The Donald Sterling fiasco has been pathetic on so many levels, but unfortunately it has overshadowed some pretty amazing basketball stories so far in the NBA playoffs. We have Oklahoma City and Memphis playing four overtime games in a row! That’s right. Four in a row.

Meanwhile, parity seems to have suddenly appeared in the NBA, as suddenly the Indiana Pacers have forgotten how to play basketball. Roy Hibbert in particular has been a complete mess, but the entire team has looked lost since they traded Danny Granger and decided to take on ultimate head case Andrew Bynum. The Atlanta Hawks have taken advantage of the situation and are on the verge of a stunning upset.

Staying the the East, Tom Thibodeau’s “genius” credentials are less impressive when playoff time comes around and everybody plays hard. Joakim Noah won the defensive player of the year award and then got humiliated in round one of the playoffs as Nene consistently abused him and treated him like a WNBA player. Suddenly we have the Washington Wizards moving on to round two. Either we’re seeing these young teams turn the corner or Miami will have a cake-walk to the Finals.

In the West we’ve seen tough battles in every series, with the Clippers trying to battle through the Sterling distraction and the Spurs trying not to blow big leads against the Mavs. But there has been a serious disappointment out West, and we’re not talking about the Thunder. The Houston Rockets are in a must-win game tonight down 3-1 against a tough Portland team. But James Harden hasn’t been living up to the hype, except for achieving his epic ineptitude on defense. Dwight Howard has looked pretty good, but Harden has to play better in the playoffs for Houston to have a chance. Oh, and there’s the “coaching” of Kevin McHale. The man is an all-time great, but it seems that all the experts are killing him this week.

So all of this craziness is either making you crazy or getting you excited for the opportunities if you’re into betting the games or series. You can check the lines at the Bovada sportsbook and then see if you can figure out what happens next. Miami fans have to be thrilled at this point, while many of the other favorites are sweating bullets. Oh, and if you’re a Chicago fan and you’re stunned by the early exit, stick to picking hockey games.