I'm not what you would call a hardcore fan of the NBA. I enjoy the product and try to catch a game on television when I can, but it will always be my fourth viewing option behind baseball, the NFL, and college football.

With that said...if you can't get pumped for playoff basketball after watching even some of tonight's Suns-Mavericks battle, you should just stop watching altogether.

It's becoming a habit of mine to watch games in any sport with the volume turned down and some music on the iPod (currently playing: My Chemical Romance's "Mama", off of the "Welcome to the Black Parade" album), and tonight was no different. Flipped the channel to ESPN and started working on some odds and ends, but made a point to check in on the action every so often.

Dallas was down something like twelve when I turned it on. Cut it to seven at the half, 60-53. Blew the wheels off the Suns in the third, turning that seven-point deficit into a fifteen-point lead. 91-76. Led by eight, 109-101 I think, with a couple minutes to play.

I went back to work. So did the Suns. Next time I looked up, the Mavs were up two and Dirk Nowitzki was missing a free throw. He hit the second - the Steve Nash hit a three. Tie game. Inbound to Dirk, makes a move, off balance 20-footer for the win...front iron. No Good. Overtime. (Why are my sentences getting shorter and choppier?)

The Suns take the early lead. 120-115. I look away. The Mavericks tie it up. 120-120. Double overtime.

Suns by two. Seven seconds left. Dirk has another chance. Catches the rim again. Doesn't get the roll. Wants a foul. Doesn't get that either.

Even half-watching with no sound, this was a spectacular game featuring two heavyweights going toe-to-toe in the center of the ring, neither one pulling any punches or backing down an inch. Both teams are loaded with great players who are incredibly skilled at basketball, but I think the reason the Suns and Mavericks are the two best teams in the NBA right now is their resiliency. Even down fifteen in the second half or five in the last minute of overtime, they know they can erase any deficit as long as they continue to play within their game.

If these two teams meet in the playoffs again...watch out.

Finally, two post-game notes on things that I found amusing:

1) An ESPN camera was leading a very angry looking Mark Cuban as he crossed the floor after the loss when he apparently decided that enough was enough and gave the camera a little love tap. Didn't look like a shove, per se, but it was clear that he didn't feel like posing at that particular moment.

2) Immediately after the Cuban thing, they cut to a shot of Amare Stoudemire being hugged by a woman who looked very short. It was hard to tell because of the low camera angle, but I swear to God, this woman's head wasn't much higher than his belly button.