The Front Row: I love this game

IT’S FANTASTIC: The best NBA season in 15 years wraps up tonight, and I, for one, am a little sad to see it go.

I can’t remember professional basketball bringing me this much joy since I was a little kid.

Outside of the disgusting behavior surrounding the Seattle Sonics’ ownership and the Miami Heat’s shameless tank-job to wrap up their season (seriously, a CBA team would’ve been embarrassed by some of those starting line-ups), this season has featured more on-court drama and intense action than any season I can remember.

The playoffs get rolling soon, and here’s one writer’s list of the five players you need to keep a close eye on throughout what could be a potentially historic two months.

No. 1: Chris Paul, quite possibly the best point guard since Magic Johnson. Yes, that includes Steve Nash (basketball is a two-way game, and Nash will never be confused with the mid-90s version of Gary Payton on defense).

No. 2: Kobe Bryant, the game’s most dominant athlete, and the players’ choice for the 2007-08 MVP.

No. 3: Amare Stoudemire, who is suddenly completely, totally and absolutely unstoppable.

No. 4: Dirk Nowitzki, who needs a big spring to eliminate the mental damage he suffered after last season’s historic collapse against Golden State.

No. 5: LeBron James, basketball’s version of Robert DeNiro (“Raging Bull” DeNiro, not “Showtime” DeNiro), only if a casting director decided to surround DeNiro with the worst community theater group imaginable and asked him to carry a $200 million summer blockbuster.

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TIGER’S DILEMMA: Wow, what a choke artist.

Can you believe Tiger Woods fell apart like that this past weekend at Augusta?

After all this talk of the “grand slam” and undefeated season, Woods folded like a cheap accordian in golf’s most prestigious event.

With Trevor Immelman begging to be caught, Woods failed, yet again, to make that career-defining charge from behind to take a major title.

The funniest part? Respected media members are actually writing sentences like this with a straight face.

This is when you know you’re good. Woods played at about a C-plus (for him) and still took second place. Yesterday, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, proving that he can still beat 99 percent of the world’s best golfers while injured and struggling.

Meanwhile, the stories surrounding this past Masters make it sound like Woods pulled a Jean Van de Velde or something.

The next major (the U.S. Open) starts on Jan. 12 at Torrey Pines. Expect to see a healthy, motivated, focused and ticked-off Tiger demolish the field.

nprevenas@gvnes.com | 547-9747