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NBA Western Conference

NBA Western Conference Playoffs: Tale Of The Tape

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The NBA playoffs get started on Saturday afternoon. To set the tone, TheSportsNotebook is running a Tale of the Tape of all 16 teams in the field. Or, to be more precise, we’re running a concise summation of each team’s tale of the tape, so you can read a summary of what they’re about and who they do it with, rather than wading through statistical data.

Something to note in regards to the terminology used here, is that when we refer to each team’s rankings on offense or defense, the reference is based on efficiency numbers. This adjusts raw point totals for the pace of play and provides a better reflection as to whether a team is really good on offense or defense, rather than the point totals, which are often just a reflection of whether they play fast or slow. On a similar note, rebounding rankings are based on a percentage of overall rebounds, not simply the totals.


Below is the rundown on the eight teams in the NBA Western Conference playoffs

(click here to read up on the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs)…

1)San Antonio Spurs (62-20): Tim Duncan continues to defy the law of aging, with a 15 points/10 rebounds per-game average, and Tony Parker led the Spurs in scoring with 17 ppg. Kawhi Leonard, the young small forward who made such a big impact on the 2013 NBA Finals with his scoring and rebounding, is the team’s third-best player. Manu Ginobili is long in the tooth, but still the best of what is a very deep supporting cast.

San Antonio is the best three-point shooting team in the NBA—after losing the championship in Game 6 of last year’s Finals due to consecutive late threes from LeBron James and Ray Allen, maybe the Spurs are bound and determined to see that it doesn’t happen again. They’re sixth in the league offensively, but the stat about this team you want to keep uppermost in mind is this—San Antonio is the fourth-best defensive team in the league. They aren’t seen in the same light as Indiana or Chicago, but they aren’t far behind them. And they’re well ahead of Miami.

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2)Oklahoma City Thunder (58-24): Kevin Durant looks all but certain to anointed as the league MVP, averaging 32 ppg and shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range. Durant carried the team when Russell Westbrook was out. The aggressive point guard is back, and averaged 22 points/6 rebounds/7 assists, as OkC ranks in the top seven of the NBA on both ends of the floor.

What separates the Thunder is that they are the best rebounding team in the NBA and that starts with Serge Ibaka, the underrated power forward who averaged a 15/8. Another role player to keep an eye is Thabo Sefolosha, the guard who can cause immense problems on the defensive end with his athleticism. Getting rebounds and making defensive plays will key transition and that’s what Oklahoma City will need to do if they advance as far as the conference finals, where most of the best teams excel more in in the halfcourt.

3)Los Angeles Clippers (57-25): Doc Rivers has orchestrated the most efficient offensive attack in the league, with Chris Paul and his NBA-best 11 assists per game leading the way. Blake Griffin has enjoyed a monster year, posting a 24/10, while Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick give the Clips quality perimeter scorers and good three-point shooting. Although we should note that while Redick is a great three-point shooter, the team as a whole is not very good. If anyone besides Redick shoots behind the arc, Clipper fans need to rise up in protest.

The most surprising stat about this team is that they rank 19th in the league in rebounding. How is that possible when you have Griffin, and then the league’s best individual rebounder in DeAndre Jordan, at 14 rebounds per game? The Clips do play at a fast pace, so perhaps this is a case of individual rebounding numbers being inflated by a raw number of chances. But it still seems a curious anomaly.

4)Houston Rockets (54-28): There’s no trouble rebounding in Houston, where Dwight Howard’s 12 boards a game lead up a tough board unit. Omer Asik and Terrence Jones both aggressively go to the glass and the Rockets are the NBA’s second-best rebounding team, their signature team strength coming into the playoffs.

The signature individual strength is James Harden, who averaged 25 ppg in another big year, and can take a game over at its key moments. Howard gives 18 a night from the low post, and small forward Chandler Parsons is a steady and quiet third-best player, with a 17/6/4 average across the board. Of all the teams in a mostly fast-paced Western bracket, Houston plays at the quickest pace of all.

