As we near the halfway point of the season I thought I would compile a list of my 5 top NBA teams as they sit right now.  Feel free to disagree with me on any of these:

1.  Boston Celtics-  How could any other team be listed here.  The Celtics sit 30-5 today but have lost 2 games this past week including one to the Bobcats at home.  Every team is going to struggle at some point of the season and Ray Allen isn’t completely healthy either.  If they continue to get strong play from Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins and the BIG 3 keep playing well together then Boston will be a tough team to beat in the East.

2.  San Antonio Spurs-  I still think they are the second best team in the NBA.  They have lost 11 games but been injured like crazy.  They have lost games with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili so I don’t really look at those 11 losses and take them serious.  The Spurs know that the season isn’t about December and January either.  How many times has this happened where it looks like the Spurs are just coasting along and then all of a sudden they look unbeatable.  They are very well coached and are one of the few teams that make it look like they can turn it off or on.

 3.  Dallas Mavericks-  I would’ve had the Pistons here but they got beat by the Knicks last night by 24 points.  They’ve been playing great over their last 17 games going 14-3 and are finally getting some consistent play at point guard.  I’m not a Devin Harris fan but he’s been doing well for the Mavericks at point guard.  Dirk is declining but still one of the league’s most talented big men ever.  I like the two headed center approach with Diop and Dampier because they both know their roles so well.  The team needs good minutes from Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse if they want to make another run at the finals.

4.  Detroit Pistons-  I covered them a few weeks ago and the feeling still holds true.  The Pistons just might be the team to beat in the East when all is said and done.   It is interesting to note that the Pistons and Celtics lost the home and home to each other and I can see that happening in the playoffs also.  They both play very good defense and have players who are considered clutch performers.  The Pistons are very deep upfront but they need Rasheed to perform every night and he doesn’t do that, he never has.  When Billups and Hamilton play well the whole team flows.  However, talks have surfaced lately about Tayshaun Prince being shipped out and I think that would be a mistake.  Tayshaun knows his role and does it every night.  He is a team player and a solid defender.  They’d have to get someone back who didn’t mess up the chemistry they have going despite their recent loss to the Knicks.

5.  Charlotte Hornets-  The Hornets feature my MVP for the season so far in Chris Paul.  All Paul is doing is leading his team night in and night out with a motivation and energy that the league hasn’t seen in a long time.  He is an incredible team leader and is looked to to perform every night.  Paul makes players like Tyson Chandler and David West shine and if Peja ever comes around Paul will be the one to get him there.  Recently the Hornets won 7 straight road games and they have to get some credit for that so I listed them 5th.  If there was one team I would want to see in person it would be Chris Paul and the Charlotte Hornets.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 12:21 pm and is filed under Discussion, NBA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.