NBA Fourth Quarter Report: Playoff Preview and Regular Season Awards

As another long NBA season winds down, it is exciting to see so many teams playing at such a high level. The Utah Jazz did get beaten by the Lakers, but that was a more important game for LA and Kobe Bryant led his squad to a statement win.

The statement is that the Lakers are not ready to give up the West just yet.

This is the deepest the West has looked in the last few seasons and the West has looked deep for the past few seasons. It looks like every playoff team in the West will have 50 wins so every round could be a battle for the team who wins the West.

The Lakers, as the one seed, look to be the favorite still but Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City and San Antonio are all peaking at the right time.

Denver is struggling with injuries and that is a shame for the team that looked poised to make a run only a month ago. Portland even making the playoffs is very impressive as they have dealt with injuries all year long.

The East looks like a two-team race with Cleveland and Orlando headed for an Eastern Conference Finals re-match.

Boston has the grit and experience but they have also looked old all season. Atlanta is loaded with talent but has had trouble with the East's top two teams all year long.

The Hawks have had fourth-quarter leads in three games with Cleveland and are 0-3 against them this year.

Josh Smith did make a buzzer-beating slam to give the Hawks a win over Orlando recently, so perhaps they can build upon that if the two meet in the second round.

Milwaukee has been playing at a high level and could push a team in the first round. Cleveland would like to skip Charlotte, as the Bobcats have proven to be a match-up nightmare for the Cavs this season.

When the long NBA regular season started, it looked like there was a collision course of the Cavs versus the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Those two are still the favorites but it nice to see so many teams playing quality basketball as the playoffs finally arrive.

Regular Season Awards

All-NBA First Team:

Guard: Deron Williams

Guard: Kobe Bryant

Forward: LeBron James

Forward: Kevin Durant

Center: Dwight Howard

NBA MVP: LeBron James

The King's numbers are there, the leadership is there, and the pieces are in place for a title run in, of all cities, Cleveland. Cavs fans can be allowed to expect the worst but they should also hope for the best.

An article by Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi raised interest in that liberal rag when he wrote that Kevin Durant was the second-best player in the NBA. Durant is on his way, but my second-place vote for MVP would go to Kobe Bryant.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard

Comparisons to Bill Russell are apt for this defensive force. If he adds the offensive game, then he will be an NBA MVP one day.

NBA Sixth Man of the Year: Jamal Crawford

A great signing by the Hawks, Crawford will make his first postseason appearance this year. He leads the league in fourth-quarter minutes and like Dwight Howard for defensive player of the year, Crawford is the runaway winner for sixth man of the year.

NBA Rookie of the Year: Stephon Curry

Drafted into a great system for his skill set, Curry was more consistent than Brandon Jennings and took advantage of an injury to Tyreke Evans.

NBA Most Improved Player: Andrew Bogut

The former No. 1 overall pick, due to injuries and inconsistent play, was in danger of getting the bust label. He turned it around this year and has the Bucks in the playoffs.

Shawn Marion helped the Mavericks this season after a few down years. J.J. Hickson has also been a very improved player for the Cavs.

NBA Coach of the Year: Scott Brooks

We all knew that the Thunder was young and talented, so Brooks gets a lot of credit for turning them into a playoff team.

Mike Woodson has been a steady force in Atlanta and I think that Phil Jackson is always one of the best coaches in the game.

NBA Executive of the Year: Danny Ferry

After the disappointment of the East Finals last year, Ferry brought in Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon to address the match-up problems posed by the Magic. Then he gets Antawn Jamison, plus a vacation for Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Whatever LeBron James decides to do in the off-season, Cavs fans can say that Danny Ferry did everything in his power to keep him in Cleveland.