10. Portland Trail Blazers (10): They don’t even need an actual center – if the Blazers could find a seven-footer who could run up and down the court for 30 minutes without getting hurt, that would be enough to help this team gain separation from New Orleans and Memphis.
9. Orlando Magic (8): Howard’s teammates are upset that he’s not getting enough recognition for the MVP award, but unless the Magic can go undefeated the rest of the way while Howard puts up 25 and 15, he’s out of luck.
8. Boston Celtics (7): Six minutes into Shaq’s return, he went down again – this time with a strained calf muscle. Something tells me that Boston is starting to get very worried if they haven’t been already.
7. Denver Nuggets (9): Kenyon Martin’s game-saving tip in against the Lakers not only propelled the Nuggets to a huge win over the defending champs, but it extended their string of victories to six, and the Nuggets continue to win sans Melo. Anyone surprised? I sure am.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGO3RGXSyOI
6. Dallas Mavericks (3): Did the Mavs’ loss to the Lakers provoke a late-season collapse? Since their 106-100 victory over the Clippers last Wednesday, the Mavs are 0-3 and are averaging only 90 PPG in that stretch. Something tells me that Dallas isn’t as dominant as most people thought.
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