Surprises out west shake things up

As the NBA moves past the midway point of the season, the stage appears to be set for an exciting stretch run. While there seemed to be little doubt in November as to who would be competing for the title, now there seems to be a few more teams in the chase. Whether it is because of surprisingly good play by unexpected teams or poor execution from the league's top contenders, there has been much more competition than expected. \nThe first half of the season has proven two things -- the champion will be the team that shows up and plays hardest, and Charles Barkley (recently redubbed Sir Cumference) is the greatest analyst in the history of the game.\nThe brightest surprise has been the Midwest Division. With six teams at or near .500, it is tightly packed. The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets are having great seasons, and neither's success is a fluke. \nWhile Dallas has two all-star claiber players, the success of the team has come from its balance. Dirk Nowitzki (shunned by the NBA elite by not getting an all-star bid) and Michael Finley are neck-and-neck for top scorer honors, but Steve Nash and Howard Eisley, both averaging double-figures in scoring as well, might be the reason for the early success. Their production has discouraged defenses from committing to a single player, as they have taken advantage of scoring opportunities.\n The Nuggets are balanced scoring-wise, but their top asset might be the sense of unity created by the near fallout they experienced when the players thought of boycotting a practice. Coming dangerously close to a disaster, the team was able to pull together and has been playing excellent ball ever since. They showed commitment to success by acquiring forward Kevin Willis from Toronto. Willis' post-season experience in Houston will work wonders for this team -- and they will need it. Because there are several teams above .500, the Nuggets will be fighting just to get in to the playoffs, thanks to the abundance of great teams in the Western Conference.\nTeams such as Dallas and Denver are hopeful because of the poor play of the Lakers. While they are still in prime position for a repeat shot, they have fallen short of expectations so far. The obvious feud between their two stars (Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant) is one reason, but with other teams bulking up and O'Neal only getting worse from the charity stripe (a career low 41 percent), their dominance is not as strong as it was a year ago.\nWhile Portland leads the West, San Antonio also has a legitimate shot of knocking out L.A., as David Robinson refuses to age, and their interior defense (second in the NBA in blocked shots) might be enough to upset either Portland or the Lakers.\nThe Eastern Conference has gone according to form, for the most part. While the extent of Philadelphia's success might be a shock, they were expected to be a contender. Many experts picked Milwaukee to lead the Central division. Teams such as Charlotte and New York are right about where they should be without a true center, which is why the best performance in the East might be from Miami. \nEven a slow start has not stopped Pat Riley's team from climbing through the standings, and since there is no dominant center in the conference, a trip to the finals is certainly not out of the question. \nRumors have begun to circulate that Riley has shown interest in Hakeem Olajuwon, who would simply play the remainder of the season and then go elsewhere when Alonzo Mourning returns next season.\nWhile scoring has dropped unbelievably, and two of the East's starting all-stars (Mourning and Grant Hill) have seen little or no action, the first half of the season has still managed to provide excitement, and has certainly sparked plenty of reasons to pay attention the rest of the way.