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The Clippers are out of the running, which is normally a sentence one would say sometime around December. This season, however, they made it all the way to the conference semifinals, taking care of a tough Grizzlies team in seven games before falling to the aging but still effective Spurs juggernaut. Seriously, 18 straight wins since mid-April? That's somewhat notable, don't you think? Anyway, the Clippers clearly must be pleased with how their season turned out overall, but there are questions about their long-term future, as neither Blake Griffin nor Chris Paul has signed a long-term contract extension. Will both reside in Lob City for the long haul?

What are Blake Griffin and Chris Paul's long-term futures with the Clippers?

•  
  58%
  Both will sign long-term deals
•  
  19%
  Griffin will sign a long-term deal
•  
  4%
  Paul will sign a long-term deal
•  
  20%
  Neither will sign a long-term deal

(Total votes: 88,360)

Will the Clippers ever win a championship with a core of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul?

•  
  43%
  Yes
•  
  57%
  No

(Total votes: 54,831)

After back-to-back sweeps, are the Spurs the favorite to win the NBA championship?

•  
  64%
  Yes
•  
  36%
  No

(Total votes: 141,130)

On Monday, "First Take" debated which team will end up winning the Western Conference. Right now, it looks like a three-team race between the young and exciting Thunder, the veteran Spurs, and the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers, but that's not to rule out a surprise team like the Clippers making a run. What's your take?

We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2011 MLB survey
2010 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 3)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 6)
3. Colorado Rockies (Overall: No. 13)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 14)
5. Atlanta Braves (Overall: No. 15)

Take part in the 2011 NFL survey
2010 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. New Orleans Saints (Overall: No. 1)
2. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 4)
3. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Overall: No. 19)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Overall: No. 20)

Take part in the 2011 NBA survey
2010 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 2)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 7)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 10)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: No. 24)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: No. 25)

Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)

• Rank 'Em: Which teams are most likely to challenge the Lakers?
• Rank 'Em: Are Carmelo Anthony and Tim Duncan the top potential 2011 free agents?

A consolidation of player power in Miami is the talk of the offseason, for obvious reasons. But when do we talk about a diffusion of power in the Western Conference?

Phoenix moves on without Amare Stoudemire but with Hedo Turkoglu. Utah has to hope Al Jefferson and Raja Bell equal the departed Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver. Dallas kept Dirk Nowitzki, no minor feat, but it's hard to envision Tyson Chandler as the missing piece of the puzzle. Will impending free agency distract Carmelo Anthony? Will Yao Ming stay on his feet for an entire season? Should we just let the Lakers skip ahead to the NBA Finals?

In following Horace Greeley's advice, Al Harrington said he picked the Nuggets instead of the Mavericks based on each team's potential (the extra money inherent in suggestions that the Mavs were loathe to give him five years probably didn't hurt). We say if Harrington can judge Western Conference potential, he's a better man than us.

jay (uptown dallas)

are the mavs seeking ant other trade scenerios right now

ESPN Dallas' Jeff Caplan

Jay, Donnie Nelson says the team will be as active as ever. They'll continue to probe New Orleans about Chris Paul. the Hornets just fired GM Jeff Bowers, so things are in flux there and Paul is getting increasingly uneasy about the direction of the franchise. Otherwise, the Mavs will keep calling clubs for trades, kicking around Carmelo, as if that's going to happen, but yes, they will be looking for trades, particularly a blockbuster to land a star to pair with Dirk. I think the percentages are low. Full transcript

“

Great signing by Denver. Al Harrington was the only bright spot on a horrible Knicks team. He's young and from NJ so you know he has energy and toughness.

” -- mcbrinkosu

• Vote: Is Amare Stoudemire a better sidekick than Dirk Nowitzki? | Series outcome?
• Vote: What do you think on the intersection of sports and social issues?
• More from ESPN.com: Suns send jersey statement | Arizona governor responds

How do you know the Suns and Spurs have a real honest-to-goodness rivalry? It has its own Wikipedia page. Or you could just watch the games, but come on, we all know which of those is the real judge.

The Suns made a statement Wednesday by donning their "Los Suns" jerseys in what owner Robert Tarver made clear was a protest against the new Arizona immigration law. Then they made a statement of the basketball variety by seizing a 2-0 lead in the latest series against the Spurs. It's the fourth playoff meeting between the teams since Steve Nash arrived in Phoenix, but it's the first time the Suns have enjoyed a 2-0 lead.

The 2006-07 team won 61 games with Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell and Boris Diaw running Mike D'Antoni's system to perfection. But with a new cast of characters around older versions of Nash and Stoudemire, are these Suns better?

Dan (AZ)

Are we watching the best Steve Nash Suns team? Watching them recover from the two second half runs from the Spurs makes me think that this version is a better basketball team than the previous incarnations.

John Hollinger

Still would like to see what the first team would have done if Johnson had been healthy, and I still think the '07 team with the nose-bleed/suspensions was the best of them all ... but the West isn't quite as strong at the top as it used to be, so this could be the one that breaks through as a conference champion. Full transcript

• Rank 'Em: Which go-to player do you want to have the ball in crunch time?
• Rank 'Em: Playoff Power Rankings | Vote: Which teams win each series?
• More from ESPN.com: Land O' Lakers blog from ESPN Los Angeles
• Watch Sat. on ESPN3 (ET): Hawks-Bucks, 5:30 | Heat-Celtics, 8 | Jazz-Nuggets, 10:30

Sometimes you're the dog, and sometimes you're the hydrant. Or in the language of the NBA playoffs, sometimes you're Michael Jordan against anyone. And sometimes you're Charles Smith against the Bulls.

