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I had an argument with a co-worker way back during the Winter Olympics about which was more exciting to watch: NBA basketball or the ski jump. I was obviously on the side of the NBA. I'm a huge NBA fan and could care less about the ski jump. His resolution was to call his old roommate who was a "huge basketball fan" about which was more fun to watch. His friends response was something along the lines of "well both are boring if you watch them for more than five minutes so it's about the same". I immediately dropped the NBA vs. Ski jump battle, and began arguing that this guy is defiantly not a "huge" basketball fan. To be honest though, I don't think this guy is alone.

There is something about the NBA that turns Midwesterners, and more specifically Iowans, off in 2010. College basketball has a much larger following. I can't blame anybody for loving March Madness because I think March Madness is everything that is right in sports. However, how can people who grew up playing basketball, grew up in Jordan Country (or in my case Reggie Country), and love college basketball not be entertained and interested in the best players in the world going head-to-head for the ever-coveted ring? I have done little else in the last couple weeks than watch the playoffs and I have complied a list of 20 reasons why any average basketball fan Iowan should be watching the NBA playoffs.

20) Cavs Throwback Uniforms - The dark red road uniforms the Cavs have been wearing are just awesome. You don't see many teams bringing out uniforms like that for the playoffs usually, but the Cavs had the balls to do it, and while wearing them killed Boston in game three at the Garden. Maybe alternate uni's will become more widely used from here on out. We can only hope so in the Cavs case.

19) Ron Artest - Ron Artest is a polarizing figure. I've often considered, and still may, writing an entire column about the enigma that is Ron Artest. I loved him as a Pacer and thought he had endless potential if he ever, EVER, got his head on straight, or at least straighter than it is. Ron had been said to have lost a step. Everybody said that, except Ron Artest. Artest came out in that Lakers/OKC series and looked like Dennis Rodman with a jump shot, even if that shot usually didn't go in. Artest had ratcheted up his defense in this postseason and he helped the Lakers beat the Thunder with his defense of Kevin Durant. His hair was wild. He gets his teammates respect even though he shoots whenever he wants to, without caring what Kobe thinks. My theory is that even Kobe Bryant is scared to question Ron Artest for shooting a 3, even if Rom is 2-16 for the game. I would be.

18) Coaching Adjustments - An NBA playoff series is really a chess game. Teams make adjustments game-to-game, quarter-to-quarter and even possession-to-possession. How will we work the ball inside to get Dwight Howard in foul trouble? How can we slow down Steve Nash? How can we keep LeBron from dropping 50 on us? Things change so much between games one and two in every series. The master of adjustments is Greg Popovich. If the Spurs are trailing by 14 in the third quarter of game one, Pop may see something that could get them an edge, but not a big enough edge to change the outcome of the game, so he waits til game two to implement it. Pop is a adjustment genius. The collective intelligence of the Spurs, which all stems from Popovich, is what makes them fun to watch.

17) Role players - The playoffs are the time to see when which role players fill their roles when the pressure is on. Some try and shoot too much (Ron-Ron, Vince) and some fill their role to perfection (George Hill, John Salmons). These unsung heroes make the playoffs a team-centered thing that can't be won by a team with one great player.

16) Alpha-Dog battles - We saw this being demonstrated in the game 4 debacle in Oklahoma City. Pau Gasol wanted the ball, so Kobe gave it to him. Then gave it to him again and again. Dwight Howard complained last year about not getting enough touches even though Hedo Turkoglu was carrying the team in the final minutes. Some of the Celtics seems to take offense to Rajon Rondo being anointed the best player in Green. Team drama is always fun to see, especially if it involves the Lakers or Celtics.

15) Oklahoma City Thunder - This young team captured the hearts of NBA fans nationwide in the first round. It was very reminiscent of the 2007 Warriors team, except that the 2010 Lakers were better than the 2007 Mavs, and the 2010 Thunder were incredibly young. A young, fearless team, like the Thunder, taking on a title-defending veteran-led team and giving them all they can handle is one of the most exciting things to see in sports.

