First of all, let the record show that the historic concept of a “He Said, He Said” column was invented by the sports desk, and thus, if said concept appears anywhere else in the Nexus, other writers are clearly just copying our fresh ideas. Any such column in which one “He” is not Chris and the other “He” is not Alex is clearly a sham. But enough with the third person Johnnie Cochran/Jackie Chiles rant, let’s talk NBA favorites.

I’m a diehard Laker hater, but even I must admit that the Pau Gasol trade makes L.A. imminently more dangerous. If they stay healthy, Kobe and his boys are going to make some serious noise in the absolutely loaded Western Conference and join the Mavericks, Hornets, Jazz and “Greatest Show on Earth” Warriors as teams that have an outside shot at surviving the Western Conference Playoffs. That’s right, I said Warriors. Before you take my typewriter away, check out Golden State’s winning road record and 3-0 record this season against Phoenix and San Antonio. Looks like “We Believe” wasn’t a one-year phenomenon. Until someone proves otherwise though, the West goes through the Suns and Spurs, and barring another Steve Nash bloody nose, I’m thinking this is the year Phoenix gets its revenge. As far as the East goes, Detroit’s the best team out there, but it doesn’t matter. The title’s coming from out West, and this year the sun definitely won’t be setting on the Suns.