The Spurs have now lost 5 of their last 6, but are getting a pass as usual in the national media for the most part. Yeah, they’re the defending champs and should still be the team to beat, but if that’s the case they shouldn’t be losing to Philadelphia this late in the season. But they do have an easier set of games coming up that should right their ship.

The Rockets have won 22 in a row, and as good as that is, I still don’t think they have anything for the playoffs. It’s probably not fair to be this down on them after what they’ve done, but I just don’t see them beating any of the West teams in a 7 game series, except maybe Golden State. So they’ll want to hold on to that number 1 seed if they want to finally advance out of the first round.

The Lakers lost Pau Gasol on Friday night and he’ll most likely still be out during tomorrow’s game against the Mavs. If he doesn’t get back soon the Lakers are going to get passed up by Phoenix in the standings and fall down to the range the Mavs are in right now.

The West is getting wilder each week. The Mavs are only 2 1/2 games out of first place and 1 1/2 games out of second. If they can take down the Lakers and Spurs this week there’s a good chance they would be in 2nd or 3rd in the conference at the end of the week.

San Antonio Spurs – Still the team to beat. Tim Duncan is still Tim Duncan but the story is the emergence of Manu Ginobili as a top-level player. He’s the reason the Spurs are where they are right now. Tony Parker has been incredibly consistent as he’s averaging almost the exact same numbers he has for the last two years. However this team continues to get older; eight of their fourteen players are 32 or older (I’m counting Brent Barry since he’ll be back in two weeks). But a Duncan/Ginobili/Parker core should be good enough to stick anyone around and be able to contend for years to come.

Los Angeles Lakers – After robbing Memphis, is it robbery if the other side consents to the theft?, for Pau Gasol this team has been on a tear. There’s no doubt they’re a serious contender for the title this year but that hinges on Andrew Bynum’s ability to come back from a dislocated kneecap. Bill Simmons says it best on his latest NBA mailbag so I’ll let you head over there and read his take. If Bynum does come back and is effective then the Lakers can beat the Spurs. If he doesn’t the Lakers won’t be in the title picture this year.

Houston Rockets – Yes, they’re on a 19 game winning streak that has a real chance to go to 21 before it ends. They may also be a better defensive team and have a more potent offense without Yao. But, I’ll wait until Tracy McGrady gets out of the first round before I even consider them a threat.

Utah Jazz – The dark-horse. Deron Wiliams is amazing, Carlos Boozer is a beast, Andre Kirilinko is still a threat even though his numbers are down from a few years ago and Mehmet Okur is a serviceable center. The Kyle Korver pickup was an excellent move and really opens up the floor. Whoever they face in the playoffs are in for a tough challenge and any series involving them should be a blast to watch.

New Orleans Jazz – Chris Paul has been outstanding this season and should win the MVP, too bad Kobe’s already been anointed for that. David West is one of the biggest surprises of the season and Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler have been solid players this season. However, inexperience is going to kill this team. They seem to be slipping a little bit lately, 5-5 since the All-Star break, and it remains to be seen how such a young team can close out the season. A Hornets-Jazz first round series would be a dream series though.

Phoenix Suns – The team that has the most riding on this season. The Shaq trade was done to win this year. They shut down the Spurs in a strong defensive outting a couple games ago but they’ve also games they should’ve won. They have the most mystery around them out of the rest of teams in the West. If their offense gets into a groove with Shaq by allowing Amare to play as PF then they could be dangerous.

Dallas Mavericks – The rest of their season depends on how the Kidd trade ends up working out. Kidd and Josh Howard have to get on the same page for this thing to go anywhere in the playoffs. Dirk has been playing his head off since the Kidd trade averaging almost 30 points. Dampier has also been solid since the trade, but at the end of the day he’s still Erick Dampier. The biggest question though might be Avery. Is he going to freak out and completely change a winning lineup in the playoffs? Is he going to be out-coached again? His job should be riding on their playoff results. Anything short of the Finals, and perhaps the championship depending on how the Finals go, and he needs to go.

Golden State Warriors – The biggest non-threat. They got hot last year and embarrassed the Mavs in the first round. That’s not going to happen this year if they play the Lakers or the Spurs in the first round