Did you hear the way the network fellas were going after the Jazz during Game 1 of the Los Angeles-Houston series? ...

Repeatedly reminding a national audience that the Rockets are not the Jazz . ...

That the Rockets are tough-minded and tough-bodied, and that they actually, you know, play a silly little thing called defense. ...

So now the Jazz are Exhibit A of what not to be? ...

Kind of a running gag? ...

Did you notice that? ...

No, you probably didn't. ...

Because indications are that most of you stop watching the NBA playoffs after the Jazz are knocked out. ...

Elimination in Game 5 against the Lakers, and pppfffwww , it's as though Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko are dead to you. ...

Oh, wait. ...

I know, it's too, too painful to watch. ...

You want to run from it, hide your hurt away, think about other things. ...

Other than the Nuggets possibly making it to the Western Conference finals while the Jazz vacation in the south of France. ...

Other than Kobe possibly winning another title. ...

It's too much to take. ...

But this time it's worth it to stow your inner Jazz fan and let your inner Basketball fan out. Set it free, watch these playoffs on TV. ...

And not just because of all the good advice we're getting from the Most Interesting Man in the World in those Dos Equis beer spots. ...

Who is that guy, anyway? The bearded wise man with the hot women around him, the one who's channeling Hemingway, Heston, and Castro? ...

Giving food for thought for us guys, such as, "Find out what it is that you don't do well, and then don't do that." ...

And, "If you can count the coins in a man's pocket, he'd better use them to call a tailor." ...

No, it's about the games, and the action they stir. ...

These playoffs are cool. Some say the Chicago-Boston series was the greatest ever. Overtime after overtime. Big play after big play. ...

Did you see Ray Allen go for 51 in a loss? ...

Did you see the Magic roll through Philly, even with Dwight Howard suspended? ...

Did you see Chauncey Billups steady the Nugs? ...

And look what we have here ... the Rockets doing to the Lakers what the Jazz should have done: Beat the daylights out of them. ...

The Lakers hate it when that happens. ...

The Rockets may lose to the Lakers, but they will leave a black-and-blue impression on them. ...

And they won't mind getting marked up themselves, the way Shane Battier was in Game 1, after having his bean split open. ...

They won't be telling jokes and sharing giggles with Kobe after games, the way Boozer and Deron Williams did. ...

You watch. Phil Jackson will bow his condescending head sometime during this series, pronouncing the Rockets thugs. ...

But when Derek Fisher clubbed Luis Scola halfway to Rancho Cucamonga, His Philness thought that his guy was just fighting through a pick. ...

And Kobe's intentional elbow to Ron Artest's throat? And then Artest reminding Kobe who he's 'bowing and what the consequences might be? ...

"It was just a good, physical game," Bryant said afterward. ...

To the Lakers' credit, they weren't soft, they stood up to the Rockets and it got a little crazy. ...

Five technicals, two ejections and a lot more games to play. ...

Oh, yeah, this is good, good stuff. ...

Bound to get better. ...

And we haven't even mentioned LeBron yet. ...

Nothing quite like a guy being named league MVP and then going out and playing like it in the Cavs' Game 1 win over the Hawks. ...

He took the Maurice Podoloff Trophy from David Stern, then put 34 points, 10 boards, three assists and four steals on Atlanta. ...

Podoloff was the first president of the NBA, starting back in the 1940s. ...

How valuable is LeBron? Look at the mishmash he's hauling toward the NBA Finals, sharing the ball when he can, scoring it when he must. ...

And then look at what Kobe has around him. ...

Switch out Kobe and put LeBron on the Lakers, and L.A. would blow through everybody. ...

At just 24, LeBron is a rare athlete, a prodigy whose reality exceeded the hype, and his hype rocketed through the ionosphere. ...

He's in more commercials than the Most Interesting Man in the World. ...

Now he needs a title. ...

And he seems intent on getting it. ...

On a bittersweet note, both the Rockets and the Nuggets could be seen as inspirations for Jazz management and for Jazz fans. ...

Without the injured Tracy McGrady, Houston has shown what dogged defense and determination can do. ...

The Nuggets didn't just sit on their status quo, instead acquiring a player who could transform them: Billups. ...

Plugging in a cheap, prolific shot blocker like Chris Andersen didn't hurt, either. ...

Even as Kobe and LeBron battle and hack their way toward a possible June matchup, point is, the whole thing's worth watching. ...

"It's the playoffs," Bryant said after Wednesday night's game. "This is when it's the most fun." ...

For the next six weeks, then, forget about the Jazz and the pain they heaped upon you. ...

Embrace and enjoy the playoffs for what they are, the game for what it is. ...

And remember, stay thirsty, my friends.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Monson and Graham Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 1280 AM The Zone. He can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com .