Picking up the pace

When the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors pulled the trigger on the eight-player blockbuster trade three weeks ago, the prevailing thought was that the Warriors got the better end of the deal. They saved money down the road, added a couple of the athletic wing-types that Don Nelson loves and seemed poised to get better.

But while Golden State has struggled to find its groove since the trade, the Pacers have taken off.

After losing to the Knicks in its first game featuring Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy and Ike Diogu, Indiana has been on a roll, winning six of its last seven games. And while none of the trio has played exceedingly well – Murphy is averaging 8.3 points since the trade, Dunleavy 11.3 and Diogu 5.1 – the move seemed to create better chemistry and open up opportunities for the rest of the Pacer players.

Danny Granger is playing with great confidence. Jermaine O'Neal is dominating on the block, and Jamaal Tinsley has enjoyed his best stretch in a long time. The move seems to have energized the team, and Rick Carlisle has Indiana right in the thick of things in the Central Division. A 3-0 week also means that the Pacers have climbed into the top 10 for the first time all season.

Here's a look at this week's rankings (records and statistics are through Feb. 4):

1.Dallas Mavericks (39-9, Last ranking: 2) – How deep are the Mavs? Austin Croshere was an afterthought for most of the season, but with Josh Howard out of the Seattle game, Croshere stepped in and went for 34 points.

2.Phoenix Suns (37-10, Last ranking: 1) – The Suns beat San Antonio for a big win last week, but they still can't figure out Utah. The loss to the Jazz was the third this season for Phoenix.

3.San Antonio Spurs (32-16, Last ranking: 3) – "Too old." "Too slow." "Too methodical." The Spurs have heard it all. But they're healthy and experienced, and no one will want to play them in May.

4.Utah Jazz (31-17, Last ranking: 6) – Pretty impressive week for the Jazz, who beat both the Spurs and Suns without Carlos Boozer. But they'll have to deal with Boozer's absence for another month or so, and that won't be easy.

5.Houston Rockets (29-17, Last ranking: 5) – Luther Head has become a solid sixth man for the Rockets. He's averaging 11.3 points a game and shooting 43.9 percent from the three-point line.

6.Detroit Pistons (28-18, Last ranking: 7) – The Pistons capped off a 3-1 week with an impressive win in Cleveland. They look like the class of the East at this point in the season.

7.Los Angeles Lakers (29-19, Last ranking: 8) – Halfway through their eight-game road swing, the Lakers are 2-2 with a big win in Washington. A couple more victories on the trip will make it a successful one.

8.Washington Wizards (27-19, Last ranking: 4) – With Miami beginning to get rolling, the Wizards need to keep a hold on first place in the Southwest by getting back on track this week. Three home games should make that a bit easier.

9.Chicago Bulls (28-20, Last ranking: 9) – The fact that no Bull made the East All-Star team epitomizes the type of club Chicago is: no stars but tough, defensive-minded and scrappy.

10.Indiana Pacers (26-21, Last ranking: 13) – A six-game home stand will help the Pacers continue to roll.

11.Toronto Raptors (25-23, Last ranking: 14) – The Raptors are doing their best to take over the Atlantic Division with New Jersey hurting. Toronto has won 12 of its last 16 games.

12.Cleveland Cavaliers (27-21, Last ranking: 10) – It's time for the Cavaliers to start winning some significant games. They'll get their chance this week with Miami and the Lakers coming to town.

13.Los Angeles Clippers (24-23, Last ranking: 12) – Five road games in the next seven days make for a big challenge for the Clips.

14.Miami Heat (22-25, Last ranking: 19) – Slowly but surely, Shaquille O'Neal is getting more comfortable since his return. Shaq scored 20 points in 20 minutes against Milwaukee last Saturday.

15.Denver Nuggets (23-22, Last ranking: 11) – Playing without Allen Iverson, the Nuggets lost at Arco Arena on Saturday for the 20th straight time. Iverson remains day-to-day with his sprained ankle.

16.New Orleans Hornets (21-26, Last ranking: 20) – Chris Paul returns and the Hornets start winning again – what a coincidence! Paul had 24 points and eight assists in a victory over Minnesota.

17.Orlando Magic (25-23, Last ranking: 18) – Darko Milicic's career-high 19 points weren't enough for the Magic in a loss to the Knicks.

18.New Jersey Nets (22-26, Last ranking: 15) – Three losses in a row for the Nets, who are losing ground to the Raptors in the Atlantic. Are injuries taking their toll?

19.Minnesota Timberwolves (22-25, Last ranking: 17) – The Wolves were hoping their streak-snapping win over the Suns would serve as a watershed victory, but they promptly lost their next three games.

20.New York Knicks (21-28, Last ranking: 22) – Eddy Curry has had a great season and felt snubbed for being left off the All-Star team, but who should he have beaten out?

21.Charlotte Bobcats (18-29, Last ranking: 23) – When the Bobcats lost to New York on Dec. 20, they were 6-18. Since then, they're 12-11 and are competitive every night. Bernie Bickerstaff's club quietly is making a lot of progress.

22.Atlanta Hawks (18-28, Last ranking: 25) – Tyronn Lue's buzzer beater in New Jersey gave the Hawks their fifth win in their last seven games. When healthy, Atlanta isn't a bad team.

23.Golden State Warriors (22-26, Last ranking: 16) – Al Harrington's last-second shot beat Philadelphia and helped the Warriors snap a six-game road losing streak.

24.Sacramento Kings (19-26, Last ranking: 27) – Kevin Martin scored 28 in consecutive wins over Minnesota and Denver. If the Kings were winning more often, Martin might have been an All-Star this season.

25.Portland Trail Blazers (20-29, Last ranking: 21) – Ime Udoka has been a pleasant surprise for the Blazers. He has started every game, averaged 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds and played strong defense. He has a chance to be a Bruce Bowen type of player.

26.Philadelphia 76ers (15-33, Last ranking: 24) – Andre Iguodala capped a big week with a triple-double against Golden State: 25 points, 13 assists and 10 boards.

27.Seattle SuperSonics (17-30, Last ranking: 26) – The Sonics are barely breathing, but Ray Allen is trying his best to keep them alive. He's led the team in scoring 10 consecutive games and averaged 32.1 points during that span.

28.Milwaukee Bucks (18-30, Last ranking: 28) – The New Year hasn't been kind to the Bucks. Milwaukee is just 2-15 in 2007.

29.Memphis Grizzlies (12-36, Last ranking: 29) – Whether Pau Gasol gets traded or not, it appears the Grizzlies are right in the middle of the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

30.Boston Celtics (12-34, Last ranking: 30) – Whether Paul Pierce gets healthy or not, it appears the Celtics are right in the middle of the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes.