The NBA playoffs have been so spectacular so far that I considered Thursday night something of a crime perpetrated against me by David Stern. No games? You feed me at least two great games a night for a month, every night, then you take it away? WHAT GIVES?

So as I write this on Friday morning, let’s dish on a couple of series that have really captured my attention (and that of most fans).

DALLAS/LOS ANGELES — I was so hyped up for this series and so far it’s delivered, with Dallas pulling off a shocker by taking TWO wins in L.A. and putting the two-time champs on the ropes.

I know a lot of Hornets fans may disagree (division rivalries die hard) but it’s hard to not root for Dallas, at least for me. Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic were such big parts of the Hornets run in 2008 and I loved seeing Chandler throw down some of those alley oops with bad intentions. And how great is it when Dallas runs Peja, Dirk, Kidd and Terry out there … shooters, shooters, shooters.

I underrated Dallas before the playoffs, but this is clearly a different team. Brandon Roy essentially would have taken Old Dallas’ soul once the Mavs blew that ridiculous game in Portland. Instead, they came back and rapped out two wins. These Mavs may only have two shot creators, but once is Dirk Nowitski, the Peyton Manning of the NBA.

Dirk is the one constant on a Mavs team that’s won at least 50 games for 11 years in a row, much like Manning had led the Colts to 12 wins a year for a decade until breaking the string last season. Both are ridiculously consistent — you already know that Peyton is a lock for 4,000 yards and 25-plus touchdowns every single season. But Dirk is all but the same—every single season it’s 23 points per, 24 points per, 25 points per, and 26 points per. He’s the one player in the NBA that routinely flirts with 50-40-90 (Field Goal, Three Point, and Free Throw Percentage) and he’s SEVEN FEET TALL. He’s among the most unstoppable players in history, much like Peyton is in his sport.

Both guys get knocked for some early round exits from the playoffs. Manning, at least, was able to nail down a ring in 2006. In my opinion, Dirk would have too – in the same year, mind you – if not for some very poor officiating in a Finals series against the Miami Heat. The way the Mavs are playing, Dirk may get another shot at Miami because …

MIAMI/BOSTON – The Heat are running circles around a much older Celtics team. Boston may have one hope to rebound, and it’s a longshot – the return of Shaq would give Miami pause when electing to go to it’s small, but extremely lethal lineup of Mike Bibby, James Jones, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. But Shaq has to prove he can play for more than six minutes without coming up lame, plus the Celtics have to create chemistry with him on the fly.

Miami should win this series and then get by whomever wins the other East series. Chicago, in my mind, is close to done even if they can down the Hawks. Derrick Rose’s ankle is a problem, and Carlos Boozer has a big problem in the form of turf toe — he hasn’t been able to pull his offensive weight for a team that desperately needs it. I liked Chicago to take down Miami in the East Finals before the playoffs began because I thought, defensively, they could exploit some of the Heat’s holes.

But now I think the advantage swings the other way. A Miami team that disappointed, relatively speaking, in the regular season has to be considered the favorite to win the NBA Championship—and it could be the first of many.

But I’ll be rooting for Dirk’s revenge. And for a couple of (former) Hornets to be fitted for rings.