Midseason NBA report

The season is halfway over. Which means we’re halfway to the real season. Once the playoffs begin, the NBA becomes an entirely different and exponentially more exciting beast.

Players won’t coast through quarters and halves like during the regular season. There are no nights off and no more “turning it on” when it counts. Nope. Just a full 48-minutes of pure, white-knuckled, cut-throat basketball in each of the fabulous 40 games in 40 nights.

So we’re halfway there. The large chunk of the season now behind us has a few things to share.

The East Coast is still the Least Coast

How happy are the defending champion Miami Heat not to be in the West right now? While Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio beat themselves into a pulp every night in the important fight for home-court advantage, Miami basically gets to rest Shaquille O’Neal for half the season.

While it’s clear that Shaq isn’t what he used to be, The Diesel isn’t going to be taken out back like Old Yeller just yet. When the playoffs arrive in April, so will O’Neal. He’ll be all geared up and ready to go with gas in the tank for one last hurrah.

Around that time, Pat Riley, who left the team to have hip surgery, figures to swoop back in. He’ll have the team’s collective ear, and unlike during the regular season, there will be no shortage of motivation. And unlike in the West, home court is not necessary for Miami to make the finals. Next to Miami, no one is even close.

Phoenix is for real

Over the past few years the Suns have put together amazing regular seasons only to fall apart in the playoffs, but that’s all about to change.

Phoenix’s up-tempo style has been tweaked to perfection over the last few years (two 15-plus-game winning streaks already!), and Steve Nash continues to get better (his assists and points per game are the best of his career). But what makes this year different than those past is Amare Stoudemire.

The kid is back. And if teams can actually force the Suns to slow down, Amare enables them to compete in the halfcourt. Remember how close they were without him. When Amare sat out last year, a lot of people forgot that he’s one of the top 10 talents in the league. When the playoffs roll around, people are going to remember. All that stands in their way now is…

The San Antonio sweepstakes

The race between Phoenix and Dallas for the West’s top seed is important well beyond home-court advantage through the playoffs. Whoever gets stuck with No. 2 will likely face San Antonio in the second round, and believe me, nobody wants that.

And while the Suns or the Mavs could potentially knock off the Spurs in a best-of-seven series, the amount of energy and heart necessary to deal with the experienced, exacting Spurs will send either team to the next round broken, bruised and beaten. The chances of making it through the Spurs in round two, then knocking off the No. 1 seed on their home court seems like tough odds to overcome.

It takes two

Have you watched the Cavaliers lately? LeBron is hurting. I’m referring not to his injured big toe, but his damaged psyche. The pressure is taking its toll on James, who has to be huge every night for Cleveland to have a chance.

To win a championship these days it takes two stars, minimum. Look at the contenders: Wade’s got Shaq. Nash’s got Amare, Dirk’s got Terry, and now Carmello’s got Iverson. Who’s LeBron got? Nobody.

Other teams looking in

Two teams, Houston and Denver, have an outside shot at knocking off top-tier teams like Dallas or San Antonio, but only if they peak at just the right moment. If Carmello Anthony and Allen Iverson find the right chemistry, or if Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady can stay healthy for more than five minutes, either of these teams is capable of an astounding upset.

And though Utah surprised just about everyone with their fast start, it appears they may have already played their best basketball. Perhaps someday soon the Jazz could have success, a la the 2004 championship Pistons, but they’re at least a year or two away.

Speaking of the Pistons, they’re done. Stick a fork in ’em. Ben Wallace meant more to them than Joe Dumars realized. And when you sign Chris Webber to come save the day, well, you’re just clutching at straws.