Quickly ... what's the seminal moment of the 2010 NBA Playoffs?

To quote Katt Williams, "Don't worry. I'll wait."

...

Still no answer? That's because it concerns someone who hasn't played in two weeks: it's LeBron James leaving the court in Boston after his Cavs were prematurely knocked out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. That loss has led to All LeBron All the Time. It sometimes feels like the playoffs aren't even going on with all the coverage devoted to "Mailman Jr." I can't take credit for that moniker. It was given to James by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons.

There hasn't been any GREAT moments in these playoffs. How many people - outside of me because I have issues - remember Pau Gasol's tip in with .5 seconds left in game six to close out the Lakers' first-round series with Oklahoma City? Who can recall Paul Pierce's buzzer-beater in game four of Boston's first-round series with Miami. Not many.

That's changed since the conference finals tipped off.

So far, the Phoenix Suns have been able to keep pace with the Los Angeles Lakers, despite the brilliance of Kobe Bryant, who is averaging 33.8 points on 56 percent shooting, along with 9.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. Phoenix has even opted to employ a 2-3 zone, which has garnered a lot of attention, even though defense, not that zone, has been L.A.'s biggest problem.

After falling behind the Boston Celtics, 3-0, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic have battled back and forced a game six.

That game could have a decidedly different look to it, as Boston could be without three key players: Glen Davis, who suffered a concussion in game five after taking a Randy Savage-like elbow to the head from Magic big man Dwight Howard; Rasheed Wallace, who may have sustained an "old man injury" when he strained his back last night. Starting center Kendrick Perkins almost missed game six due to suspension after receiving his sixth and seventh technical fouls of the postseason, but the league earlier today rescinded one of the two techs Perkins received last night.

If Boston is without Wallace and Davis, that's two of the three players Boston uses off its been it would be without. That would mean Kevin Garnett and Perkins would need to log big minutes and stay out of foul trouble to contend with Howard.

Within a week, what looked to be one of the more boring NBA postseasons in a while (2003 and 2007 come to mind) may end with three of the best series in ages. I still think we're looking at a Lakers/Celtics final, with both squads getting there after finishing off six-game series.

That would signal the 12th time L.A. and Boston have squared off in the championship round, with the Celtics holding a 9-2 series advantage and a 40-27 record overall in those games.

The Magic have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA, while the Lakers started hot, finished cold and battled injuries to key players all season long.

But I think L.A. has enough talent to run through the West, while Orlando should navigate its way back to the Finals.

When the teams match up again, marking just the second NBA Finals rematch since 1998, I expect the Lakers to claim title 16, which would give Kobe Bryant 5 rings and allow him to stake his claim as one of the seven best players in the history of the NBA.

2010 NBA Playoff Predictions

First round

East
Cleveland over Chicago in 5
Orlando over Charlotte in 4
Atlanta over Milwaukee in 4
Boston over Miami in 6

West
LAL over OKC in 5
Dallas over SAS in 6
Phoenix over Portland in 4
Denver over Utah in 7

Second Round

East
Cleveland over Boston in 6
Orlando over Atlanta in 5

West
LAL over Denver in 6
Dallas over Phoenix in 6

Conf. Finals

East
Orlando over Cleveland in 6

West
LAL over Dallas in 7

NBA Finals
LAL over Orlando in 7

There's a really easy way to determine the Most Valuable Player in the NBA each season.

Take a great player from his team and determine where that team would finish in the standings without him.

For example, if you take Kobe Bryant away from the Lakers, Los Angeles would still make the playoffs. But if you take LeBron James from the Cavaliers, Cleveland's roster is as strong as Michelle Pfeiffer's eggs in "Scarface."

The Cavs would be awful without LeBron. That's why he's my 2010 NBA MVP. Too bad he won't be around to challenge for Finals MVP, though.

2010 NBA Award Winners

MVP
LeBron James - Averaged a 28, 8, 8 for the past three seasons
2. Kevin Durant
3. Dwight Howard

Rookie of the Year
Tyreke Evans - Fourth rookie in history to put up a 20, 5, 5. The others? Oscar Robertson, Michale Jordan, James
2. Stephen Curry
3. Brandon Jennings

Defensive Player of the Year
Dwight Howard - Led the league in rebounds and blocks for the second straight season.
2. LeBron James
3. Thabo Sefolosha

Sixth Man of the Year
Jamal Crawford - Finally found the role he was made to play: gunner off the bench. Put in 18 points/game in 31 minutes/night for the Hawks.
Carl Landry
Manu Ginobili

Most Improved Player
Aaron Brooks - Became Houston's go-to guy in the absence of Yao Ming. Improved his scoring average by more than 8 points/game, too (11.2 to 19.6). Also shot nearly 40 percent from 3.
2. Joakim Noah
3. Andrew Bogut

Coach of the Year
Scott Brooks (OKC) - took one of the two youngest teams in the league to the playoffs a season after it won just 23 games. Oklahoma City won its 50th game of the year last night.
Scott Skiles
Rick Carlisle

All-NBA First Team
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Dwight Howard

