who's the BEST team!!!

[stalking_WOLF_21]

who is the best team? lmk my voting and we can talk why.

[tutall]

do you mean right now or who will be at the end of the season? i think right NOW the suns are playing the best.. Steve Nash raises the level of play of everyone and amare is playing out of his mind.. i dont think they will keep this up the whole season however... i think at the end it will be the spurs.. 2 words... TIM DUNCAN... although i also think at the end of the season and into the playoffs you have to watch out for the pacers.. they will have so much experience from this season and with Oneal and Jackson coming back i think they will be tough

[Bron90]

Why don't you have the Wizards on your pole???

[Clemens9]

The Suns right now, but at the end of the season it will be the Spurs.

[stalking_WOLF_21]

yeah the spurs have a reputation of winning alot of games in the last couple of years.. but the suns are lookin really strong...theres a first time for every thing.

Bron90 don't get me wrong i love the wizards my favorite player (besides Garnett) plays there but i mainly wanted the 4 top teams.

so no one thinks the heat are going to pop up and do really well?

[tutall]

i might consider the heat but they have to prove they can beat the western conference powers first... i dont believe they have so far.... if the sonics had a POWER player i would consider them... but so far they are hitting every shot they throw up but they are all jump shots... i think at the end of the season, when the legs start to wear down, their shot percentage will go down as well

also as for the suns.. they are last years mavericks... they have a TON of offense.. but other than that incredible swat last night by amare, they play little defense.... Marion and Nash are excellent defenders (IMO) but they need to play team D... they seem to break down a lot

[goldberg55]

well i definitely would say the Heat, if you take a look at post shaq/kobe, the Heat are 18-7 by adding Shaq, the Lakers are what 13-11 after losing Shaq, granted the Lakers are in a harder conference but the lakers are only 5-3 against the east and the heat are 4-5 against the west, pretty close there i think, the Heat seemed to have turned it around the last few weeks winning 8 in a row and shaq getting 40 points in that game was really important, he was so dominant and come crunch time going into the playoffs and in the playoffs we all know he changes into the diesel and is almost unstoppable, ask the detroit pistons, they know, if it wasn't for kobe being so greedy the lakers would have had their 4th championship in 5 years, even though the Heat are not doing that great against the west so far, just remember they only have to win 4 games against the west the whole playoffs if they make it that far, against ask detroit from last yeat, the best games of that franchise possibly, so in the end I think the Heat will win or if not push the Spurs to 7 because that who is going to win the west

[tutall]

i disagree goldberg - the lakers/heat comparison cannot be drawn because they lost a lot more than just shaq.. also, shaq is one man, the pistons stopped him last year and yao even did a decent job against him. Their role players are starting to come around but they are nothing compared to even the pacers (jackson, tinsley, harrington, etc...) if we were voting on the most dominent player i might give it to shaq but it is the best team... i think a team that plays as a team can beat one player anyday. Obviously last year in the playoffs the Lakers had the most talent but they did not have the best team and look what happened... the spurs play much better as a team, the pacers play team, suns are the most unselfish team in basketball (rivaling the kings)... i honestly dont think the heat will make it out of the east... i think the pacers and the pistons each have a better shot once the pistons get out of the funk they are in. i would also pick orlando to be a sleeper.. they have the talent they just need to put it all together

[goldberg55]

see i disagree, the heat will win the east, miami is a better defensive team than the lakers and that works better for shaq, i don't know the stats of this year to last year, but it seems he has more blocks and less fouls,again don't quote me, and as being unselfish i think the heat are, there has been alot of games where shaq has not scored 20 and you here no complaining about getting the ball, he had 35 one game and they lost and he didn't care how many points he had, he was mad that it was a loss, i think shaq is a different man this year, and as for yao doing a decent job on him, sure but he is 7'6 and shaq is 7'2 of course he will do a decent job, did he get the full job done,no, and as for the spurs i am not going to argue they will win the west, but in the east it will be between detroit,indiana and miami and most likely is miami finishes in the first two spots they will only have to face one of them, if i was to be worried about any other team in the east it would be cleveland, detroit and indiana showed in that game that they can explode at any minute and when the going gets tough they crack under the spotlight this year, detroit is not as good as they were last year, letting okur go was a big mistake, indiana has ron mercer who didn't even want to be here this year and won't be because of the suspension, he was in the top2 on his team last year, big blow,i think losing al harrington for jackson was a mistake as well, i think the east final will be miami and detroit and the west will be san antonio and phoenix, with miami and san antonio making the final, shaq will dominate come playoff time, he is not even playing the best right now, he saves it for the end, so watch out

[tutall]

see i disagree, the heat will win the east, miami is a better defensive team than the lakers and that works better for shaq, i don't know the stats of this year to last year, but it seems he has more blocks and less fouls,again don't quote me, and as being unselfish i think the heat are, there has been alot of games where shaq has not scored 20 and you here no complaining about getting the ball, he had 35 one game and they lost and he didn't care how many points he had, he was mad that it was a loss, i think shaq is a different man this year, and as for yao doing a decent job on him, sure but he is 7'6 and shaq is 7'2 of course he will do a decent job, did he get the full job done,no, and as for the spurs i am not going to argue they will win the west, but in the east it will be between detroit,indiana and miami and most likely is miami finishes in the first two spots they will only have to face one of them, if i was to be worried about any other team in the east it would be cleveland, detroit and indiana showed in that game that they can explode at any minute and when the going gets tough they crack under the spotlight this year, detroit is not as good as they were last year, letting okur go was a big mistake, indiana has ron mercer who didn't even want to be here this year and won't be because of the suspension, he was in the top2 on his team last year, big blow,i think losing al harrington for jackson was a mistake as well, i think the east final will be miami and detroit and the west will be san antonio and phoenix, with miami and san antonio making the final, shaq will dominate come playoff time, he is not even playing the best right now, he saves it for the end, so watch out

first off, it is artest not mercer who is suspended... second, al harrington for jackson not a good trade? harrington has athleticism and jackson has a killer 3 ball. the pacers lacked that one threat from outside last year (besides reggie "im too old" miller) and that allowed teams to collapse on the inside.. they needed a threat from deep which is what they got. You are right about shaq being a different person this year but he does not have enough around him IMO... in LA he had payton, kobe, karl, devean george, fish... and he still didnt win... he is definently dominent but in the east there is a lot better defense than the west.. the east has team like the pistons and pacers that pride themselves on D... i jsut dont see the heat this year... maybe get a couple decent players in the offseason and next year they will kick ™™™ but not this year... sorry