Now that the All-Star break has passed and the NBA regular season is in full swing with over 50 games finished most teams, it is time to evaluate the haves and have-nots, the contenders and the wannabees.
In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are, to no one's surprise, leading the pack. Charlotte, having dealt with the untimely death of Bobby Phills a little more than a month ago, is regrouping, but still holds the conference's fourth seed.
The biggest surprise has been the play of the upstart Orlando Magic, who are now vying with Detroit for the East's final playoff berth. Although slumping of late, Orlando has played well with a collection of role players and soon-to-be free agents. Head Coach Doc Rivers has done a great job of getting his team primed for every game. This off-season, Orlando management basically tore apart a good core of players in hopes of rebuilding for the future with young stars acquired via the draft lottery and free agency. So, Orlando traded away Ike Austin, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant, Penny Hardaway and others, and coach Chuck Daly retired. Pre-season predictions had the Magic going straight to the lottery, but instead they are in the playoff hunt.
A major disappointment once again has been the New Jersey Nets, who have suffered again from the injury to former All-Star Jayson Williams. But, with a solid foundation of young players in Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn and Stephon Marbury, this may be a team to be reckoned with in a year or two, if they can manage to stay healthy.
Washington, although full of talent with Rod Strickland, Mitch Richmond and Juwan Howard, still finds itself going nowhere fast. Midway through the season, coach Gar Heard was fired and replaced by Darrell Walker on an interim basis. Moreover, Michael Jordan came out of retirement to suit up once again for the Wizards this time! No, not on the hardwood but in the front office. He took over as president of player personnel and now has a major stake in the team's future success.
Look for Philadelphia to make a major push for the third or fourth seed in the East, especially after having just acquired versatile swingman Toni Kukoc from the Bulls in a three-way deal.
In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trailblazers are playing by far the best basketball in the league, and both teams are doing it uncharacteristically with defense. Portland is second in the league in opponents' points per game allowed and in the top five in opponents' field goal percentage allowed. The Lakers, under Phil Jackson, flourished with a season-high 16-game winning streak back in January. If Kobe Bryant can learn to cooperate better with Shaq and not force the issue every time he has the ball, which he has been doing a better job of late, this team may be headed to the finals come June.
As of yesterday, Minnesota, the eighth seed in the West, had a record of 28-22, which goes to show you how deep this conference is with talented teams. Minnesota, which underwent a dreadful eight-game losing streak early in the season, went on a tear afterward. They have just recently began slumping again, culminating in an embarrassing home defeat at the hands of the lowly New Jersey Nets in Stephon Marbury's return to Minnesota, the team he was traded from last season.
After opening the season on a high and playing very well, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs have struggled. The loss of Sean Elliot has really hurt this team, and they have not gotten the same production out of role players like Jaren Jackson, Jerome Kersey and Stever Kerr that made them such a threat last season. Even so, they still have a slight lead in the Midwest Division over Utah.
Outside of Portland, the L.A. Lakers and Seattle, the majority of the teams this season have really struggled this season on the road. In addition, Indiana currently has a record winning streak at home (they are currently 22-2 at home in their new arena, the Conseco Fieldhouse).
Playoff positioning and home-court advantage will be a key factor in which team makes it out of the West, specifically because just about any team can beat another on any given day. If teams like Sacramento, Utah and Seattle, all currently in the middle of the pack, find themselves slipping down towards the bottom of the playoff rung, they may not be able to make it out of the first round. The winner of the Midwest Division, either Utah or San Antonio, will catch a major break in that they will undoubtedly be ranked second behind the Lakers or Portland. It appears as though both division races will come down to the last few days of the season. Amazingly, it is possible that the seventh seed in the West, say the Kings or Sonics, might have a better record than the second seed. If the playoffs started today, that would almost be the case.
