SPURS TAKE BACK WEST WITH LATE WIN IN INDY
Now on a nine game winning streak and a 40-10 record, the San Antonio Spurs have surged back into the lead of the Western Conference(though Greg Poppovich still won't coach at the All Star Game this year, having done so last year). The amazing 'Rodeo Road Trip' had already rumbled through Toronto(125-118 in overtime) and New Jersey(83-73) before hitting Indiana. Opening up a 11-0 lead over the Pacers despite Tim Duncan being shut down, the home side later turned things round only to run out of fuel late on, leading the Spurs to win 92-88.
The Mavericks on the other hand, slipped down to second place in the Southwest division with a 39-11 record due to a 113-104 loss in Denver. Hornets are in third, then the Grizlies, then the Rockets.
The Phoenix Suns are still leading the Pacific division with a 33-17 record. The Clippers still have the edge on the Lakers in second and third respectivly with Golden State in fourth and Sacremento still rock bottom.
The Nuggets may still be leading the Northwest division, but only because they are the only side who are on winning form in that division. The Jazz lead the stragglers, then the TWolves then the Sonics, then the Blazers.
Out East...well the Pistons are now on a 41-9 record, the Spurs closing in on the overall League lead while the 100-91 loss in Miami can't have helped matters much. The Cavs are second in the Central division with the Pacers in third, the Bucks in third and the Bulls bringing up the rear.
In the South East division, the Heat are still runing things with a 31-20 record though Washington's on a five game surge in second, leaving Orlando, Atlanta and Charlotte in their wake.
The Nets still lead the Atlantic division with a 27-22 record with the Sixers in seconds, then the Celtics, then the Raptors with the Knicks bringing up the rear on a nine-game slump.
Next week we have the Allstar Game, to which the bench players have just been named. The West have called up Elton Brand(making my starting votes for the West look pretty good) alongside the Sonics Ray Allen
, Kevin Garnett 
, Shawn Marion(Suns) 
and Dirk Nowitski 
(his fifth Allstar game, amazing for a European player). Two more Europeans get a big welcome to Allstar basketball, the Spurs's Frenchman Tony Parker 
and the Grizzlies Spanish hotshot Pau Gasol 
.
Luol Deng turned out to be the one smudge on my Allstar voting record - he didn't get to go to Houston next weekend but these following guys did: Vince Carter
, Paul Pierce(Celtics), 
and Gilbert Arenas(Wizards - late replacement for the injured Jermaine O'Neal)
. Added to that are four Pistons: Chauncey Billups
, along with Ben 
and Rasheed 
Wallace(no relation) and Richard Hamilton 
. Billups and Hamilton are going to be Allstar first timers as will the Raptors's Chris Bosch 
.
(Player images taken from NBA.com
And as the season hits the halfway point, it's worth switching the focus to the Conference rather than division standings. The three division leaders in each conference get the top three spaces and the best five of the rest get positions 4-8 and therefore a pot in the playoffs. So what do things look like right now as in what would happen if the playoffs started today?
Well in the East first round, the number 1 Pistons would take on the number 8 Sixers, the number 2 Heat would match up against the number 7 Bucks, the number 3 Nets would take on the number 6 Pacers and the number 4 Cavs the number 5 Wizards. The Pistons, Heat, Nets and Cavs would have home court advantage.
In the West, the number 1 Spurs would have to deal with a hungry number 8 Lakers side(that would be the tie of the round in either Conference). The number 2 Suns would take on the number 7 Grizzlies, the number 3 Nuggets would deal with the number 6 Hornets and the number 4 Mavs would take on the number 5 Clippers.
Tasty, but there's over two months to go and the Allstar weekend still to come.
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