Sorry for reusing that dated NBA marketing slogan, but these playoffs have really pulled me back in.  Sure, after March Madness and MLB’s opening few weeks, I start paying some cursory attention to the Association.  My man crush on Kevin Durant has even kept me engaged at times during the long regular season.  But this year it seems to be even more exciting.

After a first round featuring my two favorite teams (Houston and OKC), the up and coming Clippers, Nuggets and Warriors, and drama in the  Brooklyn/Chicago series and the NY Knicks/Boston series, I noticed I was making the late night games a little higher on the viewing scale at the house.  I had no idea how intense it was going to get in round two.

There seems to be a lot of bad blood in the east.  The Knicks/Pacers undercard is great theater if only because the Knicks could win or lose any game by 20 depending on how they are shooting that night.  The Bulls/Heat series…that’s on a whole other level.  If there were a drinking game involving the how many times a Heat or Bulls player was thrown, pushed, pulled or tripped onto the floor, Starlight Vodka might run out of inventory.

Then there’s the West.  Wow.  Manu Ginobili may have hit the shot of the playoffs with 2 seconds left in the second overtime of game 1.  And Steph Curry is becoming a star before our eyes.  Kevin Durant is proving how great he is coming 1 assist shy of a triple-double.  And the Grizzlies are showing everyone why they were a popular pick to make the finals.

I hope that this is a sign of things to come.  I love this game (another old NBA slogan).

* Dustin is not a doctor.  Take this post as his opinion only and stay in school

February is a tough month for the sports fan…the Super Bowl signals the end of the NFL season, college football is all but forgotten, baseball hasn’t started yet and, for me anyway, my Basketball Jones hasn’t arrived.  Fortunately, it’s the shortest month and March Madness is right around the corner.  Pitchers and catchers have reported for spring training and the post All Star Game NBA season is starting to become more and more compelling.

So how do you pass the time?  Usually, I try to catch up on movies and tv shows I’ve missed, read a couple of books, and spend more time outdoors as the temperature rises.  The hibernation needs to end sometime, people.

This February, I used my time to pick up and move to Austin.  Getting a second Gameday Cloth up and running plus unpacking and organizing my (so called) life has been more than enough to pass the time. I know that we are all excited to bring the Gameday Cloth lifestyle to our friends, old and new, in the state capital.  It will all be worth it.

So, I ask again…how do you pass the time?  What helps the sports fan in you get through this month?