TOP NBA GAMES OF THE WEEK: 2/23 - 3/1

Monday //

Boston Celtics at Denver Nuggets. As unlikely as it might sound, the Nuggets are currently just a half game behind the San Antonio Spurs for the second best record in the Western Conference.

They’re no longer a shoot first, second and third team, and are starting to show some defensive backbone. Chauncey Billups has transformed the Nuggets from a soft, one-round-and-out playoff team, to a championship contender. The Celtics will be without Kevin Garnett, who is expected to be out two to three weeks with a strained right knee. Still, this will be a good test for the Nuggets to see how well they match up against one of the elite Eastern Conference teams.

Thursday //

Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers. The main attraction of this game will be the reunion of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Phil Jackson. This will be their first meeting since Shaq and Kobe shared co-MVP honors at the All-Star game. On paper, this would appear to be an easy victory for the Lakers against a mediocre Suns team without leading scorer Amare Stoudemire. However, since Alvin Gentry took over as head coach after the All-Star break, the Suns seem to have reverted back to their old ways, scoring at least 140 points in three consecutive games, the first team to do so since the Portland Trail Blazers did it in 1990. It looks like the Lakers will have to get ready for a track race.

Friday //

Lakers at Nuggets. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since a Lakers victory early in the season played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Billups has guided the Nuggets to a 37-18 record, and the could prove surprisingly tough for Kobe and Co. If nothing, it’ll be sweet revenge for the Nuggets. We’ll get to see if their retooled squad stand a chance against the Lakers, who swept them out of the playoffs in the first round last season.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Spurs. LeBron James has been absolutely ridiculous in the month of February. Fresh off his 52 point game against the New York Knicks on Feb. 4, King James scored a season high 55 points against the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night. The Knicks and the Bucks aren’t exactly championship caliber teams, so it will be interesting to see how he’ll fare against the defensive minded Spurs. As for the Spurs, they were unable to pull off a trade at the deadline that would’ve landed them Marcus Camby from the Los Angeles Clippers, and they’ll also be without super-sub Manu Ginobili, sidelined for two to three weeks with an ankle injury.