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1)San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have quietly taken over first place in the Western Conference and are tied with the Bulls for the lowest amount of losses in the league (14 losses). San Antonio has won 11 straight and 14 out of their last 15. During that 15 game span the Spurs are averaging 109 points per game. This Spurs team is very good and they will be a problem for ANY team who has to face them in the last few weeks and in the playoffs.
2)Miami Heat: Many feel the Heat aren’t as good as they really are because they are the team with the X on their back so their losses or mistakes are magnified by the media and by fans. Miami has picked up a few losses recently but they have only come to above average teams, some of the top tier teams will lose to the below average teams in the league but since they aren’t Miami it’s no big deal. Miami however only loses to quality teams which is a great way to illustrate how good they really are. Every team they play gives their all to try and beat them and sometimes Miami just doesn’t match the intensity because one game is just not that big of a deal to them but even when giving their all if it’s not a good team they can’t even sneak a win from Miami. The Heat are the team to beat in the East so don’t fall for that Chicago nonsense.
3)Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC had a bad week last week starting it off 0-3 before finally getting a win over Toronto on Sunday, but make no mistake they are still one of the best teams in the league. On any night Russell Westbrook & Kevin Durant can go for 30 easily and James Harden can put up 20, but after that their offense has a huge drop-off. Definitely one of the best in the league but I have some questions about them defensively and that’s what dropped them to the 3 spot.
4)Chicago Bulls: Chicago has been holding on to the best record in the league by a couple of wins all season but what most don’t realize is that all season they have had a few more games played and that allows them to have a few more wins than the other elite teams even though the loss column is just about the same. The Bulls also benefit from the soft schedule of an Eastern Conference team, I don’t believe they would have such a good record if they were in the West where almost every night you play a good team. Chicago is definitely a contender for the championship this year though so don’t disregard them, just don’t fall into the trap of believing they are as good as some may advertise them to be.
5)Los Angeles Lakers: The addition of Ramon Sessions made this Laker team a legitimate contender. Sessions is a very underrated player and add in Bynum, Pau, and of course Kobe along with plenty of quality role players beating this team is no easy task. Health may be an issue for them but if they can get healthy for the playoffs they will be a big threat to win the West. Bynum needs to grow up though because I can see him having problems mentally taking the rough style of play that comes with the last weeks of the season and in the playoffs. Don’t trust this team too much with the high point spreads, they are all about winning and could really care less about blowing opponents out.
6)Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are finally healthy. Zach Randolph missed most of the season with a knee injury, but with him working his way back into the rotation the Grizzlies have got better and better. Remember this team hasn’t had all of its stars healthy consistently for over a year now, with Rudy Gay missing time last season. The Grizzlies were able to upset the #1 seed Spurs in the playoffs without Rudy Gay last year and now they look better than ever so don’t be surprised if this team makes a deep playoff run.
7)Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are a good team, but are no threat to the elite teams in the league because they just can’t play enough defense to win the big games. They are very inconsistent so it’s hard to gauge how they will play on a given night. Definitely deserving of the 7th position in the league but I wouldn’t consider them a title contender. Chris Paul in the 4th quarter is absolutely amazing, but the free throw struggles of Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan along with their defensive shortcomings will continue to haunt them against the top competition.
8)Indiana Pacers: This Pacer team is much better than most realize. They are a well balanced team which is what makes them such a difficult match-up for many teams. No superstars on their roster but a lot of quality players. If they can get the Bulls in the 2nd round they have a chance to make the Eastern Conference finals but won’t be able to beat the Heat. The Pacers biggest problem is they don’t have a game finisher. They have the talent to stay in games but when it’s time for one guy to step up and close out the games they have no one who can really step up to the task. Don’t overlook this team because they are very good, but be wary of them in big games.
9)Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs are very inconsistent which is why they are all the way up to 9th. One day they look like a top team and the next they look average at best, If they can get a little momentum going they could be a team to watch out for during playoff time but for the remainder of the regular season I’ll be interested to see how they perform because I can’t tell if they are a possible contender or just a pretender at this point. If Lamar Odom can step his play up to the level it was at last year this team can be a serious contender, if not then I’m not sure what they will do.
10)Boston Celtics: Since the All-Star break the Celtics are 17-7, although they started the season off a little slow they now look as good as they were being talked up to be. They have a lot of players who can help get it done every night and the whole team is buying into the idea of doing whatever it takes to win. This team is locked in at the moment so I don’t expect them to lose many more games this season. The Celtics have a very small lineup though so if they go up against a team that has a true big man down low they will struggle.
