The Fab 5
1. Boston Celtics- This team has been the best team in the league all year. They are the only team in this top 5 that can say they beat the Cavs, not to mention the impressive margin they're winning games by (9.5 ppg). Sure, they're going to have their injuries, but they've proven they can win games regardless (proof: beating Orlando in Orlando on Christmas day without Paul Pierce). I see this team finishing with the 1 or 2 seed in the East. "Experts" seem convinced this team will be in the finals... I'm
not so sure. We'll see if their age catches up to them come playoff time.Last Week: #2
2. Cleveland Cavaliers- Alright hear me out here. They've beaten L.A., Orlando, and Phoenix on the road all in convincing form. Over the last week they've won @Phoenix (first team to do that in about a year), @Sacramento, @LA, and vs. Houston by 25. Mike Brown seems to have figured out the rotation, Mo Williams has a new found swagger, and Shaq has shown repeatedly that he shows up when the games are being watched closely (Orlando and LA). Their bench is one of the best in the league with Varejao, Delonte, Moon, Z, and Gibson. When the Cavs bring their A game, there aren't any teams in the league that can say they have a good chance to beat them in a 7 game series (I really mean this).
Last Week- #3
3. Orlando Magic- The Magic are the third best team in the East, and I don't see that changing. They really did lose a dimension by swapping Turkoglu for Carter this summer. It's no coincidence that Vince's teams tend not to fare all that well. As long as Vince is hoisting up shot after shot, Orlando will have a very difficult time finding themselves anywhere near the finals. That being said, the Magic have arguably the deepest team in the league which allows them to take some bad shots from time to time. Their bench constantly gets them back into games (which is a risky thing to put your money on).
Last Week: #4
4. Los Angeles Lakers- It's about time somebody took note of how mediocre the Lakers have been against the good teams this year: "Besides the Lakers, there are six teams that have only one digit in the loss column. The Lakers have played four of them. They're 1-3 in those games, losing to Denver, Dallas and now Cleveland and beating Atlanta back on Nov. 1." (from a JA Adande article, I believe). They haven't even played Orlando and Boston yet... sorry, hard to put a team at the one spot when they have that kind of resume. The Lakers have an extremely high profile starting line-up, but the Cavs exploited their bench weakness in the Christmas day game (102-87 Cavs in LA). Kobe's great, but I don't think this team is the favorite to win it all this year. Realistically, had KG not gotten hurt last year, I don't think they would have won last year either.
Last Week: #1
5. Atlanta Hawks- Let's wait until Wednesday night to see the results from the home-and-home the Hawks have with Cleveland before we make any definitive judgements on Atlanta. I haven't seen too much of them this year, but I saw them beat Boston and lose to Orlando. They may be a contender, but for now I have them a nudge below the top 4 teams here.
Last Week: #5
The Rest
6. Dallas Mavericks- Holding firm in the West... beat LA in LA earlier in the year.
7. Portland Jail Blazers- How do these guys keep winning games? I truly don't understand it.
8. San Antonio Spurs
9. Denver Nuggets- We've gotten a glimpse of how life for Denver without Billups is... and it's not nearly as pretty as the team we saw in the playoffs last year.
10. Phoenix Suns- Sliding a bit since that dream start.
11. Utah Jazz
12. Houston Rockets- They somehow manage to win games despite their horrendous height disadvantage. Their 6'8" center won't cut it come playoff time. The Cavs absolutely exploited every weakness their height gives them on Sunday night.
13. Miami Heat- The Heat are back on track lately, winning three in a row, and 6-4 in their last 10. Seems like they'll lock up that 5 seed in the East sooner rather than later (unless Toronto has something to say about it)
14. Oklahoma City Thunder
15. Sacramento Kings- Really impressive week even while losing. Overtime losses to LA and Cleveland.
16. Toronto Raptors- I said it earlier in the year when they dismantled the Cavs in the second game of the season: WATCH OUT FOR THESE GUYS. They've put it together lately, winning 4 in a row against Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, and New Jersey in impressive fashion.
17. Memphis Grizzlies
18. Los Angeles Clippers- Baron Davis got them this spot with one shot. We'll see if they can make a playoff run when Blake finally plays.
19. Chicago Bulls- Bulls fans are breathing a bit easier after their recent "success". Bulls will have a hard time not making the playoffs, but I don't know if that will save VND his job.
20. New Orleans Hornets
21. Detroit Pistons
22. New York Knicks
23. Milwaukee Bucks- One of my 3 pretenders has finally fell into the realm of irrelevance. Jennings has been overtaken by Tyreke, and the rest of the team has continued to be extremely mediocre.
24. Charlotte Bobcats
25. Washington Wizards
26. Minnesota Timberwolves
27. Golden State Warriors
28. Philadelphia 76ers
29. Indiana Pacers
30. New Jersey Nets- I know these guys suck now... but imagine this: #1 pick and they sign LeBron: Brook Lopez, Yi, LeBron, Devon Harris, Courtney Lee, and John Wall=championships galore in Brooklyn.
Check back soon for my early Awards Watch.
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