The NBA playoffs are in full swing as Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat are looking to repeat as the champs.

Wade missed 30 games during the regular season after suffering a dislocated shoulder, forcing his teammates to pick up the slack. Shaq and company forged ahead without Wade and were able to earn the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

However, the Chicago Bulls, making a resurgence of sorts, earned the fifth seed and topped the Heat in the first two games of the series. Miami is certainly feeling the heat now as they have a monumental task ahead of them just to advance past the quarterfinals.

Out in the Western Conference, the seemingly unbeatable Dallas Mavericks finished with an astounding 67-15 record, locking them in for the number one seed.

Head coach Don Nelson and the Golden State Warriors drew the eighth seed, poised to take on the clearly superior Mavs.

Nelson, the Mavs former coach (the plot thickens), claimed a surprising victory in game one, beating Dallas 97-85. Dallas bounced back in game two, however, winning 112-99.

The dynamic duo of guard Allen Iverson and forward Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets claimed the sixth seed in the conference. Iverson was traded to the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers during the regular season, a move that has Nuggets fans thinking championship.

Denver is taking on perennial power the San Antonio Spurs, who notched the third seed. Led by veteran forward Tim Duncan, the Spurs were able to even the series at one in game two, posting a 97-88 win.

Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns are up 2-0 against a bewildered Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns crushed the Lakers in game two 126-98. Nash, the current two-time league MVP, hopes for an eventual showdown against the Mavs, his former team.

Back in the East, the New Jersey Nets forward Vince Carter is taking on his former team the Toronto Raptors. The sixth seeded Nets narrowly defeated the third seeded Raptors 96-61 in game one but the Raptors countered in game two, topping the Nets 89-83.

The road is long, but remember: anything can happen in the NBA playoffs.

The finals will take place in June

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