1. San Antonio Spurs (38-7): Ranking them atop this list is getting as monotonous as, well, the Spurs themselves. They just keep producing. How good at the art of winning is Tim Duncan? He's never played with another superstar, ever. David Robinson was on his way down when Duncan arrived and won his first title. Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker are very nice players, but could Karl Malone, Charles Barkely, Kevin Garnett, or Dwight Howard carry those guys to three championships? I don't think so. Duncan continues to be under appreciated. Though his production is down this year, he is still the focal point of the best team in basketball on both ends of the floor and in the locker room.
2. Los Angeles Lakers (32-13): Wins over the Thunder and Nuggets book ending a loss to the Mavericks make this a solid week for Showtime. They finally played some tough competition and fared pretty well. There was a stretch in their latest game against Denver where they looked like the best team in basketball. Their bigs shared the ball and Kobe Bryant facilitated and scored without doing too much of one and not the other. Sometimes Bryant picks his role, predetermines it. "OK, tonight I'm scoring the ball," or, "OK, for this quarter I'm gonna be the assist man." Here he let the game come to him, and that's when he is truly great. Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol combined for 54 points and 30 rebounds against Denver. If those guys play like that come June, everyone else can just go home because it's three-peat time.
3. Boston Celtics (33-10): Even though a loss to the Wizards is a little embarrassing, they do have a winning record at home. Still, Boston beat the Magic, Pistons, and Jazz prior to this loss. A 3-1 week with two quality wins ain't all bad.
4. New Orleans Hornets (30-16): Well, well, well. A team that was left for dead by many, including me, is rallying. Nine straight wins has this team right back among the league's elite. During this streak the Hornets have beaten the Magic, Nuggets, Hawks, Spurs, and Thunder.
5. Chicago Bulls (31-14): 10-0 in their division, the Bulls are in the midst of building a terrific season. They've won six of seven, Derrick Rose is in the MVP race, and Joakim Noah should be coming back relatively soon.
6. Miami Heat (31-13): This team is having a little mid-season lull, but I think they'll be fine. They need to get all their guns back and healthy, and I would bet they are just getting tuned up for a big stretch run. The big three have plenty of personal accolades, and now I think they're just ready to put it together during the playoffs. How fun will the Eastern Conference be this year? If the postseason started today: #1 Celtics vs. #8 Bobcats (OK, blah), #2 Heat vs. #7 76ers (Sweep), #3 Bulls vs. #6 Knicks (Two of the biggest markets in America, resurgent teams, young superstars, old rivalry renewed, yes please!), #4 Hawks vs. #5 Magic (How will this new cast work in the playoffs for Orlando? Can the Hawks actually do something?). Then just imagine East Semis of Bulls vs. Heat and Magic vs. Celtics. Those are four really good teams, and I wouldn't be surprised to see any of the four in the finals. We are going to see some changing of the guard this year in the playoffs; the Bulls are ready to move, the Heat aren't quite there as a team yet, the Celtics and Lakers are old, the Thunder are up and coming. Something that's not "supposed" to happen this postseason will.
7. Atlanta Hawks (29-16): A franchise that was completely down and out ten years ago puts together another stellar regular season. This talented group really should be developing playoff chemistry since they've been together for so long, but they still just seem like a me-first group.
8. Orlando Magic (29-16): I don't think they're worse than the Hawks, but they are playing worse as of late. Their latest loss, at home to the Pistons, was a head scratcher.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-16): Playing average ball of late, are they going to take a true step forward this year or are they in a holding pattern?
10. Nobody: The Nuggets are locked in Melo-drama. Utah has four straight losses. The Knicks are backsliding. The Grizzlies are the Grizzlies. Keep it up Clippers, we're holding auditions for the tenth spot.
--from Adam
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