5)Portland Trail Blazers (54-28): By the standards of contending teams in the league’s tougher conference, Portland’s defense isn’t very good, ranking in the middle of the league overall. They can score though, and Lamarcus Aldridge leads the way, averaging a 23/11. Aldridge is the star, but Nicolas Batum at small forward is a complete player, chipping in his points and rebounds, and also averaging five assists. Damian Lilliard, the second-year point guard that has looked great since his arrival in the league, knocks down 21 a night, is a terrific distributor and is also the team’s best three-point shooter.

Portland has other solid contributors in Wesley Matthews and Mo Williams in the backcourt, and Robin Lopez down low. But one reason the individual averages are so good, is that the bench is not very long. The Blazers are at a disadvantage in any endurance contest.

6)Golden State Warriors (51-31): The Warriors seem to be coming undone at exactly the wrong team. The reports of a rift between head coach Mark Jackson and ownership grow more public by the day. Now center Andrew Bogut has a fractured rib and is in danger of missing the entire playoffs—or at least the first round, which the way things are going, amount to one and the same thing. Bogut’s presence in the middle was a big reason the Warriors played the third-best defense in the NBA this season and the best of any of the Western Conference playoff teams.

We know Golden State can dominate in the backcourt, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson being prolific scorers, who can beat you off the dribble and absolutely destroy you behind the arc. David Lee averages 18/9 at the power forward spot and gives an inside presence. There is no obvious weakness on this team. But the key injury and the bad mojo doesn’t inspire confidence going in.

7)Memphis Grizzlies (50-32): Memphis is coming on strong to get into the playoffs, and they’ve got their potent low post duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph functioning in tandem right now. Collectively, the two average 32 points/17 rebounds a night. Mike Conley is an able floor leader, and the Grizzlies are a solid team at both defense and going to the glass.

The area they provide the most intrigue though is going to be the pace of play. Memphis plays at the slowest of pace of anyone—not just in the playoffs, but of all 30 NBA teams. The six teams above them are all among the ten fastest in the league. If I’m an underdog—which Memphis is—I like that. It provides a way for me to present contrast and hopefully force a favorite to have to do something they’re uncomfortable with.

8)Dallas Mavericks (49-33): The combination of Monta Ellis pouring it in from the backcourt and Dirk Nowitzki looking young again, and averaging 22 a night, made the Mavs the second-best offensive team in the NBA and that’s the reason they are in the playoffs. This team does not defend well and they don’t rebound well. They need better defense on the perimeter from Jose Calderon and Devin Harris, and a role player like Samuel Dalembert down low, has to have some big rebounding games. Otherwise, we just shake the hand of Mark Cuban, compliment him for dragging this team into the playoffs in the rugged West and then wait for them to say a quick goodbye. 

NBA Western Conference Update

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The NBA Western Conference has been the stronger of the league’s two sides for several years. This year, it’s stepped up to a new level. We documented last week how the East was headed for a historically awful season. The only possible corollary to that is just how good the West is, as even a cursory glance at the standings demonstrates.

Three teams are playing .800 basketball or better. That includes the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the West’s last two champions and it also includes the surprising Portland Trail Blazers who are 22-5.


Two men who made their reputations with the Boston Celtics are coaching the teams in the 4-5 spots. Doc Rivers seems to have the Los Angeles Clippers rolling with an 18-9 record, while Kevin McHale and the Houston Rockets are just a half-game behind.

The top five teams in the West look, at least for now, to be separate from the rest of the conference. Golden State is a mild disappointment, just outside the playoff picture at 14-12, although that’s close enough to change by the end of the week. Memphis is really struggling with center Marc Gasol out with a sprained MCL until at least mid-January.

The Grizzlies, who made the conference finals in 2013, are 10-15. In the East, that might be enough to get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. In the West it leaves you temporarily irrelevant and with some serious work ahead.

