For the very first time I will refrain from hyping my favorite team, The Los Angeles Lakers. This is not an attempt to generate hits on my blog, so for once I won't talk about KOBE.

I'm sure NASHTYBALL, RICKO, CRYMEARIVER, JESUS2, MAILMAN4, 14FALCONS,  BISHOP53, The_DAN, VEARLTHEPEARL, NACHOooO, QWIZ and all the rest of the LAKER HATER NATION are jumping for joy right now.

I could talk about Kobe's 43 pts against the Celtics and how the Lakers played team ball while winning by 13,  but what good will that do me?

So instead of talking about the elite, I break down the teams from both conferences who I believe will surprise us in the second half of the season. They may even knock out an elite squad or two once the playoffs begin...

1)  HOUSTON ROCKETS - Before Yao got hurt, he was a legitimate MVP candidate. Considering that Yao and T-Mac are hardly ever on the court together and that they have a 28-16 record, the Rockets are in perfect position to sneak up on a few teams and really become a threat. Their roster is built for defense, they have an excellent bench, they have size to match up with the elite, they have an experienced coaching staff, and we have yet to see how good they can really be with guys like Battier, Alston, Wells, Novak, and Greek PG Spanoulis surrounding Yao and T-Mac. Mutombo has been a pleasant surprise and Juwan Howard seems to have discovered the fountain of youth. Possible first round adversaries include San Antonio, Phoenix, and the Lakers.

2) DENVER NUGGETS - They are only five games behind Utah (3 in the loss column) for the division lead and are slowly starting to learn how to play with each other. Of course, a lot of it falls on George Karl's shoulders, whether or not Carmelo and Iverson can learn how to coexist, and the impact Kenyon Martin makes if he ever returns. But the talent is certainly there on paper. My hunch is that Denver overtakes Utah to win the division simply because the Nuggets have scoring punch in all positions. The Jazz will find out that unless they make a trade, they will continue to get torched by opposing teams' shooting guards and will struggle from here on out now that Boozer and Kirilenko aren't 100% healthy. They could wind up upsetting a team like San Antonio or Dallas in the first round

3) L.A. CLIPPERS - I am not counting them out  just yet, especially when you have Sam Cassell on your team. The Clippers are only 4.5 games behind the Lakers and if they manage to get an 8-seed in the playoffs they will have a good chance at knocking out a contender, be it Phoenix or Dallas. The nagging questions for the second half remain: Will Kaman prove he's worth the money? Do they keep Magette? Will Livingston finally work his way out of his funk? Is Tim Thomas just waiting for the playoffs before he starts shooting the lights out again? Why did they sign Doug Christie?

4) MIAMI HEAT - What needs to happen if they are going to make some noise in the postseason:  Shaq has to be in shape, D-Wade has to be healthy, Walker needs to be motivated, Posey needs to play defense, Zo needs to maintain the fire, Payton needs to be The Glove, J-Williams needs to know he won't be traded, Eddie Jones needs to be clutch, Riley needs to want to be there, and Haslem needs to be Haslem. The Heat could literally be an 8-seed and would be the favorites if all of the above is happening.

5) INDIANA PACERS - Larry Bird says Carlisle's job is safe. Larry Bird says he believes in Jermaine O'Neal. Larry Bird says the additions of Murphy and Dunleavy will improve their frontcourt defense and rebounding. If the Pacers can somehow muster some chemistry from this unpredictable unit, then maybe they could contend in the East. Right now O'Neal is underperforming but Larry Bird says he'll change all that come playoff time. I see Indiana matching up really well with Cleveland, Washington, Detroit, and every team in the Atlantic.