Eastern Conference

As the season progresses, the competition in the East seems to be getting tighter and clearly the genuine title contenders are moving away from the rest of the pack. Still left in the blocks, however, are the New Jersey Nets who after a month of competition are still without a strike in the winning column.

The Orlando Magic have managed to hold on to the top position in the conference recovering from a slight hindrance to success with two wins on the trot. They only have a one game lead over to dominant Boston Celtics, who backed by their three consecutive wins are the second most in-form team in the East at present.

The Charlotte Bobcats were the most productive team of the week by climbing into the top eight with four consecutive wins boosted by the addition of Stephen Jackson from the Golden State Warriors. Among their victims was the Cleveland Cavaliers and the improving Washington Wizards.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have since rebounded from that loss to the Bobcats with an impressive 111-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Atlanta Hawks seem to have lost their footing a bit, slipping from first to fourth place with inconsistent results over the past two weeks. They now have a record of 12-5.

All in all, most of the remaining teams of the conference are in a surprising slum. The Miami Heat are now 5-5 from their last 10 but have a comfortable lead over their closest opponents.

The Milwaukee Bucks, after a remarkable, yet surprising start, seemed to have lost the excitement and flair they began with falling to four successive losses. The Chicago Bulls suffered the same fate over the course of the week while the Philadelphia 76ers are uncharacteristically on a five-game losing streak.

Class is class!

Western Conference

The Phoenix Suns cannot stop winning. Of the 17 games they have played to date they have only been the victims of defeat three times, winning commandingly over the Toronto Raptors 113-94. Steve Nash continues to make a claim for the league MVP with 20 points and 16 assists in the game.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the most prolific team of the league, having a six-game winning streak under their belt. The Denver Nuggets are rapidly returning to form with four uncontested wins. They recorded an impressive overtime victory late last week in a game which saw the vastly improving Carmelo Anthony claim a career high 50 points.

The San Antonio Spurs, though possibly flattering to deceive, went on their best run of the 2009-2010 season with four impressive victories. The Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City are hanging around the big men of the West at present and moved to a record of 9-7 after impressive back to back wins.

The Dallas Mavericks are among the many teams going through an inconsistent spell at the moment slipping from top position the fourth just as the Hawks did failing to overcome the Cavaliers when they made their trip to the East.

The Portland Trailblazers have cemented a place for themselves among the play-off contenders but streaks such as their current two-game losing streak ensure that they are yet to put up a strong challenge for the title.

The Utah Jazz are holding on to eight place in the West with two impressive wins capitalising on the losing streak of the Houston Rockets. While the Nets are the disappointment of the league with 16 losses the Minnesota Timberwolves are barely more impressive, losing all 15 games played since their opening day victory.