Dallas, Phoenix and Denver currently hold the 6 thru 8 spots. Both the Mavericks and Suns can be considered pleasant surprises. The Nuggets were probably hoping for a little better, with Javale McGee and Danilio Gallianari both out indefinitely, things aren’t going to get easier for Denver’s first-year coach Brian Shaw.

Only two teams are really hopeless in the West, and that’s Sacramento and Utah, neither qualifying as a huge shock. Minnesota and New Orleans are both hanging in, lurking around the .500 mark and in the playoff conversation. The Los Angeles Lakers are in the same spot ,but got hit with bad news on today’s report that Kobe Bryant will miss six weeks with a knee injury.

The Lakers have hung in mostly without Kobe, but what is the psychology of the team right now? Before, players were battling knowing that help was on the way in the form of the Black Mamba. Now they might be wondering if that help will ever come.

NBA Western Conference: Four Teams On The Playoff Fringe

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The NBA Western Conference has produced the best low-seeded playoff teams in recent years, with quality competition showing up in the 7-8 spots. Today, TheSportsNotebook is going to take a look at four contenders for those spots in Dallas, Utah, Minnesota and Houston.

If you look at the standings you could also include Denver, but I think the Nuggets are going to move further up. You could also make a case for Portland, though I think the Blazers are going to move further down. You could further make a case for the Lakers, but we covered them already in the run-up-to Christmas Day team look-ins that have been going on here over the past several weeks. And ultimately it’s just hard to jam more than four teams into a column. So without further adieu, let’s take a brief look at the Mavs, Jazz, Rockets and Timberwolves.

Dallas (12-13): The 2011 champs are in the midst of a tough schedule stretch, with a Tuesday night win over Philadelphia ending a three-game losing skid on the road. It doesn’t get easier with a game against Miami on Thursday (9:30 PM ET, TNT), then road trips to Memphis, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. But the worst of the schedule will be over by December 27, and by then its possible Dirk Nowitzki will be back on the floor.

In Dirk’s absence, Dallas has relied on a deep backcourt that’s led by O.J. Mayo. The free-agent acquisition from Memphis has taken advantage of his opportunity to be the main man, and is averaging 20 ppg, while hitting 48 percent from the floor and 51 percent from three-point range. Darren Collision, brought in from Indiana, is a quality passer. There’s veteran leadership with Derek Fisher and veteran…well, veteran presence anyway in Vince Carter.

Where Dallas is issues is underneath, with Shawn Marion, Elton Brandon and Chris Kaman all on the high side of 30 and the Mavs rank 29th in the league in rebounding. Nowitzki will help that, but he’s still more of a perimeter big man. For Dallas to get into the playoffs is either going to require Dirk to put them on his back for significant stretches this season for a trade for some fresh legs underneath.

Utah (14-12): Utah’s got the inside strength that Dallas lacks, in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. The duo carried them into the final playoff spot a year ago, and they’ combine for 32 points/18 rebounds a night. Derrick Favors provides quality rebounding help off the bench.

The Jazz have further upgraded the backcourt by bringing in veterans Mo Williams and Randy Foye, who have provided a significant upgrade over last year’s point guard Devin Harris, as much as that pains me to say given Harris’ pedigree at the University of Wisconsin, this writer’s favorite college team. Williams is running the offense well and Foye is knocking 42 percent from behind the arc. Then you have the continued growth of Gordon Hayward, who averages 13 ppg and as a 6’8” two-guard, he’s not an easy player to match up with defensively.

Utah got a nice win in Brooklyn on Tuesday and now the road trip moves on to Indiana, Miami and Orlando. If they just pick up one more win, that’s a nice survival display on the road and I like their chances to be back in the playoffs. And if they played a non-Miami favorite from the East, I think the Jazz would be a threat to win a first-round series. In the West, life is a little less fair and they need to climb to at least #6 to have a shot at advancing.

Houston (12-12): Kevin McHale’s team is on a nice little run right now, beating the Celtics at home last week and then going into Madison Square Garden and beating the Knicks on what had to be a sweet homecoming for Jeremy Lin, who scored 22 points. Lin was the first of the two waves the Rockets made in free agency/trades, with the next being more of a tidal wave when they swung the deal to get James Harden from Oklahoma City.

