The NBA is a league where upsets are nearly non-existent and the difference between the elite teams and the rest is huge, and that works just fine for it. While the NFL may thrive on parity, the NBA wants to have a group of teams that dominate and provide major star power.
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are the best examples of it historically, but the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns have also joined that elite group during the past 10 years or so.
That gap of talent also allows for teams to be historically bad, and teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and New Jersey Nets are somehow allowed to exist.
Without further ado, here are my rankings:
1) L.A Lakers (32-9, 1st in West): If Kobe Bryant somehow wasn't enough of a headache for opposing teams, the Lakers dare to have All-Stars like Ron Artest and Lamar Odom, a young inside presence like Andrew Bynum, and a clutch veteran like Pau Gasol. The defending NBA champions show no sign of wanting to let go of their title and look primed for a repeat. What makes them even scarier is that the role players around Kobe haven't fully meshed together yet.
2) Cleveland Cavaliers (32-11, 1st in East): Bill Simmons had a great column on ESPN.com on Thursday about how LeBron James commands a room and seems to have that "it" factor that makes fans and teammates alike fawn over him. James makes his teammates better, and that is something that other stars like Dwayne Wade and Dwight Howard can't say this season.
3) Dallas Mavericks (28-14, 2nd in West): This is a team in the truest sense of the word. They have a proven star in Dirk Nowitzki, who is averaging 25.5 points and almost 8 rebounds per game, but beyond him no starter averages more than 15 points, and sixth man Jason Terry wreaks havoc coming in off the bench and averaging 16.5 points a contest.
4)Atlanta Hawks (28-14, 4th in the East): I am choosing them over Boston because I think they are primed for a big run in the playoffs and will end up as one of the top three seeds in the conference. They seem to be the eastern version of the Mavericks, with a veteran point guard in Mike Bibby that let's everyone be involved and a scoring threat in Joe Johnson, who is averaging 21 ppg but could go off for 35 any given night. Add monster rebounders Al Horford and Josh Smith to the mix, both of whom average almost 10 rebounds a game, and this team could match up against almost anybody.
5)Charlotte Bobcats (21-19, 5th in the East): That's right, the Bobcats. Didn't see that coming, did ya? The team coached by Larry Brown has won nine of its last 10 games and is 18-13 since Stephen Jackson arrived. Jackson has been Charlotte's catalyst on offense and was unstoppable on Wednesday night's 39-point beatdown against the Miami Heat at home.
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