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NBA.com Power Rankings |
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TEAM (LAST WK) |
REC. |
BREAKDOWN |
| 1 |
Boston (1) |
11-1 |
Off: 111.2 (4), Def: 97.1 (1) -- Saturday's win was a bit of a miracle,
but 11-1 is 11-1. A pair against the Cavs this week will be a good test. |
| 2 |
Phoenix (2) |
11-2 |
Off: 111.4 (3), Def: 103.3 (6) -- The streak is at eight, five guys
are averaging between 15 and 19 PPG, and any questions you had about Shawn Marion have been answered. |
| 3 |
San Antonio (6) |
12-2 |
Off: 114.0 (1), Def: 103.3 (5) -- The Spurs have won five straight
by an average of 11.8 points with Tim Duncan playing just 34 minutes per game. They're cruising. |
| 4 |
Orlando (4) |
12-3 |
Off: 111.2 (5), Def: 103.9 (9) -- Wednesday's loss in San Antonio
(though tight after three) was humbling, but the Magic are still right there with the Celtics at the top of the East. |
| 5 |
Utah (10) |
10-4 |
Off: 111.1 (6), Def: 102.2 (3) -- From 6 to 14 to 5 to 10 and back
to 5, the Jazz have been on the Power Rankings roller coaster. Sunday's win in Detroit was their best so far. |
| 6 |
Dallas (3) |
9-4 |
Off: 114.0 (2), Def: 107.7 (18) -- The Mavs have the second best
offense in the league, but as the fourth quarter in Milwaukee showed, their defense will fail them at times. |
| 7 |
Milwaukee (15) |
7-4 |
Off: 108.4 (13), Def: 108.9 (21) -- The Bucks are Redd hot, having
won five straight, but seven of their next nine are on the road, where they're 1-4. |
| 8 |
New Orleans (5) |
10-5 |
Off: 107.6 (15), Def: 103.0 (4) -- The Hornets are the anti-Mavs.
Their defense is very good, but their offense can become stagnant at times, like in Friday's loss in Utah. |
| 9 |
Detroit (9) |
8-5 |
Off: 109.7 (9), Def: 105.9 (15) -- Sunday's defeat at the hands of
the Jazz was the Pistons' first loss at home. Getting Rasheed back for Wednesday's matchup with the Cavs could help delay
No. 2. |
| 10 |
Denver (7) |
9-5 |
Off: 106.4 (16), Def: 100.7 (2) -- The Nuggets' two losses this
week were both on the road on the second night of a back-to-back. Still, they got their tails kicked in Houston on Saturday. |
| 11 |
Cleveland (13) |
8-6 |
Off: 107.9 (14), Def: 109.1 (22) -- Maybe we should start a page
like this for LeBron. Sunday makes four on the season, including two straight, and 14 for his career. |
| 12 |
Toronto (12) |
7-7 |
Off: 109.2 (11), Def: 105.2 (13) -- In T.J. Ford's absence, Jose
Calderon has averaged 11.7 assists and just one turnover over the last three games (two wins). |
| 13 |
Houston (11) |
7-7 |
Off: 105.9 (18), Def: 103.5 (8) -- Their six-game losing streak ended
with Saturday's romp over the Nuggets. Interesting quote from Shane Battier: "We're going to be learning well past the All-Star
break." |
| 14 |
New Jersey (23) |
7-7 |
Off: 96.9 (29), Def: 104.3 (12) -- Vince Carter's return seems to
have cured the Nets' offensive woes. They're 7-2 with him in uniform and they just capped a 3-1 trip with a big win over the
Lakers. |
| 15 |
L.A. Lakers (8) |
7-6 |
Off: 110.4 (8), Def: 105.9 (16) -- The Lakers have dropped three
straight with Kobe shooting .383 from the field over the three. Tuesday's matchup with the Sonics should help fix that. |
| 16 |
Golden State (26) |
5-7 |
Off: 110.5 (7), Def: 113.0 (30) -- How important is Stephen Jackson