Harden is averaging 25 ppg, and he’s still only 23-years-old. Lin is just a year older, so this is a young backcourt where the guards complement each other well , already drive the fastest pace in the NBA, and have plenty of time and space to grow. We can add in 26-year-old center Omar Asik, who’s averaging 10 points/11 rebounds and 23-year-old power forward Marcus Morris, who’s only averaging 8 ppg, but is showing a nice touch on the jumper, including from trey range. Chandler Parsons is the main three-point shooter—aside from Harden and is having a nice year at 15 ppg. But for the long haul, Houston would probably be better suited to have Parsons in a role situation, rather than starting at small forward.

Houston’s future is bright and fans can get a look at their present on Christmas night when they visit Chicago (8 PM ET, ESPN), an ideal spot to relax and enjoy a little hoops after a big holiday meal.

Minnesota (12-11): There’s discontent coming from the Twin Cities, where Kevin Love seems unhappy. It’s hard to defend Love, who just signed a lucrative long-term deal, and it’s also hard to blame him, as he seems destined to follow in Kevin Garnett’s shoes as a top player whose career gets buried on bad teams. But Love also creates some of his problems—while his numbers, at 19/14 per game, are impeccable, it’s inexcusable for a player who only hits one of every five three-point shots, to be chucking five a game. That’s what my rec league basketball team does on Wednesday nights, and with the same level of success.

What Love does well is rebound, and so does Andrei Kirilenko, making the Timberwolves the best in the NBA at crashing the glass. If you can do that consistently, you can contend for a playoff spot over the long dog days of January and February. What Minnesota needs is for the backcourt to get and stay healthy. Ricky Rubio is back after the knee surgery that derailed what looked to be a playoff run a year ago. Brandon Roy is trying to get his career back and going and he’s started practicing again after November knee surgery of his own.

If Rubio and Roy are healthy, and Love quits jacking up threes, Minnesota can make the playoffs. Even if just Rubio stays healthy, the T-Wolves can stay competitive and be fun to watch.

Surprises In The NBA West: Denver Nuggets & Utah Jazz

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Quick now, who’s the top challenger to Oklahoma City in the NBA’s Western Conference right now? It’s not San Antonio or the LA Lakers, who would be on the road for first-round playoff series if the season ended today. It’s not last year’s champion Dallas. It isn’t even this year’s media teddy bear, the LA Clippers. No, it’s the Denver Nuggets who are riding high with a 14-7 record and sitting at #2 in the West coming into today. Today TheSportsNotebook takes a closer look at the Nuggets, as well as another surprise team in the same part of the country, the Utah Jazz.

Denver (14-7, #2): The Nuggets are the best in the NBA when it comes to offensive efficiency (which basically points scored, tweaked for tempo), and they have a lot of players willing to let fly from three-point range. Forwards Danilio Gallinari and Al Harrington each step out to shoot the trey. But while both are good players overall, solid scorers and respectable rebounders, neither one is over 35 percent from trey-land. What this suggests is to me is that maybe reining them in could make the most efficient offense in the league even efficienter(yeah, I know that’s not a word, I just like the sound of it). At center is Nene Hilario, who does a solid job occupying the low post, although I’m not sure when he added a last name to his repertoire. He’d been just “Nene” for years and then I look him up on ESPN.com and I see Hilario there.

Denver’s deep at point guard, with both Ty Lawson and Andre Miller doing a solid job running the offense. Each is a double-digit scorer and each knows how to distribute. In today’s college feature on the West Coast Conference I joked that Gonzaga should acquire a veteran point guard to help their young backcourt—the 35-year old Miller fits the bill perfectly, and he’s a perfect foil for Lawson on this team. The two-guard spot is a problem where Aran Afflalo has potential, but only averages 11 ppg. Rudy Fernandez is similarly average.