The postseason has arrived, and for the first time in his career, Kevin Durant gets a shot (or more likely, 20-plus shots per game) to forge his own primetime reputation on the big stage. You know it's the big stage because Phil Jackson is already taking subtle swipes at Durant and either getting in his head or poking the bear, depending on your perspective.

In all honesty, the No. 1 seed's first-round series is usually only slightly more interesting than Duke playing Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but thanks to Durant's expected duel with Kobe Bryant, it appears all eyes this year will be on the Lakers and Thunder.

Not that every SportsNation blogger expects the series to be all that close.

• "Okay, lets be realistic here. Everybody thank the Thunder for showing up, but Kobe will not allow the Lakers to get booted out of the first round. The only way Oklahoma City will sneak by and pull 1 game off is if Kevin Durant puts up 50. Even though the Lakers have been slumping as of late, they are a whole different beast when it comes to the playoffs." -- Read wwechamp69's full post.

Mikeyho (Taiwan)

Hey Chris. Just heard several analyst label the Cavs as "much better" than the Magic. This year's additions put them over the top. I feel like I'm watching last years comments. I'm not saying the Magic should even win. Just want to know if you think it'll be really competitive (around 50/50), or slightly competitve (Cavs's clear favorites)?

Chris Sheridan

Right now I would pick the Cavs in 7 in that series, but I would not label them heavy favorites. Both teams are so much different than they were a year ago (Jamison, Shaq, Vince, Barnes) that it makes comparisons between last year's series and this year's somewhat irrelevant. What's relevant is whether Shaq will be able to contain Dwight and whether the Magic will still find the individual matchup they can exploit. And Stan Van Gundy is good at that. Full transcript

It's just like the census, only this one is fun and doesn't come in the mail. And nobody from FOX News or MSNBC will yell at you about it. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2010 MLB survey
2009 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Overall: No. 7)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 16)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 23)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (Overall: No. 24)

Take part in the 2010 NFL survey
2009 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall: No. 3)
2. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 14)
4. Tennessee Titans (Overall: No. 15)
5. New England Patriots (Overall: No. 19)

Take part in the 2010 NBA survey
2009 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 9)
3. New Orleans Hornets (Overall: No. 12)
4. Houston Rockets (Overall: No. 17)
5. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 18)

Take part in the 2010 NHL survey
2009 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Overall: No. 2)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 4)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 6)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 8)
5. St. Louis Blues (Overall: No. 10)

• Vote: Do the Lakers need Chris Bosh to defend their title?
• Chat: J.A. Adande on Lakers, Cavs and everything NBA, 3 ET (12 PT).
• Chat: ESPN Los Angeles' Andrew Siciliano talks L.A. sports, 12:30 ET (9:30 PT).

The Eastern Conference will be at a disadvantage against the Western Conference in the All-Star Game as long as Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett are starting and there aren't any DeLoreans involved. But did the East's best team just throw the West up for grabs?

Almost exactly a month ago, the talk was about the Lakers challenging Michael Jordan's Bulls record for most wins in a season. All right, actually we were talking about that; you were a little more realistic in saying the Lakers would win between 66-69 games. Then again, a month ago, Conan O'Brien still had a show. And after dropping a 93-87 decision against a Cavaliers team that didn't have Mo Williams, the Lakers would need to close 34-6 just to reach 66 wins.

So here we are. The Lakers still lead all challengers in the West by four games. But between Kobe's finger, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest's intermittent frailty and the sweep by the Cavaliers, are the Lakers vulnerable? Here's how SportsNation sized up their challengers.

mike (ca)

Loved you on the sports guys podcast, got to do it again, any moves by the lakers??

Chad Ford

I think there is one big move for the Lakers ... Bynum for Bosh. If they don't make that happen then I don't think they make a deal. Full transcript

Stephen (Glendora, CA)

what about the bosh for bynum (and others) trade - might not have any stock, but you guys think it would be worth doin for us in LA? Bosh can be pretty beastly.

ESPN Los Angeles' Andy Kamenetzky

Stephen,Were that deal was a true possibility (and I don't think it really is, for what that's worth), the Lakers would obviously have to consider it, because Bosh is too good a player not to. The key is how confident they are in Drew and Pau meshing. It's easy to forget the two haven't played together a lot because of injuries, and getting two seven-footers like that on the same page takes time. If they think it won't happen, you make the deal. If they think it will, you stand pat with what's still a frontcourt most teams would kill for. Full transcript

joe (toronto)

John...I keep hearing these Bosh for Bynum trade proposals, but wouldn't the Lakers want to make sure they can re-sign Bosh to a long term deal before giving up a promising young center?

John Hollinger

Yes, they would want to be sure, but I've heard that wouldn't be an impediment -- Bosh, like most players, would happily re-up with L.A. Full transcript

Lakers fans are understandably excited about the new season, and the defending champs are a popular choice to repeat among bloggers in the ESPN.com community.

"I've never been more excited for the opening of any season, any sport," blogs kurtnaphansen. "The combination of being on the heels of the Lakers winning the NBA championship, of all the trash talk from Cavs, Celtics, Magic, Spurs and even Blazers fans, and of a very new interesting development with the addition of Sheed to Boston, Shaq to Cleveland and Artest to LA."

Below are fan blogs and predictions about the season, which tipped off this week. Click through to respond. If you don't already have an ESPN profile, create one now and start blogging.

More fan blogs

Fan pictures

Kickoff couldn't come soon enough for SportsNation, including Purdue fans like slim83. The Boilermakers open with the Toledo Rockets.

These are our favorite photos uploaded this week. If any of the images stir you to sing your school's fight song, click on them to view a larger picture and to comment. If you have a great picture or saw one you think the world should see, leave a brief description and a link in the Conversation section below.