Here's a top 10 for you, after a very eventful couple of weeks. Enjoy!
10. Atlanta Hawks (30-18)- Atlanta's defense is 12th in the league, at 102.9. 12th...isn't bad. It's not elite either. As a matter of fact, I'm not entirely sure how the Hawks are so close to the upper echelon of the League, except that Joe Johnson has been rolling of late. Earn that 100 mil, Joe!
9. New Orleans Hornets (31-18)- New Orleans would have been top 5 earlier this week, before losing to the suddenly hot Kings (huh?!!) and the suddenly hot Suns (slightly less but still huh?!!). Can we safely assume this is the streakiest team ever? Zach Lowe wrote a great piece about the Hornets faulty offense Monday that should help explain some things.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-17)- Oklahoma City can hardly be penalized for their tough game against Miami. What they CAN be penalized for is barely beating Minnesota and Washington right before. On the plus side, Durant is coming on strong, especially against Minnesota, dropping 47 and grabbing 18 rebounds. Also, I was at this game. Just felt like sharing.
7. Dallas Mavericks (32-15)- The Maverick's recent 5 game winning streak has seen the return of their defensive prowess of earlier this season. Great news for Dallas fans, who now are hoping to see the Mavs grab the second seed from the floundering Lakers. The Dirk Nowitzkis are only 1.5 games out of second.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (33-15)- Los Angeles stayed with Boston until late in the 4th quarter of Sunday's showdown. Unfortunately for LA, Boston played like they figured out the Lakers in that quarter. It'll make the upcoming rematch all the more interesting. More LA misfortune...the game before the Boston loss was a bad loss to the Sacramento Kings.
5. Orlando Magic (31-17)- Though they probably shouldn't be penalized for losing to the Grizzlies, who have beaten the Heat and the Lakers so far this season, the way the Magic lost is a problem that needs to be addressed. Looking disinterested and bored, especially on defense, the Magic still had a chance to tie before Dwight Howard couldn't keep his mouth shut, and picked up a technical with 5 seconds left, giving the Grizz a chance to ice it.
4. Miami Heat (33-14)- Miami's big win over the Thunder continues to beat home my point about the Big Three. If Miami has all three stars come play off time, it'll either be them or the Celtics in the Finals from the East. Not much doubt about that. The question is...will they be healthy? We have seen nothing so far to indicate that will be the case.
3. Chicago Bulls (33-14)- I keep saying it, and I'll continue till I'm proven wrong. I think that a fully healthy Chicago team can beat any team in the East in a 7 game series. And I won't be proven wrong till everybody on that injury depleted roster recovers and poor Luol Deng gets some rest.
2. Boston Celtics (36-11)- The good news for Boston in the Power Rankings: the Sunday domination of the Lakers (duh). The bad news: Friday's utter domination at the hands of the Suns. Boston can lay claim to the top spot in the next 10 days, as they face a Murderer's Row of tough opponents in Orlando, Miami, Dallas, and (again) the Lakers.
1. San Antonio Spurs (40-7)- San Antonio is an incredibly entertaining team to watch. They win pretty, playing great offense. As long as they keep winning (and they do) and as long as they are still on pace to win 70 FREAKING GAME THIS SEASON (which they are), they will stay top of this list.
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