Power Ranking the NBA's Top Contenders

The second half of the NBA season is starting up, and a handful of teams are separating themselves from the rest of the pack as contenders for the NBA Championship. 

LeBron James is having one of the best seasons in the history of the game, and the Chicago Bulls have the East's best record in spite of playing 10 games without the league's MVP, Derrick Rose. Most fans and analysts expect them to blow through the Eastern Conference playoffs and meet again in the Conference Finals. 

Who can stop the Bulls-Heat rematch? Who are the favorites in the wild Western Conference? Click along and find out who to look out for come playoff time. 

10. Philadelphia 76ers

How do you beat a team boasting star power? With exceptional defense and outstanding team play, two things the Philadelphia 76ers have in spades. 

The 76ers have the league's best scoring defense, allowing just 87.5 points per game. They also are the only team in the NBA to have six players averaging double figures. The 76ers also might be the league's least conventional team. 

It is their sixth man, Lou Williams, that leads them in scoring. Their assist leader is neither of their two point guards (Williams and starter Jrue Holliday), but small forward Andre Iguodala, often thought of as a defensive specialist. Their leading rebounder is Spencer Hawes, a castoff from the awful Sacramento Kings, who is shooting a full 10 percent better from the floor than his career average. Their highest-paid player (Elton Brand) has been a free-agent bust, averaging barely over 10 points per game. 

And yet, here the 76ers are, standing pat with the third seed in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs started today. On the flip side, the 76ers only have two quality wins out of their 20 (victories over the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers) and entered the all-star break on a five-game slide. The team also has two blowout losses on its resume to the Miami Heat, the squad that eliminated the 76ers last season. 

Philadelphia will most likely fall to one of the East's top two teams in a scrappy series. However, there have been instances in the past (the Detroit Pistons in 2004) when a team's depth of talent defeated the opposition's star power. And remember, the last time we had this insane lockout-shortened season, the eight-seeded New York Knicks represented the East, so crazier things have happened. 

9. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have the Western Conference's second-best record, but that does not really excite me all that much. The Spurs were the top seed in the playoffs last season and were dominated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. 

San Antonio does have some things going for them. Gregg Popovich has been the league's best coach at preparing his players for the lockout-shortened season. The Spurs are the only team that has been resting its players just to rest them, a strategy the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics may want to try. 

They also still have the championship trio of Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. However, they are all a year older after getting bounced by a younger, more athletic team in last year's playoffs. Their lack of athleticism has hurt them in two areas where the Spurs used to be elite: Rebounding (24th in the NBA) and defense (16th in points allowed).

Now, let's take a second look at that impressive record: Of their 24 wins, only two impress me: An 11-point victory over Oklahoma City and an overtime win against the Clippers. Earlier victories over the Dallas Mavericks and Clippers were before either of those teams hit their stride. The Spurs were eviscerated by the Miami Heat and lost an earlier game to the Thunder.  

San Antonio won the last lockout-shortened season, so you can't discount Popovich's ability to manage a shortened season and injuries could continue to hinder potential playoff opponents. However, if the Spurs do it again, it would truly be a case of Pop's stealing one. 

8. Memphis Grizzlies

Do not sleep on the Memphis Grizzlies. Remember the team that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games? This one should be better. 

The Grizzlies made their run without Rudy Gay, their best player, and will have time to integrate him with last season's catalyst, Zach Randolph. Randolph should return within the next couple of weeks, which would be just enough time for Randolph and Gay to learn to play together, which was a problem in their first four games. 

Down low, Marc Gasol is fresh off his first all-star game. With Randolph, Gay and double-double threat Marreese Speights coming off the bench, they will have the game's best front court. Gay is the athletic wing they need to match up on Kevin Durant and the guy they didn't have to trade buckets with The Durtantula down the stretch in last year's playoff run.

A backcourt trio of Mike Conley, Tony Allen and OJ Mayo gives coach Lionel Hollins lots of options for different matchups. Conley is one of the league's most underrated guards and something of an anti-Westbrook. While Westbrook lights up the scoreboard and highlight reels, Conley and his nearly three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio go unnoticed. Conley more than held his own against Westbrook in the playoffs last season and will not back down to any of the game's elite point guards. 

The Grizzlies will be a serious threat come playoff time. Pending Randolph and Gay's compatibility, they could just sneak out with the Western Conference crown. 

7. New York Knicks

All the hype and instant star power of Jeremy Lin is fun, but what Lin really gives the Knicks is a real shot at being a true title contender. 

I'm sure you have heard it on ESPN of NBA TV already, but it is all a matter of how the pieces fit together, because the pieces are absolutely there. Lin will come back to Earth, but he is the true point guard this team needs. Lin's game is most similar to Steve Nash's (no, I am not throwing him in the MVP discussion; I'm just saying there are similarities), so Lin and Amare Stoudemire should thrive in Mike D'Antoni's system. 