Overall, I like this team, with the exception of the fact that there’s no good three-point shooter and they seem to try and force it. I question if they can maintain their offensive efficiency that way, and with the defense being in the middle of the league, that would mean a drop in the standings is coming. I don’t see Denver is able to mount a serious push to the NBA Finals, but in a tough Western Conference they’re capable of a top four finish and winning a playoff series, which is nothing to sneer at. It’s Denver who can be doing the sneering in the direction of the Big Apple as they’ve come out of the whole Carmelo Anthony deal in a lot better shape than the Knicks right now.

Utah (12-7, 5th): Not much was expected of the Jazz this season and a 1-3 start did little to inspire anyone. But Utah has quietly put together an 11-4 run that’s marked by consistency. If you go through their schedule, there’s a not a lot of standout wins, save a victory over Miami, nor much in the way of unexpected losses. For a  team with no superstars, that’s the way it has to be and that’s the way Utah has done it.

Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are  as close as there is to a stars,  with Millsap averaging 17 points/9 rebounds per game and Jefferson posting an 18/9 line. Derrick Favors does a decent job spelling both down low, grabbing six boards a night. What Utah doesn’t have is steady work on the perimeter. Point guard Devin Harris is a former Wisconsin star and thus worthy of this writer’s pre-eminent respect, but the numbers don’t lie—the seven-year vet should not be starting for a playoff contending team. Gordon Hayward was the star of the Butler team that captured the imagination of America in the 2010 run to the NCAA final. As a 6’8” guard he’s got the natural build and maybe he’ll get better, but right now he’d be better situated as a role player. Raja Bell at the two-guard and Josh Howard at small forward are similarly mediocre.

The team stats back up Utah’s vanilla flavor. They’re a middling team on offense and below average both defensively in rebounding. Those overall numbers don’t  add up to 12-7, meaning that if you want to prevent things from equaling out, you need individual players you can identify as likely to improve and lift those team numbers. Of the names I put out there, who’s capable of giving more? Right now Utah is ahead of the Lakers and Spurs in the West, and it’s impossible to imagine that’s going to hold out much longer. That would drop them into a four-team race with Memphis, Portland and Houston for one of the last two playoff spots. Not to throw a wet blanket on Salt Lake City, but I just can’t see Utah making it.

 

The Battle For Los Angeles Basketball: Clippers Or Lakers?

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When the Los Angeles Clippers traded for Chris Paul just before the season began it was supposed to be a sign that a new rivalry was coming to Hollywood and the Clips could now stand toe-to-toe with their crosstown rivals at the Staples Center. When this sort of hype happens it usually results in the veteran team—the Lakers in this case—taking offense and seizing the opportunity to crush any rebellion from the upstarts before it even gets serious.

But the NBA rivalry in Los Angeles is looking like the real thing. The teams are within one game in the Pacific Division standings. It was the Clippers who won the first head-to-head meeting. So as they get set to tip tonight (10:30 PM ET, NBA-TV), let’s look at where each stands, what they’re doing well and what’s not working out.

Alongside each team name is their record and rank within the Western Conference as a whole. The top eight in each conference make the playoffs.

LA Lakers (10-8, 10th): What’s this, the Lakers wouldn’t make the playoffs if the season ended today? That’s right. In the tough Western Conference, there’s not much room for error. I stands in sharp contrast to the East where the sub-.500 Celtics would be in. But while a competitive conference is the main cause, we can’t over LA’s obvious flaws. The biggest, and one which was talked about in the short preseason after the lockout, was that the team only has three worthwhile players, in Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. I suppose as trios go, that’s not bad, and Kobe’s averaging 30 a night while the two seven-foot post players combine for 32 points/25 rebounds. The Lakers come into every game knowing they can beat you inside and out, and that at crunch-time Kobe will smell blood.

Furthermore, head coach Mike Brown can draw some comfort from the fact that the team ranks 7th in the NBA for offensive efficiency and 6th for defensive efficiency. How do those rankings in the entire league equate out to a 10th-place spot just in the conference? They don’t, and since we’ve only played 18 games in a 66-game schedule, the smartest guess is to think that it will even out with time.

