We should have never doubted the Lakers when they told us to wait for the switch to go off.  With two weeks left in the regular season, no one is playing better basketball than Los Angeles.  LA has won 15 of their last 16, and there is no reason to think that they can’t make a run to overtake San Antonio for the top spot in the West.

The Derrick Rose/LeBron James MVP debate should have ended this week when James gave his endorsement to the Chicago point guard.  But while the Bulls have overtaken the Celtics for the top spot, there are some concerns heading into the playoffs.  The Bulls need Noah to be healthy and continue to improve on that road record if they have hopes of making it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since Jumpman.

The San Antonio Spurs are in trouble.  All season we talked about how it could all come crashing down if this aging roster could not stay healthy.  Things looked very “Phoenix” for a while with Duncan able to stay on the court and Pop keeping an eye on everyone’s minutes.  But now with Duncan and Ginobli banged up, the Spurs are at risk of losing the home-court advantage in the Western Conference.

The Mavs have fought furiously to keep up with Los Angeles’ run, but my guess is they will be destined to finish 3rd in the Western Conference and either face Portland or New Orleans in the first round.  If Caron Butler is back, as he says he will be, they should have a fighting chance to make it to the Western Conference finals.

The loss to Cleveland certainly was an unexpected bump in the road as Miami charges after Boston and Chicago, but I do not think it is reflective of the state of Heat basketball.  Currently tied with Boston for second place, Miami plays five of their final seven games against teams with sub-.500 records.  They aren’t just trying to overtake Boston, they’ll have a shot to take home-court from Chicago as well.

Kevin Durant’s scoring has gone down in the month of March, and might cost him his second straight scoring title.  However, the Thunder went 14-2 in the month of March and will likely clinch the 4 seed and get home-court advantage in the first round.  If Durant’s struggles allow the Thunder to make it to the Western Conference Semifinals, I think KD will be fine giving up the scoring title.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets continue to surge, now 13-4 since trading Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.  Sitting a full five games behind Oklahoma City, Denver’s greatest task for the playoff picture is fighting off Portland and New Orleans from taking their spot.  Denver moves fast and has been playing with confidence, but they need to improve their half-court execution to give themselves the best chance with the playoffs slow down their game.

With Dwight picking up another technical, we are reaching the point where the new rule might really hurt Orlando in the playoffs.  If Dwight misses a game in the playoffs it could end up costing the Magic a series.  With Toronto, Milwaukee, and two matchups with the Bobcats on the horizon, the Magic should be able to keep their cool and add to their win count.

Huge win for New Orleans on Wednesday night to beat the Blazers and take control of the 6-seed in the playoffs.  Even without David West, the Hornets bench has answered with inspired play and Monty Williams looks like a bright young coach once again.

Portland suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Hornets, but with their recent play and no David West there should be every opportunity for Portland to reclaim that sixth position before the playoffs start.

If you listened to Josh Smith’s postgame comments following the Orlando win on Wednesday, you can tell that the Hawks have their feet on the ground.  They have not played their best basketball this season, and likely have another matchup with the Magic coming in the first round of the playoffs.  It’s all business if Atlanta wants to avoid another first round exit.

Unreal production from the Grizzlies bench to help keep this team in the playoff hunt.  With big time wins over Boston and San Antonio, you can tell this team is planning on delivering that postseason berth even without Rudy Gay.

With an experienced coach and inspired play recently, the Sixers are no one that you would want to face in the 1st round of the playoffs.  Sitting comfortably in the 6th spot, they will be one of the reasons Boston, Chicago, and Miami are fighting for the 1 and 2 seeds.

Houston really needs Memphis to stop knocking off giants if they want to complete this playoff push.  But with four out of their final seven games coming against playoff-bound teams, they will need to do some giant killing of their own to make the cut.

Just when you assume that the Bobcats are tanking the season, Paul Silas inspires a four-game winning streak that has pulled Charlotte one game out of 8th place.  Even though a playoff berth would likely result in another sweep, it would be a huge endorsement for Silas who has gotten it done without Gerald Wallace and a banged up Steven Jackson.

Indiana Pacers

Their recent losses have allowed Charlotte and Milwaukee to climb back into the playoff race.  If Indiana falls out of the postseason, it will erase much of the feel-good attitude for new coach Frank Vogel in Indiana.  The coach needs this postseason berth to validate his spot with the franchise.

Milwaukee’s blunder against the Bobcats will hurt a lot more if Charlotte makes the playoffs and Milwaukee gets an early vacation.  The schedule guru’s were not kind to the Bucks either, with 7 of their final 10 games being played on the road.

The Knicks narrow victory over the Nets may have revealed more bad than good from their recent slide.  The Knicks have been outscored in the fourth quarter in their last eight games and have struggled to finish when it counts.  We’ll see if holding off New Jersey inspires New York to “find it” again before the playoffs start.

As well as Steve Nash has played recently, the Suns have not been able to get the must-win victories needed to really push the Grizzlies for the playoffs.  With the playoffs likely out of sight, I hope Alvin Gentry allows Nash to play as many minutes necessary so the 37-year-old all star can win his 5th assist title.

After a 27-13 start, the Jazz have gone 9-25.  That’s not a flip-flop, that’s a full blown recession.  That home-court advantage in Utah? Erased.  At this point their injury woes are only increasing their chances with the ping pong balls.

Just let the guards play.  Curry and Ellis continue to put up impressive numbers as a scoring duo, and at this point lets just see how many points they can get.

Losing Eric Gordon for 26 games has really hurt the Clippers this season, but if you are going to blame him for the keeping Blake out of the playoff hunt you have lost your mind.  Don’t forget LA started the season 5-21.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit hasn’t quit, for some odd reason.  Now I’m starting to actually think they do have the pieces to build a team for the future.  The frontline of Monroe – Jerakbo – Daye – with Stuckey at the helm doesn’t sound all that bad.  Heck, that team could make the Eastern Conference playoffs next year considering how weak the field has been in 2011.

Playing in Sacramento has kick-started Marcus Thornton’s individual numbers, and his numbers have helped string together some wins for one of the sadder stories in the 2010-2011 season.  With a move looking inevitable, Thornton’s season average of 12.1 points per game seems like old news compared to the 24.5 he is averaging in his last 10 outings.

Part of me was kind of hoping that the Nets could pull off the upset in the Garden on Wednesday as a feel-good boost for Avery Johnson and Deron Williams.  But the heart-wrenching loss was their 8th in their last 9 games.  The only win?  An overtime victory against Cleveland – eish.

At 20-54, it is not unlikely that we will find the Raptors finishing this season with their worst record since 1997-1998.  The confusing thing is that they have played really well… for like a couple quarters at a time.  The inconsistent play has become a trademark of this bunch, and it might be time to look into making some moves this offseason.

Trevor Booker is done for the season with a crack in his foot.  But he can still host Wale at Oxygen after the Heat game!

Inspired win for Cleveland and good to see them dedicate the Miami victory to their fans.  I did not know until the game that Cleveland has still been averaging a 98% sellout during the regular season.  Shocked, but impressed.

Kevin Love’s aggravating groin has been just one major reason for a series of frustrating games for the Timberwolves in the last week.  Also, playing for the Timberwolves.