I find the notion that Carmelo Anthony will not fit in laughable. The emergence of a point guard means Anthony will not have to play point-forward, which he was not comfortable doing. He and Amare still need to learn to play together, but Lin will create for Stat while Melo does his thing enjoying the increased defensive attention to Lin and Stoudemire. Just ask Steve Novak what Lin's drives to the basket can do for a shooter from downtown.  

The Knicks have their Big Three plus Tyson Chandler manning the post. Now, they suddenly have one of the best benches in the game. Iman Shumpert and JR Smith create one of the best and most athletic offense-defense shooting guard platoons in the NBA. Baron Davis is capable of lighting it up and leading a second unit, while Novak and Jared Jeffries have benefited most from the emergence of Lin. The team is so deep that Toney Douglas, the team's staring point guard on opening night, has become an afterthought. 

I like this new-look Knicks team, and they will overtake the Philadelphia 76ers to win their division. Their better seed will get New York their first playoff series win since 2000. Advancing further than that would take everything going right for the Knicks and the Bulls or Heat not playing to their full potential. 

6. Los Angeles Lakers

If the Los Angles Lakers are not going to shake things up and trade for a star, they need to make some tweaks. The current roster is just not going to get the job done come June. 

Kobe Bryant's scoring average is at its highest since 2007. He is also hoisting up his most shots per game since 2006. Lakers fans may also remember those two seasons as the last years the Lakers got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. If they hold pat with this roster, they may suffer the same fate, pending the seeding. 

Chris Paul torched the Lakers last season in a series where his second-best player was Carl Landry. What will he do to them now with Blake Griffin and company? How about Oklahoma City (who gave the Lakers all they could handle in the first round two years ago) with Russell Westbrook and that loaded squad? Even second-tier point guards like Tony Parker would torch this Lakers D.

I am still a proponent that the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol for Deron Williams straight up. If they do not want to move their power forward, they need to find a point guard that can defend his position and distribute the ball. Otherwise, they do not give themselves a fighting chance and waste a precious season of Kobe's waning prime. 

5. Dallas Mavericks

Look out for the Dallas Mavericks. They started out slow, but Dirk Nowitzki is approaching the level he ended last year on. After taking a break to get his conditioning right, Nowitzki is averaging 24 points and eight rebounds in the last month. 

Dirk has reached that level where his presence alone gives the Mavs a shot, but the rest of the team is rounding into form as well. They still have their closer in Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd is picking up his play. Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahimi have done a solid job replacing the production of Tyson Chandler, as the team ranks fifth in rebounding and their defense has actually improved from last year. 

Vince Carter is settling into his role as the team's stretch-the-floor shooter (career-high 44 percent from three), and Delonte West was carving out a nice little niche before his injury, which will hold him out for a couple of weeks. Brandon Wright has been a great energy guy off the bench. If Lamar Odom can play near his proven level, he is another weapon both with the starters and the second unit. 

As Dallas proved last season, the NBA Championship is won by the team playing best in the playoffs, not the best team from the regular season. The Mavs are on the rise and will not relinquish that championship belt easily. 

4. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are hurt by the loss of Chauncey Billups, but they are still dangerous. The are the most athletic team in the league and might be the most talented. 

While I would have loved to see them sign JR Smith to help at shooting guard, I think there is enough on the roster to make a serious run. Mo Williams has a shooting guard's touch, if not the height, while Randy Foye is a capable veteran. Remember, the Mavs went into the playoffs last season with questions at shooting guard ("Who's going to guard Kobe?"), and they did just fine. 

Chris Paul is the game's best facilitator and does as good of a job balancing that role while being a top scoring threat as any player I have ever seen. He is as fiery a competitor as they come, and will make sure the team's youth is not a weakness come playoff time.

DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are as intimidating of a power forward-center combination as there is in this game. Caron Butler steps into Billups' shoes as the team's third scorer, a role he would have had for the Mavs last season had he not blown out his knee. Defensively, there are few better than Butler, and he will take on the opposition's top perimeter scorer. 

I would still like to see a slight tweak to this roster. Kenyon Martin is a great big-man depth, and the flyer they took on Bobby Simmons is a good low-risk move, but probably will not result in much production. The team has point guard Eric Bledsoe buried on the bench, who impressed last season as a 19-year-old rookie. 

First-year playoff teams rarely make a run, but guys like Paul and Butler are far from playoff rookies and will make sure their younger teammates are ready to roll.  

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Quick, which team has the league's highest-scoring trio? The Miami Heat? The Los Angeles Lakers? No, it is the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden are edging out LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, 68.3 to 68.2. Now, which cast of role players would you rather have? Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and Daequan Cook, or Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem?