Now on to the problems. Derek Fischer, the veteran guard whose hit so many big shots for this franchise in their title runs is so clearly on his last legs, that we shouldn’t even say “last legs” anymore. He’s really worn them down to his last ankles. He was already getting significant chunks of playing time, and with Steve Blake going out with bad ribs, Fischer’s minutes will only increase. I suppose if nothing else, the drop-off won’t be that dramatic, because Blake wasn’t doing anything either. Matt Barnes hasn’t been able to step up at forward and the Man Formerly Named Ron Artest, now humbly known as “Metta World Peace” has apparently brought his newfound pacifisms to the basketball court, where he’s done nothing to demonstrate himself as an asset.

Los Angeles does not matchup up well against good teams, they lack depth and Phil Jackson’s soothing sideline demeanor is no longer there. I have nothing against Brown, who did a good job in Cleveland, but he’s in a position here where all he can do is fail. The Lakers have a tough road ahead just to reach the playoffs.

LA Clippers (9-5, 3rd): The new kids on the Hollywood block are still growing as a team, but head coach Vinny Del Negro has to be pleased with the progress. They’ve gotten quality wins against not only the Lakers, but also Miami, Dallas and Portland. None of the losses are head-scratchers, and consistency is one of the things you have to watch for with a team like this that isn’t used to winning.

Chris Paul at the point and Blake Griffin at forward are the ones who make the highlight reels and that’s entirely fair. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the team and give the Clips an inside-out combo that few can match. While its Paul’s passing and running of an offense that may land him in the Hall of Fame one day, don’t overlook the fact he can shoot, and that includes the three-ball. Mo Williams is deadly from behind the arc was well, and if defenses extend too far, Chauncey Billups can still attack the basket at age 35. Billups, a veteran of Detroit’s 2004 championship team, gives this group badly needed championship experience and he’s a good complementary piece in the offense.

Caron Butler is an X-factor for this team. He’s capable of the big scoring night if his team’s Big Two are struggling, but at the same time his shooting can be erratic. While 43 percent from the floor isn’t bad, Butler isn’t a three-point threat and he only averages four rebounds a game. I would like to see him kick up his game just a little bit before considering the Clips a serious threat to really separate themselves from their crosstown rivals in the Pacific Division. The defensive presence of DeAndre Jordan gives Del Negro something his counterpart Brown lacks, and that’s a role player who can block shots and alter an offense.

As far as tonight’s game goes, Paul is nursing a hamstring injury, and while he’s listed as probable, you never know how NBA coaches are going to respond, with the schedule being played at a much more intense pace this year after the lockout. For the long haul, I like what the Clippers have done and think that the Lakers will need to make some kind of major trade if they don’t want to lose control of their own town.

Oklahoma City Thunder Lead Up The West

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This was supposed to be Oklahoma City’s year in the Western Conference, as the compressed lockout-induced schedule would favor their young legs and the conference finals loss to Dallas a year ago had given them the playoff toughness. So far, so good. The Thunder is 11-2 and leading the West as they go into a nationally televised game at reeling Boston tonight (8 PM ET, TNT). Perennial power San Antonio is hot on their heels and defending champ Dallas has righted the ship after a slow start. Collectively these three teams have won 14 straight, and if we want to stick to the Lone Star State, even if the rebuilding Rockets have won their last two. Today, the Notebook takes a look at the three contenders from the Red River area…

Oklahoma City (11-2, 1st): With the Thunder having a big year so far, it’s no surprise Kevin Durant is off to a blazing start, averaging 26 ppg and shooting better than 50 percent from the floor. Russell Westbrook is outstanding at the point, scoring, dishing and grabbing a few rebounds to boot. The only thing Westbrook doesn’t do is shoot well from the outside, especially the three-ball. Two-guard James Harden is a good scorer and not bad from long range, but the best three-point shooter on the team is 6’7” off-guard Thabo Sefolosha. He’s not getting a lot of minutes right now, but I believe anyone who can hit from downtown like he can has to get some more time and keep defenses from collapsing back to stop action off the dribble from Westbrook and Durant.

