The NFL offseason has overshadowed the NBA postseason this year. While the NFL made fans squirm, holding the NFL schedule release back until it could serve as a terrific lead in for the NFL draft and the latest Ben Roethlisberger drama, the NBA has been having another spectacular first round of the playoffs. So, for those sports fans just coming out of the football trance, here is what you have been missing.

LeBron James is a god

I would have written LeBron James is the definitive higher power, but I fear this might cause a plague of boils, a storm of locusts, and the death of first born children around the country. Instead, I’ll veer away from monotheism and add his name to the list of polytheist deities.

Surely the fact that James is the best basketball player on Earth is no secret, but this in no way diminishes his incredible stats in the Cavaliers first round playoff series with the Bulls. He is averaging 35 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals a game. LeBron is also shooting 58.8 percent overall, 54.5 percent from three, and 77.8 percent from the line.

I am sure he is going to break some sort of record this postseason. I am also sure the Cavs will be going to the NBA Finals. Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams have been solid as the second and third scoring options and Cleveland can throw three big bodies out there to play in the post with different skills (Anderson Varejao is the energy guy, Zydrunas Ilgauskas has an outside shot, and Shaq is a big, domineering body). The Cavaliers are a team with the support personnel and the big time player to win it all, potentially keeping LeBron in Cleveland for play dates well beyond this summer.

Kevin Durant is Finally Playing in Prime Time

Anybody who remotely follows the NBA knows Kevin Durant is one of the best young talents in the league. However, few people outside of the Southwest have seen him play. Thanks to a first round series with the Lakers that is changing.

Durant is impossibly lanky. He is all arms and legs. He is also impossible to guard. Lakers small forward Ron Artest has done an admirable job of limiting the league’s leading scorer to 26.8 points per game and a dreadful 38.4 shooting percentage, but he is still getting his baskets and is taking more than 10 free throws a game. The best players can win even when they cannot shoot. Durant is doing that right now with a little help from his friends, especially Russell Westbrook.

The Thunder and the Lakers are tied at two games a piece and OKC is threatening to upset the number one seed in the West, meaning Durant will likely be dueling Kobe for three more games as Los Angeles continues its lethargic play. I love this and so should any basketball fan because this means Durant is actually playing for the win now and not just playing as a preview to his future greatness.

The Utah Jazz Refuse to be Forgotten

Every postseason Jerry Sloan manages to coerce his team to play much better than they actually are, and this postseason is no different. Then again, maybe the issue is simply everyone refuses to acknowledge the greatness of the Jazz.

This is hardly the first time Utah has consistently put a great tandem on the floor and been ignored. John Stockton and Karl Malone may have been the most feared pick and roll duo in the 1990s, but they were virtually ignored in the 1980s despite winning two Midwest division titles and reaching the playoffs every season since 1983-84.

This time around Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are the thorn in every West team’s side. I understand neither player stands out as an incredible athlete, but in this culture of all or nothing they are underrated. Both players are quicker than they appear and regularly school whoever happens to be guarding them. Williams is torching Chauncey Billups with 26.8 points and 12 assists a game as the Jazz lead the first round series with the Nuggets 3-1. Boozer is giving 22 and 11 and punishing the Nuggets for their lack of interior defense.

Will the Jazz reach the Western Conference Finals? If the Lakers win the highly contentious Lakers-Thunder series, then the Jazz will probably just pummel them and leave Kobe and company ailing on their way to the Finals. If the Thunder ends up pulling off the upset, then the Jazz might actually have a shot at reaching the conference finals.

The Milwaukee Bucks-Atlanta Hawks Series

For all those sports fans who prefer college to the pros, this is the series for you. These are two teams that play the closest thing to a team game in the playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks were so successful in the regular season because they went eight deep and had five players in double figures. They are playing with much the same strategy in the postseason. The Milwaukee Bucks lost center Andrew Bogut during the regular season and limped to the end. They have hung around in this postseason because of scrappy play and a rotation going nine deep.