April 07, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley (0) dribbles along the baseline against Indiana Pacers shooting guard George Hill (3) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-USA TODAY Sports

Three-point Thursdays are a weekly column, where we ask our panel of experts three questions pertaining to the happenings in the NBA. Want your question answered? Leave a comment below or ask me on Twitter @RajPrashad.

1) The Celtics have won three-straight against top teams in the East. Are they back? 

Jack Maloney-  After a three game winning streak that includes wins over the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, it would appear that the Boston Celtics are back on track. One reason for the Celtics’ solid play is their defense. In 4 games since the return of Avery Bradley, the Celtics are giving up just 94.1 points per 100 possessions according to NBA.com. In the 30 games prior to Bradley’s return, the Celtics were giving up about 101 points per 100 possessions. Admittedly, Bradley’s return is a prime example of “small sample size theater.” It has only been 4 games, but the Celtics are a different team with Bradley playing meaningful minutes. Boston, however, still has a long way to go to be considered back in the race for the Eastern Conference crown.

Vytis Lasaitis- I wouldn’t say they are back quite yet, as they just climbed over .500 with these four-straight wins, and are only 8th in the East. The victory in New York was impressive and I like what I’m seeing from Paul Pierce. Avery Bradley is back, which certainly helps Boston moving forward. The Celtics have a 5-game home stretch coming up, 3 of which will be against teams with losing records. This offers the Celtics a great opportunity to continue moving in the right direction.

Bobby Krivitsky- The Celtics are beginning to emerge out of the pack of mediocre teams in the Eastern Conference. The return of Bradley has had a profound effect on the team and he deserves a lot of the credit for Boston’s resurgence. The biggest keys for the Celtics are health and consistency. Come playoff time, players such as Jeff Green, Jason Terry and Jared Sullinger will need to perform night in and night out.

Adam Lowenstein- With the return of Bradley, the Boston Celtics have entered into the second phase of their 2012-13 season and they are now “back” to their 2011-12 form. They were extremely successful last season with the Rondo, Bradley, Pierce, Bass and Garnett starting lineup, but that will not be enough to be the 2013 champions. Once they make a trade for a center, preferably a defensive one, the Celtics will make it to their third phase, the one necessary to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy. With such a deep roster, they have expendable pieces like Brandon Bass to deal for a player like Marcin Gortat. Jared Sullinger has been a huge part of the Celtics’ recent success, lifting the team to ninth in defensive rebounding rate this season. However, the Celtics surely need a big man in the middle to prevent the opposition from easily making it to the hoop.

BK- Frank Vogel’s contract extension helps to insure stability for the Pacers. In two-plus seasons, Vogel is 83-56 with a .597 win percentage. His high-energy style of coaching is infectious and has rubbed off on his team. Indiana plays hard-nosed, physical defense, which can be directly attributed to the fiery nature of their coach.

AL- In his first head coaching job, Frank Vogel has a 83-56 (.597) career record for the Indiana Pacers. Since taking over for Jim O’Brien during the 2010-11 season, Vogel has improved this Pacers team immensely, especially on the defensive end. The extension means that Indiana’s organization wants Vogel to be at the helm as the team attempts to contend for a championship in 2012-13 and seasons to come. In addition, they are hoping to soon become one of the top teams in the league as Paul George continues to progress of one of the NBA’s young rising stars. After struggling out of the gate, George has averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game while leading the Pacers to a 13-5 record in the last 18 games.

BK- In recent days, it has been well documented that Memphis is alerting teams that for the right price, they are open to moving Gay, who has three-years and more than 53 million dollars remaining on his contract. Toronto, Sacramento, Golden State, and Phoenix have all been reported as having discussions with the Grizzlies about the talented small forward. It is more realistic to see Gay moved over the summer. But if he is traded before the February 21^st deadline, the Suns appear to be the leading candidate. In need of direction, they could offer Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat and a first-round pick if necessary. This would satisfy the Grizzlies need for a three-point shooter and provide them with an impressive trio of big men, all while saving the team money.

AL- There are reports that Gay will be traded to the Phoenix Suns, so most likely Jared Dudley and a first-round draft pick will be heading to Memphis. This would benefit both teams because the Suns are in a rebuilding mode and the Grizzlies need a few tweaks to their roster. Phoenix needs a scorer to help their transition into the post-Steve Nash era. As far as Memphis goes, Dudley should fit better as a shooter than Gay did as a ball-stopper and defensive liability. Do you remember when the Grizzlies pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to a seventh game in the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals? Well, that was without Mr. Gay. Memphis, pull the trigger!

December 22, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) and point guard Steve Nash (10) congratulate each other after the game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena. The Lakers defeated the Warriors 118-115 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In this week’s issue of Three-Point Thursdays, our panel of NBA writers sit down to discuss the state of three Western Conference teams.

Before suffering some setbacks, the Clippers went on a 17-game winning streak and were at the top of the Western Conference. How far can this team go?

Raj Prashad: This team can conceivably go all the way to the Finals. They are the deepest team in the league and have the supreme combination of stout defense and unique athleticism. With Chris Paul leading the way, the Clippers have a dynamic duo of bigs in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, as well as Jamal Crawford, who should run away with the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Jack Maloney: As they showed during their 17-game win streak, the Los Angeles Clippers are a team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference. Their 9.3 point differential, best in the league, shows just how dominant the team has been on their way to a 25-7 record. Chris Paul has been as good as always, averaging 16 points and 9 assists per game. Blake Griffin, who is always ready to throw down a spectacular dunk, has made a big improvement to his jump shot, making him much tougher to guard. The deep bench has also been very impressive, and their second unit of Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Eric Bledsoe, Ronny Turiaf and Lamar Odom has held opponents to a very impressive 87.6 points per 100 possessions according to NBA.com. Although the West is very tough, the Clippers will be a contender for the conference crown.