to the Warriors? Without him, their defensive rating was an atrocious 119.1. With him, it's a solid 104.4. And the result
is an impressive 4-1 road trip. |
| 17 |
Indiana (18) |
6-8 |
Off: 105.5 (20), Def: 108.1 (19) -- In these last three games without
Jermaine O'Neal, the Pacers beat the Hornets and Mavs, and lost a close one to Cleveland. Let us know if you've figured this
team out yet. |
| 18 |
Washington (16) |
6-7 |
Off: 109.0 (12), Def: 109.5 (24) -- Can the Wiz hang on for three
months without Agent Nacho? They're 3-2 sans Gilbert so far, and their offense has improved greatly while their defense has
suffered. Figure that one out too. |
| 19 |
Charlotte (14) |
6-7 |
Off: 102.8 (24), Def: 105.9 (14) -- Yeah, they were a successful
inbounds pass from beating No. 1, but the Bobcats have now lost three straight, and the next three are on the road. |
| 20 |
L.A. Clippers (17) |
6-6 |
Off: 102.8 (23), Def: 106.5 (17) -- Without Corey Maggette, the
Clippers are 1-3 and their offense has suffered, but he could be back tonight against Houston. |
| 21 |
Atlanta (25) |
5-7 |
Off: 106.1 (17), Def: 108.8 (20) -- Two straight road wins has Sekou
Smith thinking, "Why not the Hawks and why not now?" Three of their next four are very winnable. |
| 22 |
Memphis (24) |
4-9 |
Off: 109.7 (10), Def: 112.9 (29) -- Rudy Gay = Shawn Marion? I could
see it. He's definitely an early Most Improved candidate. Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Navarro has picked up his game as a starter. |
| 23 |
Portland (19) |
5-8 |
Off: 104.7 (21), Def: 109.6 (25) -- The Nets ended the Blazers' perfect
run at the Rose Garden on Wednesday, but LaMarcus Aldridge's 28 (on 12-of-15) and 12 got them back on track on Friday against
the Kings. |
| 24 |
Miami (22) |
3-10 |
Off: 98.5 (28), Def: 104.1 (11) -- Is it Shaq? Is it the lack of
a point guard? Not enough shooters? It's probably a little bit of everything, but the Heat aren't worrying too much yet. Still,
a tough, six-game trip looms. |
| 25 |
Sacramento (21) |
4-9 |
Off: 105.7 (19), Def: 111.9 (27) -- Should a team with one of the
best individual defenders in the league be ranked 27th defensively? With a bear of an upcoming schedule, I don't see it getting
much better. |
| 26 |
New York (28) |
3-9 |
Off: 101.4 (25), Def: 109.3 (23) -- After dropping eight straight,
the Knicks took advantage of a team (Chicago) that may actually be in more turmoil than they are, at least on the court. The
next four don't look too winnable though. |
| 27 |
Philadelphia (20) |
3-9 |
Off: 99.8 (27), Def: 104.1 (10) -- The Sixers are down, but they
aren't down. Eight of their next 11 at home could help them keep their spirits up. |
| 28 |
Chicago (27) |
2-10 |
Off: 92.7 (30), Def: 103.4 (7) -- The Bulls only play two games
this week, but it may be the most important week of the season, as they try to turn it around after an ugly 1-5 circus trip.
They host Atlanta on Tuesday and Charlotte on Saturday. |
| 29 |
Seattle (29) |
2-12 |
Off: 100.9 (26), Def: 110.0 (26) -- They almost got one against the
Nets on Friday, but the Sonics are left as the only team in the NBA without a win at home. |
| 30 |
Minnesota (30) |
1-10 |
Off: 103.0 (22), Def: 112.5 (28) -- The Wolves scored
35 points in the second quarter against the Hawks Saturday night. Then they scored 24 in the second half. |
