http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2007&week=10&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1
Mavs still mightiest; Lakers, Cavs make leaps
By Marc Stein - ESPN.com
It's going to take more than one loss, for a team with two double-digit win streaks in its first 35 games, to dislodge Dallas from its lofty perch. But we've still got ourselves a bit of a shakeup at the top of the ESPN.com NBA Power Rankings.
The Lakers, by virtue of a home victory Sunday that halted Dallas' latest unbeaten run at 13, have vaulted to a season-high No. 4 in spite of injuries to Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are back up to No. 6 after a heady 4-0 week, which included a 38-point fourth quarter Tuesday to seal a season sweep of the San Antonio Spurs ... who've stunningly dipped to a season-low No. 7.
2006-07 Power Rankings: Week 10
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (1) Mavericks 27-8 When you've stamped yourselves as the NBA's clear-cut No. 1, as Mavs have, you have to have at least two All-Stars. Howard must go to Vegas with Dirk, end of story.
2 (2) Suns 25-8 Dropping to 0-2 against Dallas didn't exactly ruin them. Suns are 6-0 since and 24-3 overall since their 1-5 start, with only one loss to a team outside our top eight.
3 (4) Jazz 24-10 Jazz are just 12-9 since their 12-1 start, true, but they still have too many quality victories -- in the face of a tougher sked than most -- to lose their top-five standing.
4 (9) Lakers 23-11 Credit where credit is due: Lakers haven't had Lamar for either of their meetings with Mavs and still matched up with the team in the top spot as well as anyone we've seen.
5 (5) Rockets 21-13 Rockets were 6-10 minus Yao last season. But they're 5-3 this time, with T-Mac scoring 31 or more for five straight and Mutombo at 13.8 rpg in the same span.
6 (13) Cavaliers 21-12 Unlike their previous win over SA, Cavs are building on beating Spurs at home. Can't do much better than a 7-1 surge leading into that dreaded seven-game trip.
7 (3) Spurs 24-11 Swept by Cavs, shredded by Nowitzki, 0-2 at home against Dallas and now Parker has a bad hip? Maybe this little rankings tumble is the spark creaky Spurs need.
8 (6) Wizards 19-14 The shocker is not that Wiz finally lost in Toronto after a 10-2 surge. The shocker is that Gil, averaging 46.4 ppg in those gaudy gold jerseys, had only 33.
9 (7) Bulls 20-14 No letup from Bulls against Chauncey-less Pistons, but two bad fourth quarters -- against Suns, then Nets -- cost Chicago what could have been a 3-0 week.
10 (8) Pistons 19-12 Pistons can poke fun at Big Ben for Chicago's headband rules all they want, but they look a bit naked themselves without Billups in the midst of a 1-4 rut.
11 (17) Timberwolves 17-15 Foye is finally getting regular burn and Blount is hotter than ever. All of which means KG is getting some help, which might explain why Wolves have won seven of nine.
12 (10) Pacers 18-16 The easiest way to diffuse Jermaine's frustration? If Pacers can just get to a mere 93 points, they're 17-4. When they don't, unfortunately, Pacers are 1-12.
13 (15) Magic 21-14 With four straight home wins over sub-.500 stragglers since their four-game skid, Magic are back atop their division and tied for the East lead in wins at 21.
14 (12) Warriors 18-18 With the production he's getting from Barnes, Biedrins and now Azubuike, maybe Nellie should sit a few more regulars and ask Mully to sign more no-names.
15 (17) Bucks 16-17 Ugh. Missing time with a knee injury, after all the other injuries in Milwaukee this season, is not how we wanted to see our man Redd prove how valuable he is.
16 (19) Raptors 15-19 Two weeks ago, we hinted at the idea that Raps are a legit contender for the division title. After seeing how Bosh looks post-injury, we are full-fledged believers.
17 (14) Nuggets 16-15 With Melo's return still two weeks away, Iverson is only racking up losses (five in a row) and techs. He's up to seven Ts, just two behind Sheed's league-high nine.
18 (18) Kings 14-17 Overtime hasn't been their time, obviously. Kings are three games under .500 and 0-3 in OT games after losing their last two at home that way (Lakers and Blazers).
19 (24) Knicks 15-21 Give it up to Isiah's Knicks . . . for once. They're 10-10 since a 5-11 start and just posted wins at Portland and Seattle after five straight double-digit road losses.
