NBA Playoffs 2012: 11 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts

The 2012 NBA Playoffs are set to begin this Saturday which means it is time for you to get ready in every way possible. One way is to beef up your Twitter following list by adding these 11 must-follow accounts for the playoffs.

Gilbert Arenas, Dallas Mavericks, @AgentZeroShow

It doesn't get much more ridiculous than Gilbert Arenas' Twitter feed. He's been known to live-tweet a bad date and is as unpredictable as it gets. Arenas is basically a car crash and you just can't help but look.

Ric Bucher, ESPN, @RicBucher

Bucher is great at providing good analysis and opinion on the biggest events occurring in the NBA. He can point out some of the little things behind the scenes that fans don't see which makes him such a valuable follow.

Mark Cuban, Owner of Dallas Mavericks, @MarkCuban

The Dallas Mavericks owner isn't afraid to share his opinion on the social media platform. Cuban has long been vocal about certain topics and will make it known if he feels that the Mavericks are getting slighted in some way.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, @KDTrey5

Not only is Durant the NBA's top scorer, but he might also be the owner of its best Twitter account. Durant has truly embraced Twitter -- he even announced his contract extension on it -- and does a great job of interacting with different fans. He's an active tweeter with more than 20,000 career tweets, but keeps it way more interesting than the typical athlete that just retweets every bit of praise he gets from a fan.

Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo Sports, @KDonhoops

Dwyer, who runs the popular Ball Don't Lie, is the king of finding interesting, under the radar stories. That could include everything from the hilarious to the inane, but you're all the better for it.

LeBron James, Miami Heat, @KingJames

James is expected to win his first NBA title this postseason which adds a lot of intrigue to what he is saying on Twitter. King James is good about giving an inside look to the Miami Heat team through photos and will be a must-follow if the Heat make a deep run in the playoffs.

Zach Lowe, Sports Illustrated, @ZachLowe_SI

Lowe is the author of Sports Illustrated's Point Forward column and often offers a unique perspective based on statistics and research. Lowe takes that different point of view and uses it quite well with a strong Twitter presence. Lowe is a must follow if you want more than just breaking news or opinion.

Bill Simmons, ESPN/Grantland, @SportsGuy33

Simmons might tweet a bit too much about Boston sports for some, but he provides a unique analysis and look at the NBA. He does a good job at giving games some perspective with a little humor thrown in.

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN, @stephenasmith

The way people feel about Smith is the very definition of a love or hate relationship. Smith invokes a lot of passion -- either positive or negative -- and frequently shares controversial opinions. You might not agree with anything he says, but at the very least he's entertaining.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo Sports, @WojYahooNBA

No one is better at breaking NBA news than Yahoo Sports' Wojnarowski. The NBA columnist has fully embraced the power of Twitter -- he told a conference last year You don't beat ESPN with conventional warfare -- and is fully willing to share his opinion on controversial topics.

Metta World Peace, Los Angeles Lakers, @MettaWorldPeace

Similar to Arenas, World Peace is unpredictable on Twitter. One of the best things about following him on Twitter is that he gives a lot of access into a man that few truly understand. A recent example was when he immediately took to Twitter after elbowing James Harden in the head.