The thing that is so scary about the Celtics current seven game win streak is that after the seventh win, they got two days off.  For a team that will battle age the entire season, that is exactly what they needed before the upcoming road swing.  Looking at the opponents on that swing, there is reason to believe the streak may continue.

Speaking of streaks, the Dallas Mavericks have won 10 in a row.  Yeah, I know.  Didn’t necessarily see that one coming.  For the last couple of seasons, this Mavs team has gotten incredible contributions from different players on their bench.  On Tuesday night, it was Ian Mahinmi.  But it could be any number of players on any given night.

The Spurs are still playing phenomenal basketball, and it shows with the best record in the league.  Certainly the loss to the Clippers was not something to include in your letter home, but Blake Griffin  is just going to do that to some opponents.

Winners of 8 out of their last 9, the Jazz have a body of work from the season so far that shows a team that not only mounts big comebacks, but can close games late.  Much of that will (and should be) credited to Deron Williams, making his case for best point guard in the league every time he sets foot on the floor.

The Lakers are not in trouble, by any means.  Just a little slump for a team that started the season absolutely obliterating opponents.  The focus of this team is still there, but the competition looks like it will be significantly stiffer.

So Cleveland might have woken the sleeping giant, and now it is time to get nervous.  As Miami fell out of the realm of expectation LeBron rose to conquer his biggest emotional battle.  The 38 point performance against his old team may have inspired the rest of the Heat squad, and now they are on a tear to climb back to the top of the East.

New York Knicks

One of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are starting to look like an East Coast version of D’Antoni’s Suns from a few years back.  Felton pushes the agenda on offense, and also can take the ball to the rack.  Stoudamire has been an absolute monster inside, and the rest of the young talent on the roster is finding ways to contribute with athleticism and outside shooting.

The Pacers appear to have shaken some of their road woes that plagued last year’s squad, but there is still a bit of wake up call coming with Atlanta, Chicago, and the Lakers in the near future.  Those Lakers will be looking to avenge the loss in the Staples Center.  It might not be pretty.

Boozer is slowly working his way into a comfortable spot on the floor for Chicago.  Until he gets fully acclimated to playing alongside this lineup, there will be hit and miss nights for the Bulls.  They have the potential to be elite, but it will take some time.

The last thing the Nuggets need is a bunch of hype surrounding George Karl’s 1,000th win.  It should have come against the Bobcats, but now Denver is looking at the potential of not seeing it come for nearly a week.  If they don’t get it against Toronto (which they should), they will struggle to earn that win for Coach Karl.

What does NBA ownership mean for the New Orleans Hornets?  Off the court, there is potential for all kinds of moves and negotiations.  On the court, it means absolutely nothing.  If the players can stay focused on what is happening on the hardwood, they can climb back from their recent slide.

The Hawks record has them higher in the pecking order, but there has been little to “wow” about in Atlanta. Larry Drew’s squad has been consistently good, but hardly ever great in the young season. Seeing little change from years past, it is hard to imagine they will end up in any different than before. Which is good…but not great.

Russell Westbrook’s emergence as one of the game’s most dangerous point guards has made the Thunder one of the most dangerous teams down the stretch.  Sure, they are not the dominating force that we may have overhyped, but they carry the potential to (and likely will) make a big run at some point this season.

Andre Miller ain’t scared of no Blake Griffin’s.

The Bobcats picked up an impressive win against the Nuggets, but the road ahead has far too many obstacles to string together a run.  Charlotte has fallen into a pattern of consistent inconsistency, and are having trouble separating themselves from the rest of the “just below .500” teams in the East.

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash caught fire in the last week, and much of it likely can be credited to the play of Goran Dragic.  His increased minutes have helped keep Nash fresh, and while his stats may not “wow” anyone, he is saving minutes now that will be crucial in May.

Ed Davis returned from “time out” in the D-league to start logging some decent minutes for the Raps.  He is not expected to be a Bosh replacement, but along with the rest of an athletic front line, should create matchup problems for opposing teams.

Brad Miller’s headband can only do so much.  With Aaron Brooks out of the lineup, Kyle Lowry has been forced into far too much responsibility for a guy that should be counted on as a “bench spark.”  Scola is playing very well, but the Rockets can not score enough to hang with many of the Western Conference powers.

Figured Bogut’s return may have a positive impact, and there you go.  With the big Aussie back, the Bucks can start climbing back on top of the middle pack in the Eastern Conference.  I call it “The Middle East” but apparently that name is being used by someone already.

Wait, who has won four of their last five?  The SIXERS?  Granted, the caliber of opponents wasn’t exactly elite.  But still a small victory for a team in need of a jumpstart after losing 8 of 9 before that.

For all the good the Grizzlies can do, they cannot translate the pieces into success.  The recent four game losing streak is no way to capitalize on the upset wins over Miami and the Lakers.

The Warriors showed on Tuesday night they can still compete with the best in the league.  But their recent slide shows they are still far from being one of the best in the conference.  Need to get back on track before falling back into their losing ways.

Detroit Pistons

One of the league’s worst road teams in the midst of a brief Western Conference road swing.  This will not end well.

The loss to Miami may have sent the Cavs into a dreary downward spiral.  They had run so high on adrenaline leading up to LeBron’s arrival, they had to crash at some point.

Blake Griffin does not want to be anyone’s friend.  I like that.  He wants to crush the ball, the rim, you, your family, and smash the arena into rubble.  He then drinks the rubble in a protein shake.  I suggest you start DVR’ing Clipper games if you don’t stay up for them already.

The Timberwolves are so utterly hilarious to watch on the court sometimes. A true team of misfits, they have 124 point games in them, it is just near impossible to expect all the pieces to click night in-night out.

At least we know that this Wizards team is good for a great highlight every other game or so. They also create great highlights for the opponent with non-existent defense.

It has become very difficult for Avery Johnson and Mikhail Prokhorov to change the losing culture in the Izod Center when the Nets keep, well, losing.

Tyreke with injury problems, DeMarcus Cousins looks far from comfortable, and this team with so much promise looks terribly lost.