Sure, with its seven-game format, the NBA Playoffs aren’t quite as consistently dramatic as March Madness, but there are a number of compelling storylines as we head into this year’s postseason. Will KG return in time to help the Celtics try to repeat? Will LeBron and the Cavs ride home court advantage to the Finals? Can Chris Paul and the Hornets put a less-than-stellar regular season behind them and make a run? Can Kobe finally win a title without Shaq?

The Playoffs start on Saturday, and looking at the matchups, I think I have a pretty good idea how things will play out. Granted, I’m likely to make a few mistakes along the way, but that’s part of the fun, right?

#1 Cavaliers vs. #8 Pistons
Let’s see – the Pistons limped into the playoffs, going 8-9 in March and 3-5 in April. Earlier in the season, they traded away arguably their best player (Chauncey Billups) and the guy they got in return (Allen Iverson) is (rumored to be) spending his time getting banned from the local casinos. If Detroit had held onto Billups, maybe they’d be able to make this a series, but without him, they’re floundering. I hope Joe Dumars has fun with that cap space!

#4 Hawks vs. #5 Heat
Here’s a first round battle between two teams that don’t have a legitimate chance of making the Finals. If the NBA were to adopt a single-elimination format (or even three-game series across the board), maybe….maybe…one of these teams could get hot and make a run. As it stands, the winner will have the right to face a determined Cavs team in the second round. Not that it matters, but I’m going with the Hawks here. They have home court advantage, have won three of four against the Heat this season and are simply a better team. Hats off to Dwyane Wade for willing the Heat this far, but I don’t think we’re going to see a LeBron/D-Wade matchup in the second round. (Not unless Jermaine O’Neal discovers the Fountain of Youth by this weekend.)

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There are just two NBA games tonight, and they’re both good ones. Better yet, they’re both on TNT.

Pistons (8-3) @ Celtics (10-2), 8 PM ET
After an 0-2 start to the Allen Iverson Era in Detroit, the Pistons have gone 4-1 over their last five games, which includes wins against the Lakers (in L.A.) and at home against the Cavs. Tonight, they head into Boston to face the defending champs, and hope to avenge a 12-point loss on Nov. 9. Meanwhile, the Celtics have won eight of their last nine, and look every bit as good as they did last season.

Lakers (8-1) @ Suns (8-4), 10:30 PM ET
The Kobe/Shaq rivalry is renewed in Phoenix, where the Lakers hope to continue their torrid start to the season. Neither team played last night, so the players should be fresh and ready to go. Shaq has had a nice season thus far; he’s averaging 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 59% from the field. Meanwhile, the Lakers are doing it with defense. Efficiency-wise, they have the top D in the league.

With 11 games slated for tonight, there’s bound to be a few good matchups to keep your eye on. Unfortunately, the two most compelling games aren’t on national television.

Hawks @ Celtics, 7:30 PM ET
The 6-0 Hawks test their mettle against the 7-1 Celtics in this battle for supremacy in the East. The Hawks are without Josh Smith, and they’re coming off a game last night against the Bulls, so the C’s are the clear favorite in this one. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta can keep this one close after not playing very well in Boston in last year’s playoffs.

Lakers @ Hornets, 8:00 PM ET
Some think this game might be a preview of the Western Conference Finals, but the Hornets are off to kind of a shaky start and would like to straighten things out against a Laker team that is coming off a big win in Dallas last night.

Rockets @ Suns, 10:30 PM ET (ESPN)
Is it just me, or are the Rockets much more interesting to watch now that Ron Artest is on the roster? Phoenix is 6-2 and Houston is 4-3, but both teams, barring injury, should make the playoffs this season. This one will feature a nice matchup between two of the best centers in the game (Yao Ming and Shaquille O’Neal).

With 11 games on the docket, it’s a good night to have NBA League Pass. Just keep your eye on the scoreboard and flip from exciting finish to exciting finish.

It was starting to look like Andrew Bynum and the Lakers wouldn’t be able to agree on a contract extension, but the L.A. Times is reporting that a deal is being finalized.

The Lakers and Andrew Bynum have agreed in principle on a four-year contract extension worth about $58 million, keeping their center of the future in the fold through the 2012-13 season, according to sources familiar with the negotiations who would not speak publicly.

Bynum, who will make $2.8 million this season, will earn close to $42 million over the first three years of his contract extension. The fourth year will be a team option for about $16 million.

At $14 million per season (for three years) and a team option for a fourth year at the tune of $16 million, Bynum is definitely getting paid on potential rather than his current skill set. Last season, he averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 35 games. Those aren’t $14 million per year numbers, but considering that Bynum is a 21 year-old seven-footer, the contract is more “reasonable.” It’s not a bad deal for either party, as the Lakers get the option to get out of the contract after three years (if Bynum gets injured again or is a bust) while Bynum will become a free agent again at the age of 25, when he’ll be in line for a max deal.

In last week’s column, I covered the trouble Phil Jackson was having with finding a good spot for Lamar Odom to play now that Andrew Bynum is back from injury. The LA Times’ Laker blog says that things might be going a little better in that regard this week:

As mentioned in yesterday’s practice report, talk again surfaced about the best role for Lamar Odom this season. Could, perhaps, that snug fit come as a sixth man off the pine? Phil Jackson used LO off the bench for much of yesterday’s workout and after some sluggish possessions, the versatile forward acquitted himself nicely in unfamiliar territory. It should be stressed that Jackson hasn’t committed to this concept, even while noting that a quality sixth man can play starter’s minutes, which could very well be interpreted as a reassuring hint dropped. Thus far, Odom hasn’t been thrilled with the notion of joining the bench mob, but he does dig the increased preseason opportunities to handle the rock.

I think this is going to come down to Lamar Odom’s (or Andrew Bynum’s) willingness to come off the bench. A frontline of Odom, Gasol and Bynum, while imposing, probably isn’t going to work from an offensive perspective. The three would do best in a rotation, which means one of the three will usually be on the bench. For the most part, this will work fine, but what about crunch time?