Do you smell it? Not the flow of pollen from flower children filing out to California's desert to Coachella. Not the sweet scents of spring holiday confections. And certainly not the stench of NBA teams tanking their way to more lottery combinations.
No, the most pungent odor this time of year is the blood, sweat and tears of playoff basketball. There will be plenty of all three as the Cleveland Cavaliers flip the switch in defense of their title, the Golden State Warriors kick their juggernaut into high gear and the league's long list of MVP candidates state their cases again after the votes have already been tallied.