Which team is truly the best in the NBA?

[MaineDolFan]

The NBA All-Star break is coming soon, we're closing the half way point on the NBA season.  If the season were to end right now, who would the top gun in the league be?  Why?

Vote and dicuss!

[Sunstroke]

Assuming all are healthy... I'm going with Miami. Especially if Mike Miller continues playing like he played last game...or anything near that level.

Big 3 + healthy and productive Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers = best team in the NBA.

[Dave Gray]

I picked the Celtics.  The Celtics have dealt with some injuries, sure, but nothing that's long-haul debilitating.  I'm glad to see Miller back and playing well, but I think this is really about Haslem and what he brings to the boards.  Without him, I think that the Heat may fall just short in a series against the Celtics.

[MaineDolFan]

I still say Boston, but the Spurs are right up there.

[Tenshot13]

Insulting you have the Knicks on the poll but not the Magic.

[Sunstroke]

^^^ Good call...

Maybe they were left off the poll for the same reason they were left off your signature?

[EDGECRUSHER]

Boston.

The Heat have more talent, but it really takes at least a year for a team to gel together. Their record is just indicative of how many great players are on their team, led by Dwyane Wade.

[Tenshot13]

^^^ Good call...

Maybe they were left off the poll for the same reason they were left off your signature?

Zing!  I had to choose between the Magic and the Lighting otherwise my sig was too big.

[JVides]

The Spurs are 3 games better in the loss column in a tougher conference, so they get my vote.  Also, I'm a Spurs fan.  Really, though, Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, Heat and even Chicago and Orlando all belong in the conversation.

[Jim Gray]

I went with the Celtics, even though I hope the Heat will come out of the East.

The Celtics just seem tougher to me. 

[Sunstroke]

I'd pay money out of my pockets to NOT see Boston or LA make another NBA Finals any time soon.

Seriously...

Chicago looks scary to me... I think they may have the right mix to challenge in the East this season.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Is the Western Conference tougher? Historically it has been, but the East has really stepped it up this year. It would look even better if the Knicks didn't decide to forget how to shoot for 8 games.

If the Knicks get Anthony at the trade deadline, it may tip the scales in their favor because that would also remove the Nuggets.

[JVides]

I think the East might be "top-heavier" in that the elite NBA teams from the east, which you could argue are Boston, Miami, Orlando, and Chicago, number more than the elite Western Conference teams, which I would limit to San Antonio and Los Angeles (Dallas, if they can overcome the loss of Caron Butler).  However, The West also has a bunch of really solid teams in New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Utah, and Denver (and I put Dallas here too), as well as a few pretty decent-to-solid teams that would have much better records if they didn't have to play in the Western Conference (like Houston, Portland, Phoenix, Memphis).  Finally, the West only has 4 teams that would qualify as doormats (Minnesota, the Clippers, Sacramento, and Golden State), and I'm not even sure that the Clips belong in that category despite their record.

By contrast, the East has Atlanta and New York in the "really solid teams" department (and really, that's arguable, because in the West both of these teams would be getting their asses beat regularly).  Decent-to-solid teams might be limited to Milwaukee when Michael Redd gets back.  Then you have doormats, which number 8 (Philly, Toronto, New Jersey, Indiana, Detroit, Cleveland, Charlotte, Washington).

So I scrore 'em:

Elite teams: West 2, East 4
Very solid teams: West 5, East 2
Decent teams: West 4, East 1
Doormat teams: West 4, East 8

[EDGECRUSHER]

Good analysis. The bottom of the East is just the worst. Import the Buckeyes from college and they can probably play better.

[Sunstroke]

I think the East might be "top-heavier" in that the elite NBA teams from the east, which you could argue are Boston, Miami, Orlando, and Chicago, number more than the elite Western Conference teams, which I would limit to San Antonio and Los Angeles (Dallas, if they can overcome the loss of Caron Butler).  However, The West also has a bunch of really solid teams in New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Utah, and Denver (and I put Dallas here too), as well as a few pretty decent-to-solid teams that would have much better records if they didn't have to play in the Western Conference (like Houston, Portland, Phoenix, Memphis).  Finally, the West only has 3 teams that would qualify as doormats (Minnesota, the Clippers, Sacramento, and Golden State), and I'm not even sure that the Clips belong in that category despite their record.

By contrast, the East has Atlanta and New York in the "really solid teams" department (and really, that's arguable, because in the West both of these teams would be getting their asses beat regularly).  Decent-to-solid teams might be limited to Milwaukee when Michael Redd gets back.  Then you have doormats, which number 8 (Philly, Toronto, New Jersey, Indiana, Detroit, Cleveland, Charlotte, Washington).

So I scrore 'em:

Elite teams: West 2, East 4
Very solid teams: West 5, East 2
Decent teams: West 4, East 1
Doormat teams: West 4, East 8

Hard to argue with most of this... Just a few thoughts:

I'd put Dallas in the elite class out West, equal to Chicago in the East, and think that the loss of Caron the rest of the season isn't that huge of a deal. The loss of Dirk for several weeks was what slammed the brakes on their winning streak and put the muffler on their elite exhaust. If Dirk's healthy, Dallas is elite.

I think Phoenix should be somewhere halfway between decent and doormat, and if I had to put them in one pile or the other, I'd go with doormat. The only two quality players on the roster are Steve Nash and Grant Hill, and both qualify as "old dogs" at this point.

Not sure about Michael Redd delivering much for the Bucks when he gets back from the knee injury...I think all those injuries have just taken too much of a toll. I think what will help the Bucks more than Redd is the return of Carlos Delfino last week (he's been ramping back up in production the past few games), and the expected return of Brandon Jennings sometime next week.