The NBA playoffs are getting intense. The series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns makes for great sports TV.

Yesterday Spurs Forward Robert Horry was suspended for two games for a flagrant foul on Suns guard Steve Nash. He kind of “checked” Nash into the scorers table toward the end of the game. Horry is 6’10” and weighs 240 lbs. Nash is 6’3” and weighs 195 lbs (wet). I did not think it was the big a deal, but the series has been a tough one with a few tough fouls and some blood. It kind of reminds me of the NBA back in their glory days of the 80s.

But, it seems to me that the Suns paid for the incident more. Suns players Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw received one-game suspensions for leaving the bench. That’s the rules gentlemen – stay close to the bench when there’s an altercation or be suspended.

I still believe the Spurs will prevail in the series, but will they have anything left for the rest of the playoffs?

The Spurs and Suns are the two best teams in basketball. This series is basically for the “unofficial” NBA championship.

The Utah Jazz has surprised everyone during these playoffs. The Jazz are back. They will wait for the winner of the Spurs and Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The Jazz are probably hoping the Spurs and Suns go seven games and everyone is beaten up for the Conference championship.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls won’t go away. They are down 3-2 to the Detroit Pistons. The Cleveland Cavaliers are up on the New Jersey Nets 3-1.

The NBA MVP this year is Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks had the best record in the NBA this year, but were eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors (insert choking sound here).

The voting for the MVP takes place after the regular season and before the playoffs begin.

Speaking of MVPs, there are several multiple NBA MVPs through the years. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has six MVPs. Michael Jordan and Bill Russell have five. Wilt Chamberlain has four. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone have three.

But of these stars, only three have won at least three MVP titles in a row, which I believe puts them above the rest. Bill Russell won three MVPs in 1961-63. Wilt Chamberlain won three MVPs in 1966-1968 and my favorite player, Larry “The Legend” Bird, won three MVPs in a row 1984-1986.

Jack the Blogger played a lot of basketball in his younger days. Unfortunately he could not jump, he was not very quick, and he was under six feet tall, so he had three strikes against him when he took to the court. But, he was not afraid to shoot…