Moving on to day 7 of my NBA countdown, we are getting to the cream of the crop. I like all these teams, and they all have certain qualities that put them this high on the list.

At number 6 I have the Utah Jazz. I have stated how gross their fans are, but their roster is good enough to push this team to the West, and dare I say, NBA finals. Donovan Mitchell is a star. He is an electric scorer, plays hard and is getting better on defense. He continues to work on his game every year, and that will only benefit him. I love watching Mitchell play basketball. Rudy Gobert is the best big man defender in the league. He is the epitome of a rim protector, and he is a great rebounder. His game has also rounded out on the low post, and he dominated the US in FIBA this summer. Joe Ingles is one of those guys you hate to play, but love when he is on your team, and he can shoot the ball. Getting Mike Conley was a humongous upgrade over Ricky Rubio. Conley has proven himself one hell of a team leader, can create his own shot, finds the open guy and is awesome on defense. He is also at the stage in his career where he just wants to win. Bojan Bogdanovic is the quintessential scorching shooter off the bench. He is the type of player that could score 18 points in 10 minutes. Tony Bradley is a great defender. Ed Davis was a solid pickup. When healthy, Dante Exum is an excellent backup point guard. And Emmanuel Mudiay, while not the player I thought he could be, should fit in nice here. Utah has always played great defense, but now, they have a true point guard, and they have shooters. The Jazz, with this roster construct, should be good for awhile. They are true Western Conference threats.

At number 5 I have the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is a true MVP candidate. He is also an anomaly. He looks out of shape, can barely jump and eats awfully, but the dude is amazing with a basketball in his hands. He is the best passing big, and one of the best overall passers in the NBA. He also has those old man moves under the basket, and he makes them work better than anyone else. The dude is legit. Jamal Murray got his big time extension this offseason, and if he can become a consistent scorer, he will be one of the better offensive players in the league. He is hot and cold, but hot more often. Paul Milsap is the perfect veteran for this squad. His play has slightly declined, but his leadership is crucial. Malik Beasley has proven that he deserves good bench minutes because of his scoring ability. Garry Harris is a solid creator and passer and a good defender. Will Barton and Monte Morris can provide instant offense. Hopefully we will finally get to see Michael Porter Jr play, because if he is half as good as advertised, he could play a huge part on this already good team. I also love that they took Bol Bol when he fell to them in the second round. If he hits, that would be a cherry on top for this team. The Nuggets are not a fluke, and Jokic is the real deal. I like this team a lot.

At number 4 I have the Houston Rockets. Boy oh boy did their GM make a mistake. But, looking at this team from strictly a roster construct standpoint, they could be very, very prolific offensively. James Harden, as boring and frustrating as he is to watch play, is a great, great scorer. He has crazy moves that no one can guard, he shoots a million free throws and, when he passes, he is always on the mark. They traded Chris Paul for a younger, more athletic and harder playing version in Russell Westbrook. I do not know how this will work, a Harden and Westbrook backcourt, but if it hits, it will be deadly. Those 2 were awesome in OKC, and now they are older and have each won a MVP. Clint Capela took a slight step back, but he is the best pick and roll center in the NBA. The way he moves to the rim, it is beautiful. He is also a good defender. PJ Tucker brings the toughness this team craves, and the defense. It also helps that he is a great corner three shooter. Tucker is underrated. Eric Gordon is as well. He finally got paid, and without him last year, they would have lost much earlier in the playoffs. Nene and Tyson Chandler are both pretty old, but they know how to play, they play hard and know how to win. Austin Rivers, much to my surprise, hasn't been a total disaster since he signed with the Rockets. He actually plays good D, and with guys like Harden getting him open looks, he can knock down the three. Danuel House is a G League legend, and in limited minutes last year, he was the perfect Rocket. Only efficient shots and threes. The Rockets, if Westbrook lets Harden run the team, can score 120 to 125 points a game. No bullshit. They won't be as good defensively, but they will outscore a ton of teams. They just better hope that the new backcourt meshes.

My final team for the day, at number 3, I have the Milwaukee Bucks. With KD out and LeBron being older and Anthony Davis getting hurt all the time, Giannis Antentokoumpo is the best player in the NBA, even better than Kawhi Leonard. Giannis is unstoppable on offense. He is like a nimble Shaq. And the fact that he is working on a three point shot, that should scare the rest of the NBA. He is also so long, that alone makes him a good rebounder and defender. Khris Middleton had a real solid year, and earned his new contract. He is a great sidekick next to Giannis. He is also a really solid defender. Eric Bledsoe kind of lost it in the playoffs last year, but I still think he is a good point guard for this team. He also just so happens to be one of the best defensive point guards in the NBA. Brook Lopez totally morphed his game, and is now a lethal three point shooter. He really stretches a defense. And they now have his brother Robin on the team, and he will bring toughness and an inside presence that this team can use. Kyle Korver is still around, and he can still shoot the three. He will find lots of open looks playing with Giannis. Wes Matthews has never been the same since his ACL injury, but he cans till provide solid spot minutes here and there. DJ Wilson, in a very limited role, showed he can shoot and play a little D. He was also a clutch rebounder. The Bucks are a very good team that fell a bit short last year. That only made Giannis hungrier, and that could push the Bucks to the Finals. I know they lost Malcolm Brogdon, and that is a bummer, but this team has the goods, and Giannis, to still be one of the top teams, by a wide margin, in the East.

That does it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top 2 teams. We are nearing the end of the countdown.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.