All-NBA Second Team
Deron Williams
Steve Nash
Carmelo Anthony
Chris Bosh
Dirk Nowitzki

All-NBA Third Team
Chauncey Billups
Joe Johnson
Manu Ginobili
Carlos Boozer
Amar'e Stoudemire

All-Defensive Team
Rajon Rondo
Dwyane Wade
Thabo Sefolosha
LeBron James
Dwight Howard

All-Rookie Team
Tyreke Evans
Stephen Curry
Brandon Jennings
Darren Collison
Marcus Thornton

Least Valuable Player
Eddy Curry - made $10 million-plus this season to play in 7 games and average 8.9 minutes/game

Least Valuable Player on a really good team
Derek Fisher - routinely gets torched by quicker guards...and slower ones

Remember how the Heisman vote went down to the last two weeks of the regular season?

Everyone was waiting for that one guy to pull away from a pack of four or five and take the award.

Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram did that with his performance in the SEC Championship game against Florida, snatching the award from Florida's Tim Tebow among others.

This NBA season has been weird. In the first month of the season, you could make a case for five or six guys who should win MVP. Milwaukee point guard Brandon "Young Money" Jennings was a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year after he went off for 55 points in just his seventh game in the League.

Now, both of those are one-horse races in my opinion. So are the races for Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player.

So unless some guys step up the last 40 games of the season, there won't be any shock when award winners are announced in May.

As for who is leading in the chase for those awards...

Most Valuable Player
LeBron James, Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers
You know how Pistons' fans used to treat Michael Jordan? They hated his guts but respected the hell out of his game. That's the way fans are with James now. He might be too silly for anybody to hate, though, with his pre-game antics and sideline dances. So far this season, LeBron is averaging 29 points, with 8 assists ( a career high at this point) and 7 boards a night. He's also posting career highs in field goal, free throw and three-point percentage. James is doing all this, and has his team in the race for the League's best record, without much else around him.

Also considered: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)

Rookie of the Year
Tyreke Evans, Guard, Sacramento Kings
The same way James saved the Cavs when he was drafted in 2003, Evans has been reviving the Kings so far this season. Sacramento was widely thought of as one of the three or four worst teams in the League at the start of the season, but the Kings have been surprisingly competitive. While Jennings started hot and hit the Rookie Wall, Evans has been steady all season to the tune of 20.8 points, 5 boards and 5 assists a night. At 6'6," 220 pounds, Evans can play any of the perimeter positions. He may be best suited to play off the ball, but his play at the point has been solid. Evans has also scored in double figures in all but two games he's played in so far this season.

Also considered: Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee), Stephen Curry (Golden State)

Most Improved Player
Kevin Durant, Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder
In his third year in the League, Durant has made "The Leap." His scoring average has gone up exponentially each season (from 20 (year one) to 25 ppg (year two) to 29.1 this season. Durant is also averaging a career-high 7 boards a night. He's a threat to go for 40 every night and he's also mastered the art of manufacturing points. When he has an off night from the field, Durant is awesome at getting to the line. In Oklahoma City's 94-91 win over Atlanta Monday afternoon, Durant went 7-19 from the field, but shot 14-15 from the free throw line. He's getting to the line nearly 10 times a game and in flirting with shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Above all of that, he's leading his young Thunder squad to Ws. Oklahoma City currently sits at 23-18, good for 8th in the tough Western Conference. OKC didn't win its 23rd game until the last game of the 2008-09 season. Look for Durant to be in the MVP discussion until he retires.

Also considered: Aaron Brooks (Houston), Channing Frye (Phoenix)

Sixth Man of the Year
Jamal Crawford, Guard, Atlanta Hawks
Crawford has always been known as a gunner. But you can't win with guys like that in your starting lineup unless their name is Kobe. Crawford is in the perfect role in Atlanta. He's been a major reason why the Hawks are atop the Southeast Division. He's the Hawks' version of Vinnie Johnson and he's flourishing in his new role. So far this season, in 30 minutes a night, Crawford is netting 17 points and shooting 45 percent from the field. That number doesn't look that great until you consider that's the best he's shot from the field since shooting .476 from the field in 23 games in 2001-02.

Also considered: Carl Landry (Houston), Jason Terry (Dallas)

Defensive Player of the Year
Dwight Howard, Center, Orlando Magic
Although Howard's offensive numbers have trailed off from last season and his post game is almost nonexistent, his defensive play always remains at a high level. Howard once again leads the League in rebounds (13.1) and blocks (2.49). He also ranks in the top 50 in steals - a category dominated by wing players.

Also considered: LeBron James (Cleveland), Gerald Wallace (Charlotte)

Coach of the Year
Rick Adelman, Houston Rockets
No Yao. No Tracy McGrady, yet, at 23-18, Adelman has the Rockets in the seven spot out West. Prior to the start of the season, I picked Houston to finish with one of the worst records in the League, since the team's roster is made up of no-name players. Houston has been able to stay afloat despite switching from a team that thrived on good defense to a team that likes to run on offense. During his career, Adelman has coached some supremely talented teams in Portland and Sacramento, but this may be his best work.

Also considered: Lionel Hollins (Memphis), Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City)