Class Act Sports: NBA Power Rankings
1 – CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Even the loss of their top two point guards has not slowed down the Cavs. Mo Williams and Delonte West have been sidelined since mid-January, but as of Feb. 3, Cleveland had not lost without those key players and was riding a nine-game winning streak. Daniel Gibson scored in double figures in each of the first six games he was forced into the starting point guard duties, and Shaq has stepped up offensively but isn’t taking too many shots to do it. Plus, LeBron has done a terrific job keeping his teammates involved, totaling 50 assists in a four-game span from Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
2 – LOS ANGELES LAKERS
A recent eight-game road swing started and ended badly, losing at Cleveland and Memphis, respectively, but the Lakers still won five times on the trip and will spend much of February playing at home. Pau Gasol hasn’t been thrilled about the number of touches he’s been getting lately but that will soon change. Ron Artest has been playing very good basketball at both ends of the floor, and it seems everyone has forgotten about Kobe’s injured finger because he’s as dangerous as ever.
3 – DENVER NUGGETS
Carmelo Anthony’s absence due to an ankle injury didn’t throw Denver off track, winning games in Houston and San Antonio without him, and the league’s leading scorer is about to return. J.R. Smith has quieted down, probably because he’s getting more consistent minutes and shot attempts lately. Kenyon Martin is back to being a beast on the boards like he was with the Nets, averaging more than 11 a game from Christmas through January. He and Nene have become regular offensive threats, while Chauncey Billups remains the glue that keeps it all together – though backup Ty Lawson has quietly helped out.
4 – UTAH JAZZ
The Jazz went quite a while without even cracking the top 10 in the power rankings but can’t be ignored anymore. They went 11-1 from Jan. 9-Feb. 3, including road wins in Dallas, San Antonio and Portland as well as a home victory over Cleveland. Even Carlos Boozer’s brief absence didn’t matter, recently beating Sacramento and Dallas without their top scorer and rebounder because just like last season, Paul Millsap dominates when Boozer is out. Deron Williams has done a phenomenal job running an offense which has averaged more than 110 points and 53 percent shooting in its last 13 games.
5 – ORLANDO MAGIC
Orlando closed February 6-1, including wins over Boston and Atlanta, and the start of February may have been a sign that more good things lie ahead. Vince Carter couldn’t hit a thing for most of January but began this month with a performance that could turn him around - 7 of 15 from the field with 10 rebounds and seven assists. It appears the injuries to Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus aren’t too serious, though the Magic bench has proven to be very capable of providing offense.
6 – ATLANTA HAWKS
Atlanta’s only losses in recent weeks came to quality opponents – Orlando, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Still, winning on the road remains a big stumbling block for this young team and it’s one the Hawks must overcome because they’re unlikely to have home-court advantage past the first round of the playoffs. Big men Marvin Williams and Al Horford have taken steps back lately, but perimeter threats Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford always seem to keep Atlanta competitive.
7 – OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The Thunder’s surge to respectability, and beyond, took a hit recently with a three-game losing streak, but they quickly bounced back to win four straight – including victories over Denver and Atlanta. Kevin Durant averaged 34.5 points during that win streak and as good as he’s been as a scorer, he does more than his fair share on the glass. Plus, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are helping more in the scoring department.
8 - DALLAS MAVERICKS
The Mavs’ commitment to defense has gone away and so have their winning ways. They opened February giving up more than 100 points in a season-high fourth consecutive game en route to a season-high third straight loss. That defeat in Utah capped a 15-game stretch in which their opponents shot 49.1 percent from the field. Jason Terry has continued to be a potent scorer since joining the starting lineup, but Josh Howard hasn’t been able to produce coming off the bench.
9 – BOSTON CELTICS
Even a healthy Kevin Garnett hasn’t gotten Boston back on track, losing three of the first six games following his return as part of a 7-11 stretch through the end of January. The Celtics beat lowly Washington to open February and followed with a victory over Miami, the latter game ending a streak of nine straight without scoring 100. Ray Allen has been off the mark far too often, failing to score in double figures five times last month after that happened only once through December.
10 - PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
The Blazers handled all of their injury woes so well until Brandon Roy went down, but who could blame them for struggling when the budding superstar was sidelined longer than expected. Their offensive output took a big hit as rookie Jerryd Bayless has been too inconsistent from the outside. The trade rumors surrounding Andre Miller may be affecting the veteran point guard’s play despite his recent 52-point outburst. Other than that game, he’s often failed to score in double figures lately and he’s been just as inconsistent distributing the ball.
11 – MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Memphis has hit a bit of a rough patch but that’s due in part to a brutal stretch of schedule – visits to San Antonio and Cleveland sandwiched around home games versus the Hornets and Lakers. Youngsters Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo have been inconsistent from outside, resulting in the high-scoring Grizzlies failing to crack the 100-point barrier six times in a recent seven-game stretch.
