NBA Column: Western Conference remains competitive

With the shortened NBA season nearly one-third of the way over, it’s time to take a look at… With the shortened NBA season nearly one-third of the way over, it’s time to take a look at the first month in review.

The 66-game NBA season has provided plenty of basketball action already, with most teams playing between three and five games per week.

The effects of the lockout have already become apparent. The Elias Sports Bureau, a website that provides historical research and statistics, said that teams averaged only 94.2 points per game in January, the lowest for a single month since March of 2004.

However, the scoring drop hasn’t affected every team. The Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder all average over 100 points per game.

On a related note, all three teams own some of the best records in their respective conferences.

The 14-7 Nuggets sit in third place overall in the Western Conference and trail their division mate Oklahoma City, which owns a conference-best record of 16-4.

In the East, the Heat currently own second place in the conference with a 16-5 record and only trail the conference-leading Chicago Bulls by one game in the standings.

Although scoring was low for the first full month of the season, fans no doubt witnessed an improvement in the quality of play throughout January. As players get back into shape and become more comfortable with their coaches and their teammates, the level of competition will continue to rise.

As for the Eastern Conference, competition will be heated for the lower seeds in the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the surprise teams that I mentioned earlier this season, find themselves a single game out of the No. 8 seed in the conference. Although the playoffs don’t begin until mid-April, the team shows promise.

In the East, six playoff spots look like locks. The Bulls, Heat, Hawks, Sixers, Pacers and Magic will all be in the postseason. The last two spots are up for grabs.

I left out one major name: the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics finally managed to even their record at 10-10, but I don’t think they’ll manage to make the postseason. I expect general manager Danny Ainge to fully dismantle this team. The Celtics won as much as they could. Now, they have to get rid of old players like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett while they still have some value.

Ainge’s expected actions at this year’s trading deadline are the main reasons the Celtics will miss the playoffs for the first time since Allen, Pierce and Garnett have all been playing on the team together.

The Knicks are also disappointing their fans. New York is playing poorly and the team is dropping in the standings. At 8-13, the Knicks trail the Cavaliers by half a game in the loss column.

In the Western Conference, the play is as competitive as usual. Fans might see a team from the West miss the playoffs with a better record than the fifth or sixth seed in the East.

The Portland Trail Blazers, who started the season hot, cooled off and now own a record of 12-9, making them the No. 9 team in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Magic — with an identical record to Portland — currently own the No. 6 seed in the East.

Any team in the Northwest Division will find it difficult to make the playoffs. Every team could make the postseason, from Minnesota to Oklahoma City, but no team is guaranteed a spot, and the picture will continue to change on a weekly basis. I think the Clippers, Lakers, Thunder, Jazz and even the Trail Blazers will definitely qualify for the postseason.

Here are my predictions for the rest of the season:

Eastern Conference Playoffs

1. Miami Heat — Southeast Division Champions

2. Chicago Bulls — Central Division Champions

3. Indiana Pacers

4. Philadelphia 76ers — Atlantic Division Champions

5. Orlando Magic

6. Atlanta Hawks

7. New York Knicks

8. Cleveland Cavaliers

Western Conference Playoffs

1. Oklahoma City Thunder — Northwest Division Champions

2. Los Angeles Lakers — Pacific Division Champions

3. Los Angeles Clippers

4. Dallas Mavericks — Southwest Division Champions

5. Portland Trail Blazers

6. Denver Nuggets

7. Memphis Grizzlies

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

Here’s a game to check out on national television this week:

Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (Friday, Feb. 3 at10:30 p.m. — ESPN)

Two Western Conference foes square off in a matchup that could help determine playoff seeding. The teams split their first meetings and the Nuggets will want to break the tie and put themselves on top. Kobe Bryant, who’s been playing well recently, will lead his team into one of the toughest arenas in professional sports. The Lakers, who don’t play well on the road, will face a difficult challenge against the Nuggets.