Are the Celtics Best out West?

Wednesday night saw the Boston Celtics continue their dominance over the Western Conference with a 117-97 win over the Phoenix Suns. Despite an enraged Shaquille O'Neal and the usual great guard play from Steve Nash, the Celtics were just too powerful. Rajon Rondo even put quite the stutter step type move on Nash, crossing him over then driving by for a layup.

If the Celtics can get past Cleveland, Orlando and Detroit, they could be your next NBA champions. The Spurs aren't the type of team that would just roll over in the finals though, so that could be one West team capable of beating them. As we've seen, the Western playoff teams keep shifting positions, so the remaining games of the season will be critical in terms of homecourt advantange and momentum, or which teams match up. Right now New Orleans sits up top, and it's questionable if they would have enough to make the NBA Finals. Chris Paul is having an outstanding season, but I wouldn't put money on them to beat a team like San Antonio or Phoenix in an extended series. At the same time, when the Celtics drop a game to the Sixers in Boston, that is cause for concern as Philly could be Boston's 1st round playoff opponent.

The West's best New Orleans Hornets defeated the Cleveland Cavs with about a second remaining Wednesday night, thanks to David West's jumper. The Hornets are also the only Western team the Celtics have yet to defeat, and they make a trip to Boston Friday night. A Celtics' win could make up many people's minds about who the top team is in the NBA, or it could show that the West is still the best.

See the Celtics scores and recaps from 2007-08 here