Playground games? Nope, just the NBA playoffs

Let's get one thing straight: We still have a long way to go. We are not exactly where we need to be. Yet it has become very clear that we are close. These NBA playoffs have been the most physical that we have seen in a long time, and there are rivalries developing right in front of us.

The charge has been led by LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson of the Wizards. There is more tension between these two guys than there is between Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay, as they scream into cameras at each other, arguing over Joe Flacco.

This is the third year in a row that the Cavs and the Wizards are playing each other, and it is clear that there is bad blood between the two squads. Watching Washington punish LeBron each time he drives to the hoop has been entertainingly reminiscent of watching the Knicks and Pistons of the early '90s pulverize a young Michael Jordan. The feud between these two teams has even transcended the game, as Jay-Z spit freestyle at a concert in Washington last week dissing Stevenson. Keeping the rap theme up, LeBron said that Stevenson is the Soulja Boy to LeBron's Jay-Z. The next night, Soulja Boy had courtside seats next to the Wizard bench. This is exactly what the NBA needs, good teams meeting year in and year out in the playoffs. That is the only way a league cultivates rivalries.

The Cavs and Wizards are not the only teams stepping up their physicality this month. There has not been a single playoff game yet that has not had at least one hard foul that has sent a message. The Hawks punished Paul Pierce early in Game 2 of their series. Later that game, James Posey gave a hard foul right back to the Hawks. In Game 4, Zaza Pachulia took exception to a late elbow by Kevin Garnett and pandemonium ensued. Sam Cassell had Garnett's back and Joe Johnson was right there for his man Zaza, who, if his face is any indication, has been in his fair share of arguments before.

After putting the dagger in the Celtics in Game 3, Al Horford taunted over a fallen Paul Pierce, who had to be restrained by the immortal Brian Scalabrine. Neither team is backing down in this series, and the young Hawks are anything but afraid of Boston.

Jason Kidd laid into Jannero Pargo with hard foul No. 2 (immediate ejection) just the other night in the midst of his team getting blown out, and J.R. Smith got a hard foul of his own against the Lakers when his team was getting beat. These players care and that is refreshing to see in the NBA. Just look at the Suns and the Spurs. The Suns were down 3-0 but they did not believe that they were out; they certainly were not backing down. The big men in this series have been banging in the post on every possession. There have been more elbows in this series than in the North End of Boston.

Yet, as I mentioned earlier, it can still be overly frustrating at times to be an NBA fan. There are more young and talented players in the league now than there has been in a long time. There are more players and teams that genuinely care now than there has been in a long time. Now it is time for the league to cultivate rules to suit these players and make the game as exciting as possible.

The flopping needs to stop. It's disgusting. The NHL has a rule to protect itself against this and the NBA needs to follow suit. If a referee can tell that a player flies 10 feet in the air for no apparent reason, then it should be called a foul. The quality of play would be increased tenfold in a matter of months. Another problem is the rule about leaving the bench during fights. It is becoming more and more likely that Kendrick Perkins and Marvin Williams will not be allowed in the next Celtics-Hawks game because each of them took an instinctual first step off the bench when their respective teammates were in distress.

How is this good for the NBA? How is this good for the fans of the NBA? This rule robbed us of seeing Amare Stoudemire play in Game 7 against the Spurs last spring. In the 1980s the 76ers, Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons rumbled in every other playoff game they played. Sometimes the benches clear. This also happened to be the golden age of the NBA. Do you think Larry Bird was getting suspended the next day? How about Julius Erving or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? No chance.

When two teams play each other seven consecutive times, there is going to be bad blood, and if allowed, the players will police themselves without repercussions. Ejections and suspensions only leave the fans at a disadvantage. It puts too much of the outcome in the hands of referees and employees of the league office. The players we are watching now are eager to play NBA playoff basketball the way it was meant to be played: the way the legends before them played. It is time for the NBA to allow this to happen. It is time for David Stern to be proactive.