20 (20) Heat 14-19 Wade returns and, just like that, Riley-less Heat no longer look like an expansion team. Including the game he left early, Heat are 0-6 without Wade, 14-13 with him.
21 (16) Clippers 15-19 Remember when we said that nothing less than 50 wins would do? With their less-than-sterling road record of 3-13, Clips now need a 35-13 finish to get there.
22 (23) Nets 14-19 Nets' 3-1 rebound is just a start. They're still at -6, second worst in East plus/minus behind Charlotte, when adding up their road wins (four) and home losses (10).
23 (21) Trail Blazers 14-21 Looks like we're stuck making our usual reach, measuring Blazers and Sonics against each other and pretending that their race for regional supremacy carries meaning.
24 (22) SuperSonics 13-23 In November, Ray Allen shot 31.5 percent on 3-pointers. In December, 34.2 percent. First four games with the old ball? Allen is 14-for-29, good for 48.3 percent.
25 (27) Celtics 12-21 Pierce returning later rather than sooner sounds like Celts' best option. Why not let Raps, Nets and Knicks ''fight'' for the Atlantic crown and play for a top-three pick?
26 (25) Bobcats 9-23 The rookie roller-coaster continues for Morrison. Stache is suddenly playing catch-up to Matt Carroll, who, without warning, has averaged 21.8 ppg in his last four.
27 (29) 76ers 9-24 So much for a spell of calm after a year (or is that years?) on Iverson Trade Alert. Sixers can expect When Will Larry Replace Mo? questions every day now.
28 (26) Hornets 12-21 Anyone remember that 8-3 start? Injury-ravaged Hornets are 4-18 since . . . and a helpless 1-6 since Paul rolled an ankle, joining Peja and D-West in the sick bay.
29 (30) Hawks 10-21 On top of Josh's absence and a 2-12 skid overall, Joe's calf and toe have to be hurting, since he's been held to 15 points or fewer in four of his last six games.
30 (28) Grizzlies 8-27 Grizz are certainly more offensive under Barone -- Mike Miller especially -- but didn't suffer their 27th loss last season until March 6. It's only Jan. 8, remember.
Mavs still mightiest; Lakers, Cavs make leaps
By Marc Stein - ESPN.com
It's going to take more than one loss, for a team with two double-digit win streaks in its first 35 games, to dislodge Dallas from its lofty perch. But we've still got ourselves a bit of a shakeup at the top of the ESPN.com NBA Power Rankings.
The Lakers, by virtue of a home victory Sunday that halted Dallas' latest unbeaten run at 13, have vaulted to a season-high No. 4 in spite of injuries to Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are back up to No. 6 after a heady 4-0 week, which included a 38-point fourth quarter Tuesday to seal a season sweep of the San Antonio Spurs ... who've stunningly dipped to a season-low No. 7.
2006-07 Power Rankings: Week 10
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (1) Mavericks 27-8 When you've stamped yourselves as the NBA's clear-cut No. 1, as Mavs have, you have to have at least two All-Stars. Howard must go to Vegas with Dirk, end of story.
2 (2) Suns 25-8 Dropping to 0-2 against Dallas didn't exactly ruin them. Suns are 6-0 since and 24-3 overall since their 1-5 start, with only one loss to a team outside our top eight.
3 (4) Jazz 24-10 Jazz are just 12-9 since their 12-1 start, true, but they still have too many quality victories -- in the face of a tougher sked than most -- to lose their top-five standing.
4 (9) Lakers 23-11 Credit where credit is due: Lakers haven't had Lamar for either of their meetings with Mavs and still matched up with the team in the top spot as well as anyone we've seen.
5 (5) Rockets 21-13 Rockets were 6-10 minus Yao last season. But they're 5-3 this time, with T-Mac scoring 31 or more for five straight and Mutombo at 13.8 rpg in the same span.
6 (13) Cavaliers 21-12 Unlike their previous win over SA, Cavs are building on beating Spurs at home. Can't do much better than a 7-1 surge leading into that dreaded seven-game trip.
7 (3) Spurs 24-11 Swept by Cavs, shredded by Nowitzki, 0-2 at home against Dallas and now Parker has a bad hip? Maybe this little rankings tumble is the spark creaky Spurs need.
