FanNation - The Republic of Sport

When the Spurs and Cavs met in the NBA Finals last year, it was billed as something special. Young LeBron James had put his undermanned team on his shoulders and led them through the Eastern Conference, notably with a superhuman effort against the favored Detroit Pistons. San Antonio's humble superstar, Tim Duncan, was trying to win his fourth NBA Championship at the tender age of 31. Even the tabloids were involved, as actress Eva Longoria was preparing for her summer wedding to Spurs point guard Tony Parker. Ooh la la.

Then, the actual series started. It was a brutal four-game sweep, featuring TV ratings more suited for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals or a daytime soap opera. Things reached the low point during Game 2, which coincided with the series finale of The Sopranos on June 10. Many members of the media, including Philly's own David Aldridge, seemed bummed that they had to miss the final episode to cover the game. Can you really blame them? Watching Tony and the boys sounds much more fun than watching Larry Hughes shoot 2-for-11.

Anyway, the league took another hit when the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal reared its ugly head. It seemed as though all the goodwill built up by the "NBA Cares" program and the new dress code had been lost. But a quick remedy was found to jack up everyone's interest again - trade all of the good players.

In a six-month span, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, and Ben Wallace (among others) were all shipped out to new teams. What we are left with is a rejuvenated Eastern Conference and a frighteningly deep Western Conference, where the Top 8 teams are currently separated by only five games. With the playoffs approaching quickly, I wanted to do an early breakdown of the possible match-ups, but it is basically impossible at this point. So, what we are left with is a simple rundown of each conference, from top to bottom, or make that bottom to top.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Strictly Embarrassing: New York, Philadelphia, Miami
The Heat have been unwatchable this entire season and things did not exactly improve after the trade for Shawn Marion - in fact, they are mired in an 11-game losing streak that stretches back the Shaq days. Amazingly, they have exactly one win - a two-point squeaker over the Pacers - since December 22, 2007.

As for New York and Philly, it is a shame that these two teams, playing in great basketball cities, are so bad. It is a tough call on deciding which franchise is in worse shape. During a Knicks-Sixers "showdown" in January, MSG broadcaster Gus Johnson boldly declared that the Knicks were "miles ahead" of the Sixers. Just last week, Philly destroyed Isaiah Thomas's club, beating them by 40. I would say that it is neck-and-neck. Actually, the Knicks are much, much worse. But do not forget that both of these teams had the resources, money, contracts, and draft picks to make a run at Kevin Garnett at some point in these last couple of years.

Headed for the Lottery: Charlotte, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana, Chicago
Okay, so two of these teams will be mathematically eliminated from the lottery when the season ends. Even more amazingly, they all have a worse record than the 76ers! I can only hope that Philly keeps up their recent surge and lands one of the last two spots, only so we can all be spared the embarrassment of... (Read the full article here: Sports Sound Off: Trading Places and Looking Ahead)