Six Hottest Teams striding into the 2010-11 NBA Playoffs - Part 1
The 2010-11 National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs are just around the corner and it's time for the playoffs bound teams to get their act together and gain some momentum quickly for a postseason sprint. However, it will
not be that easy as many teams are already exhausted in their quest to better their seeding before entering the business end of the season.
Nonetheless, there are few teams that have peaked at the right time and carry all the momentum, striding into the playoffs.
Chicago Bulls
Eastern Conference’s No. 1 team Chicago Bulls have been one of the NBA's hottest teams this season, especially down the stretch. Since March 4 this year, the Bulls have won 16 of their 18 games and on their way they have defeated
some of the top franchises in the league including Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks twice.
What makes their feat even more amazing, is the fact they have managed to achieve this astonishing stretch despite their two key players – Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah - missing few games. Carlos Boozer missed five games and Joakim
Noah remained sidelined for four, due to injuries.
This run enabled the Bulls to take firm control of the No. 1 spot in the East. Furthermore, they have the ever reliable Derrick Rose, who is currently scoring with an average 25.1 and because of his consistent scoring he is favourite
for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The Bulls have taken all of the right steps before heading into the playoffs and will definitely give their opponents a tough time.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Next come Oklahoma City Thunder, extensively known as OKC among its followers. Though they have had a few bumps late in the stretch, but now they are back on track and enjoying a five game winning streak.
They are currently sitting at No. 4 position in the Western Conference and so far they have won 16 games out of their last 20, routing the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and
Philadelphia 76ers.
After collecting such good wins, it looks that the team has finally found the momentum. The inclusion of centre Kendrick Perkins has also added depth and aggressiveness to their roster. Perkins together with Kevin Durant and Russell
Westbrook, make Thunder an intimidating prospect in the playoffs.
Miami Heat
In spite of going through numerous losing skids during this season, the Miami Heat have finally got it together before the end of the season. The Heat have been red hot in the second half of the season and have grabbed the No.
2 spot in the East with a healthy percentage of .704.
Since March 10, the Heat have played 17 games and won 14 of them, which proves that their trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have made the necessary adjustments in order to blend in. The Heat have also overcome their
top team failure syndrome during that stretch. In their recent run the men from the South Beach gunned town squads like Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers.
Now with the big three aligned and the team doing well against the top squads, Miami is certainly looking dangerous and are ready to make a deep run in the playoffs.
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