Oklahoma City uses three big men down low, none to particularly good effect. The young 22-year old from Zaire, Serge Ibaka, joins veteran Nick Collison and championship-tested Kendrick Perkins, a key enforcer on Boston’s 2008 championship team (as a Celtics fan, know how disappointed most of us were when he was traded and what a thunderous ovation he’ll get at the Gahden tonight).

Overall, the Thunder have the young legs, they have the playoff experience now and they have the go-to player that NBA teams can’t win without. I’m standing my preseason choice of them to reach the Finals, but I still have deep reservations about the lack of scoring punch from anyone other than Westbrook or Durant. They’re not ready to beat Chicago or Miami out of the East and they’re a far cry from a sure thing in the West.

San Antonio (9-4, 2nd): The veteran Spurs just keep on churning out wins, having knocked off Memphis, the LA Clippers, Utah, Dallas and Portland in this young season, as head coach Greg Popovich tries to balance his older team’s need to be rested, with the immediate need for wins. The 9-4 start gives the coach some breathing room. Tim Duncan is 35 years old and still a contributing factor, but no longer a dominating force. But when I look at Duncan I see the same I thing I wrote about Baltimore Ravens’ safety Ed Reed on Friday—he’s a vet, that with the money on the table, you somehow know will save his best moment. Reed intercepted a pass to preserve yesterday’s win for the Ravens. And Duncan is infinitely better at his spot than Reed. Don’t bet against the Spurs legend at crunch time, especially with the desire to right the wrong from last year when they lost to Memphis in the first round.

The backcourt is where the scoring comes from on this team with Manu Ginobli being an outstanding shooter and Tony Parker able to score off penetration. San Antonio has quality depth up front, with young DeJuan Blair averaging an 11/7, while rookie Kahwi Leonard and Tiago Splitter each grab five boards a game. Veteran forward Richard Jefferson averages 12 ppg. San Antonio is well-coached, well put-together and the only question is how much gas is left in the tank.

Dallas (8-5, 7th): If San Antonio is old, Dallas isn’t far behind. Dirk Nowitzki is now 33 and still only averages 5 rebounds a game. He needs help on the glass, and so far veteran pickups Brendan Haywood and Lamar Odom are providing it. Shawn Marion, who was so exercised in the preseason about the Mavs not getting the respect due to champions, could do more to earn that respect. He’s averaging a 10/5, but the 6’7” forward likely needs to add more in both categories if his team is going to even repeat in the West, much less the league overall.

There’s tremendous depth at guard, with veterans Jason Kidd, Delonte West, Jason Terry and Vince Carter all able to log quality minutes. One huge problem is none of them are having a really great year shooting the ball from the outside. That’s a big reason they won a title a year ago and it’s necessary to ease some of the heat on Nowitzki. Furthermore, the current five-game win streak comes against New Orleans, Detroit, Boston, Milwaukee and Sacramento. That’s not exactly Murderer’s Row. Give Dallas full credit for doing what a veteran team does and sweeping a soft schedule spot to get themselves off the mat. But now they have to prove they can win against quality (if you haven’t tuned into the NBA yet, Boston’s 4-7 and looking worse, which is why I bracket them in with the other teams on Dallas’ win streak). This week is their opportunity. If you want to get a look at the Mavs, you can see them tonight at the Staples Center for a playoff rematch with the Lakers (10:30 PM ET, TNT), Wednesday at the Clippers (10:30 PM ET, ESPN) and on Thursday at a Utah team off to a nice start (10:30 PM ET, TNT).

And Houston? Right now the Rockets are an afterthought in the state of Texas, but with Kevin McHale coaching, they’re a respectable 5-7, have a very good backcourt with Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin, plus a solid option at forward in Luis Scola. They need more depth and a lot more experience, but McHale has to be pleased with the early progress. The playoffs won’t happen this year, but so far the direction is good.