Who will ever forget the sight of a jubilant Dikembe Mutombo after his Cinderella Denver Nuggets performed the unthinkable by upsetting the Seattle Sonics in the first round of the 1994 Playoffs?

 The image of Mutombo holding the basketball skyward (as if he were praising it) as he lay sprawled on the court will always be memorable, not only because of its sheer aesthetic beauty but more importantly its significance ? no No. 1 seed had ever lost to a No. 8 seed in NBA playoff history until the Nuggets overcame a 2-0 deficit in defeating the Sonics, a team who won a league-best 63 games that season.  

 Unfortunately, other than the rare feat accomplished by Denver back in ?94, playoff upsets are few and far between.  In fact, a novice could look at the brackets each year and have little difficulty picking series winners, because unlike in other sports, such as the NHL, for example, where upsets are the norm, the NBA playoffs are usually about the home court; if you have it, you?re pretty much advancing to the next round.  

 Except for the Pistons? magical title run of a season ago, which culminated with their surprise victory over the heavily-favored Lakers in the finals, there?s also little intrigue as to who will be crowned champion each year.  Did anyone really doubt L.A.?s 3-peat dominance?  Or MJ and the Bulls? six titles in the span of eight years?  
 
 This year?s edition of the NBA playoffs will be different, however.  Without a dominant team in the league this season along with so much parity, there simply is not a clear-cut, hands-down favorite to win it all.  Even the so-called ?top contenders? if you will are not without glaring concerns.

 Many pundits expect the high-octane Phoenix Suns to be playing well into June, and why not?   Besides, they finished the regular season as the league?s best team, with a record of 62-20, and have a leading MVP candidate in point guard Steve Nash.  

 But let?s remember that the Suns, though much improved, won a mere 29 games last season and are thus unproven still when it comes to playoff success.  And while their brand of fast-paced basketball turned heads in the regular season, there are no guarantees Phoenix won?t suffer the same fate  the Dallas Mavericks - another team foreign to the concept of playing defense - have in years past.  Nash, despite his heroics, remains a poor perimeter defender, and with the Suns? entire frontcourt playing out of position this season, concerns over whether they can play just enough defense to make a title run are legitimate.

 The East?s top seed, the 59-23 Miami Heat are also loaded with question marks.  

 Is Shaq - who missed action late in the year with a right thigh bruise but is expected to be ready for the playoffs - healthy?  Even if The Big Aristotle is relatively healthy, does Miami have enough depth outside of Shaq and Dwyane Wade to make a serious playoff run?  Without solid contributions from the likes of Damon Jones, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem and Alonzo Mourning, the Heat will be hard pressed to get by the New Jersey Nets ? who will likely welcome back All-Star forward Richard Jefferson in the opener - in round one.  

 San Antonio still is my choice to win it all, but with Tim Duncan only "75 to 80 percent" healthy after a sprained right ankle forced him to miss 12 games late in the season, there are nevertheless concerns as to how far the Spurs will advance.  Can the at times inconsistent Tony Parker follow up last year?s stellar playoff performance?  Can "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson prove to be the offensive spark off the bench head coach Gregg Popovich so desperately needs?  

 Although Chicago has had a magical season, injuries to Eddy Curry and Luol Deng may prove to be too costly.  Had the Bulls had both Curry and Deng in the lineup, they could have continued their run well into the post-season.  But without their best low-post scorer and perimeter defender, Chicago may have trouble getting past the Wizards in round one, though they nevertheless remain a stellar defensive unit capable of shutting down any opponent.

 Can All-Star forward Jermaine O?Neal make a legitimate impact for Indiana after returning from a shoulder injury which forced him to miss 22 games?  Are the Sonics nothing more than a nice regular season story who?ll suffer a quick playoff fate?  Are the Mavericks really that good defensively under new head coach Avery Johnson (if so, look for them to make some noise in the post-season)?  Can the rejuvenated Nuggets carry their second-half success into the playoffs?  

 Questions, questions, questions.   But something tells me the lack of certainty will prove to be a good thing, as this year?s playoffs will be one of the most exciting in years.

 So enjoy the ride, folks.  The real season is here.

 Kostas.Bolos@realgm.com