1 (3) Spurs 8-2 Would have been an easy call had Spurs finished off Toronto properly. They're winning, yeah, but you can be sure Pop doesn't want to reward them after Sunday's fourth-quarter disaster.
2 (9) Suns 8-2 Watch a Suns game this week. Trust us. We could all use a smile and these guys, without doubt, are the league's primo entertainers at present. :worshippy:
3 (5) Heat 8-3 While folks continue to question their depth, Heat are soothing themselves by pounding East foes (7-0). And Pacers' woes mean that the path to the conference finals just got even easier.
4 (2) Jazz 7-3 Of greater concern than the losses in Fla. (big to Orlando, unlucky in Miami) is the defensive slippage. Giving up 100-plus points in three of last week's four games was not so Jazzy.
5 (6) Timberwolves 5-3 Wolves have been a bit quiet, but that should change this week. They've got five games between now and Sunday -- at Mavs, Pacers and Kings, home to Supes and Grizz.
6 (8) Kings 6-4 It sounds as though Peja's Sacto home is no longer for sale . . . and it looks as though Arco is still a place teams would rather not visit. No matter how un-deep the new Kings are. :xyxthumbs:
7 (10) SuperSonics 9-2 Sayeth Ray: 'I'm not playing like this because it's the last year of my contract.' Sayeth us: The contract issue can't hurt and should help Allen keep this up, even if other Sonics can't.
8 (1) Mavericks 8-3 Bad week for Dallas, and not because of the losses to Phoenix (home) and Denver (away). It's because of the losses: Dampier, Terry and now Nowitzki.
9 (7) Pistons 5-4 You could argue that Pistons deserve a bigger drop for their role (and their fans' role) in The Malice of Auburn Hills. You can bet that the commitee will take action if the league doesn't.
10 (4) Pacers 7-3 You can make the case that Pacers, in their depleted state, should be dropped into the 20s. I just didn't have the heart to do that to suffering Pacer People. Yet.
11 (11) Lakers 6-5 Interesting point raised by my colleague Greg Anthony, who says Magic got more for T-Mac than Lakers got for Shaq. I'm starting to agree with him? Do you?
12 (13) Cavaliers 6-4 With only one quality win (Phoenix), it's too early to gush over anything here apart from LeBron. Of course, dealing strictly with LeBron you can gush away.
13 (17) Magic 6-3 Keep it going, Grant. You sense that everyone associated with the league welcomes any feel-good story it can find right about now and this is clearly No. 1 on the list. :applaus:
14 (22) Nuggets 5-5 Nuggets are rebounding when they absolutely have to, in the midst of a 10-game stretch with nine home dates . . . and a seven-game roadie to follow,
15 (12) Rockets 6-6 Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that they've started slowly. Rockets just might be the slowest team in the league, because of a serious athleticism shortage that must be addressed.
16 (15) Grizzlies 4-6 Grizz is just the fifth 50-win team in history to start the following season 0-4. And now, just when it looked like they were recovering, Pau is freshly hobbled.
17 (20) Celtics 4-4 Sonics were due for a loss, true, but Celts were due for a complete game, too. Fact is, Boston's record should be much better, having blown late leads in all its losses.
18 (24) Knicks 4-5 Though they've been a .500 team this season for less than 24 hours, give Knicks some credit. They handled the dreaded Texas Triangle better than anyone expected.
19 (18) Raptors 5-6 An angry Commish had no real outlet to crack down on Vinsanity for his ludicrous trade request . . . but Coach Mitchell obviously does. We just wish Pape was getting those VC minutes.
20 (23) Wizards 5-4 The way Wiz season has started, and given how Golden State's season has started, it probably won't be long before Warriors ask for Jamison, Arenas and Hughes to come back.
21 (14) 76ers 4-6 Belated disclaimer on last Wednesday's praise of AI the PG: AI has to be playing for the praise to apply, but a sore elbow shelved him Sunday.
22 (17) Bucks 3-5 As much as we love Redd -- and you know how much that is -- the committee still can't see Bucks finishing higher than fourth in the Central. Even with all Indy's problems.
23 (19) Trail Blazers 4-5 As more than one Blazer has noted, Portland would be No. 1 if these were Clear The Air Rankings. But team meetings don't help you in the NBA Power Rankings unless wins fill the air. :pukey:
24 (21) Clippers 5-6 There's only one word to justify why Lakers are so far ahead of their neighbors in these rankings. It's a four-letter word. Yeah, you guessed it: K-O-B-E.
25 (27) Hawks 2-7 Put them at the top of the scrap-heap section for that comeback win over Houston . . . and signs that they're looking slightly more competitive. Slightly.
26 (25) Nets 2-7 You knew they'd struggle sans J-Kidd. What you didn't know is they'd be the first team in the shot-clock era to score fewer than 70 points three times in the season's first nine games.
27 (28) Bobcats 1-8 Getting fans in the building has been tougher than expected, but it looks as though Bobcats are mastering the art of the excruciating loss. They've got three already.
27 (26) Warriors 2-8 At 0-7 against Western opposition, Warriors (and Montgomery) have to know that they're out of the playoff race already. Barring a miracle for the rookie coach.
29 (29) Hornets 0-8 This is just a hunch, but we don't see Hornets turning their own 0-7 start into a 42-40 Cinderella story like Miami did last season. Do you? :nooo:
30 (30) Bulls 0-8 This is just a hunch, but we don't see Bulls following the Miami blueprint and turning their own 0-7 start into a 42-40 Cinderella story like Heat did last season. Do you?
