NBA Power Rankings
John Galinsky With only a handful of games remaining, the Thunder and Spurs probably won't catch the top five teams in the West standings. But with the possible exception of Phoenix, no one in the conference is playing better basketball than those two right now.
Oklahoma City's 4-0 week included road wins in Boston and Dallas, while San Antonio thrashed both of last year's finalists, the Magic and Lakers, over the weekend. The Thunder were supposed to be too young, the Spurs too old. But even if neither earns home court in the playoffs, don't be surprised if both spring first-round upsets.
Records are through games of Monday, April 5
| NBA Power Rankings Week Of 04/06/2010 | |||||
| Rk | Team | Last Wk | Rise/Fall | High/Low | Comment |
| 1 |  Cavaliers |
1 | - | 1/9 | (60-17) LeBron's having one of the greatest seasons in
NBA history, but you can still quibble with his shot selection. Taking
nine 3s in Boston (and making none of them) shows questionable
judgment, especially the one he fired down two in the closing seconds. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 2 |  Magic |
2 | - | 2/10 | (54-23) With the Lakers stumbling to the finish line,
Orlando has a shot at earning home court should those teams meet again
in the Finals. And the way the Magic are playing, that's entirely
possible. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 3 |  Lakers |
3 | - | 1/6 | (55-22) Now 2-4 in their last six, the Lakers shouldn't
count on building momentum in the playoffs. They'll need to be sharp
right off the bat in the first round, whether it's against San
Antonio, Portland or OKC. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 4 |  Suns |
4 | - | 1/12 | (50-27) Before Stoudemire goes anywhere as a free agent, the
Suns need to realize he's pretty much irreplaceable. And he needs to
realize he won't be anywhere near as successful without Steve Nash. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 5 |  Thunder |
7 | (+2) | 5/20 | (48-28) So Garnett's complaining that Durant is getting
superstar treatment from refs? Maybe he's just miffed that Durant is a
superstar now -- and KG's not anymore. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 6 |  Spurs |
10 | (+4) | 5/15 | (47-29) Is anyone in the league playing better than Manu
these days? He may have to raise his game even more with George Hill's
sprained ankle and a brutal closing stretch. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 7 |  Jazz |
6 | (-1) | 3/20 | (50-27) As well as they've played the past few months, their
inability to beat the Lakers in L.A. doesn't bode well. Boozer and
Millsap can't score against L.A.'s taller front line, a matchup
problem that won't go away. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 8 |  Mavericks |
5 | (-3) | 2/10 | (50-27) Like the Nuggets, they're faltering down the
stretch. Unlike Denver, they don't have any excuses. They're healthy
but not looking like a contender, judging by consecutive home losses
to Orlando and OKC. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 9 |  Hawks |
8 | (-1) | 2/12 | (49-27) Who knew that Jamal Crawford would be the best
addition by any team last summer? He's turned the Hawks from a good
team into a very good team. But they'll have to be very, very good to
reach the East finals. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 10 |  Trail Blazers |
9 | (-1) | 7/15 | (47-30) The starters are strong but the bench isn't
carrying its weight. Injuries are partly to blame, but Rudy Fernandez
needs to snap out of a horrible slump. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 11 |  Nuggets |
12 | (+1) | 3/12 | (50-27) Thursday's home game vs. the Lakers should be
telling. Are the Nuggets still confident enough to bully the champs?
Or are they too beaten down to play like true contenders? Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 12 |  Celtics |
11 | (-1) | 1/13 | (48-28) Beating the Cavs in Boston might have sent more
of a message if the Celtics hadn't lost their previous three home
games. Or if they hadn't blown a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 13 |  Heat |
13 | - | 6/21 | (43-34) Thanks to D-Wade, LeBron won't win every Eastern
Conference Player of the Month award this season. He's the reason
Miami's vaulted from ninth in the East to fifth, with a chance to pull
a first-round upset. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 14 |  Bobcats |
15 | (+1) | 14/27 | (40-36) Stephen Jackson is breaking down, perhaps because
of the heavy minutes he's logged all season. Still, who'd have guessed
his addition would be such a positive experience for the Bobcats? Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 15 |  Bucks |
14 | (-1) | 10/27 | (42-34) Bogut's injury spoils one of the best stories of
the NBA season. Not only his own resurgence, but the rise of the
rebuilt Bucks. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 16 |  Bulls |
17 | (+1) | 7/24 | (37-39) For a while, it seemed like either the Bulls or
Raptors would back into the playoffs. But with six wins in eight
games, Chicago's putting up a fight. Sunday's game in Toronto looms
large. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 17 |  Grizzlies |
16 | (-1) | 7/27 | (39-37) If the Grizzlies grow up, they could be a
playoff team next season. But first they need to re-sign Rudy Gay and
get some semblance of a bench. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 18 |  Raptors |
19 | (+1) | 11/20 | (38-38) Before they can even worry about facing the Bulls
on Sunday, the Raps have to play the Cavs, Celtics and Hawks. In other
words, this is a boom-or-bust week for Toronto. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 19 |  Rockets |
18 | (-1) | 7/20 | (38-38) Rick Adelman's done the best coaching job for any
non-playoff team this season, with Lionel Hollins (Grizzlies) a close
second. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 20 |  Pacers |
21 | (+1) | 18/28 | (29-48) Am I wrong to think Indy's going to wind up
drafting Gordon Hayward and Kyle Singler? Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 21 |  Hornets |
20 | (-1) | 8/26 | (35-43) The rookie guards have been a revelation, but the
veterans have killed the season with their regression. West, Okafor,
Stojakovic and Posey have all had subpar seasons. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 22 |  Knicks |
22 | - | 19/30 | (27-49) David Lee's 30-20-10 triple-double was the NBA's
first in 34 years. And despite the fact it came against the Warriors,
it still counts. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 23 |  Warriors |
25 | (+2) | 21/29 | (23-53) No one's ever going to call Nellie (or Lenny
Wilkens, for that matter) the greatest NBA coach of all time. But it's
nice to see the Warriors rally around their coach as he sets the
record for wins. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 24 |  76ers |
23 | (-1) | 14/28 | (26-50) To boost attendance down the stretch, the Sixers
should bring back Charles Barkley for one game, then Dr. J. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 25 |  Kings |
24 | (-1) | 17/30 | (24-53) Early in the season, the Kings were a nice
surprise. Then they were, well, better than expected. Now? They just
stink. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 26 |  Clippers |
26 | - | 16/27 | (27-50) As the Clippers like to say, the season doesn't
really start until you've lost 50 games. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 27 |  Wizards |
29 | (+2) | 13/29 | (23-53) Shaun Livingston's recent play is a single silver
lining in a season of 100 dark clouds. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 28 |  Nets |
28 | - | 28/30 | (11-66) If Coach K doesn't want to coach the Nets for $15
million, I'll do it for $2 mil. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 29 |  Pistons |
27 | (-2) | 14/29 | (23-53) The Wizards and T-Wolves ended 16-game losing
streaks last week. That leaves the Pistons, losers of 11 straight, as
the most miserable team in the league. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
| 30 |  Timberwolves |
30 | - | 25/30 | (15-62) The Wolves have had losing streaks of 15 and
16 games. Then again, they've had winning streaks of two and four
games. So they're not bad, they're just streaky! Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy |
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