Over a quarter way through the NBA season, and the Eastern Conference is a mess, while five teams out West look like the NBA’s best. Plus, the NBA’s newest, and BEST, duo.

Messy East

While Buffalo, New York was cleaning up from the seven feet of snow dumped over break, the NBA East looked just as messy. If the season ended today, Philadelphia, Charlotte, New York and Miami would be lottery-bound, while New Jersey and Boston would hold the top two seeds in the East. Parity has certainly hit the NBA. And the Washington Wizards, who almost nobody (including myself) thought would win even 20 games, have put together a marvelous couple of weeks, as Michael Jordan has led the Wiz to a 17-14 record. Lately, Jordan has single-handedly carried Washington, scoring 51 points in one game and 45 in the next after his record of ten or more points in a game was snapped when he scored only six points against Indiana. But Jordan and the Wizards have come to life.

While some did think Jordan could turn things around in Washington, I don’t believe anyone felt the New Jersey Nets would have the Eastern Conference’s best record at this point in the season. The Nets have come alive since their blockbuster trade this summer to get Jason Kidd, who has sparked the offense. It has also helped that Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles, and Kenyon Martin are healthy, but without Kidd this train goes nowhere. We all laughed when the Nets traded Eddie Griffin to Houston for three other first-rounders, but those guys have been contributing well to New Jersey’s success.

As for the bottom of the East, Philadelphia has certainly been a disappointment after reaching the finals last season. Allen Iverson was injured for the first seven games of the season, but since reeling off his first few games back, the 76ers have been playing anything but good basketball. Aaron McKie is not having the same kind of year he has last season, and Iverson is getting no help from his teammates. The season is still early, but Philly has certainly dug itself a huge hole.

Best is the West

The five best teams in the NBA currently play in the Western Conference, where defending champs Los Angeles, along with San Antonio, Minnesota, Dallas and Sacramento, are beating up on the rest of the NBA. Dallas has certainly come a long way since the days of the three J’s, as Dirk Nowitzki and Co. are playing with the best of the league. San Antonio is back after a year hiatus, with Tim Duncan getting support from rookie point guard Tony Parker, who seems to have ignited SA’s offense. Minnesota has been a pleasant surprise, as Wally Sczerbiak is having a tremendous year to go along with all-star forward Kevin Garnett’s stellar play. And Sacramento is using newly acquired point guard Mike Bibby to run the show in place of Jason Williams. The health of Chris Webber is still a concern, but Sacramento certainly does not just rely on him, as they won a bunch of games in his absence this season. And then there’s the Lakers, who can win without Shaq, without Kobe, or without both of them. LA seems to be bored with the regular season, as Shaq and Kobe’s numbers are both down, but look for the Tinseltowners to come alive down the stretch to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Best Duo?

It’s hard to argue against Shaq and Kobe, but Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker have certainly made a case as the NBA’s best combo. The two earned co-player’s of the month for December, and each is contributing to the newly found success in Boston. Pierce is second in the league in scoring at 27.0 per game, while Walker is in the top of the league is scoring and rebounds, where he puts in 23.8 points per game to go along with 9.8 boards. Walker is also a polished passer, getting just under five assists each game. And it’s hasn’t just been in the numbers. The two have proved to be leaders on the floor. Walker, a player known as hot tempered, has calmed down a bit to become a more vocal leader for the Celts. He’s helped groom rookie Joe Johnson into a productive player, and has polished his role as a second scorer and jack-of-all-trades behind Pierce, something he would not have done last year. This maturity and balance has contributed greatly to Boston’s success this year, which has them second in the East at 20 -12, which certainly is much better than anyone expected when the season began.

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