Mavs Set NBA Record

There's no question the best conference in the NBA is the Western Conference. And chances are nine of anyone's top ten teams will hail from the other side of the Mississippi. With the possibly exception of the Detroit Pistons, I would be completely shocked if an Eastern Conference team took home the title.

With that said there's been a great deal of debate about who the Best team in the Western Conference, and therefore the NBA, is. I've seen people arguing about how this team or that team is better than their record suggests. Or how they'll #### up the heat in the playoffs. Or how their winning streak is the deffinition of greatness.

Specifically, I've heard about how the Phoenix Suns are going to be the NBA champions after this season is over. I've heard about how their "historic" winning streak is a message to the rest of the NBA. I've seen people outright pick the Suns over the Mavs in the playoffs. But after this how can you really believe that?

I know some will be cute and will say, "they beat the Hawks. The Hawks suck, this is meaningless." What about the 19 other teams they've beaten on their home court? Or all the other teams they've been in their 12-game winning streaks? The Suns have been included in one of those streaks. The Mavericks have also beaten every team that they could face in the playoffs. That's something the Suns can't claim.

Personally, I can't wait for the Western Conference playoffs. There are some great teams out there. The Spurs are heating up, Rockets are battling, Suns are awesome, Jazz, Nuggests, Clippers, and Lakers are all making some noise.

But it's undeniable the Dallas Mavericks are the best team in the Western Conference and the Best team in the NBA. No one can challenge them and I'm fully confident they will beat any of those teams in the playoffs and beat their opponent from the East to finally capture the trophy.

Now we've got three game sevens to look forward to. One is tonight between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. The next two are on Monday night in Pheonix and San Antonio respectively.

The Cavs shocked everybody when they actually won not one but two games. The biggest surprise was when they stole a game in Detroit and went up by one game on the team many NBA "experts" had stated would win the title easily and were "quite frankly" bored with the game.

Then LeBron James came alive and the kid some say is the next Michael Jordan (haven't heard that before) lead his team to a three game win streak. Of course, the Pistons won game 6 in Cleveland but they were certainly on the ropes.

Next, we've got the Clippers and the Suns. This series has gone back and forth. Neither team has won back to back games and it will be interesting to see who steps up on Monday. The Clippers have a serious shot at defeating the Suns but Pheonix's firepower could be too much. I think the Clips are the most likely underdog to pull off the upset. How amazing would a Mavs-Clips Western Conference finals be? I mean just over five years ago neither of these teams were near the top of the heap. Now, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to see them in the next round.

Finally, the Mavs-Spurs. I think this will be the most competitve of the three game 7's, based solely on the way this series has played out. The Mavs stole a game in San Antonio by blowing out the Spurs in Game 2 but that was clearly a fluke. Now, they'll have to prove they have the ability to bounce back from two striaght loses and win on the road. The Spurs are clutch, especially in elimination games, and have the killer instinct that experience provides.

I think that's what the Mavs lack and what will ultimately cost them this series. They've had their chance to knock the Spurs off but just couldn't push them over the edge. If they lose Monday it'll be a bitter pill to #### and may help them develop that instinct for next year. However, a win on Monday would help more and this series will make them better for the next round.

I haven't broken down the numbers but statistically one of these road teams has to win right? I mean I read that something like only 18% of road teams have won game 7's. So that's less than a quarter of the time. We've already had one other seven game series (Pheonix-Lakers) so there's one. We've got three more so the numbers are looking a little better. It's still tough for a road team to win an elimination game but I think the Clippers and Mavericks, especially, have a fair shot at winning their games. I wouldn't put it past the King and a returning Hughes to win in Detoit, either, but I think that's the least likely victory.

Clippers win, Spurs win, Pistons win.

In the spirit of labeling teams I've decided to hand out some awards/titles for the teams in the early part of the NBA season. While we've got plenty more basketball before all the good teams reveal themselves and the flops rear their ugly heads, I think the beginning of the season has been fairly interesting.

Surprise Team of the Year:
Los Angeles Clippers
If you thought the Clippers would lead the Pacific Division please raise your hand. If you're raising your hand use it to slap yourself now because you're a liar! Granted a few die-hard Clips fans really thought "this is the year" but haven't they been thinking that ever year for the last, well forever! Everyone thought Sam Cassell was being traded to the Clippers to continue to smoulder in defeat and then quietly move from team to team until retirement. Suddenly, the Clippers are the elite team in LA and the Clippers are looking, if not good, at least not so bad.
In the running: New Jersy Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves

Biggest Bust Team of the Year:
New York Knicks
I had trouble with this one. The Kings were supposed to be at least as good as they were last year and still one of the best teams in the West (they're not). Then I almost selected Indiana because they finally get themselves into some real championship talk and then one player goes and ruins their chances (apparently). This seems to be a pattern and I think they'll be better without Artest. But I think the Knicks take the cake. The Knicks, while not supposed to be the second coming of the Bulls or anything, were supposed to be one of the better teams of the season. Maybe, we were giving Larry Brown too much credit (the Pistons are doing better without him) or maybe the Knicks just aren't as talented as they appear on paper. At any rate I expected a lot more from the new New York Knicks.
In the running: Sacremento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets

In Your Face Experts! Team of the Year:
Pheonix Suns
When Amare Stoudemire went down the league's leading mouths preached doom and gloom for the Suns. Even those that felt the Suns had a chance said they would struggle to stay at .500. They said the Suns would have to hope they could remain either at .500 or just below it when Amare got back. Well, I belive the Suns are above .500 now. I also believe they're playing some pretty good ball with out they're most dynamic player. The Suns have proven while they're not terribly deep they're certainly deeper than one player.
In the running: Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers

We're Gonna Crash! Team of the Year:
Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers
They do every year. They start strong with AI leading the charge. Then he gets hurt and the team plummets. Why? Because they're so used to Iverson controling the ball when he's not there their chemistry is so off they can't rebound (figuratively speaking). They struggle scoring and somehow there's a mental block whenever Iverson isn't in the game. This isn't a knock on Iverson, he actually has quite a few assists in addition to his points (though I still think he tries to create too much for himself). Just like always this team will wear out and may slip out of the playoff hunt.
In the running: Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Seattle Sonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, NOklahoma City Hornets

Championship Team of the Year:
Dallas Mavericks
Mainly because I'm a Mavs fan. But beyond that the Mavericks have actually developed a fairly stingy defense. They've beaten the best of the East (Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers) and have the second best record in the league. They were winning convincingly without Jerry Stackhouse. While he's not neccessarily a differnece maker he adds even more depth to the Mavs bench which is oh so important come playoff time. The Mavs finally look like they may have the right combination of Offense and Defense. It would be a great all around series between the Pistons and Mavs as both teams have improved on their "weaknesses" and appear as solid all around teams.
In the running: San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat

So there you have it! My fake, completely biased yet strangely supported awards/titles what have you. Agree, disagree? Have a category I should have had or want to know why some of the "In the running" teams are there? Well, just leave a comment and I'll get back to ya.