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.

I don’t watch Lost, so forgive me for borrowing the term, but there’s another group of “Others” performing well lately. I’m talking about the supporting cast for the 11-1 Los Angeles Lakers.

The Others have always been an overlooked staple of Phil Jackson’s championship teams. Look back and you’ll find his best teams were loaded with standout role players.

A standout role player isn’t a star. On the contrary, they are players that complement a team’s stars. They make it possible for the stars to do star player things—namely scoring points—while covering up for them in other areas.

Phil Jackson has coached some of the league’s ultimate Others, including Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Robert Horry and Brian Shaw. But the supporting cast on this year’s Lakers may be the best collection of Others that Jackson has ever coached.

Of course, you need the stars in place first in order for The Others to be effective. The Lakers made that happen last season when they traded for Pau Gasol and teamed him with Kobe Bryant. That gave L.A. the dynamic duo they had lacked since they traded Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.

Depending on your label of Andrew Bynum, you could argue that the Lakers have three stars. But the numbers don’t quite back it up—not yet anyway. Bynum is likely a star-in-waiting, but for the time being, he’s just a beast of an Other.

In fact, one could argue that Bynum was the missing Other from last year’s team. His size, strength and toughness gives the Lakers an intimidating presence in the middle, which helps everyone else on the defensive end. He also improves their offensive and defensive rebounding, averaging more than 9 rebounds per game.

Bynum’s return from last season’s injury—combined with the acquisition of Gasol—also allows the Lakers to bring another dynamic Other off the bench: Lamar Odom. At 6’10” Odom has the length of a center with the playmaking ability of a guard. His ability to check his ego at the door and become a sixth man for the first time in his career gives coach Jackson such flexibility with the roster.

Need shooters? Insert clutch point guard Derek Fisher, 6’10” sharpshooter Vladimir Radmanovich and “The Machine” Sasha Vujacic, who still hasn’t seen a shot he didn’t like.

Looking to pick up the pace and press? Turn to defensive stopper Trevor Ariza and lightning-quick point guard Jordan Farmar.

Looking for an extra passer, someone to make smart decisions in critical situations? There’s Luke Walton on your bench.

Teams dare not try to play a big lineup against the Lakers. No one in the league can match the size and versatility of a frontline of Gasol-Bynum-Odom. And when teams go small, the Lakers really don’t lose anything by replacing Gasol/Bynum and Radmanovich with Odom and Vujacic.

There are many reasons why the Lakers are off to such a great start, but rather than focusing on the reigning MVP Kobe Bryant, the first full season working with Pau Gasol or their Zen Master coach, give credit to The Others. Depth is a valuable asset in the marathon that is the NBA season. And the Lakers are running at a very impressive pace out the gate.

Remember when Kobe almost left the Lakers? Me neither. It seems like ages ago—though it was just a year back—that the Lakers were a franchise in turmoil on the verge of trading away their superstar for spare parts.

But it never happened.

Instead, Bryant was named MVP. The Lakers had the best regular season record in the West and advanced to the NBA Finals before losing in six games to the Boston Celtics. It was a tough loss to swallow, but the journey made it bearable, if barely.

The Lakers weren’t expected to contend for a title heading into last season. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein placed ranked them 20th in the 2007-08 season opening Power Rankings, writing, “The sad reality, after all the chaos of the summer and October, is that this team is in for a real drop if Kobe leaves and a ride of countless bumps and ceaseless speculation just to grab a playoff spot if he stays.”

This season, Stein has them at number two behind Boston. After trading for Pau Gasol last season and getting a healthy Andrew Bynum back this year, Lakers’ expectations are clear: NBA championship or bust. Lakers fans feel the same way.

After falling two games short of the title last year, it’s not going to be easy to improve, but there is a lot of room to drop off.

Last year, every step along the way was fun. No one saw it coming. Watching the development of Bynum before his injury. Watching clutch performances from Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar. Delighting in the energy and antics of Ronny Turiaf.

This year’s team will be watched with a more apprehensive eye. Turiaf is the only significant departure, signing with Golden State in the offseason. But the return of Bynum crowds the front line and will likely relegate Lamar Odom into the role as sixth man.

