Here's a six-pack of Playoff Truths. Stay thirsty, my friends.

1. Can we please just ignore the gobbledygook of the Los Angeles media and finally just say that Andrew Bynum is the NBA's most overrated player?

A year ago, Bynum bamboozled everyone into believing he was the next great Lakers center, averaging a double-double (Wow! A double-double! You mean like Andrew Bogut and Emeka Okafor?) for two months before going down with a knee injury. When the Lakers got pushed around by the Celtics in the Finals, the refrain became, "If only we had Andrew Bynum!"

That mantra must have mesmerized Mitch Kupchak, who gave Bynum an insane three-year, $42 million contract extension. In return, Bynum gave the Lakers three months before suffering another knee injury. The refrain then became, "Bynum has to be back for the playoffs!"

Well, he's back, Los Angelenos, in all his 7-foot, 285-pound glory, clearly overwhelmed by the moment and overmatched by the opposing center. He looks almost as clueless as he did two years ago, when Amare Stoudemire destroyed him in the first round.

Against the Jazz, Bynum averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds, playing just 26 minutes over the last three games as Utah's small lineup chased him off the court. Against the Rockets, he has been even worse, earning a benching in Game Two after being schooled by Yao Ming in Game 1.

And given that the Lakers dropped 111 on the rugged Rockets with Bynum as a rotation afterthought, his best chance of making an impact on this series may be joining the cheap-shot party being hosted by his teammate.

There's no shame in being devoured by Yao, and Bynum claims he is not fully recovered from the knee surgery he had earlier this season. Should the Lakers advance, he could be a factor in the conference finals against Nene or Erick Dampier, neither of whom is too big or too quick for him.

But the previously unquestioned default hyperbole regarding Bynum's current ability and future prospects has to stop, and now seems like as good a time as ever. Thus far, the Lakers' postseason run has come in spite of Bynum, rather than because of him.

2. The first time I saw LeBron James was on a videotape that had the Ohio state quarterfinal, semifinal and championship game from his junior season. I felt obligated to have at least some knowledge about James, who at 17 already was being touted as a player who would be ruling the NBA in a matter of years.

"So how does he look?" someone sneered, questioning both James' ability and my evaluation skills.

"Bored," I said. "He looks bored."

Through Cleveland's first six playoff games, James has looked the same way. Dunks aren't enough; they have to be windmills or reverse slams. Jumpers aren't enough; they have to be running bank shots from halfcourt. Assists aren't enough; they have to be threaded no-look passes that it cutting teammates in the hands.

James has to find something to challenge himself, because the Pistons and the Hawks have presented no challenge whatsoever. He looks like he's back in high school, a man among boys, playing out the game as if it were a yo-yo on the end of string, letting it dangle and spin until he wants control and simply tugging on it slightly and reeling it back in.

There has been no 50-point explosion a la Ray Allen or tour de force a la Kobe Bryant. James is averaging 31.5 points and barely breaking a sweat. Of a possible 72 fourth-quarter minutes, he has played just 39:06, rendering crunch time meaningless.

Maybe things will be different in the conference finals, with James dueling Paul Pierce or Hedo Turkoglu. Perhaps a Finals matchup with Kobe Bryant, the rough-and-tumble Nuggets or the Rockets' tag team of Shane Battier and Ron Artest will force him to play at an elite level for the entire game.

But right now, James looks bored. Can you blame those watching Cavaliers' games for feeling the same way?

3. And at guard for the Magic, J.J. Redick and Anthony Johnson.

Yeah, I'd be worried, too.

Rafer Alston's love tap to Eddie House's head has left Orlando's backcourt in disarray for Friday's pivotal Game 3. There is the possibility that a masked Courtney Lee could return from sinus surgery. What is more likely is a steady diet of Hedo Turkoglu at point forward and Mickael Pietrus playing a combined 30 minutes at the 2 and 3 spots.

Alston is Orlando's quickest backcourt player and still couldn't stay in front of Rajon Rondo, even when he went under the picks and dared Rondo to shoot the jumper. And Rondo's ability to get inside the Magic's defense over the last six quarters has been the overriding factor in this series.

Believe it or not, Johnson once scored 40 points in a playoff game. He will give a professional effort and may even save a possession or three with his veteran savvy. But he couldn't stay in front of Philadelphia's Andre Miller; asking him to keep Rondo under wraps is laughable.

It is possible that Stan Van Gundy will go to Tyronn Lue for brief stints. Lue still has some pep in his step and could buy the Magic two minutes at the end of quarters here and there.

