1. Lakers — This is a complete team at every position. Kobe is sharing the ball, and we are seeing guys other than Bryant step it up like Trevor Ariza and Bynum. However they have shown some chinks in their armor when they lost huge leads in recent games.
2. Mavs — This team is finding their stride and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The usual suspects are contributing such as Dirk, Terry, and Howard but JJ Barea has stepped it up tremendously for this team.
3. Blazers — The Blazers are seeing their young team starting to gell and are actually winning on the road.
4. Nuggets — They are 13-4 since getting Billups and JR Smith is starting to find his shot. With the exception of their blowout loss to the Spurs, this team is a very dangerous opponent in the playoffs.
5. Spurs — With their entire team back and healthy the Spurs should be racking up the wins as the season continues. This team blew out the Nuggets and Warriors but did get trounced by the Pistons. Expect coach Pop to continue to tinker with the starting line-up and when the rotation is set, this team may be the only team that can challenge the Lakers.