Will Gasol, Bynum and Odom co-exist harmoniously? Will Jordan Farmar seize the starting point guard position from veteran Derek Fisher? And who will step up as the primary small forward—defensive-mined Trevor Ariza, three-point specialist Vladimir Radmanovic or the versatile Luke Walton?

There are many questions about this Lakers team. They are capable of answering them all and, if they can stay healthy, there is no doubt they’ll be a playoff team. But in a top-heavy Western Conference, the road back to the Finals won’t be easy. And with expectations in Los Angeles at their highest since the Kobe-Shaq-Malone-Payton season of ’03-’04, there’s only one result that will make this season a success for this franchise.

Check back to MattHubert.com tomorrow for the return of the MattHubert.com podcast, featuring a full NBA preview from Matt and Mike.

Imagine winning 48 games (more than all but three teams in the Eastern Conference) and missing the playoffs. That was the fate of last year’s Golden State Warriors. Imagine winning 55 games (two fewer than the conference champion) and finishing sixth in the conference, opening the playoffs on the road. That was the fate of last year’s Phoenix Suns.

Both teams had disappointing ends to their seasons in the fiercely competitive Western Conference. As a result, they will look different this season, though not necessarily better. Several teams in the West have added or subtracted from their 2007-08 rosters. It likely means some shuffling in the standings, but what doesn’t figure to change is a high level of competition for all eight playoff spots in the West.

A quick look at all 15 teams:

Los Angeles Lakers
Last year: 57-25 (1st in West, lost NBA Finals)
Significant roster changes: Lost F/C Ronny Turiaf via free agency

New Orleans Hornets
Last year: 56-26 (2nd in West, lost Western semifinals)
Significant roster changes: Signed F James Posey

San Antonio Spurs
Last year: 56-26 (3rd in West, lost Western Finals)
Significant roster changes: Lost G Brent Barry via free agency

Utah Jazz
Last year: 54-28 (4th in West, lost Western semifinals)
Significant roster changes: None

Houston Rockets
Last year: 55-27 (5th in West, lost Western quarterfinals)
Significant roster changes: Acquired G/F Ron Artest via trade, signed G Brent Barry

Phoenix Suns
Last year: 55-27 (6th in West, lost Western quarterfinals)
Significant roster changes: Signed G/F Matt Barnes (also signed new coach Terry Porter to replace the fired Mike D’Antoni)

Dallas Mavericks
Last year: 51-31 (7th in West, lost Western quarterfinals)
Significant roster changes: Signed C Desagana Diop and G Gerald Green

Denver Nuggets
Last year: 50-32 (8th in West, lost Western quarterfinals)
Significant roster changes: Lost F/C Marcus Camby and F Eduardo Najara, acquired F Renaldo Balkman via trade, signed F/C Chris Andersen

Golden State Warriors
Last year: 48-34 (9th in West)
Significant roster changes: Drafted F Anthony Randolph, signed G/F Corey Maggette, F/C Ronny Turiaf and traded for G Marcus Williams; lost G Baron Davis

Portland Trailblazers
Last year: 41-41 (10th in West)
Significant roster changes: Signed G Rudy Fernandez, acquired draft rights of G Jerryd Bayless

Sacramento Kings
Last year: 38-44 (11th in West)
Significant roster changes: Traded G/F Ron Artest, drafted F Jason Thompson

Los Angeles Clippers
Last year: 23-59 (12th in West)
Significant roster changes: Signed G Baron Davis and G/F Ricky Davis traded for F/C Marcus Camby, drafted G Eric Gordon, lost F Elton Brand and G/F Corey Maggette via free agency

Minnesota Timberwolves
Last year: 22-60 (13th in West)
Significant roster changes: Acquired draft rights of F Kevin Love, traded for G Mike Miller, C Calvin Booth and F Rodney Carney

Memphis Grizzlies
Last year: 22-60 (14th in West)
Significant roster changes: Acquired draft rights of G O.J. Mayo

Oklahoma City
Last year: 20-62 (15th in West)
Significant roster changes: Drafted G Russell Westbrook

If I had to pick a conference pecking order as of today, it would be as follows:
1. Lakers
2. Hornets
3. Rockets
4. Spurs
5. Jazz
6. Suns
7. Blazers
8. Mavericks
9. Clippers
10. Nuggets
11. Warriors
12. Timberwolves
13. Grizzlies
14. Kings
15. Oklahoma City

If Game 4 was The Devastation Game, Game 6 was The Demolition Game. The Celtics demolished the Lakers in every way imaginable. The box score looks like it came from a video game where the Lakers’ were being operated by a gamer with a broken controller.

