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due to suspension after receiving his sixth and seventh technical fouls of the postseason, but the league earlier today rescinded one of the two techs Perkins received last night.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

For the second season in a row, Orlando Magic all-star starting point guard Jameer Nelson will miss extensive time with an injury.

After being sidelined with a shoulder injury for most of the second half of the regular season and a large part of the 2009 playoffs, Nelson this season will be out 4-6 weeks after suffering a knee injury Monday in the Magic's six-point win over Charlotte.

Last season, Orlando went out and dealt for Rafer Alston, who played solid ball in Nelson's absence. Nelson's injury this season again leaves Orlando with little depth at the point. Jason "White Chocolate" Williams will be Orlando's starting point guard. He'll be backed up by 35-year-old, career backup Anthony Johnson. That's not good when you're starting point guard looks like he just got done doing a 4-year bid. It's even worse when his backup looks like one of the frequent guests on the Howard Stern Show.

There's an option out there for Orlando, though. He's got a lot of mileage on his odometer. He's a bit of a malcontent (that's an understatement). But he's also one of the best scorers in league history, along with being one of the toughest players in league history.

Orlando should take a good long look at signing newly-cut Allen Iverson. Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways Monday after the man with the sixth-highest scoring average in league history (27 ppg) played 3 games with Memphis. Reports surfaced that Iverson wasn't happy with his role with the Grizzlies, as he was set to play backup to third-year guard Mike Conley.

His unhappiness is his own fault, as Iverson in the last two seasons has refused to realize he's on his last legs. At his size (6-feet tall, a buck 165 soaking wet), it's a wonder he's been able to play at a high level for so long. But you'd figure that at this point in his career, Iverson would be interested in one of two things: mentoring a young guard and/or winning a title.

He wasn't going to win a title in Memphis, or anywhere for that matter because no other team would touch Iverson knowing his Type-A personality. All summer long, I thought he would suck it up and come off the bench for a San Antonio, Cleveland or L.A. Lakers. Iverson doesn't want that. He wants to be the guy he was in Philly who took 35 shots a game. He's not that guy anymore.

Iverson could work in Orlando, though.

You can get him for the veteran's minimum ($1.8 million). He would basically serve as a stopgap until Nelson returns from his injury, which could sideline Nelson for 14-22 games. You could cut bait with Iverson once Nelson comes back. Or Magic GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy could make him an offer.

You know how when someone first gets a job, they have a 90-day probationary period? That'd be what AI gets until Nelson gets back into game shape. If he acts right, keep him on. There's a strong possibility that won't happen, but it's worth a shot. It also helps that it wouldn't cost Orlando that much.

Upon the signing, Magic brass could propose an offer to Iverson. Tell him he's the starter until Nelson gets back. Tell him he'll get his looks, but he needs to understand this isn't Philly circa 2000 and that he can't jack up 30 shots a night. Then tell him he has a spot on the roster once Nelson returns, but that he'll get 20-25 minutes a night backing up both Nelson and shooting guard Vince Carter. If he decides to embrace his sixth man role, he would be able to channel a younger Iverson because he would be the best player in that second unit.

Lastly, and this SHOULD be what seals the deal, explain to him the team has designs on winning a title and that they'd love for him to be a part of that as long as he understands his role. If Iverson doesn't like that, he's done. If he doesn't want a role on what would easily be the best team he's been a part of, he's done.

And it'll be on him. Nobody else. All that would do is prove everybody right about his "Me-First" outlook. Hopefully Iverson doesn't want that to be his legacy.

The firing of now former New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott earlier this week has done a couple of things: let Hornets players and fans know this year is already a wash, made the country's unemployment rate just a liiiiitle higher, and pissed off the team's franchise player.

All-world point guard Chris Paul (23.8 ppg, 9.2 apg, 1.9 spg so far this season) shortly after Scott was given his walking papers told reporters all the blame can't be placed on Scott. The fifth-year guard also said he isn't pleased with how the situation was handled, saying he felt someone would have at least consulted with him and asked how he felt before the decision was made.

Having a disgruntled star on your team is never a good thing. Rarely do situations like the one unfolding in the N.O. end well. That roster, outside of Paul and forward David West, is kind of like the opposite of a pot of gumbo: a bunch of things thrown together that turned out awful.

The man who built that roster, Hornets GM Jeff Bowers, now has to try and make chicken salad out of chicken (you know what) and I think that team is destined to remain a bunch of (you know what).

That means Paul will have to continue to try and be a basketball version of Jason Bourne, but he'll only be able to do that for so long. Paul recently signed a new deal that will pay him about $45 million over the next three seasons (the deal includes a player option for a fourth year). His is a deal any team in the NBA would be willing to take on, even in the state of the league's economy.

But there aren't that many teams that are realistic options for Paul. In any deal, the Hornets would obviously want to receive pieces in return that would keep the team viable. There are some deals out there that would serve as short-term solutions and would work for all parties involved (Paul for Steve Nash straight up comes to mind). But I see very few real options for the Hornets. I say that because other GMs in the league would be calling Bowers and Bowers would be the one holding all the cards.

Paul and Peja Stojakovic to Orlando for Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis
The money matches up just about right, which is important in NBA deals. Both teams would be dealing more than $26 million in salary. Stojakovic and his two years and around $29 million are basically a throw-in in this deal, which amounts to trading all-star point guard for all-star point guard. Nelson was an all-star last season, but missed part of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. So far this season, in 29 minutes a game, Nelson is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 assists. Lewis (currently serving a 10-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug) was arguably Orlando's best player in the NBA Finals and is versatile enough to play both forward spots. Lewis is also coming off a season where he put in around 18 points and 6 board a night. In this deal, New Orleans would be getting two players who are relatively young and who can make big contributions. Orlando would be pairing one player who is the best at his position - center Dwight Howard - with another - Paul. Losing the scoring punch Lewis provides would normally be a blow to any team, except Orlando in the off-season added Vince Carter, who's averaging 18 a game this season and has averaged 23.5 over his 12-year career.

Paul and Hilton Armstrong to Detroit for Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell
The return of Isiah Thomas. Paul would be exactly what Detroit needs: someone to ignite the team's fastbreak offense, which is obviously what the team is looking to do going forward. Armstrong, with one year left on a $2.8 million deal, is basically a throw-in to make the contracts match. On the Detroit side, The Rodney Stuckey as a Starting Point Guard Experiment is heading nowhere fast. Sure, he leads the team in assists at 4.1/game, but backup point guard Will Bynum has the same total in 12 less minutes a night. So far, that has added up to the Pistons being last in the league in assists/game at 15.9. All the teams at the top of that category are either really good, or they run an uptempo offense. Right now, Detroit is trying to be the latter. Imagine Paul on the floor running and gunning with Ben Gordon (who has been a revelation so far this season, pouring in 23.8 points a night on .492 percent from the field), Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva. Paul might be the only man in the league would could possibly make Kwame Brown look good, too. As far as Prince, Stuckey and Maxiell go, they could bring some toughness and hard work to a roster that looks lethargic right now.

There are other possible deals for Paul, but they wouldn't benefit the Hornets at all and some of them would put Paul in the same position he's currently in.

So Otis Smith and Joe Dumars, if you're smart, pick up a phone.