Still the one
Was I tempted to drop the Pistons from the rankings' top spot for the first time since the start of the season? Not at all.
Yes, the Spurs are on fire and are sure to occupy some other folks' No. 1 spot, but not mine. The two whippings Detroit gave San Antonio earlier this season are still fresh in my mind, so something more drastic than a couple of Pistons losses will have to happen for me to flip-flop the two teams.
In the meantime, my radar caught the Wizards, who continued their hot streak with a 4-0 week and returned to the top 10 for the first time since November. Gilbert Arenas made the All-Star team, too, as Jermaine O'Neal's replacement, so all in all it was a good week for Washington.
Here are this week's rankings (records and statistics are through Feb. 12):
1.Detroit Pistons (41-9, Last ranking: 1) – Finally, the Pistons' torrid pace is slowed down a bit. Don't look now, but the Spurs and Mavericks are right on their tail.
2.San Antonio Spurs (40-10, Last ranking: 3) – Spring is almost here and that means the Spurs are getting serious. They've won nine straight.
3.Dallas Mavericks (39-11, Last ranking: 2) – The Mavs are 8-1 in their last nine games yet lost a game in the standings to San Antonio.
4.Phoenix Suns (33-17, Last ranking: 4) – The Suns are having trouble holding onto leads lately. That shows how much they need Amare Stoudemire.
5.Miami Heat (31-20, Last ranking: 6) – Miami got clobbered in Dallas but bounced back to beat Detroit on Sunday. The Heat desperately needed to beat a good team, and they finally did.
6.Los Angeles Clippers (30-19, Last ranking: 5) – Tough loss to Chicago, but Elton Brand is having a monster season.
7.New Jersey Nets (27-22, Last ranking: 8) – You gotta love Clifford Robinson, who's still going strong at 39. But the Nets desperately need some help on the front line.
8.Cleveland Cavaliers (29-21, Last ranking: 7) – The Cavaliers had a similar record at the All-Star break last season before falling apart. Can they keep it together this time?
9.New Orleans Hornets (27-23, Last ranking: 10) – Kirk Snyder has been starting and coming up huge for the Hornets. This team has some athletes.
10.Washington Wizards (26-23, Last ranking: 14) – Caron Butler is not only scoring big, but he's playing D, too. He helped hold LeBron James to a 6-for-23 night last week.
11.Memphis Grizzlies (27-23, Last ranking: 9) – The Grizzlies have hit the skids, although a win over the Lakers at Staples stopped the bleeding. Still, for Memphis, this is a good time for the All-Star break.
12.Indiana Pacers (25-23, Last ranking: 13) – The Pacers have to change things on the fly with Peja Stojakovic aboard and Jermaine O'Neal injured. They're running and scoring more.
13.Denver Nuggets (28-25, Last ranking: 11) – Kenyon Martin shrugged off trade rumors to drop 34 points on Dallas. Perhaps the big win will right the ship for the Nuggets and keep K-Mart in Denver.
14.Milwaukee Bucks (26-24, Last ranking: 12) – Michael Redd got the All-Star snub. He should have made the East team over Paul Pierce.
15.Utah Jazz (25-26, Last ranking: 17) – Matt Harpring is tougher than a three-dollar steak. His hot hand helped the Jazz to two straight wins last week.
16.Los Angeles Lakers (25-25, Last ranking: 15) – Lakers fans are clamoring for a trade, but Mitch Kupchak is wisely hanging onto future cap space. The last thing L.A. needs is to add bad contracts, so any deal will have to make financial sense.
17.Sacramento Kings (23-28, Last ranking: 21) – The Kings are a whole different team with Ron Artest in the mix. He is causing havoc for opponents.
18.Golden State Warriors (23-27, Last ranking: 18) – Baron Davis goes down and the Warriors win in Cleveland. Coincidence? They seem to share the ball more without him.
19.Philadelphia 76ers (24-26, Last ranking: 16) – Allen Iverson and Chris Webber are both scoring, but they don't seem to complement each other well.
20.Chicago Bulls (22-28, Last ranking: 20) – The Bulls have made almost 300 fewer free throws than their opponents this season. That's why nothing comes easily for them.
21.Houston Rockets (21-30, Last ranking: 23) – The Rockets won three of four on the week, but is it a case of too little too late? It's still a long climb to the postseason.
22.Toronto Raptors (19-32, Last ranking: 24) – Give Sam Mitchell some credit. The Raptors have bounced back from a horrendous start, and they get up and down the floor.
23.Minnesota Timberwolves (22-28, Last ranking: 19) – Have you seen the look on Kevin Garnett's face recently? He looks tired and in need of a change.
24.Boston Celtics (20-31, Last ranking: 26) – Paul Pierce continues to put up huge numbers, but Celtics fans have to wonder where this team is headed.
25.Seattle SuperSonics (20-31, Last ranking: 25) – Ray Allen is a great player, but with his team having a terrible season, how does he make the West All-Stars over Carmelo Anthony?
26.Orlando Magic (19-30, Last ranking: 22) – An 0-4 week only fuels the fire on trade rumors. Can the Magic find a home for Steve Francis?
27.Atlanta Hawks (15-34, Last ranking: 28) – Joe Johnson is showing why Atlanta gave him the big contract. He almost single-handedly beat the Pistons last week.
28.Portland Trail Blazers (17-32, Last ranking: 27) – Tough going for the Blazers. They've gotten blown out the first four games of their road trip, and there are three more to go.
29.Charlotte Bobcats (14-38, Last ranking: 30) – Valiant effort by the Bobcats to extend a win streak to three games with back-to-back victories. They're decimated by injuries but still playing hard. Raymond Felton is looking good.
30.New York Knicks (14-36, Last ranking: 29) – If they can just trade for one more maximum salaried player who is well past his prime, they just might turn things around.
