Deron Williams normally saves his best for the playoffs. But in the last few weeks, he has shown the NBA that he can turn it on anytime he wants.

The Utah Jazz completed a memorable East Coast road trip sweep when they knocked off Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta in consecutive games. They just added the a Lakers scalp to their war chest after a come-from-behind victory in Utah last night. The Jazz, led by 29 points from All-Star guard Deron Williams, trailed most of the game, but made big shots down the stretch to pull out a 102-96 victory.

Earl Watson and Ronnie Price added some punch from the bench when it was clear that the starters were not bringing the energy early. Andre Kirilenko, Al Jefferson, and Paul Millsap also put up good performances. And the Jazz stayed cool in the fourth quarter despite a 14-point explosion from Kobe Bryant. Good defense by Kirilenko and a 3 by Deron Williams helped hold off a 31 point performance by Kobe and a 21 point, 11 rebound night for Pau Gasol.

It was more than just a win for the Jazz. The win helped take the sting out of the year-ending series loss the Jazz suffered against the Lakers and put Utah back on the championship map. This after Utah lost Boozer, Wesley Matthews, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver to free agency. The development of Paul Millsap and the defensive presence of Al Jefferson has created a new look Jazz team.

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Ron Artest has had a bad year with Los Angeles. But his Game 5 tip-in at the buzzer of the Western Conference Finals may have punched LA’s ticket to the Finals.

Ron-Ron, as he is known in NBA circles, has not had the incredible impact that was expected when he arrived in LA from Houston in a trade that sent the playoff-peaking Trevor Ariza to the Rockets. Long praised as a defensive stopper, Artest no longer strikes fear in opponents. Though his play against Kevin Durant helped LA overcome the Oklahoma City Thunder, Artest has done very little on the offensive again.

In Thurday’s Game 5 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles was cruising against an out-of-sorts Phoenix team. Shooting poorly and with an uncharacteristically low number of assists, Phoenix was unable to get any flow going. Not so for the LA Lakers. Led by Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, they were finding holes in the new Alvin Gentry zone and when not exploiting the middle, hitting deep threes.

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The NBA’s Western Conference has given out all its invitations to the post-season party. Now all the remains is the seating chart.

The post-season is set in the West. The following teams are confirmed as playoff bound: LA Lakers, Dallas, Denver, Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Portland. But other than LA, who leads the West by 5 games, all of the other seeds are up for grabs. Just 3 games separate 8th from 2nd place, and four teams are tied for the second best record.

Given the recent news that Bynum did not suffer and ACL tear, you can bet that no one wants to face the Lakers early. That places even more importance on getting in the 2nd or 3rd position. I also wouldn’t want a first rounder with a dangerous Oklahoma City team. Given the weapons they have, they could take almost anyone down. Phoenix remains a fan favorite and Amare’s recent play could propel them as spoilers. A healthy Brandon Roy improves Portland’s chances and Dallas has played some terrific basketball since the fleecing of Washington for Caron Butler and Brandon Haywood.

Only a week and a half remain of the regular season. While many teams are planning vacations or tanking to get a better draft slot, 7 teams in the West will be fighting for their playoff life — even though they’ve already qualified.

How is it possible that a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and potentially the most athletic sub 6-footer in the history of the NBA can’t get a job? Has the NBA changed that much that a one-time scoring champ and a guy that averaged 20+ points just 1 season ago is unwelcome on any team?

If you ask Allen Iverson about his off-season, the “Answer” is YES!

So what happened from to The Answer in 1 season that makes him kryptonite to NBA GMs. Most will tell you it is chemistry. His foray in the Motor City did little to impress, as Iverson was unable to adjust to a smaller role. GMs want no part of a high-profile role-player if he doesn’t want to put the team first. Look at what “stars” have done for the LA Lakers with Lamar Odom coming off the bench; or the Boston Celtics’ Big Three sacrificing their individual numbers for team wins. If Iverson wants to succeed, he will have to adjust.

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The NBA loves drama. In fact, that is the tag line for TNT who shows a lot of games, “we love drama.”

In their infinite wisdom, David Stern and the rest of the NBA brass has scheduled for Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to meet on Christmas Day! Wow, nothing exemplifies the yuletide spirit more than two guys that, despite their best efforts to fake it on TV, really don’t like each other.

Shaq has just switched over to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade from Phoenix. Cleveland got a Hall-of-Famer, albeit an old one; Phoenix got a stick of gum and salary cap flexibility. The Cavs, now with Shaq, are a legitimate threat in the East. Though they will be not be a clear favorite, they will certainly match up better against the Celtics and Magic. Just having Shaq’s presence on offense will open up the floor for shooters. On defense, the Big Diesel can still bang with the best of them.

Kobe is fresh of this 4th NBA Championship, the first he earned solo. Sure, he had help from Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, etc…but this championship was his. Now that they resigned Odom, all the pieces are in place for another big run…and they will remain the favorites in the West.

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Unthinkable just a few months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs.

More interesting than simply losing in the playoffs was the way that the LA Lakers were utterly dominated by a Dallas Mavericks team that is every bit as elderly. Crushed 122-86 in the final game in Dallas, the Lakers were swept marking the first time in Phil Jackson’s storied career that he failed to win at least one game in a playoff series. No doubt something went wrong with the two-time Champions. Let’s take a closer look into this disastrous exit to see if we can find a root cause.

What happened?
The Lakers got complacent. Blessed with the best front-line in basketball — Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum — and the greatest crunch-time scorer of his generation (Kobe Bryant), the only thing that could beat the LA Lakers was the Lakers themselves. Look, over the last two years, the Lakers have been an amazing team and won two Championships. Though they never REALLY dominated, they also had the talent. They won close games when they had to and outsized smaller opponents down the stretch. This season, however, the Lakers suffered long spells of apathy which resulted in major losing to some sub .500 teams. Phil Jackson never really got his guys motivated as he did in seasons past.

The Mavericks came into the series hungry. Built on a better defensive platform than the past, the veteran team led by Dirk Nowitzki dominated in every facet of the game. Pau Gasol played poorly, Kobe was not Kobe, and Lamar Odom seemed more worried about his reality show than the reality that his team was tanking. Credit a good game plan by Dallas and excellent performances off the bench from Peja Stojakavic and Jason Terry. The only time the Lakers looked motivated was when they were doling out cheap shots after the game was out of reach.

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