Basketball by Buzz
Written by Buzz Breeden

NBA Top Five

The NBA has closed its second complete month of action. Orlando has already overhauled its team and with the trading season opening, it will be interesting which teams are going to come into the market for players. Many story lines have already developed early in the season: Miami Heat the team to beat, Miami struggling, Miami Heat a favorite again, New York Knicks' surprise return, Lakers early season let-down, Blake Griffin, Amare Stodomire, Kevin Love, What is going on with San Antonio. As I wrote in the preseason, this is going to be one of the best NBA regular seasons in the last 15 years, with that here is my first top five of 2011:

1. San Antonio (31-6) Tough losses last week on the road for the Celtics. The Knicks may have brought them back to earth a bit. The Spurs rank near the top 10 in every major statistical category.

2. Boston (28-8) The temporary loss of Kevin Garnett might drop the Celtic’s ranking in the next few weeks, but with Pierce and Allen both shooting over 50% from the field I doubt that. Boston might have the easiest schedule to close out the month.

3. Miami (30-9) The Heat are for real. Their coaching staff apparently knows what they are doing. Since Nov. 29, the Heat are 21-1 and blowing most of those teams out. Lebron is defiantly in the lead for MVP for me averaging 25 points, 7 boards and 7 assists.

4. Dallas (26-10) Caron Butler's absence from the line-up will be missed; however, Dallas always seems to find its way to the top five. Strong defense and mix in how well Dirk is playing. This could be Dallas’ year.

5. Orlando (25-12) The Magic overhauled their team last month, and it is starting to pay dividends. Magic are 9-0 since Dec. 23. Richardson, Turkoglu and Arenas are giving the Magic quality play and more transition points. Dwight Howard is dominating the inside (21/13) and Brandon Bass is picking up solid minutes while this team continues to find its identity.