This seems to be one of those rare years that there is no clear cut favorite. I have no idea who will win the NBA title, but here's who I think has the best chance, in this order

Boston Celtics - Best record in the NBA, although they went through a 5-5 stretch not too long ago, they play the best defense in the NBA and thats gonna mean alot come playoff time. If the big three can stay healthy, I think that their supporting cast has showed enough to be able to bring them that 17th title. Rondo will need to keep his composure in big game pressure situations, and maybe their biggest weakness is not having a clear cut go to guy. Their other weakness I would say is Doc Rivers. He has never shown me at any point and time that he is a good in game coach, and that could come back to haunt them in the playoffs. I still think they are the best team and will end up winning it all.

Detroit Pistons - Next to San Antonio this is the model franchise of the NBA this decade. They let Ben Wallace go at the right time, havent skipped a beat either. They have the 2nd best record in the NBA, and not coincdentally play the 2nd best defense in the league. Billups is up there in any Take 5 when it comes to go to guys in the 4th quarter. Their starting 5 is still probably the best in the NBA, although you could make argument for Boston, SA, Phoenix, etc. Like Doc, I am very underwhelmed by Flip Saunders, but this team resembles the 2004 team more than last year's underachievers in that they dedicate themselves to defense first. The playoff series with Boston could be a great one.

San Antonio Spurs - They are struggling alot, going 8-8 in January, but they are the defending champs(with a bit of help from Stu Jackson and David Stern) and a very veteran squad. They are the type of team that tries to coast to a top 3 seed in the playoffs and make sure they get their 100% healthy. I still think they are the best team in the West, but wouldnt be surprised if they got beat by a handful of teams. The West is ridiculously deep, and itll be a very entertaining race. Their reputation alone gets them the nod over the others

New Orleans Hornets - Im putting them in here over Phoenix because I dont think you will win a championship without defense, and despite some peoples claims to the contrary, Phoenix is still a dreadful defensive team. NO is one of the best. Chris Paul is playing better than any PG in the NBA and in my opinion is the MVP through the first 50 games or so. David West is another first time All Star(although alot of that has to do with team success, AL Jefferson is clearly better at this point) Peja needs to stay healthy or else this team falls apart. He is still arguable the best shooter in the league, and with CP's ability to get in the paint and create, thats alot of open shots for him. I think this is the most complete team in the West, moreso than the Spurs, but their inexperience could easily be a factor in being eliminated.

Cleveland Cavaliers - The only reason I have them over some of the other West teams is because the East will be much easier to get through than the West. If they have to play Boston and Detroit in 7 games series, they will probably lose. If they can get to the Finals, anything could happen. They have been playing very good basketball, and since getting Sideshow Bob back have regained their defensive edge they had earlier in the season. They still need another PG to take the next step, and if they dont get one I would probably have to knock them down a knotch or two. Also I dont trust their coach either.

Los Angeles Lakers - This team has a ton of potential, as well as the best 7 foot tandem in the NBA. Unfortunately after Bynum returns they will only have about a month to get him back in game shape and meshing with Pau Gasol in the frontcourt. Also Im not sure how Odom will adjust to being a SF, although Im sure it wont be too much of a problem. This team is loaded with talent now, and it will be up to Kobe to play facilitator and leader, which I think he has become now. Derek Fisher is a great role player to have in a playoff run, Farmar is a very good young PG, and overall they have the starting talent and depth to hang with anyone. If the chemistry is good between everyone when Bynum is back, then I think they become the favorites.

Phoenix Suns - Ive already mentioned a few times I dont think they will win because of their defense. I understand how close they were last season, and again it wouldnt surprise me if they won it all due to how open this year is, but I dont see them getting past three very tough teams to get to the Finals. Big guys eat them alive, and now there are just too many in the West to hang with. I think getting rid of Kurt Thomas was a big mistake, he was a big factor in that SA series last season with his defense on Duncan. Grant Hill is playing his best ball in a decade, but they need big defensive help, and I think that ends up costing them in June.

Denver, Dallas, and Utah all have a good chance come May too if they can hang in the race. Right now Houston is 28-20 and out of the playoffs. By contrast New Jersey is 20-27 and in the playoffs. Thats how ridiculous the conferences have gotten

Additional Note: JKidd moving to Cleveland, Denver, Dallas, etc. will also swing these rankings.

Interested to hear what Baku, Vince, and others following the league this year think of the race to the championship this season.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

I love the way New Orleans has been playing this season, but I don't see them keeping it up. Most likely they will make the playoffs, but I see them as a bottom 3 seed.

Alot of people seem to think that. Anyone could realistically fall out of the race there. Theres going to be at least 2 or 3 very good teams missing out in the West. I think they are legit, but could be a year or two away still.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

You watch the NBA??????

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

In no order....

Phoenix Suns: Maybe it's because they've had great regular seasons before, and are just coasting for the playoffs, but they've had more than their share of games where they weren't mentally ready, and ended up losing. Saying that, they are still having a very good season, but come playoff time, you have to wonder if they will end up missing a big man Kurt Thomas. There are rumors circulating on the Internet (from the Miami Herald) that the Suns may trade Shawn Marion for Shaquille O'Neal, but I can't believe Steve Kerr is that stupid to trade for a broken down player like Shaq who doesn't fit their style of play. Steve Nash is having his usual stellar season, but I don't think they play enough defense in the post so we'll see if they can simply outscore teams in the playoffs.

GS Warriors: This is an extremely dangerous team, capable of winning on the road in the playoffs....The reason for this is that they shoot lights out at times, no matter the arena they are playing in. They just signed Chris Webber, but I'm really struggling to see how a relatively immobile big man like him can fit into that offense. Still, looking at the flip side, you can never have enough big guys on a roster so maybe he will have a role come playoff time. Baron Davis is having a monster season - to this point, he's stayed on the court, and this is a guy who can take over a game when he's on. This team does get easily distracted with refs though, and that's something I notice game to game, and they often let teams back into games because they can go cold at times with their 3 point shooting. Still, not a fun team to play in the playoffs because they won't stop running. A team like Utah, with a dominating low post player like Boozer does cause problems for GS as they have nobody to defend.

Cleveland Cavs: I just can't picture this team getting back to the Finals, even in the Eastern Conference. LeBron James is having an amazing season. He is unstoppable, and he's a great finisher. Saying that, the rest of that team just doesn't pass the smell test. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is probably their most consistent scorer outside James, and Drew Gooden is a hit or miss player depending on the game. Larry Hughes doesn't fit on this team, and he makes a ton of money. It will be interesting to see if Cleveland is able to make a trade for a point guard, and they have often been linked to Mike Bibby. As they are currently constituted, James will keep them competitive, and he'll probably win a couple of tight games just because he's out there, but I just don't trust the rest of this team to make enough plays to get through Boston.

I will have more later.....Consider this a series of thoughts.

I too would like to articulate a more thorough response, but as of right now I'm picking

Spurs over Celtics in the Finals in 7

Celtics over the Cavs in the East Finals
Spurs over Nuggets in the West Finals

My dark horses:
Warriors- if they can somehow avoid Spurs or Jazz
Nuggets- really think this team can be dangerous
Rockets

Top 4? Good luck. I would love to see them finish top 4, since it would be nice to have a new team finish top 4, but I don't think their that good yet.

In no special order these are the teams I see finishing in the top 4 in the west: Suns, Spurs, Mavs, Jazz.