Five reasons to pay attention to East down the stretch

	After leading the East thanks to a 14-5 start, Dwight Howard and the Magic are struggling just to make the playoffs. AP

With the memory of Wednesday's scintillating double-OT Phoenix-Dallas game still fresh in my mind, and anticipation rising about a San Antonio Spurs team that has won 13 straight and shows no sign of stopping, I'm going to reverse direction and talk about the Eastern Conference.

I know, I know. There seems to be little reason to discuss the (L)East, given the preponderance of power teams in the West. But, lest we forget, the Detroit Pistons (in 2004) and the Miami Heat (in '06) both won the championship in seasons when the West was unquestionably the best overall through the regular season.

Herewith, a five-pack of reasons not to forget about the East in these final five weeks of the season.

1. Who will finish ninth and 10th?

There might not seem to be much interest in two teams that aren't going anywhere, but, man, are the Eastern also-rans, likely to be chosen from this group of four, going to have, as Ricky Ricardo always said, some 'splainin' to do.

The Indiana Pacers, mired in an 11-game losing streak through Wednesday, were an elite team not long ago and right now they are not in the top eight. Neither are the New York Knicks, who just gave Isiah Thomas an extension, presumably signaling a new era of hope and optimism. The Orlando Magic, hanging on to eighth, looked like the best team in the East for the first six weeks of the season and are going to be very disappointed if they don't get in. And the New Jersey Nets, currently seventh by a whisker, appeared promising enough at the beginning of the season to be some observers' pick to make the Finals. (Like, uh, mine.)

2. A team from Canada we can love

It wasn't too long ago that we were laughing at the Atlantic Division. OK, we're still laughing, just not at the Toronto Raptors. Have you noticed them lately? A 23-9 home record. Two terrific rookies in Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa. A team eminently capable of winning a playoff series. The franchise has had success in the recent past -- three straight Raptors teams finished above .500 starting in 1999-2000 -- but this one has the ingredients to be a built-from-the-ground-up winner with the two rooks, a franchise player in Chris Bosh and a firm hand on the wheel in former Suns general manager Bryan Colangelo.

3. Have LeBron and his Cavs awoken? (And is "awoken" a word?)

We've spent a lot of the season trying to analyze exactly what is "wrong" with King James (27.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists) and his team. Sometime in the last couple of weeks, a switch was thrown. The Cavs won their seventh consecutive game Wednesday, and it seems -- at least right now -- that the East finally has that legit third challenger behind Detroit and Miami.

(And "awoken" is a word, though "awoke" is preferred.)

4. The resurrection of Chris Webber

Most observers thought it was a good move when the Pistons picked up C-Webb after the 76ers waived him. Just not this good. I assumed that Webber would be a role player, but Flip Saunders has installed him in the starting lineup and Webber, a reliable double-double even with his severely limited mobility, has responded. Webber has played 64 playoff games during his 13-year career and never made a Finals -- this could be his best chance.

5. Are we seeing the best of Shaq?

The Big Sheriff always warns us not to count him out, but when Dwyane Wade went down with a shoulder injury, we started counting. No way the Heat could endure without the guy who carried them to last year's championship. But, suddenly, O'Neal, in semi-hibernation through much of the season, has looked like the Shaq Daddy of old, in on-court enthusiasm, mobility and avoirdupois. There's a sleekness about him, and, suddenly, the idea of one more miracle from this aging Heat team is not out of the question.

Jack McCallum is the author of "Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns," a behind-the-scenes account of the Suns' 2005-06 season. Click here to order a copy.