You want drama? Forget "CSI" or "Law and Order" this spring. Television's best bets won't be "Lost" or "24" or even "American Idol" — especially now that tone-deaf but strangely entertaining-in-a-comedic-way Sanjaya and his hair have been voted off.

Instead, look no further than the Western Conference playoffs in the NBA. All four first-round matchups are intriguing. Sure, Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio should win, but there are compelling reasons why their opponents could make things interesting in every case. Any Western team that gets out of the first round will have earned it — and the subsequent rounds should be even more competitive.

Yep, with the exception of the final few episodes of "The Sopranos," it won't get any better, television-wise, than this.

Here's a closer look at the first-round matchups in the West:

No. 1 DALLAS MAVERICKS vs. No. 8 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Records: Mavericks 67-15; Warriors 42-40

Season series: Warriors won 3-0

About the Mavs: Dallas, after a rough first few games of the season, has simply been the best team in basketball. Dirk Nowitzki is a top MVP candidate, while Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse surround him with firepower. Mavs coach Avery Johnson, the hand-picked successor of Don Nelson's for the job, has the team playing strong defense — which had always been a liability until last year.

About the Warriors: Golden State is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1994 — which had been the longest postseason draught in the league. Nelson, who is in his first season back in Oakland, was the Warriors coach back then too. The Warriors' strength is its backcourt of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson.

The skinny: Whoa, Nellie — the Mavs lost only 15 games all year, but three of them were to their old coach. He seems to know better than anyone how to plan a defense against Nowitzki. That makes this much more interesting than the usual No. 1 vs. a No. 8 seed series. Still, the Mavs are too good to be upset this early.

The prediction: Dallas in five