The Downbeat #1k25 - The Living Vicariously Edition

Last night was a fun night for the playoffs. Have your heard of this thing? Its really fun to watch. As some of you know I live in Oakland, so as I was watching the game last night I could hear cheers echoing from throughout my hood, carried in by the cool bay air. I was also in a small bar when Curry hit the tying shot in game one and the whole place erupted with cheers, then promptly deflated after the shot game winner by Miller. Both were great moments that brought a smile to my face. It also brought jealousy as I won't have the opportunity to cheer for the Jazz with the same zeal.

So, with the Jazz being out, who are the teams you are rooting for in the playoffs? I am a big Pacers fan. They're my Eastern Conference team and someday (soon if MyLo keeps hounding me) I want to see a game in The Fieldhouse. I'm also pulling for the Dubs. I have no love for Mark Jackson, but I like many of the players on their team (Curry, Landry, Bogut), and I think their fans deserve some success. Finally, I am really pulling for the Grizzlies. I love the grittiness of their team, but more importantly I have zero love for the Clippers.

So who may you not cheer for? You are the worst kind of fan if you jump to a favorite. If you're cheering for the Heat or Thunder, just stop. That's some bandwagon nonsense. You're wrong and you probably know it. Besides that, a Northwest Division rival??? C'mon.

That leaves just about every other team, except for the Lakers and they're a given. I think we can all find a few teams to pull for that aren't those three.

Here are some important dates for Jazz fans:

April 28 -- NBA Draft early entry eligibility deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)

May 7 -- Conference Semifinals begin (possible move-up to May 6)

May 15-19 -- 2013 Draft Combine (Chicago)

May 21 -- 2013 NBA Draft Lottery

June 17 -- NBA Draft early entry withdrawal deadline (5 p.m. ET)

June 27 -- 2013 NBA Draft

Another reason I wouldn't mind seeing the Warriors pull off an upset? It may discourage either Igoudala or the Nuggets from re-signing him this offseason. There was a pretty good conversation on Twitter last night about bringing Igoudala to the Jazz. Personally, I would LOVE to have him. Think DeMarre Carroll but actually good on defense and 10x more athletic. Now, imagine him paired with Hayward on the wings. Good things.

The caveat is that the Jazz would likely have to overpay him, as they would any free agent they hope to draw. He is set to opt-out of the last year of his contract ($16.1 mil) at the end of the season in order to get a longer contract out to four years. Would you overpay for Igoudala? How much would you offer?