Can you feel it in the air?  Hell, can you taste it in the air?  The playoffs are here.  At long last we get to see the cream rise to the top as the 8 best teams in each conference battle it out to see which two will compete for the title.  But before we see if our Lakers have a Hollywood ending in store for us in June, we've got to sit through the opening credits.

First the bad news: Jordan Farmar is being listed as day-to-day with tendinitis in right foot.  The good news is that X-rays, a CT scan and MRI all came back normal.  The other good news is that point guard is currently the Lakers' deepest position.

In other injury news, Mehmet Okur is starting to look questionable for Game 1 against the Lakers on Sunday.  CJ Miles is more probable, but his availability is in doubt as well.

The Top 10 Reasons the Jazz Can Beat the Lakers and five reasons the Lakers will win in five.

The enormous pressure to win that comes when there are no excuses for losing.

Ever wanted to know who Phil Jackson preferred coaching between Smush Parker, Samaki Walker and Jack Haley?  This video will give you the answer.

In case you were wondering, Kobe's greatness is in large part due to a lot of hard work.

Kobe has Stephon Marbury's vote for MVP: "I think Kobe’s the best player on this planet, forget the NBA.”

ESPN has pages set up for every playoff series including Lakers-Jazz.

Some great insight from our friends over at Forum Blue & Gold breaking down what the Lakers have to do defensively in this series when Utah has the ball.

Sunday is going to be a bittersweet moment for the Jazz, who will be playing in their first playoff game since the death of longtime owner Larry Miller.

All five writers for Sports Illustrated pick the Lakers over the Cavs in the NBA Finals.  Let's hope the SI Jinx isn't real.

An online gambling site is having a bizarre promotion to get people to not bet on the Lakers: if you bet on any other team to win the title and the Lakers end up winning anyway, they will refund your money.

NBA Fanhouse offers its preview of the Lakers-Jazz series.