The playoffs are off to a strong start, thanks to several intriguing storylines, and already people are buzzing about a potential finals matchup between 1980s rivals the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, who hold the top seeds in their respective conferences.

Two games on ABC Saturday and Sunday climbed from an average 3.4 household rating last year to a 3.8 this year, according to overnight ratings, a jump of 12 percent.

On ESPN, three first-round games rose more than 40 percent over the same window last year, all scoring metered-market household ratings of at least a 2.1.

TNT's three games were flat to last year averaging 2.7 million total viewers, though their Celtics-Atlanta Hawks contest was up 13 percent over the equivalent game last season.

Not surprisingly, some of those gains built on the big stories in the league this year, including Shaquille O’Neal’s trade to the Phoenix Suns and MVP candidate LeBron James’ continuing development.

O’Neal’s Suns are facing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, continuing a fierce rivalry that has built between the teams over the past three seasons, though they usually meet later in the Western Conference playoffs.

Saturday’s Game 1 of that series averaged a 3.7 rating on ABC, up 32 percent over last year’s 2.8 for the equivalent Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls game, when O’Neal played for the Heat.

Another budding rivalry between the Washington Wizards and James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, which has generated loads of trash-talking from Wizard Gilbert Arenas, averaged a 2.1. That was up 50 percent over the same window last year, a game between the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors that averaged a 1.4.

But the most important ratings improvement could be yet to come. Sports writers have been gleefully anticipating a finals rematch between the Lakers and Celtics, two franchises that have been in disarray in recent years following their 1980s domination.

Boston set a record for best single-season turnaround, going from the worst record in the Eastern Conference to the best, with the acquisition of players like Kevin Garnett. Out West, the Lakers finally found a supporting cast that could keep up with star Kobe Bryant, leading them to first in the most balanced conference.

The Lakers and Celtics faced off three times in a four-year span in the NBA finals during the early 1980s, with the Lakers winning two titles and Boston one. The teams combined for eight of the 10 titles during the 1980s, but the Celtics haven’t been back to the finals since 1987. Bryant and O’Neal’s Lakers won three straight titles from 2000 to 2002.

Sports pages across the country have predicted a huge ratings up tick if these two squads make it to the final, which would feature teams from the No. 2 and No. 7 markets in the country.

The playoffs continue on ABC, ESPN and TNT through May. The finals will start on June 5 on ABC. 

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Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended April 20:
 
Among adults 18-49, Fox was first with a 3.2 rating and a 9 share, followed by NBC at 2.4/7, ABC and CBS at 2.3/7, Univision at 1.5/4, CW at 0.9/3, Telemundo at 0.5/1, MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 18-34, Fox was first with a 2.7 rating and a 9 share, followed by Univision at 1.8/5, ABC and NBC at 1.7/5, CBS at 1.5/5, CW at 1.0/3, Telemundo at 0.5/2, TeleFutura and MyNetworkTV at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Among adults 25-54, Fox was first with a 3.6 rating and a 9 share, followed by CBS at 3.0/8, ABC at 2.9/8, NBC at 2.8/7, Univision at 1.4/4, CW at 0.9/2, Telemundo at 0.5/1, MyNetworkTV at 0.4/1, TeleFutura at 0.3/1, and Ion and Azteca at 0.1/0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (18-49s): Tie-1. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” “American Idol - Tuesday” 8.8; 3. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 5.5; 4. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 5.3; 5. NBC’s “The Office” 5.0.
 
Top five English-language Big Five shows (total viewers): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 23.65 million; 2. Fox’s “American Idol – Wednesday” 23.34 million; 3. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 17.20 million; 4. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 15.75 million; 5. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars Results” 15.42 million.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (households, week ended April 6): Fox’s “American Idol – Tuesday” 15.3; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 15.2; Tie-3. CBS’s “CSI” and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 13.3; 5. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars Results” 11.3.
 
Top five Live+7 English-language Big Five shows (18-49s, week ended April 6): 1. Fox’s “American Idol - Tuesday” 10.2; 2. Fox’s “American Idol - Wednesday” 9.8; 3. CBS’s “CSI” 6.7; 4. Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” 6.0; 5. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 5.9.
 
Show on the rise: “CSI: NY,” CBS, Wednesday 10 p.m. The third of the crime drama franchise posted a 3.9 rating among viewers 18-49 last week, up 22 percent from the previous week’s 3.2.
 
Show on the decline: “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC, Monday 8 p.m. “Dancing” faced all original programming and slipped 16 percent week-to-week among 18-49s, from a 4.9 rating to a 4.1.