12 – TORONTO RAPTORS
Toronto has become the Phoenix Suns of the Eastern Conference – a juggernaut of an offense that loses too much because of gaping holes defensively. No team in the East scores more points (104.4 per game) or allows more (105.2 ppg) than the Raptors, who force a conference-low 12.8 turnovers per game. They spend most of February in Canada, where they’ve won 12 of 13. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani have formed arguably the best big-man duo in basketball.
13 – SAN ANTONIO SPURS
It’s hard to ignore the question everyone is asking about the Spurs – has age finally caught up to them? We’re not ready to say yes, even though San Antonio still can’t put it together and closed January in a 3-6 funk. It’s an annual tradition that the Spurs don’t really get going until the rodeo road trip, and that happens in February. Only after that trek will we have a better idea of whether their mix of old veterans (Duncan, Ginobili) and new ones (Jefferson, McDyess) can jell together in time.
14 – CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
The Bobcats should be happy after a 3-3 western swing, capped by a near miss against the Lakers, on which they matched their total for road victories from the first 2 ½ months of the season. Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace have formed one of the league’s better inside-outside, 1-2 punches. Veteran Nazr Mohammed has provided stability in the post since joining the starting lineup.
15 – PHOENIX SUNS
Just when everyone is ready to give up on the Suns, they end their 18-game TNT losing streak by beating Dallas and followed it with wins in Houston, New Orleans and Denver. The Amare Stoudemire trade rumors have died down a bit and his game has picked up.
16 – HOUSTON ROCKETS
Houston can only hope February goes better than January, when it went 5-9 and endured a number of close losses. This month got off to a good start with a blowout of Golden State and the upcoming schedule isn’t too daunting. If Trevor Ariza’s shooting woes would ever end, the Rockets could be dangerous.
17 – MIAMI HEAT
Miami must spend most of February playing on the road, but maybe that’s a good thing for a team which is 7-9 at home since Thanksgiving. Jermaine O’Neal is having back problems for a Heat squad which has lost five of six, including a home-and-home sweep by Milwaukee.
18 – LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Clippers didn’t come away from an eight-game road trip unscathed, losing six times, but Eric Gordon has looked good since returning and Chris Kaman’s All-Star snub should only provide him further motivation.
19 – CHICAGO BULLS
This is a hard team to figure out. The Bulls opened a road trip by losing to the Warriors and Clippers, won the final five games against above-.500 teams and returned home to lose to the Clips and Sixers. As much pub as Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah get, Luol Deng’s production has keyed Chicago’s resurgence.
20 – NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
Simply put, the Hornets aren’t going anywhere because Chris Paul is out at least until March. Youngsters Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton are promising players, but they just can’t make up for Paul’s absence, and a tough February schedule looms.
21 – PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
The Sixers aren’t winning too much but they regularly give good teams a run for their money – they had eight-point home losses to the Blazers and Lakers in late January. Elton Brand is playing a bit better, but Allen Iverson’s arrival seems to have negatively affected Andre Iguodala.
22 – MILWAUKEE BUCKS
A recent home-and-home sweep of Miami may have helped the Bucks’ confidence, but a blowout losss at Orlando took it away. Brandon Jennings had two points in that game and continues to struggle after his hot start. Andrew Bogut is becoming more of a force offensively and on the glass.
23 – WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Getting rid of the Gilbert Arenas distraction could do wonders for the Wizards, who followed the news of his season-long suspension by posting back-to-back wins and putting a scare into Boston.
24 – MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
The Wolves closed January with blowout wins over the Clippers and Knicks – not exactly impressive but nonetheless uplifting for a team struggling to see the light. One bright spot is Kevin Love, who actually has been outplaying potential trade bait Al Jefferson.
25 – NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks have gone back to playing no defense, and losing. They gave up at least 105 points in their final six January games, losing five. Their only wins in recent weeks were against doormats Philadelphia, Detroit, Minnesota and Washington.
26 – DETROIT PISTONS
Following their stunning win over Boston, the Pistons closed January on a five-game skid. Keeping Tayshaun Prince healthy is vital because no one else in that frontcourt is capable of scoring. Ben Gordon recently returned but is still trying to regain his shooting touch.
27 – INDIANA PACERS
Indiana gets blown out by the elite teams but has a good enough offense to challenge everyone else. Danny Granger has been inconsistent as he tries working his way back to All-Star form.
28 – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The pathetic defense being played in the Bay Area has dropped the Warriors dangerously close to the Western basement. They have no chance of putting together enough offense if Corey Maggette isn’t healthy, and he’s been bothered by a hip problem.
29 – SACRAMENTO KINGS
For whatever reason, Kevin Martin has brought out the worst in the Kings. They lost nine of their first 10 games following his long-awaited return from injury even though he recently broke out of a shooting slump.
30 – NEW JERSEY NETS
Brook Lopez and Devin Harris are the only players that can ever be relied upon offensively for the only team in the league not averaging more than 90 points. The Nets are on pace to finish with seven wins, fewer than either of their former Meadowlands co-tenants – the New York Giants and New York Jets.
