Mavs, Suns, Spurs. Are you getting tired of this yet? Help may be on the way.

The NBA’s Western Conference has been monopolized by its own version of the “Big Three” for the past three seasons – ever since Steve Nash arrived in Phoenix. The odds suggest much the same in 2007-08. The NBA’s defending champions from San Antonio are favored to win the West at 11-5, while Nash’s Suns are tied with Dallas at 9-4.

Here comes the cavalry. The Houston Rockets are 9-2 to win the West and gaining plenty of support from basketball statheads like John Hollinger. The idea is that new coach Rick Adelman and returning point guard Steve Francis, plus the arrival of star Euro forward Luis Scola from the Spurs, will propel Houston into the Western elite. As usual, it all depends on how healthy Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady will be. The bigger they are…