1)San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have quietly taken over first place in the Western Conference and are tied with the Bulls for the lowest amount of losses in the league (14 losses). San Antonio has won 11 straight and 14 out of their last 15. During that 15 game span the Spurs are averaging 109 points per game. This Spurs team is very good and they will be a problem for ANY team who has to face them in the last few weeks and in the playoffs.
2)Miami Heat: Many feel the Heat aren’t as good as they really are because they are the team with the X on their back so their losses or mistakes are magnified by the media and by fans. Miami has picked up a few losses recently but they have only come to above average teams, some of the top tier teams will lose to the below average teams in the league but since they aren’t Miami it’s no big deal. Miami however only loses to quality teams which is a great way to illustrate how good they really are. Every team they play gives their all to try and beat them and sometimes Miami just doesn’t match the intensity because one game is just not that big of a deal to them but even when giving their all if it’s not a good team they can’t even sneak a win from Miami. The Heat are the team to beat in the East so don’t fall for that Chicago nonsense.
3)Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC had a bad week last week starting it off 0-3 before finally getting a win over Toronto on Sunday, but make no mistake they are still one of the best teams in the league. On any night Russell Westbrook & Kevin Durant can go for 30 easily and James Harden can put up 20, but after that their offense has a huge drop-off. Definitely one of the best in the league but I have some questions about them defensively and that’s what dropped them to the 3 spot.
4)Chicago Bulls: Chicago has been holding on to the best record in the league by a couple of wins all season but what most don’t realize is that all season they have had a few more games played and that allows them to have a few more wins than the other elite teams even though the loss column is just about the same. The Bulls also benefit from the soft schedule of an Eastern Conference team, I don’t believe they would have such a good record if they were in the West where almost every night you play a good team. Chicago is definitely a contender for the championship this year though so don’t disregard them, just don’t fall into the trap of believing they are as good as some may advertise them to be.
5)Los Angeles Lakers: The addition of Ramon Sessions made this Laker team a legitimate contender. Sessions is a very underrated player and add in Bynum, Pau, and of course Kobe along with plenty of quality role players beating this team is no easy task. Health may be an issue for them but if they can get healthy for the playoffs they will be a big threat to win the West. Bynum needs to grow up though because I can see him having problems mentally taking the rough style of play that comes with the last weeks of the season and in the playoffs. Don’t trust this team too much with the high point spreads, they are all about winning and could really care less about blowing opponents out.
6)Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are finally healthy. Zach Randolph missed most of the season with a knee injury, but with him working his way back into the rotation the Grizzlies have got better and better. Remember this team hasn’t had all of its stars healthy consistently for over a year now, with Rudy Gay missing time last season. The Grizzlies were able to upset the #1 seed Spurs in the playoffs without Rudy Gay last year and now they look better than ever so don’t be surprised if this team makes a deep playoff run.
7)Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are a good team, but are no threat to the elite teams in the league because they just can’t play enough defense to win the big games. They are very inconsistent so it’s hard to gauge how they will play on a given night. Definitely deserving of the 7th position in the league but I wouldn’t consider them a title contender. Chris Paul in the 4th quarter is absolutely amazing, but the free throw struggles of Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan along with their defensive shortcomings will continue to haunt them against the top competition.
8)Indiana Pacers: This Pacer team is much better than most realize. They are a well balanced team which is what makes them such a difficult match-up for many teams. No superstars on their roster but a lot of quality players. If they can get the Bulls in the 2nd round they have a chance to make the Eastern Conference finals but won’t be able to beat the Heat. The Pacers biggest problem is they don’t have a game finisher. They have the talent to stay in games but when it’s time for one guy to step up and close out the games they have no one who can really step up to the task. Don’t overlook this team because they are very good, but be wary of them in big games.
9)Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs are very inconsistent which is why they are all the way up to 9th. One day they look like a top team and the next they look average at best, If they can get a little momentum going they could be a team to watch out for during playoff time but for the remainder of the regular season I’ll be interested to see how they perform because I can’t tell if they are a possible contender or just a pretender at this point. If Lamar Odom can step his play up to the level it was at last year this team can be a serious contender, if not then I’m not sure what they will do.
10)Boston Celtics: Since the All-Star break the Celtics are 17-7, although they started the season off a little slow they now look as good as they were being talked up to be. They have a lot of players who can help get it done every night and the whole team is buying into the idea of doing whatever it takes to win. This team is locked in at the moment so I don’t expect them to lose many more games this season. The Celtics have a very small lineup though so if they go up against a team that has a true big man down low they will struggle.