The Celtics won the battle of the boards 34-27 (14-2 offensive rebounds). They won the turnover battle 19-7, including a record 18 steals. They shot 50 percent from 3-point range, including a record-tying seven treys from Ray Allen. They held the Lakers to 42 percent shooting, while shooting 49 percent themselves. They were 32-of-37 at the line. They had 33 assists to their 43 field goals. The Lakers had just 16. And, most emphatically, they beat the Lakers 131-92 in an NBA Finals series-clinching game. If ever there was a game where one team wanted it more, this was it. And the Celtics were that team, demolishing the Lakers from the second quarter on.

The win was not shocking. Boston outplayed Los Angeles for most of this series with suffocating defense and timely offensive contributions from players up and down their roster. The blowout was a surprise, however. The Lakers went down without a fight as a four point game at the end of the first quarter quickly got out of hand.

The Celtics defense was unrelenting in Game 6, and it was the team’s calling card throughout the series and the season. In each game of the series, Boston held the Lakers to less than 20 points in at least one quarter. And the scoring droughts the Lakers suffered were never countered with defense of their own.

Defense wins champions may be a cliché, but it’s also a reality for the Boston Celtics in 2008. They made Kobe Bryant look pedestrian. They made the triangle offense stagnant. They made a flashy, fun-to-watch Lakers team look like a team playing a disjointed playground pick-up game rather than an NBA championship series.

As a Lakers fan, my mind is trained to focus on what the purple and gold did wrong, but after a demolition effort like the Celtics laid on them in Game 6, I have to be equally, albeit painfully, complimentary for the Celtics’ role in making the Lakers play out of character all series long. So congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the 2008 NBA Championship.

And on a personal note, I finally have a reason to justify my innate feelings toward the Celtics and Boston sports fans at large. Now I can connect with generations of Lakers fans. Congratulations, Celtics. You’re now up there on my mantel with the Yankees, Patriots, Buckeyes and Broncos. Yes, now I really hate the Celtics.

• The Celtics are +11 points in the series, but with the exception of Game 1, every game in the series has been decided by 6 points or less.

• Kendrick Perkins is not typically going to fill up a stat sheet, but his presence in the paint bothers the Lakers’ offense and rebounding. If he can’t go in Game 6, that’s a boost for the Lakers.

• James Posey is the type of player every championship team needs. He does all the little things in terms of key rebounds and pesky defense, and he always seems to hit dagger shots at opportune moments.

• Chris Mihm should not see another minute of action in this series unless he’s matched up against Brian Scalabrine in garbage time.

• Kobe Bryant has yet to have a breakout game this series. This worries Lakers fans, but it has to scare Celtics fans even more.

• Doc Rivers is winning the coaching matchup with Phil Jackson through five games, simple as that.

The 2008 NBA Finals begin tomorrow night between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The Lakers have lost just three games this postseason. They are not going to lose four of the next seven. Here are 14 reasons – one for each Lakers championship – why I’m picking the Lakers to win the series.

1. Killer instinct
No one has put teams away like the Lakers in this postseason. In closeout games, the Lakers are 3-0, which includes series clinchers on the road against Denver and Utah. Their ability to finish teams is even more impressive considering their relative lack of playoff experience.

2. Offensive fluidity
The triangle offense is clicking right now. The Lakers are the best passing team in the league. With Gasol and Odom in the 4 and 5 spots, they have five capable passers in their starting lineup, making them extremely difficult to defend.

3. Balanced attack
Kobe won his MVP because he was able to do this thing this season more easily than any year since Shaquille O’Neal was traded. The talent around Kobe is what makes this Lakers team so dangerous. Number 24 is the known entity. Watching different players step up each night around him is what catches other team’s off guard.

