NBA Stock Report: Where the Top Eight Teams Stand

The ability to string together multiple wins is an important trait in the NBA. As the regular season races to a close that quality becomes critical.

This week's edition of NBA Stock Report is highlighted by a couple of teams who have solidified their playoff positioning and created separation in the standings due to long winning streaks.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won 10 games in a row and are slowly pulling away from the other top contenders in the Eastern Conference.

In the West, the Utah Jazz currently own an eight game winning streak and are doing everything in their power to remain in position for a home court playoff series.

Streaking is always a good thing for NBA teams, but the ability to do it in the second half of the season is pivotal when it comes to team confidence, morale, and leverage.

The only negative thing associated with long winning streaks is the possibility that a team may have reached their peak too early, and can't sustain momentum through the postseason.

Only time will tell if that dynamic affects either the Jazz or the Cavaliers, but as far as this week's list goes, the top eight positions remain virtually unchanged.

That may be a sign of the best teams distancing themselves from the pack, and the competition between those teams has become fierce.

Only percentage points separate numbers three through seven, and in the case of a team like Boston, the battle may have already been lost due to a failure to secure two key season series.

This list is created by the current NBA standings which are not up for debate, but because of the slim margin of error held by much of the list, the future tidings of each team remain in doubt.

Feel free to share your opinions about the direction of each team and let me know which team you envision making major moves, whether they be positive or negative. Enjoy.

No. 8 Dallas Mavericks, 4th West: Down

The Dallas Mavericks finished the week 1-2 with losses to Utah and Minnesota; their lone victory came at the expense of the Golden State Warriors.

Dallas fell behind Utah to the fourth spot in the West and their inconsistent play leaves them a vulnerable position when it comes to maintaining their slim advantage for playoff seeding.

The problems facing the Mavericks are familiar: poor defense, poor rebounding, and the lack of a killer instinct. How do you fix them?

Dallas'only real chance of title contention may lie in the ability to make a deal before the trade deadline, so do the Mavericks stand pat and take their chances, or do they pursue a deal?

The answer to that question may determine how deep Dallas is able to go into the postseason.

No. 7 Utah Jazz, 3rd West: Up

The Utah Jazz leap-frogged the Mavericks for the third seed in the West on the strength of their eight game winning streak, and their week included three wins against potential playoff teams.

Utah defeated Dallas, Portland, and Denver and more importantly, they opened a window into the depth of their team in the absence of Carlos Boozer.

Paul Milsap has played admirably in his stead and with each game missed by Boozer, the intelligence in making it a priority to re-sign Milsap in the offseason is proved.

Some say the most important thing for the Jazz is to avoid the Los Angeles Lakers in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Utah looks as if they may have the ability to make that happen.

No. 6 Boston Celtics, 4th East: Up

Conventional wisdom says the Boston Celtics reaped the benefits of a 3-1 week, but in the loss to the Orlando Magic, the Celtics may have dealt themselves a death blow.

Boston has now lost the season series against Orlando and the Atlana Hawks—two teams separated by percentage points from the Celtics for second place in the East.

Losing those series leave Boston at a decided disadvantage in the race for positioning and maybe they can find solace in their lone victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Of course they have a few more times to tangle with LeBron, and in all honesty, what chance do they really have of winning that series?

We may be witnessing the end of a very short era in Boston, as the Celtics are still a good team, but seem to have lost the ability to be great.

No. 5 Atlanta Hawks, 3rd East: Up

The Atlanta Hawks finished the week 2-1 with wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls and a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Hawks are in third place in the East, have won the season series against the Boston Celtics, and have their sights firmly set on Orlando in a tight divisional race.

The Hawks have the talent to win the Eastern Conference, but there are still questions concerning their lack of maturity in key moments, which may be a sign of their inexperience.

However, they do have the leadership of Joe Johnson to lean on and the addition of Jamal Crawford gives the Hawks another proven scorer when points are difficult to come by.

Atlanta may have the highest ceiling in the entire Eastern Conference, but the question is, will they rise above the confines of their inexperience, or keep bumping their heads on that ceiling because of it?

No. 4 Orlando Magic, 2nd East: Up

The Orlando Magic also own a victory in the season series against the Boston Celtics, and finally appear to be gaining confidence with Vince Carter in the line-up.

The Magic finished the week 2-1 with a loss against Washington and two wins over Milwaukee and Boston; they remain ahead of Atlanta in both their division and the conference.

It's unlikely the Magic will catch the Cavaliers in the chase for the first seed in the East but Orlando has proved they don't need the benefit of home court advantage to be successful.

But that was last year, and if Orlando finds themselves in a similar situation, will Carter be able to provide the same stability as the departed Hedo Turkoglu?

No. 3 Denver Nuggets, 2nd West: Steady

A 2-2 week left the Denver Nuggets in exactly the same place they started, yet their victory against the Los Angeles Lakers may have large implications later in the season.

The Nuggets' win on the Lakers' home court gave Denver a 2-0 edge in the season series, although they still trail the Lakers by four games in the West.

However if the Nuggets are able to gain ground as the season progresses, this could hold significant weight when the final tally is done for postseason seeding.

The Nuggets did lose two crucial games to the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz, and that could hurt Denver especially with the Jazz, who are currently mounting a strong charge up the standings.

No. 2 Los Angeles Lakers, 1st West: Steady

The Los Angeles Lakers concluded the week with a 2-2 record from losses to Memphis and Denver and wins against Charlotte and Portland.

The last win against the Trail Blazers was accomplished without the services of Kobe Bryant, and may have answered some questions about the Lakers' ability to survive without their captain.

The win was important because it broke a losing streak in Portland dating back to 2005, and the Lakers' other players performed with confidence and focus while Bryant was side-lined.

Andrew Bynum suffered a hip injury, and the uncertainty of that situation may be of some concern for Los Angeles, although he only played 10 minutes of the game.

The Lakers' reserves are beginning to resemble the unit which played a pivotal role in their championship run of 2009—a good sign considering the recent injuries faced by starters.

No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers, 1st East: Up

LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers are streaking across the top of the NBA and steadily creating distance between themselves and the rest of the league.

They have won 10 games in a row and this past week, they saw wins over Memphis and Miami. They continue to assert their dominance in the absence of two injured starters.

James has been comfortable in assuming the role of a playmaker, and his ability to consistently create opportunities for his teammates is a testament to his evolution to a complete player.

LeBron has improved his man-to-man defense and that has translated to his team, but the Cavaliers were on this same path before an epic collapse in the playoffs last season.

Fans feel this team is different. It's becoming more and more likely Cleveland will get a chance to prove that when it's time for the playoffs.