As a recovering Seattle Supersonics fan, one might think I couldn’t care less about the NBA or its looming postseason.

Not true. This season, my first in a major city sans a pro basketball team (sorry WNBA fans) was a revelation. No longer did my hoops jones rise and fall with every errant Earl Watson jump shot. No longer did my hopes come crashing down by midseason, like Nick Collison after getting dunked on. No longer did I pay $30 per seat for crappy basketball. (I got to pay $35 per seat for crappy baseball instead.)

Instead, I finally took a look around the league and discovered other teams that were worth noticing, like Denver, Orlando, a rising Atlanta Hawks team with a dude from my hometown (Marvin Williams, pride of Bremerton, Wa.) and, best of all, Portland. Portland!?! Sure, I paid attention to these teams before and the other monoliths of NBAdom, but I just didn’t care about the league as a whole.

Now I do. And the though that Clay Bennett’s rain showers — er, Thunder — can only watch the playoffs after racking up just 23 wins all season long … well, that’s just icing.

On to the match-ups, starting in the west:

No. 1 L.A. Lakers vs. No. 8 Utah Jazz

As good as Kobe has been this season — and he’s been great, even by his standards — the Lake crew rise and fall with Gasol. That should be the rally cry: “Rise and fall with Gasol.” While his numbers aren’t nearly what the Mamba dumps in the box score each night, Gasol’s versatility and passing makes that team great. Yeah, yeah, they’ve got Bynum back, which creates terrible match-up problems when he’s in. But he’s only terribly effective with the other two on the court. The bizarre amount of talent on that team, featuring a bench five that could cream the Oklahoma City Thunder (oops), is nuts.

As for the Jazz, well, it’s hard not to like Deron Williams. But Carlos Boozer isn’t what he once was, Andre Kirilenko is fading quicker than an Oklahoma sunrise (did it again) and they simply don’t have enough to get past the Lake crew. That’s tough for me to write, ‘cuz I love Deron Williams’ game. Unfortunately cloning isn’t allowed yet and I can’t hang any real upset hopes on Memhet Okur, the leading candidate to do an obscure sports game show with Uwe Blab. Watch for it.

My pick: Lakers in 4

No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 New Orleans Hornets

If this match-up doesn’t stir the blood a bit, you’re dead. Well, anytime Chris Paul and David West are on the court, it should. Throw in big game Chancy Billups and Melo, and this has got to be the most intriguing first-round match-up in the west by far.

Thanks to a crazy finish in the west, the Nuggets and Hornets finish five games apart and five seeds apart. So it’s not exactly going out on a ledge to call this one for the Hornets.

Not so fast. New Orleans has had major injury trouble, with West, Ty Chandler, Peja Stojakovic all bummin’ at the worst possible time.

On the other side, Kenyon Martin has stayed healthy (whoa, never thought I’d write that) and J.R. Smith and Chris Anderson have played really well this season.

I think this goes the distance.

If the Hornets are healthy enough, they take the series on Paul’s back. If not, it’s Denver’s by a fingernail.

My pick: Hornets in 7

No. 3 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Dallas Mavericks

I can’t imagine anyone seeing the Mavs getting slaughtered by just about everyone until the last week of the season thinks this team has the fuel to get deep into the playoffs. They depend too much on their big talent, particularly because that’s all they’ve got, Jason Kidd is erratic as a George Karl tie, Josh Howard is banged up and not the same since he gave the “the stuff,” and Jason Terry is just one man!

However. The Spurs may have finally gotten geriatric enough to topple. With Ginobili out and Duncan on creaky knees, I can’t imagine San Antonio getting 56 from Tony Parker every night. Yes, the Spurs have that weird, exceedingly boring mystique that makes them too tough to bet against, but I will. I hate to do it too, because Dallas is so painfully inconsistent. But it would make my uncle-in-law Charlie happy, and that man deserves some happiness.

My pick: Mavs in 7

No. 4 Portland Trailblazers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets

Ah, the pride of the Northwest.

For the 13 Seattle Sonics fans who transferred allegiance to the Blazers instead of loading up on cappuccinos, buying Seattle Sounders (soccer) tickets and blogging about how “stoked” they are to see Griffey back in a Mariners uni, this is what you’ve been waiting for.

The Blazers have a stud running the show (Brandon Roy), a two-headed monster in the post (Pryzbilla and Oden), solid role players and a few Euros to make it all interesting. Plus, they have home court.

The problem with Portland is experience, or lack thereof, in the playoffs.

Despite McGrady’s absence, Houston looks surprisingly strong. Shane Battier and Ron Artest provide tough match-ups, Carl Landry is a spark off the bench and Luis Scola is a kind of wild card. Oh, and that 7-foot-6 dude is good, too.

I also like the idea of bringing Dikembe Mutombo and Brent Barry into the playoffs even if they never see the court. They can reminisce about the old days, with peach baskets and shooting without leaving the floor, and basketball games in Seattle. You know, the good old days.

Portland will win a few just because they can neutralize Ming in the post, but I’m betting Artest and Battier are too wily to let the kids pull of a series win.

My pick: Rockets in 6

 Sports junkies and former colleagues Dan Ross (NapaValleyRegister.com) and Michael Dashiell (Sequim Gazette) give their rather unusual take on the day’s activities in the National Basketball Association. They both need an outlet for their basketball frustrations now that their Seattle Sonics have faded from existence.