Curry Returns, Wade Shines To Spark NBA Playoffs

Have you been watching the NBA Playoffs? It's OK if the answer is no, but Steph Curry and Dwyane Wade wanted to make sure they got your attention on Monday night.

Both Curry and D-Wade were playing in pivotal Game Fours. The Heat needed to level the series up at 2-2 with the Raptors in the East, and the Warriors wanted to take a definitive 3-1 lead over the pesky Trail Blazers in the West. The stage was set, and both games delivered in the biggest way with two overtime finishes.

Steph found out he was going to be the NBA's MVP for the second straight year, and he came back and played like it on an iffy ankle. It took him a while to get going, but Chef Curry started cooking late in the game.

The Warriors trailed by ten points going into halftime, and Curry decided he had seen enough. He finished with 40 points (16-32 FG), eight assists and nine rebounds, close to a triple double, capped off with an NBA record 17 points in overtime.

By the end of the game, nobody was worried about his ankle anymore.

Curry led the way in the 132-125 win for Golden State, giving them the 3-1 edge over Portland. With one more win back at home on Wednesday, the reigning champs move on to the Western Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, in the East, somebody has to challenge the Cavs, who are already resting after sweeping the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland didn't waste any time dealing with a lesser opponent, and King James is still waiting for somebody to challenge the throne.

It would make good drama to see LeBron go against his former teammates in Miami, but D-Wade is without Chris Bosh, relying on a revamped roster. Instead of letting his beat up body hold him back, the former NBA Finals MVP turned back the clock in Game Four to even up their series with Toronto.

Three out of the four games in this series involved overtime, and Monday's installment had one of the weirder plays we're seen in a while. We've all seen the ball get stuck before on a shot, but not like this, in the middle of overtime.

Waiting, waiting...nope. Isn't that the darndest thing? Wade didn't need that layup to drop because the Heat still went on to win 94-87 in OT.

Quietly, Miami's leader looks like the D-Wade of old, not old Dwyane Wade. He has 68 points in the last two games, and he's trying to will this team into the Eastern Conference Finals and defy old Father Time.

If you throw in the fight San Antonio is having with the Thunder, you get a tasty concoction of drama for the NBA Playoffs, and we're not even to the Conference Finals yet.

It's a good time to be a basketball fan, so don't miss out because you're waiting for the intensity to turn up. The dial is already cranked up to max entertainment levels.