things that remind us all what a boon a \"skilled big man\" is in this wide-open era of play. The Lakers will eventually pull this one out, even if it takes the full seven games; Denver has not overnight transformed into a subversive, star-less powerhouse (note: they have secured cult favorite standing once and for all). However, one player, the previously maddening center JaVale McGee, has shown that with a decent coach and some veteran guidance, he can be downright scary. McGee's shot-blocking and all-around capacity for on-court destruction (sometimes self-destruction) were never in question during his time with the Wizards. However, with free agency looming this summer, Washington gladly dealt McGee to Denver for the older, wiser Nene.\n\nIt was assumed that McGee would fit in well with Denver's up-tempo style of play; what no one expected was that he would emerge as a dominant force in the postseason against the league's best center. Two weeks ago, McGee was known primarily for his endless blooper reel, dunk contest feats, and meme-a-minute Twitter account. Against the Lakers, he has displayed not only talent, but poise. Maybe he's after a contract. Then again, if it were that easy to turn it on, you would think he would have made that switch a little earlier. As it turns out, JaVale McGee can rise to the occasion. When you find that in a player whose natural gifts have never been questioned, well, someone's struck gold."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/the-first-round-of-the-playoffs-isnt-always-useless>