http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailyd...ge=dime-080107
***disclaimer: i don't know if its been posted already, but here it goes***
Here's a ranking of the 10 teams that just might have the best shot at bringing home an NBA le this year ...
1. Boston Celtics -- Having shown on Saturday they can hang with the Pistons at the Palace, the prospect of hoisting flag No. 17 to the rafters now seems that much less far-fetched. Let's see how they look when they take on the championship team prototype, the San Antonio Spurs, first on Feb. 10 at home, then March 17 in San Antonio. Watch for those battles to come down to how the role players for both teams step up. Which could be exactly what we're talking about in June.
2. San Antonio -- Picking against these champs is like picking against gravity -- just not too sensible. But consider that the Spurs must come out of the West, where their tenuous hold on the No. 1 seed is currently under challenge by six teams that are all within three games of first place. What a battle! Maybe gravity's player efficiency rating is falling.
3. Detroit Pistons -- That 26-8 mark should project to the No. 2 seed in the East. With this lineup, they are primed for a le, and anything less has to be a disappointment. Winning it all would mean we'd no longer be stuck with images of Rasheed Wallace striking his familiar mouth open, palms forward stance of incredulity at officiating. For fun, maybe he could use that same expression when the champagne runs out.
4. Dallas Mavericks -- Confidence will keep building, as the memory of Oakland fiasco diminishes. The Mavs will be a tough out, no matter who comes along. The Spurs don't want a piece of these guys. The Mavs have even dispatched their Kryptonite, the Warriors, in both meetings this season.
5. Phoenix Suns -- While one can wring one's hands over Boris Diaw's steady sinking, this is still a formidable, motivated team. Steve Nash might be examined regularly for showing his age, since he turns 34 on Feb. 7. Seems like the Suns have at least three good seasons with the Nash, and three cracks at bringing that first le that Garfield Heard nearly brought Phoenix in 1976. Maybe this is the season.
6. Los Angeles Lakers -- Imagine Kobe Bryant changing his request from "trade me" to "parade me." A team that keeps maturing with Andrew Bynum can dare to dream. Still, a much longer shot than the five above this slot.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers -- These guys have already shown they can beat the No. 1 team on this list. Winning it all is the next step, and with LeBron James getting better and better, a team that can play defense like the Cavs has a chance. Imagine Larry Hughes at his best (instead of his injured worst in the playoffs) and that trouncing at the hands of the Spurs won't be the final word.
8. Utah Jazz -- Getting Kyle Korver should help. Still can't picture AK-47 riding the fire truck in SLC. If a le happened, it would be a tribute to Jerry Sloan getting his team to realize its full potential.
9. Denver Nuggets -- With their 21-12 record, they're on track for home-court advantage in at least one series. If there's any parades in Denver, expect the oft-injured Kenyon Martin (his field goal percentage is on track to improve for the eighth consecutive season) to have been a key part of the run.
10. Orlando Magic -- Dwight Howard seems to be on the Shaq path of le inevitability. Just hard to see that happening this season, with the the Magic running up against what should be a tough East semis and finals, only to come across a West team that is either the Spurs, or another team that is utterly ravenous at the prospect of a championship.
Andrew Ayres is an NBA editor for ESPN.com
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