With about 30 games remaining in the regular season for each team, the final stretch is critical to the NBA standings.

By far the best division in the league this season has been the Southwest division which features the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.

The Grizzlies currently lead the powerful Southwest division with a 39-14 record, three wins ahead of the Rockets.

The Grizzlies once again have the best defense in the NBA thanks to the frontcourt combination of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Gasol and Randolph certainly aren't the flashiest of players like Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, but they get the job done. Gasol is averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game this season while grabbing 8.1 rebounds per game in the process. Randolph has been a monster on the boards this year, averaging 12 rebounds per game, and he ranks second on the team in scoring behind only Gasol.

Many fans doubt that the Grizzlies can make a championship run because of their average offense.

The Grizzlies have made the playoffs the last four consecutive seasons and have won three playoff series in that process. Mike Conley and Courtney Lee are two best perimeter shooters on the Grizzlies, and coach David Joerger will need them to show up come playoff time.

Trailing the Grizzlies in the southwest division is the Rockets, who have 36 wins. James Harden has been an MVP candidate all season long, and the Rockets have been improving defensively. The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the busiest teams over the last year acquiring players, most notably point guard Rajon Rondo. The Mavericks have been hot lately, winning seven of their last 10 games, and center Tyson Chandler is playing great.

Memphis aren't just trying to win the Southwest division for the first time in franchise history; they're also trying to capture the No. 1 seed in the conference. Standing in their way is the Golden State Warriors, who have the league's best record at 43-9. Getting the No. 1 seed obviously means having home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, and that's something both the Warriors and Grizzlies want badly.

As for the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs are struggling to imitate last year's success. Last year, the Spurs won 75.6 percent of their regular season games and captured the No. 1 seed in the West. However, this season the Spurs have won 61.8 percent of their games and they sit in the No. 7 seed in the West. Normally that's a terrific win percentage, but this is the Western Conference we're talking about.

Even though Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan have won an incredible five championships together, they have never been able to win consecutive titles. The Spurs are having a lot trouble closing games late in tight situations, which has many wondering if they are starting to show their age, again.

The final 30 games of the season promises to be must-watch basketball for NBA fans. The Grizzlies and Warriors have inserted themselves as the two best teams in the Western Conference, and they have their eyes set on a championship run.

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