The Best TEAM still playing Basketball

Let me get this out of the way- I accept the fact that LeBron and Kobe are both better than Melo. I do. Even though I felt Melo should have been rookie of the year, it is clear that LeBron is the MVP and will be for a long time. That being said, the Nuggets are the best team remaining in the NBA Playoffs. Key word is team. LeBron and Kobe are amazing. Paul Pierce is great. So are Dirk and Dwight Howard. So is Yao. But the I will take the current Nuggest starting 5 over any of the other starting 5s.

A superstar can make roll players look great. MJ made everyone else on his team better. LeBron and Kobe do it also. However, you cannot tell me that, player for player, the Denver Nuggets' starting 5 isn't the best. Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in the game. Kenyon Martin is a fiery vet presence. Nene, now that he is healthy, is finally living up to his potential and becoming a dominant center. Add in JR Smith as an effective shooting guard and the amazing Chauncy Billups as the court general, and you have a team that matches up well with pretty much everyone, and could beat everyone.

The Nuggets also have amazing depth compared to other teams. After their starting 5, they have Dahntay Jones, The Birdman Chris Anderson, Linas Kleiza, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, all of whom are above-average roll players. They can roll ten deep and not lose as much as some other teams.

Here is my ranking of the Starting 5s from the remaining NBA teams (healthy players only Boston):

1. Denver Nuggets- Melo, Billups, Martin, Nene and Smith
2. LA Lakers- Fischer, Kobe, Odom, Ariza and Gasol
3. Houston Rockets- Brooks, Battier, Artest, Yao and Scola
4. Boston Celtics- Allen, Rondo, Pierce, Perkins and Davis
5. Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron, Williams, Big Z, Varejao and West
6. Orlando Magic- Alston, Howard, Turkoglu, Reddick and Lewis
7. Atlanta Hawks- Bibby, Johnson, Horford, Smith and Evans
8. Dallas Mavericks- Kidd, Dirk, Dampier, Wright and.... Josh Howard is injured, so they only have 4. Or Jason Terry.