14) Jerry Sloan - When will Sloan get the appreciation he deserves? It better be on his first time on the Hall of Fame Ballot. I understand he has never won a championship, but he gets more out of his team and his system than any coach in NBA history. He had Stockton and Malone for so long that when they left many people felt the Jazz would be insignificant for years to come. Then he took Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer and turned them into the new Stockton and Malone and knocked off the more talented Denver Nuggets in round one without two starters. Sloan has a hand in every Utah win and still gets none of the publicity.

13) Guys playing through injuries - There are some pretty minor injuries that put people on the DL during the regular season. This isnt the case in the playoffs. We don't know how serious LeBron's elbow injury was, but he kept on playing. Manu Ginobili looks ridiculous, but he is still driving the lane with reckless abandon. We saw Brandon Roy make a Willis Reed-like return in game three of the Portland/Phoenix series. These guys, and other injured stars, gut out injuries in the postseason. I'm not sure the fans appreciate that these guys just got done playing 82 games of up-and-down basketball, banging bodies three or four nights a week, and are now selling out their bodies for the team. We rag on players for being sissies a lot, but sometimes forget the times they play through an injury.

12) Taking The Bumps And Bruises - This is for the fans who have no horse in the race. This is for Pacer fans, Raptor fans, Kings fans, Clippers fans, and all of those other tortured fan bases that haven't seen their team as a contender in a long while. Watching these games and the passion that goes into them will make it all the sweeter when your team finally makes their playoff run...I hope.

11) Big Shots - Who doesn't love a buzzer beater? The fourth quarter of NBA playoff games is basketball at it's absolute finest. This is when the best in the world truly shine and show who has the crunch time gene and who doesn't. Robert Horry had it. Reggie Miller had it. Kobe Bryant has it. LeBron seems to be just on the cusp of having it. Dirk? No so much.

10) TD Garden floor - The Boston Celtic's home floor is classic. It may not be the old Boston Garden parquet floor, but it is still a distinct look. Watching playoff games in Boston makes it seem like real playoff basketball.

9) Reggie Miller Announcing - Ok, Ok. This happens all season, and I have an obvious bias, but Reggie is a good announcer and he knows his stuff. Just admit it.

8) Upsets - Nuggets over Sonics. Warriors over Mavericks. Spurs over Mavericks. The Hawks almost pulled one off in 2008. The Bucks almost pulled one off this year. First round upsets in the NBA playoffs are always memorable. They may not hold the same aura and prestige of a bracket-busting March Madness upset, but they are surprising and heart-wrenching all the same.

7) Last hurrah teams - The Spurs and Celtics are the classic examples of this in 2010. The Spurs were written off as title contenders in April. Now? I don't care if Phoenix is up 3-0 in the series right now, nobody wants to play the Spurs. The Celtics were likewise left for dead. They came out in round one, much like the Spurs, and dominated with veteran led toughness. These teams may not have much left in the tank, but it is interesting to see them making one more run at a title before they are disbanded.

6) Good Guys Going for Rings on the Suns - The Suns have captured some hearts, much like the Thunder but for completely different reasons. The Thunder's youth was their calling card. With the Suns they have some veterans who are still looking for that first ring. Steve Nash and Grant Hill seem like legitimately good guys. Nash turned down a contending team and money to stay in Phoenix. Hill was once thought of as the heir to Jordan, 10 years of injuries later and here he is, being a defensive stopper and scoring when the spot presents itself. You also have Jason Richardson who toiled in Golden State for years and now has a legitimate chance for a finals appearance. It would make me very happy to see Nash and Hill hugging in June with confetti falling down on them.

