The Staff: Top 10 Teams in NBA

NBA Ultimate Resources
Top 10 Teams in NBA
by KFL Writer Min Lee

Just when the Phoenix Suns appeared to have squandered their chances at a long playoff run by trading away Shawn Marion, they got 34 strong minutes from Shaquille O'Neal en route to beating the second-place San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. O'Neal had 14 points and 16 rebounds but more importantly altered a lot of shots in the paint. It remains to be seen if Shaq can stay out of foul trouble and keep up with the high-powered offense of the Western Conference teams. There was another interesting development from the game on Sunday- near the end of the second quarter, Duncan was called for a foul on Shaq who ended up on the floor. When Duncan went over and reached out to help Shaq up, the "Superman" didn't take the hand and instead waited for his teammates to help him up. I believe that violated the Big Man Packing Code 2121...

Anyway many teams in the league are about to embark on a final soul-searching journey to prove their playoff eligibility so it seems like the right time to look at the top 10 teams in the NBA right now:

1. Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lost only for the second time in the last fifteen games as Sacramento Kings pulled off the one-point victory Sunday night. Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar, the centerpieces of the stellar Laker bench, have been inconsistent lately as has Luke Walton. Still, you have to like the Lakers' chances when they get Bynum and Ariza back. Oh, and Phil Jackson is coaching.

2. San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are the defending NBA champions, and they have the experience to do it again. Aside from Duncan and Ginobili, the Spurs don't score a whole lot but their defense makes it tough on anybody. Don't let the two-game losing streak throw you off.

3. Boston Celtics. What has been most impressive about the Celtics is not the output of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen but the defensive committment of the entire team. Rondo has come on strong as the starting point guard as well. The Celtics have yet to show, though, that they can consistently outperform the top-tier teams in the West.

4. Houston Rockets. Who would've thought? Yao-less Rockets win twenty games in a row, and they are winning BIG. T-Mac could do something special this year.

5. New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets have been up and down, but they can score as well as anybody in the league. When healthy, West and Stojakovic are nightmares for the defense. They also seem to match up well against the Suns.

6. Detroit Pistons. Yeah they've clinched a playoff spot, but they are struggling against mediocre teams (100-97 win over Sonics, 101-97 win over Knicks, 82-83 loss to 76ers).

7. Utah Jazz. The Jazz are almost unbeatable at home (28-3) and have Andrei Kirilenko back. They've beaten the Mavericks, Suns, and Nuggets in March.

8. Dalls Mavericks. After two straight losses to the Jazz and the Rockets, Mavs have beaten the last three opponents by an average of 24 points. They are really counting on Josh Howard to emerge as a dynamic scorer.

9. Phoenix Suns. Shaq provides the rebounding and defensive presence the Suns need, but what about his foul situation and free throws?

10. Orlando Magic. Turkoglu and Howard are having an astounding season and may end up going to the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Magic are still far from reaching the level of the top Western Conference teams. That's scary.