In the 2008-09 season in the NBA, if the performances up to the week ending 22-02-2009 are considered, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the top teams in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers has a record of 46-10. The team has a Pace (Possessions per 48 minutes) of 93.4 for which it is ranked 5th in the league, Off (Points scored per 100 possessions) of 115.7 for which it holds the 1st position in the league and Def (Points allowed per 100 possessions) of 107.8 with the 8th rank in the league. Andrew Bynum got hurt and in his absence, the Lakers are having a record of 10-1. However, their defense has deteriorated a bit. In the first 45 games, the Def was 106.4 and in the last 11, it was 109. This is the reason that the Lakers have somewhat struggled while defeating the T-Wolves, Hornets and Warriors.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers has a record of 43-11. The team has a Pace of 88 for which it is ranked 25th in the league. The team is ranked 3rd in the league for its Off which is 114.4. The Def of this team is 102.9 and in this respect the team is 2nd in the league. In Milwaukee, LeBron James recorded 55 points in the previous week (hitting 8 of 11 from downtown) along with 9 assists and this was an incredible performance. Due to this performance, it appears that the race for the Most Valuable Player is almost sealed.