If I'm being honest, the offensive edge goes to the Heat, but the defensive advantage goes to the Thunder. And what is that old saying that keeps being proven true? Defense wins championship? Just throwing it out there, folks. 

No one is questioning the Thunder's talent. Where they do have questions is scoring outside of the Big Three and too much one-on-one ball. The Thunder rank 27th in the NBA in assists and 29th in turnovers. Their scoring drops from 16.8 from Harden to eight for Ibaka. The Heat, by comparison, have two players scoring more than Ibaka, though it is worth nothing all the Thunder's best role players are defensive stalwarts. 

Russell Westbrook is playing extremely well right now, but most teams go as their point guard goes, and Westbrook is more of a problem in consideration to their weaknesses than a solution. Even during his scorching play in the last month, Westbrook is still averaging five assists with 4.6 turnovers and is averaging 5.5 to 4.2 for the year. 

I wrote it in my season preview, and I still believe it: This team will not reach its full potential until Westbrook is averaging at least eight assists per game. He has the game's most gifted scorer on his team, and he needs to find him. 

Everything is flying high right now, but remember, it was not until deep into last season's playoff run that Westbrook's deficiencies reared their ugly heads. Has he learned anything since then? The playoff run will tell the tale, because the Thunder should run through the West this season. 

2. Chicago Bulls

I was hanging out with some friends last week, all fellow NBA junkies, when a thought popped into my head. I tempered this statement, fearing dismissal due to bias as a Chicago Bulls' fan. 

"The way Derrick Rose contorts in mid-air and adjusts on those drives, there is only one way to describe his acrobatics: Jordanesque," I said.

I was shocked to hear the response from a room full of non-Bulls' fans: "I don't think I've ever seen anyone as good at adjusting in the air, including Jordan."

Agree or disagree, Rose is that good. Consider this: It took a perfect storm of events before someone could finally stop his onslaught on the NBA last season: exhaustion from carrying his team for 94 games, combined with being guarded by arguably the most athletic physical specimen in all of sports, LeBron James. The games were closer than the five-game loss would have you believe, and the difference was at the ends of games, when the league's most athletic defense only had Rose to key in on. 

I do believe this Bulls team is better than last year's. The defense is even more dominant, and Rose's injuries could be a mixed blessing. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer have had to carry the Bulls offense, a role that has long been Rose's. Ronnie Brewer is playing with much more confidence, and Joakim Noah is in the midst of the best month-long stretch of his career.  

However, the subtle improvements likely mean the Bulls lose in six or seven games to Miami, as opposed to five. That is unless Richard Hamilton is the clutch, prime-time player the Bulls need. When the game is on the line and the Heat defense keys in on Rose during winning time, it's Hamilton who will need to hit the big shots. 

The games will be close at the end, and outscoring Miami in the final minute is the only way these Bulls can beat the Heat. 

1. Miami Heat

NBA Championships are won by superstar players who take their game to another level during the playoffs. In that respect, the Miami Heat are the odds-on favorite to win the Finals, by sheer will of star power. 

As good as the Heat have been this season, they can be better. They still have moments of clunky basketball in the half-court, the weakness that will cost them in the playoffs if anything does. If a team can limit turnovers and play outstanding team defense (Miami still has trouble with the zone), the Heat can be beat. Of course, you also have to hope their litany of three-point shooters (Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller, James Jones and Shane Battier) are having off games, because that is always the weapon that can destroy any zone. 

I don't believe Miami will reach its full potential until LeBron James goes into the post without the ball. LeBron finally put work into his post game during the offseason (a move he should have made years ago), but he still does it while dominating the ball. When he goes down low, he has the ball already in his hands and backs down a smaller defender from nearly the three-point line in. 

If LeBron goes down there without the ball, it opens up so much more for the offense. For one, they would be playing five-on-five instead of four-on-five, because as of now, James still does not know what to do without the ball in his hands.

Remember how good of a passer Shaq was on the low block? Well, LeBron is an infinitely better passer, and could be out of the post. When Wade gives him the entry pass, James could give a touch pass to a cutting Chris Bosh on the other block or kick out to an open shooter as soon as the double team comes. If and when LeBron makes this adjustment, that is when the Heat will truly be unbeatable. 

Then again, Miami may be good enough that they do not need to fire on all cylinders to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy. And once they do win that elusive first title, they may never lose again as long as the Big Three are healthy. Once the team gets that "can't close out games" monkey off their back, they will have a championship swagger that will give them an air of invincibility.

Alexander is a featured columnist for bleacherreport.com You can follow Alexander on twitter @thesportsdude7 or become a fan on his Bleacher Report profile.