\X/est$ide                  3ast$ide           

(1) Lakers   vs  Nugs (8) (1) Celtics  vs Hawks (8)
(2) Hornets vs  Mavs (7)  (2) Pistons vs 76'ers (7)
(3) Spurs    vs Suns  (6)  (3) Magic  vs Raptors (6)
(4) Rockets vs Jazz  (5)  (4) Cavs   vs Wizards (5)

A couple of weeks ago the battle for MVP seemed to be Kobe vs. LeBron James. Now the tides have turned and it looks to be Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets vs Kobe of the LA Lakers. Both teams ride atop of the west and tonight is the big showdown between these two teams and what could be a key factor in determining this years most valuable player award. Don't miss out on this exciting game where the stakes are extremely high.

        WEST                         EAST______
1. New Orleans (55-23)       1. Boston (62-16)
2. LA Lakers (54-25)           2. Detroit (55-23)
3. Houston (53-25)             3. Orlando (49-29)
4. SA Spurs (53-25)            4. Cleveland (43-35)
5. Phoenix (53-26)              5. Washington (41-37)
6. Utah (52-27)                  6. Philadelphia  (40-38)
7. Dallas (50-29)                7. Toronto (39-39)
8. Denver (48-31)              8. Atlanta (36-42)

With only 2 regular season games left for most teams, this is pretty much how the playoff rankings will go. However, since the western conference is so tight and 1 loss is all it takes to drop you anywhere from 1 to 4 ranks, there is potential for a whole difference playoff lineup than showed above. I don't think the NBA has ever had  so many teams with records so close to each other. This should make for one of the best playoff contentions ever.