The 2009/10 NBA Season is shaping up to be one heck of a season.  With a quarter of the games through the net, the top teams are the League leading Atlantic Division Boston Celtics sitting at 18-4, Cleveland, in the Central Division is at 15-7, Orlando in the Southeast Division are sitting at 17-5, Denver in the Northwest Division are 16-7, the Lakers in the Pacific Division are 17-3 and the Mavericks are sitting pretty in the SW Division at 15-7. 

A handful of teams have yet to show if they are pretenders or contenders.  Teams that include the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets, the Portland Trailblazers, the Phoenix Suns, the Milwaukee Bucks and even the Atlanta Hawks.

Last season ended with the Lakers falling to the Eastern Conference’s Boston Celtics in six games.  The Celtic’s Paul Pierce averaged near 20 points a game had his own “Willis Reed Moment” when during game one, he landed awkwardly on top of Kendrick Perkins and was wheeled off the court in a wheelchair. Moments later, Pierce returned and knocked down two consecutive three-pointers to surge his Celtics to a 98-88 victory.

This season in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are leading with no less than six players averaging double figures scoring (Pierce, Wallace, Allen, Garnett, Rondo and Perkins).  In Cleveland, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal are getting along but is Shaq Daddy enough to put the Cavaliers over the top?  In the Southeast Division, the Atlanta Hawks are flying high with their own group of double digit scorers (Johnson, Crawford, Smith, Horford and Marvin Williams).

The Western conference has its own group of standout teams that will compete for the Western Conference Championship.  The Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol but making the team a force is the added double digit scoring of Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest.  Will the Artest experiment carry the Lakers over the top teams in the West?  Certainly Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks have something to say about that.  The Mavs disposed of the Lakers the day before Halloween 94-80 but the Lakers would get their revenge in early January as they demolished the Mavs 131-96, bringing the season series even. 

The Denver Nuggets are sitting in a great spot at #3 in the Western Conference.  Forward Carmelo Anthony leads the team in scoring averaging 30 points a game.  He also has four other double digit scorers helping him secure wins; Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith, Nene and Kenyon Martin have the Nuggets moving in the right direction.   One of the major obstacles for all three teams (Lakers, Mavs & Nuggets) are the San Antonio Spurs, the team that went through the most change of the top six teams.  While any team with future Hall of Fame player Tim Duncan has a legit shot at the title, the Spurs are incorporating seven new faces (Jefferson, Blair, McDyess, Bogans, Haislip, Ratliff and Hairston) into their complex defensive schemes and their flowing offense.   While the Spurs have their own double digit scorers (Duncan 19.9, Parker 16.5, Jefferson 12.8 and Ginobili 12.5) they also have a handful of players that are ready to break through (Hill 9.5, Bonner 8.4, Mason 8.0 and Blair-in 17 MPG, 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds).  Look for the Spurs to continue to jell through their upcoming Rodeo Road Trip and make a play for the Western Conference Title.

Finally the Portland Trailblazers are blazing a trail of victories led by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge who both average double figure points (23.4 & 15.8 respectfully) and are helped out by three other such scorers (Miller 12.4, Oden 11.1 and Martell Webster 10.4).  The Blazers have enough fire-power but as everyone in sports knows, defense wins championships and one without the other is almost like having neither.

Be sure to get out in your city and buy your tickets to see all the NBA Stars, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Superman” Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Shaquille O’Neal and all the others stars as they make a run for the title this year. 

The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 17, 2010 and will run through mid-to-late June with the NBA Finals. Be sure and catch back for updates on your favorite teams.

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