8 (6) Wizards 19-14 The shocker is not that Wiz finally lost in Toronto after a 10-2 surge. The shocker is that Gil, averaging 46.4 ppg in those gaudy gold jerseys, had only 33.
9 (7) Bulls 20-14 No letup from Bulls against Chauncey-less Pistons, but two bad fourth quarters -- against Suns, then Nets -- cost Chicago what could have been a 3-0 week.
10 (8) Pistons 19-12 Pistons can poke fun at Big Ben for Chicago's headband rules all they want, but they look a bit naked themselves without Billups in the midst of a 1-4 rut.
11 (17) Timberwolves 17-15 Foye is finally getting regular burn and Blount is hotter than ever. All of which means KG is getting some help, which might explain why Wolves have won seven of nine.
12 (10) Pacers 18-16 The easiest way to diffuse Jermaine's frustration? If Pacers can just get to a mere 93 points, they're 17-4. When they don't, unfortunately, Pacers are 1-12.
13 (15) Magic 21-14 With four straight home wins over sub-.500 stragglers since their four-game skid, Magic are back atop their division and tied for the East lead in wins at 21.
14 (12) Warriors 18-18 With the production he's getting from Barnes, Biedrins and now Azubuike, maybe Nellie should sit a few more regulars and ask Mully to sign more no-names.
15 (17) Bucks 16-17 Ugh. Missing time with a knee injury, after all the other injuries in Milwaukee this season, is not how we wanted to see our man Redd prove how valuable he is.
16 (19) Raptors 15-19 Two weeks ago, we hinted at the idea that Raps are a legit contender for the division title. After seeing how Bosh looks post-injury, we are full-fledged believers.
17 (14) Nuggets 16-15 With Melo's return still two weeks away, Iverson is only racking up losses (five in a row) and techs. He's up to seven Ts, just two behind Sheed's league-high nine.
18 (18) Kings 14-17 Overtime hasn't been their time, obviously. Kings are three games under .500 and 0-3 in OT games after losing their last two at home that way (Lakers and Blazers).
19 (24) Knicks 15-21 Give it up to Isiah's Knicks . . . for once. They're 10-10 since a 5-11 start and just posted wins at Portland and Seattle after five straight double-digit road losses.
20 (20) Heat 14-19 Wade returns and, just like that, Riley-less Heat no longer look like an expansion team. Including the game he left early, Heat are 0-6 without Wade, 14-13 with him.
21 (16) Clippers 15-19 Remember when we said that nothing less than 50 wins would do? With their less-than-sterling road record of 3-13, Clips now need a 35-13 finish to get there.
22 (23) Nets 14-19 Nets' 3-1 rebound is just a start. They're still at -6, second worst in East plus/minus behind Charlotte, when adding up their road wins (four) and home losses (10).
23 (21) Trail Blazers 14-21 Looks like we're stuck making our usual reach, measuring Blazers and Sonics against each other and pretending that their race for regional supremacy carries meaning.
24 (22) SuperSonics 13-23 In November, Ray Allen shot 31.5 percent on 3-pointers. In December, 34.2 percent. First four games with the old ball? Allen is 14-for-29, good for 48.3 percent.
25 (27) Celtics 12-21 Pierce returning later rather than sooner sounds like Celts' best option. Why not let Raps, Nets and Knicks ''fight'' for the Atlantic crown and play for a top-three pick?
26 (25) Bobcats 9-23 The rookie roller-coaster continues for Morrison. Stache is suddenly playing catch-up to Matt Carroll, who, without warning, has averaged 21.8 ppg in his last four.
27 (29) 76ers 9-24 So much for a spell of calm after a year (or is that years?) on Iverson Trade Alert. Sixers can expect When Will Larry Replace Mo? questions every day now.
28 (26) Hornets 12-21 Anyone remember that 8-3 start? Injury-ravaged Hornets are 4-18 since . . . and a helpless 1-6 since Paul rolled an ankle, joining Peja and D-West in the sick bay.
29 (30) Hawks 10-21 On top of Josh's absence and a 2-12 skid overall, Joe's calf and toe have to be hurting, since he's been held to 15 points or fewer in four of his last six games.
30 (28) Grizzlies 8-27 Grizz are certainly more offensive under Barone -- Mike Miller especially -- but didn't suffer their 27th loss last season until March 6. It's only Jan. 8, remember.