Friday's loser will be under tremendous pressure to win Sunday. And keep in mind that in last year's conference finals against Detroit and this year's first-round series against Chicago, Boston immediately regained home-court advantage with a Game 3 road win.

4. The Lakers don't have as big a problem with their suspended point guard because the other member of their backcourt is Kobe Bryant. In fact, Derek Fisher's unavailability gives Phil Jackson a chance to take a look at some matchups that might help later in the series.

First of all, forget about the Rockets applying any serious ball pressure on the Lakers. Fisher is not anywhere close to an exclusive ballhandler, and Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and even Pau Gasol handle the ball well enough to deter that notion.

Where Fisher has struggled in this series is staying in front of waterbug Aaron Brooks, who is a bit skittish at times but often creates something from nothing and should be in any conversation regarding the NBA's quickest players. With Fisher back at the hotel, Jackson has a couple of options.

At practice Thursday, Jackson did not tip his hand as to who will start in place of Fisher.

"I'm not gonna tell you that," Jackson said. "Why would you even ask the question?"

The first choice likely will be Jordan Farmar, who saw increased minutes in Game 2 for the express purpose of shadowing Brooks. The second will be Shannon Brown, who is not nearly quick enough to stay with Brooks but has a bigger body that can bother him on both ends of the floor.

Containing Brooks is more than a one-man job. He is excellent at keeping is dribble and has an innate ability to walk the baseline tightrope, come clear and and find spot-up shooters. Whichever Lakers guard has the most success chasing the waterbug will split the assignment with Fisher in Game 4 on Sunday.

5. Cristal Taylor has done what Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, Nene and Dahntay Jones have been unable to do -- shut down Dirk Nowitzki.

Much has been made of the defense the Denver Nuggets are playing against Nowitzki, who is averaging 31.5 points and shooting nearly 55 percent from the field in the first two games. Imagine if the Nuggets weren't playing such great defense.

But when Nowitzki was asked at practice about his relationship with Taylor -- two Dallas TV stations reported the 37-year-old woman was his fiancee and pregnant with his child -- Nowitzki said he "just can't talk about it" and refused to answer repeated questions about her, perhaps because he doesn't know her as well as he thought.

On that count, he wouldn't be alone.

Taylor -- who also has gone by the names Crystal Ann Taylor, Christian Julie Wellington, Christian B. Travino, Crystal Nobles, Christy Nobles, Kristi Briana Westerhauf, Cristal Taylor Westerhaus, Christa A. Westerhays, Deborah Jackson, Shana Mancini, Crista Santiago, Crystal Ann Santiago, Crystall Ann Taylor and Kristin L. Rogers, according to arrest information obtained by ESPN.com -- was arrested at Nowitzki's house on Wednesday on outstanding warrants in Texas and Missouri for violating her probation. She originally received separate five-year suspended sentences for forgery and theft of service.

ESPN.com also reported that Nowitzki's legal advisers had hired a private investigator to research Taylor's background, which reportedly includes working as a waitress at a strip club, stealing credit cards and passing bad checks.

Suddenly, Jackie Christie following the team bus doesn't seem so bad.

6. Would you feel better about your favorite NBA team if your coach had engineered single-season 20-game turnarounds for two teams, had four seasons of at least 49 wins, owed a 33-24 career playoff mark that featured two Finals appearances and owned a Coach of the Year award?

Well, that coach may be available before Christmas. Because that coach is Byron Scott, who will be graciously allowed to work the final year of his contract by the New Orleans Hornets.

These are the same Hornets who tried to dismantle their contender core by trading Tyson Chandler in an obvious salary dump, then insulted everyone's intelligence with a news release that said the trade -- ultimately voided -- was a "basketball decision."

Scott has been through this before. In New Jersey, he guided the Nets to consecutive trips to the Finals -- and entered the 2003-04 season in the final year of his contract and at odds with star point guard Jason Kidd. He lasted 42 games before being replaced by Lawrence Frank

The difference this time is that Scott has a much better relationship with his current point guard, Chris Paul. However, that doesn't qualify as a bulletproof vest.

Paul's extension kicks in next season, increasing his salary threefold to $13 million. He is one of four Hornets who will make at least $9 million next season, and you can bet they will be looking to make more "basketball decisions" again this summer.

Regardless of what the roster resembles in training camp, a slow start also could doom Scott. The Hornets have started 19-9 and 20-11 in the last two seasons but play in the NBA's toughest division. Two Southwest teams are still alive in the postseason; another won the championship in 2007. That sort of competition demands results.

It will be a surprise if Scott is the coach of the Hornets a year from now.

Chris Bernucca has covered the NBA since 1996 and is a regular contributor to Pro Basketball News. You can disagree with him at cbernucca@comcast.net.