5)Best in the world - Remember back in March when you watched the final four? Remember how many bad plays and missed shots we saw in the final four matchup between Butler and Michigan State? I'm not going to pretend that I didn't enjoy every minute of that game, because I love basketball whether it is college or professional, but those bad plays are not as common in the NBA. These guys are the best in the world at playing basketball. They are sometimes accused of coasting through games, but I think it is just because they make things like jump shots look so easy. These guys are so good that we sometimes forget how good they are until it is playoff time and they are going back and fourth with each other in the final minutes.

4) Nostalgia - The NBA playoffs bring back memories. 15 years ago today I remember sitting in my Grandma's kitchen and watching Reggie Miller score 8 points in 8 seconds to stun the Knicks. I remember wishing the Sonics would shock the world by beating the Bulls. I remember Reggie marching the Pacers to the finals only to lose to the Lakers. I remember LeBron dismantling the Pistons in crunch time a few years ago. These games help me remember some good moments from past playoffs. I spent a lot of time as a kid watching the playoffs, I can't turn my back on Geoff version 1997 and not watch these can I?

3) Wild home crowds - A big knock on the NBA from college basketball fans is the lack of crowd enthusiam. I know this is true in some cases, but sometimes a playoff crowd can rise to the occasion. I have only been to one playoff game in person and that was in old Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, and that crowd was pumped. Oklahoma City fans showed what a 2010 crowd can do to inspire their team. The Jazz crowd in Utah should be loud as ever tomorrow night against the Lakers. These passionate NBA crowds can lift a team to a win and scare a ref into a call. The passion some NBA fans show even get the viewer at home jacked up. Just ask anybody who watched that Oklahoma City series.

2) LeBron - LeBron James is unreal. He was put on this planet for one reason - to play basketball. His teammates get a lot of heat for sucking in the playoffs, which they have done, but let's be honest; Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao are no Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman or Horace Grant. Antwan Jamison has been playing decent so far, but this team so obviously goes as LeBron goes. Is this his last year in Cleveland? I don't think so, but it could be, and Clevelanders know it. This team and this fan base has everything riding on this season, on one man's shoulders. Don't forget, LeBron is only 25 years old. Most 25 year olds, like yours truly, have no idea what to do with their lives. LeBron has an entire city, an entire state, an entire worldwide following expecting him to deliver a championship. This isn't anything new to him either. He has had these expectations since he was about 16 years old. Too many people are quick to jump on LeBron for what he hasn't done (win a title) than what he has done. He has two consecutive MVPs. He has led Cleveland to the number #1 overall seed. His teamates love him, unlike other basketball Gods Kobe and MJ, and the fans and media love him. A lot of people are jumping on the Magic bandwagon again after they have demolished the Bobcats and the Hawks through seven games, but I wouldn't be so quick to discount King James, because when he is on there is nobody better than him in the world.

1)History In The Making - Remember that nostalgia argument? That the playoffs bring back old memories? The flip side of that is, they also make new memories for those smart enough to watch them. I have a lot of lasting memories just from the first two rounds. The Spurs using their veteran moxy to knock off the Mavs. The Oklahoma City youngsters giving the Lakers all they could handle. LeBron coming out after a loss and beating up on Chicago and Boston. Deron Williams making his case for best point guard in the league. Steve Nash getting nine assists in the first quarter against Portland. The Bucks stealing three games from Atlanta. I could go on and on, but the point it that the NBA playoffs are constantly writing history. Just like March Madness, you can never tell when a game or a series will be one for the ages. Last year's finals look lopsided in retrospect, but those who watched know the Magic really outplayed the Lakers in three of the first four games. This is the kind of history and memories you get from watching the playoffs. Wouldn't it be nice to look back in 30 years and tell your kids you watched the playoffs the first time LeBron won a title? Or to say you saw when the Thunder were becoming THE Thunder? Or to tell them you watched as Steve Nash took HIS team to the finals when many wrote them off months if not years ago? This is what sports is all about: seeing history being made before our very eyes.