The NBA Conference Finals Have Arrived! Yaaaaawn.

Maybe it's just me. Perhaps the die-hards out there are loving every minute of this NBA postseason. Surely for them there must be drama and beauty unfolding that is somehow hidden from the eyes of the typical fan.

Because, frankly, I'm a pretty typical NBA fan. Not obsessive, though far from "casual." Somewhere in between. And I'm bored stiff. Granted, the only teams I had any rooting interest in have been bounced (Cleveland and New Orleans)...and the one team I can't stand keeps trucking along...plus one of my least favorite superstars is quite possibly heading directly towards yet another ego-rocketing personal triumph...

Aside from all of that, am I the only one who has zero interest in what transpires between now and the NBA Finals? Don't get me wrong, I'll likely tune in for the second half of tonight's Spurs/Lakeshow affair. Maybe I'll flip over to a game six or game seven as the conference finals progress should either or both of the series extend that far. But, generally speaking, there's nothing about this final four that gets me excited.

Furthermore, the NBA playoffs themselves feel like a huge letdown, no? I remember a few years back when the 2008 playoffs were about to begin how fired up I was (for once) about the NBA. It felt like a postseason that promised competitive basketball, exciting teams and, most importantly, great games. Not to mention dynamic players and personalities, juicy potential storylines. Uhhh, guess not.

The Suns fizzled out. No end-to-end action. No Nash. No Shaq-led resurgence. The Cavs somehow forced the Celtics to a game 7, but the games were painful to watch and, despite LeBron's final performance and poster dunk, King James didn't elevate to that "next level" and carry the Craptastic Cavs all the way back to the finals (although, really, how could he?). Dallas and Denver barely showed up. Toronto was...Toronto. Orlando tried hard. The Sixers were a nice story for a few nights. And the list of patently uninspiring happenings goes on and on.

Now, we're left with a thoroughly unwatchable Boston-Detroit series that will certainly go seven games if for no other reason than to drag out the slow and melancholy story that is the 2008 NBA Playoffs. In the West, neither prospect is particularly palatable: relentless praise showered upon Kobe on the heels of his first MVP and a trip back to the Finals sans The Diesel, or the Spurs, again. They of the great fundamentals, "scrappy play," know-how-to-win-ism and veteran savvy. Gag me with a spoon.

But, luckily, with the Mets consistently proving their inherent mediocrity and the Knicks are poised to leap back into contention by 2020. So I at least have nothing to look forward to...which is nice. Oh, wait there's the Jets! Riiight.

Is anybody else feeling what I'm feeling?