And the winner is — you.

Not the players, not the coaches, not the commissioner and certainly not the owners, but you, the die-hard NBA fans.

You’ve witnessed something truly remarkable this year. The 2010 season proved to be nothing short of amazing, and it has effortlessly delivered a blockbuster film filled with twists, turns and reversals written by Quentin Tarantino and directed, of course, by Michael Bay.

Everywhere you look, there has been pure excitement. Whether it has been the countless high-flying dunks from the human highlight reel known as Blake Griffin, the sensational performance of Derrick Rose or the consistently inconsistent play of the triumvirate in Miami, the movie moments have poured in by the ton.

Since this was probably the most anticipated free agency period in over a decade, you just knew this season was going to be like nothing we’ve seen in recent years. Some of the league’s biggest stars packed their bags and signed with new teams, creating more depth throughout the league, unfortunately at the expense of teams like the Suns, the Cavaliers and the Raptors.

But for the first time in quite a while, there are several championship contenders out East and out West — but for different reasons. Most teams bolstered their lineups during the summer, while others did it via mid-season trades.

The Nuggets, the Thunder and the Knicks all made deals that placed themselves in positions to make some serious noise in the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Wallace, Gilbert Arenas and Derron Williams are just some of the big names that swapped teams.

The Nuggets surprised everyone. Most, including myself, wrote them off after trading away their franchise player. Boy, were we wrong! Since Carmelo left, they are 17-6. Ironically, they are a much deeper team after losing their megastar and the absence of an isolated player has given more opportunities for others to score.

This is just a microcosm of the wacky things that have happened throughout the year. Who would have thought that by the end of the season, the Chicago Bulls would be the number one seed and fighting for the NBA’s best record, or that the aging San Antonio Spurs would suddenly turn back the clock a few years?

The thing about it, though, is that as much as it hurts me as a Lakers fan to say this, this is a great thing. For the last four years, everyone knew the Lakers were going to represent the West and the Boston Celtics would likely represent the East. This year, however, your guess is just as good as mine. On our way to the playoffs, the season’s shaped up quite nicely.

We’ve seen our villains and heroes, our stars and supporting cast members, our turning points, our exposition and conflicts, and watched multiple storylines develop — all key components of a great film. The only thing left is the rising action, or in other words, the NBA playoffs.

And if the season is any indication of how the post-season will play out, we’ve got one heck of a conclusion in store