The NBA playoffs are finally here! I am excited for many reasons, but one of the things I'll be watching is for players to change how history sees them. The playoffs are where players make their legacies…would anyone know who Robert Horry was if not for his big shots in the playoffs? Would Jordan still be considered by many the greatest all-time if he didn't have any championships? The regular season was fun, but the postseason is the REAL season.

So who has the most to gain or lose in this playoffs? I believe that there are four players to watch above all others that have the opportunity to dramatically change their legacies.

• Tracy McGrady.
Few seem to remember it these days, but it wasn't too long ago that McGrady was mentioned in the same breath as Kobe Bryant as dominant perimeter players. Injuries and an 0-for-6 record of getting out of the first round of the playoffs have robbed McGrady of much of the luster that he had back when he was averaging 32 points, 6.5 boards and 5.5 assists in '03. If McGrady can carry a Yao-less Rockets team past the Jazz in the first round this year he won't return to Bryant-esque status, but he would at least re-gain the mantle as one of the better impact players in the league.

• Dirk Nowitzki.
Over the last couple of seasons Nowitzki has flirted with joining the Pantheon. He was THAT close to winning a title in '06, then he followed that up with an MVP campaign in '07. He was not quite on the level of Tim Duncan, an All-time great, but Nowitzki was very close to etching his name onto the next tier down. Unfortunately, the great collapse in the '06 finals followed up by the even bigger calamity of losing in the first round to an eight seed have completely changed Nowitzki's fortunes. Another first round loss while playing on a good team alongside a Hall-of-fame point guard would go even further to make the general public question Nowitzki's former glory. On the other hand, if the Mavs can make a sustained playoffs run this year it would vault Nowitzki back to the top of the league.

• Kobe Bryant.
For Bryant, this is his opportunity to join THE list. Bryant won three championships with Shaquille O'Neal during the Lakers dynasty earlier this decade, but history remembers those as Shaq's titles not Kobe's. But if the Lakers win the title this season with Bryant as the unquestioned leader and likely MVP it vaults him into the conversation with the greatest players ever. He already has the numbers, he would have four titles, and with the Lakers so young and talented he would have the opportunity to forge his own dynasty. 2008 could very well be remembered as the year that Bryant made the leap.

• Kevin Garnett.
Garnett is probably the one player with the most to gain and the most to lose during this playoffs. Even more than Nowitzki, Garnett would be considered on the level of Duncan were it not for his lack of titles. The argument for years has been whether Garnett could win like Duncan if he had the talent around him that Duncan has had, and this year could help answer that question. On the other hand, if the Celtics come up short Garnett could very easily be remembered as someone that doesn't come through when it counts. But if the Celtics win title #17 under his watch then, like Bryant, Garnett would be vaulted into the conversation with the All-Time Greats.

It all begins today. NBA action…it is faaaaaan-tastic!