Adam Lowenstein: The Los Angeles Clippers lack an interior presence for rebounding and rely heavily on fastbreak points. However, the Clippers impressed with their gargantuan 17-game winning streak. They became just the 17th team in NBA history to win 17 consecutive games. Of those 16 streaks previous streaks, 13 were single-season ones. Of the 13 teams to win 17 straight games in one season before 2012-13, six won the championship later that season. With just under half of the previous teams to accomplish the Clippers’ feat raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Clippers should be able to make it to the Western Conference Semifinals. However, the Clippers’ reliance on outside shooting does not bode well against the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.

Robert Krivitsky: The Clippers are the deepest team in the league and it is conceivable that they are this year’s NBA champions. However, this is a team that faces big time questions. For starters, LA is loaded with streaky shooters, who could find themselves go cold come playoff time. Furthermore, despite having Chris Paul, the Clippers struggle in the half court game, in large part because of lacking a low a post threat, even with Blake Griffin’s improvements. During the 17-game winning streak, lob city played well defensively. However, outside of the small forward position, the team features inconsistent players; many of whom have bad nights at that end of the floor, more often than good ones. They will continue developing, and could stay hot throughout the playoffs, but it is much more realistic to see this team once again eliminated in the Conference Semifinals.

The Lakers have looked better since the return of Nash and Gasol. Can they figure it out come playoff time?

RP: I don’t know what “figuring it out” has to do with this team. Sure, they’re not executing, but being old isn’t something that’s fixable. Dwight Howard is visibly injured and simply trying to outscore opponents without playing defense won’t work for this team. They could waltz into the Western Conference Finals behind Kobe Bryant and the veteran group of stars, but anything less than a championship should be considered a failure considering how this team was constructed.

JM: Since Steve Nash’s return on December 22 against Golden State, the Lakers have posted a 3-2 record, and are still under .500, with a 15-16 record. One of the big struggles for the Lakers this year has been their defense. They are giving up 100.3 points per game, the 11th best mark in the Western Conference. Another issue for the Lakers is their age, which Kobe Bryant made note of on Wednesday morning, saying, “We’re old as [expletive].” Despite these issues, the Lakers should be able to make a playoff push. With Nash back to run the show, Bryant leading the league in scoring, and Dwight Howard down low, the Lakers are too talented to miss out on the playoffs.

AL: With some recent struggles by the Lakers since their season-high five-game winning streak, they have shown their depth issues once again. Most people could call them a four-player team because of Metta World Peace’s wild inconsistencies and Antawn Jamison’s lack of much lateral movement. While they have Jordan Hill who owns Hollinger’s best offensive rebound rate in the league this season, it is in limited minutes. In addition, the Lakers’ 6-13 record in 2012-13 when Kobe Bryant has scored at least 30 points is disconcerting, but the team had been 53-23 in the previous three regular seasons when he had done so. Let’s also remember how the Miami Heat struggled at the beginning of the 2010-11 season in their first year of their ‘big three’ experiment. Therefore, with the amount of talent that the Lakers have in their starting lineup, I am sure that they will have themselves figured out and ready for a run for the title, barring injuries.

RK: Health is the biggest factor for the Lakers. Dwight Howard is nowhere near one hundred percent and it is most evident at the defensive end. Despite having two seven-footers, teams have found success attacking the middle of LA’s defense. Since returning, Steve Nash has already made a large impact on the team’s offense. If Los Angeles stays healthy throughout the playoffs, I expect to see them in the Western Conference Finals.

Golden State Warriors are on a roll, despite missing Andrew Bogut. Are they a threat in the playoffs?

RP: Sure, they’re a threat. The Warriors, more or less, run behind Stephen Curry. As long as Curry is running the show, Golden State will be fine. If Bogut can play significant minutes come playoff time, though, the Warriors could be in business to make a serious run.

JM: At 21-10, the Warriors have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season. Both Steph Curry and David Lee have been impressive this season, each averaging 20 points a game. As Grantland’s Zach Lowe detailed, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jarrett Jack has been a big help off the bench. With the Clippers, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Heat and Spurs among their next six games, these next two weeks will be a tough test for the young Warriors. In an incredibly tough Western Conference, I don’t think the Warriors are quite ready to be serious threat. They are certainly a fun team to watch though, and will be a tough out for whomever they face in the playoffs.

AL: I have been thoroughly impressed by the Golden State Warriors’ amazing start to 2012-13. For most of the season, they have ranked in the top ten in offensive and defensive efficiency. However, what has flown under the radar is that they have dominated the Eastern Conference while being average against their own conference. Concerning Andrew Bogut, no one can be sure that he will be healthy at all during his career, especially for the 2013 playoffs. When asking about the Warriors being a threat in the postseason, I have to disagree because they will not be facing any of those cupcake Eastern Conference teams. These young Warriors are still also in the early stages of development under second-year head coach Mark Jackson. Older teams typically win championships, and Jackson’s bunch is just not ready yet.

RK: Mark Jackson has Golden State playing defense and following a tremendous offseason, this team has the make up to pull off an upset. We will know more about this team when Bogut returns but in the meantime, Festus Ezeli has done an excellent job filling in. If they make the playoffs, and Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are hitting, the Warriors will make life very difficult on whoever their opponent is.

If you have any questions, drop them in the comment box below or tweet us, and we might feature them in our next week’s issue of Three-Point Thursdays.

(Disclaimer: All of the stats are only accurate as of yesterday, before last night’s games)