4. Education
Phil Jackson may have some unorthodox methods, but no one teaches a profound lesson quite like Phil Jackson. His basketball schooling is unmatched by any other coach in the league, and his wisdom has helped many of these young Lakers mature quickly.

5. Boston’s road woes
If the Lakers are able to steal one of the first two games on the road, the Celtics are in serious trouble of losing the series in five games. Since the Lakers have only lost two games in a row once this entire postseason and have yet to trail in a series, they’re in good shape to return to Los Angeles with a chance to close out Boston with three straight home games at Staples Center where the Lakers are undefeated this postseason.

6. Experience at point guard
He’s received some credit, but Derek Fisher is still the unsung hero of this Lakers team. He’s the glue guy on and off the court that makes this team stick together. He has three rings and will match up against second-year point guard Rajon Rondo of the Celtics. Rondo has shown flashes of brilliance in the playoffs, but he’s also shown flashes of inexperience. Those flashes will be magnified in the Finals by Fisher, who has already faced Allen Iverson, Deron Williams and Tony Parker in this playoff run.

7. A gift from Memphis
Pau Gasol’s impact on the Lakers cannot be overstated. This team went from a good playoff team with an emerging young center in Andrew Bynum to an elite title contender with 27-year-old veteran all-star center. It doesn’t hurt that Gasol’s skill set as a versatile big man who can post, face up, shoot the mid range shot with consistency, dribble and pass makes him a perfect fit in the triangle offense.

8. No glaring weaknesses
The Atlanta Hawks were a 37-win team with no playoff experience on their front line. The Cleveland Cavaliers were LeBron James and scraps that made running an offense look like nuclear physics. And the Detroit Pistons were banged up (Billups, Hamilton) and belligerent (Wallace). The Lakers have not shown any blatant weakness for the Celtics to exploit.

9. Belichick
Cheaters never win. Consider this the new curse, Boston. Enjoy that ’07 World Series trophy because Belichick and the Patriots set the stage for a new wave of Boston heartache. First, a perfect season ends in the Super Bowl – to a team from New York! (In hockey, the Bruins even pushed the hated Montreal Canadians to seven games in round one before being pummeled 5-0 in the series finale.) And now the beloved Celtics have a resurrection season, the best record in the NBA, and an NBA Finals date with the hated Lakers. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

10. Rebounding
This will be one of the most interesting stats to watch in this series, especially in the matchup between Lamar Odom and Kendrick Perkins. Both players are strong rebounders, although Odom does it with length and timing and Perkins with brute strength. Perkins cannot keep up with Odom’s quickness, but the 230-pound Odom wants no part of banging on the block against the 280-pound Perkins’ muscular frame.

11. Youthful energy off the bench
No one epitomizes what the Lakers’ bench gives this team quite like Ronny Turiaf. He dances. He screams. He laughs. He evens blocks a few shots, grabs a few rebounds, slams a few dunks and hits a foul line jumper now and again. The Celtics bench is veteran-laden with James Posey, P.J. Brown, Eddie House and Sam Cassell. Leon Powe and Glen “Big Baby” Davis can try to match Turiaf’s play, but they have no chance matching his passion, which rubs off on the rest of the bench brigade, especially Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar.

12. Allen, Ray, version 2008
This is not the spry young scorer fresh out of UConn. His jump shot may still look silky smooth, but his game is shaky. He’s a defensive liability, especially if asked to guard Kobe Bryant, and this playoff run has proven that his confidence is fragile. Without an all-star Allen, Boston’s hopes are seriously diminished.

13. No Boston Garden
Sorry TD Banknorth, no one wants to plant flowers in your garden. The fans may be just as passionate and just as loud, but the Lakers won’t feel the same level of discomfort that Magic and Kareem and company felt in the 80s at the old Boston Garden. Modern day conveniences will make their stay in Boston much more pleasant and their time on the court much less hectic. Boston has home court advantage in the series; it’s just not the same kind of advantage it once was.

14. Talent
Match up the players down the line and the Lakers simply win more individual matchups than Boston. And, yes, it is a team game. But there’s no question that both squads are playing great team basketball. The Lakers are just doing so with better individual talent. Their starting five is better and their next five off the bench are better. Lakers in five.