More than a quarter of a way into the season, the 2009 NBA championship appears to be a three team race. The Spurs, Hornets, Nuggets, Magic and a handful of other teams may have something to say about that, but there is a clear-cut top tier in the NBA this season. Whatever order you rank them in, no one else is playing at the same level as the Celtics, Cavaliers and Lakers.

So what’s standing in the way of these three teams in their quest for the 2009 title?

Boston
The Celtics have been the best team so far this season. And I’ll be the first to admit that I’m surprised how well the defending champs have played the role of defending champs. They certainly appear to have the mindset to be the first team to repeat since the 2002-03 Lakers completed a three-peat. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo have both kicked their games into an extra gear I didn’t know they had.

The worry is that they will burn out. All of this success tends to make a team complacent. That’s the expectation, but the reality has been far from that. Instead, this team seems even more focused on the mission than they were last year when their many new parts (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, James Posey) were still learning how to play together.

Still, it’s hard to believe they can continue along at this blistering pace, especially with a veteran-laden bunch. If the veteran leaders begin to show the wear and tear, the team could slip. In a year when home court advantage might be decided by one game among three potential 65-plus-win teams, that would be tough to overcome.

Cleveland
The Cavs are the most surprising success story this year. Everyone knew the addition of Mo Williams would help LeBron James and company, but I don’t think anyone expected it to help Cleveland vault into the elite category. With James and many of the players on this roster now seasoned in playoff basketball, this is a team built for the long haul. They have great team chemistry, and their offense is finally playing to James’ strengths.

The worry in Cleveland is based in the future. Will LeBron bolt for New York in 2010? No one knows the answer, but it’s very clear that winning now would help the Cavs’ case to keep him. That’s why ownership has signed off on deals that have this team on the high-end of team salaries. And that’s why it’s been widely speculated that Wally Szczerbiak and his hefty expiring contract is being shopped around to land one more piece of the puzzle to make a run at the title this season.

In the past three years, the Cavs have fallen in the Eastern Conference Finals, NBA Finals and Eastern Conference Semifinals. They’ve experienced their growing pains, and expectations are high. No one wants to face LeBron in the playoffs. The question is, can he and his team handle the pressure of winning in Cleveland before he is free to seek a new city?

Los Angeles
The most talented and versatile team of the bunch is the Lakers. They have the best pair of 7-footers In the league. They have a deep, energetic bench that includes Lamar Odom, who would likely start for every other team in the league except maybe Boston. And, as if that weren’t enough, they have the reigning league MVP, Kobe Bryant.

The worry in L.A. is the Lakers’ apparent disinterest. They’ve lost just three games this year, but two of those defeats came against Indiana and Sacramento. After a dominant stretch to open the season 10-0, the Lakers’ defense has fallen off. While they remain the class of the West, no one expects them to contend against Boston—or Cleveland—playing the sort of defense that nearly led to losses against the lowly Wizards and undermanned Knicks.

I don’t get to watch nearly as many NBA games as I would like. For one thing, they aren’t on basic cable every night. And, even when they are, too many of the West coast games tip off at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time. That’s now a problem since I have a regular 8–5 day job. Also, a lot of lower-level teams simply don’t get on TV as regularly.

The point is that there are a number of players I’d like to see more often than I do. With that in mind, here’s my list of the top-10 guys I want to see more of as soon as possible.

10. Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers)
I’ll be honest. Granger is the reason I was inspired to write this column. His 32-point effort last night led the way for Indiana’s upset of the Lakers. I couldn’t pick Granger out of a lineup because the Pacers have gone MIA since the departures of Reggie Miller, Jermaine O’Neal, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. But he is the leading scorer for a team that just became the first to defeat both teams from last year’s NBA Finals.

9. O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies)
I didn’t get a chance to see him play much at USC, and now he’s buried in the NBA’s purgatory that is Memphis. Is he a legitimate franchise player or someone looking to play a franchise for money? I’m not sold on him, but I need to see more game action before I lay down my verdict.

8. Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets)
I wasn’t totally convinced the Mavs made the right deal last year when they shipped Harris to New Jersey for Jason Kidd, but it was because of Kidd’s age not Harris’ talent. As it turns out, Harris may be the starting point guard for the East All-Stars this year. His play is the primary reason this Nets team is hovering above .500 despite being in so-called “rebuilding” mode according to many preseason predictions.

7. Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
By overshadowing Dwight Howard this past summer for Team USA, Bosh piques my interest. Playing for the only NBA team north of the border doesn’t help his exposure. Neither does being part of the draft class that included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. But Bosh is a beast, plain and simple.

6. Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks)
One of the keys to the Hawks pushing the eventual champion Celtics to the brink of elimination last year was Smith’s versatility. He’s one of the game’s best shot blockers and packs a bunch on the offensive end as well. If his maturity ever catches up to his skill set, watch out.

5. Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
After watching him struggle against the defense of Kansas in last year’s NCAA championship, I had my doubts and probably would have taken Beasley first overall. Less than 20 games into the season, I think the Bulls made the right decision. Rose is already a leader in Chicago and is primed to make a run at Chris Paul for best point guard of the next decade.

4. Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)
The third rookie on this list, Love was a personal favorite of mine last season at UCLA. He doesn’t have the prototypical NBA body, but he uses his bulk to his benefit and has a knack for the game rarely seen in a young player. Plus, no one throws an outlet pass like Kevin Love.

3. Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings)
Speaking of players lacking NBA bodies, Kevin Martin looks more like someone you’d run into at the local YMCA. Listed at 6’7” and 185 pounds, he’s as scrawny as they come. But he’s not your average baller. Martin has averaged better than 20 points per game the past two years, but still doesn’t get any respect when you talk about the best scorers in the league. Playing on the hapless Kings, it’s hard to find Martin on the tube, but he’s definitely worth watching.

2. Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers)
My pick for rookie of the year, Fernandez is no newcomer to the game of basketball. A veteran of the Spanish league, he is a big reason why Portland looks poised to make the playoffs this year. Whether it’s throwing down on Dwight Howard or draining from distance, Fernandez is fun to watch.

1. Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
If you didn’t watch the Boston-Atlanta series last spring, you may still be in the dark about the NBA’s best kept secret, Joe Johnson. I’d put him fourth on my list of players I’d want with the ball when trailing by 1 or 2 points and less than 24 seconds remaining (behind 1. Kobe Bryant, 2. LeBron James, 3. Chris Paul). He’s clutch, able to create of the dribble and a proven scorer. The Hawks are no longer a punch line and the emergence of Joe Johnson as an all-star is a big reason why.