1. *Miami (40-14)—The combo of Shaq and Dwayne Wade has proven to work well. The Heat have simply dominated Eastern competition, going 27-4. But that brings up the mediocre 13-10 record against Western teams. Shaq is still the most dominant big man when healthy, and Miami will be a force come playoff time.
2. *Detroit (32-19)—After getting off to a slow start, combined with the ugly brawl at the Palace Hills, Detroit is still playing their trademark defense and getting solid offensive output from Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. But I’m still wondering; where’s Darko?
3. *Boston (27-26)—Because Boston is atop the dismal Atlantic Conference, even though barely being over .500, they are given the number three seed. Paul Pierce is doing his best to carry the team, because he’s not getting much support from Gary Payton or Ricky Davis. They’ll need a lot of that Boston luck to make it far in the postseason, if at all.
4. Cleveland (30-21)—LeBron James is the real deal. Big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas complements James well, and Drew Gooden has filled departed Carlos Boozer’s role nicely. The greats always step it up come playoff time, and LeBron will have his chance.
5. Washington (30-22)—Gilbert Arenas has upped his game in leading the Wizards. Antawn Jamison has also played well since signing with the Wizards in the summer. It will be interesting to see how the Wizards play out the rest of their season, maybe positioning themselves into the sixth seed instead.
6. Orlando (28-24)—Even though Stevie Franchise was snubbed for an All-Star birth, his game has been good. Grant Hill would be a shoe-in for comeback player of the year if such an award existed. Hill is finally healthy after three years, and is showing flashes of why he used to be billed as the next Jordan. With the sixth seed, Orlando currently has the good fortune of playing whatever team prevails in the weak Atlantic Conference.
7. Chicago (26-23)—The Baby Bulls are definitely the surprise team of the year. Kirk Hinrich seems to be the unofficial leader of the team. Rookies Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Chris Duhon are all contributing nicely.
8. Philadelphia (26-27)—Allen Iverson, fresh off his All-Star MVP, is doing his best to keep his team with a playoff spot. The 76ers need to get sharpshooter Kyle Korver more touches, though. Injuries have seemed to hamper rising big man Samuel Dalambert.
9. Indiana (25-26)—It’s sad that the reigning regular season Eastern Conference champions wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs if they started today. I guess that the horrible incident in Detroit took its toll. Without Ron Artest, the Pacers aren’t the same team. Reggie Miller won’t retire without a fight, though.
10. New Jersey (23-20)—The acquisition of Vince Carter has definitely given life to a team that was ripped apart in the off-season. The trade for Cliff Robinson helps fill the Nets’ need for a big man.
11. Milwaukee (20-30)—The biggest news about this team is the status of Michael Redd.
12. Toronto (21-32)—First year coach Sam Mitchell’s tough approach hasn’t worked well with the team, including Rafer Alston. Maybe “Skip to my Lou” should go join the “And 1” tour instead.
13. New York (21-33)—The Knicks need major help. Stephon Marbury and Jamaal Crawford form a nice duo, but Isaiah Thomas needs to find some more talent.
14. Charlotte (11-39)—The Bobcats can take pride in not having the worst record, even though they’re an expansion team. Emeka Okafor is the front runner for Rookie of the Year, too.
15. Atlanta (10-41)—Why Antoine Walker would want to stay here boggles my mind. The Hawks should just try to alley-oop to Josh Smith every possession.
