(1) Dallas (43-9). The Mavs have won eight straight and 29 of their last 31 games. Clearly, this is the best all-around team in the NBA.
(2) Phoenix (39-12). Anyone who thinks Steve Nash is not the MVP, just watch the Suns flounder without him.
(7) Utah (34-17). Won five straight without Carlos Boozer. Who knew Mehmet Okur was this good?
(8) Detroit (32-18). Starting to pull away a little in the East. Chris Webber’s been a nice fit.
(3) San Antonio (34-18). Looked bad against Miami, just 3-4 on their current 8-game road trip which ends in Detroit on Valentine’s Day.
(5) Houston (33-18). 8-2 in their last ten. Who needs Yao Ming?
(10) Cleveland (30-21). Good win against the Lakers, even though Larry Hughes certainly fouled Kobe on the most important play of the game.
(4) Washington (28-21). Great run, but the Wizards will end up with the 7th or 8th seed in the East when the season ends. They are seven games over .500, yet their win margin is -0.1. Those things tend to even out.
(6) L.A. Lakers (30-23). Tough loss against Cleveland. Who would have thought Luke Walton (below) was really the glue on this team? By the way, why wouldn’t Kobe at least touch the ball at the end of the Knicks game on Tuesday night?
(15) Miami (26-26). Luckily for Detroit, Miami won’t stay in the eighth slot in the East much longer. I guarantee they get at least the third seed.
(11) Denver (26-24). Still eight games behind Utah. Too much talent to be this mediocre.
(9) Chicago (29-24). A 3-4 road trip followed by a home loss to Toronto is not the sign of a championship contender.
(13) Toronto (28-24). Big win on the road against Chicago for the East’s biggest surprise. Raptors are 15-6 in 2007 and four of those losses came against Phoenix, Dallas, Detroit and Utah.
(14) Indiana (27-24). Another team that allows more points than it scores. Again, this tends to even out over time. After winning 6 out of 7, Pacers quickly dropped three straight. Every time they make a run, they drop back to around .500.
(18) Orlando (26-26). Just 4-12 since January 12. That is a quick fade pattern.
(12) L.A. Clippers (25-27). ESPN the Magazine did an article about Shaun Livingston recently. He says he knows he can be the man. Any time now, kid.
(16) Minnesota (24-27). Ricky Davis fired a dagger into the heart of Celtics fans, but the T-Wolves are still a mess.
(23) New Orleans / Oklahoma City (24-28). Making a pretty decent run at the last playoff spot currently occupied by the Clippers.
(17) Golden State (24-29). Went 3-6 in their last nine games, including two, yes two, losses to Atlanta. That says it all.
(19) New Jersey (25-28). Marcus Williams was 4-for-14 with nine points and 10 assists filling in for Jason Kidd. He also had one steal… think it was a laptop?
(20) New York (23-29). Eddie Curry says “It feels good to have 23 wins right now.” Nice job, Mr. Thomas… way to create a soothing atmosphere of mediocrity.
(24) Sacramento (22-28). Kings won five straight, then dropped two to Seattle and Houston. Hopefully, someone will get to them and make them realize they are better off losing. Then, after the All-Star break, the Celtics can go to Sacramento and get a win.
(22) Portland (22-31). LaMarcus Aldridge’s 18 and 10 in the blowout over the Wizards was a great sign. Brandon Roy is still playing good ball.
(25) Seattle (19-32). They are 1-1 since Rashard Lewis returned. That’s an improvement. Oh, and Ray Allen was named to the All-Star team, so stop complaining.
(27) Atlanta (20-31). Big win over Phoenix - so what if Nash did not play.
(21) Milwaukee (19-33). Bucks have just three wins since we turned the calendar to 2007. Of course, the Celtics only have two wins in that same period. Big battle on Valentine’s Day.
(26) Charlotte (18-33). Lost five out of six and appear to be hitting the wall.
(28) Philadelphia (17-35). Have gone 6-6 in their last 12 games… is that a good thing?
(29) Memphis (14-39). Accepting trade offers for Pau Gasol (pictured). They need to do something.
(30) Boston (12-38). See above. Should Danny Ainge give the number one for Pau Gasol? I say no way, but he’s thinking about it.
"I think Willie did a good job. I think that the results the last, say, 14 months were not up to what we thought it had to be. What Omar finally decided was that he had to make that change." - Mets Owner Frde Wilpon on Wille Randolph firing
(1) Dallas (43-9). The Mavs have won eight straight and 29 of their last 31 games. Clearly, this is the best all-around team in the NBA.
