Washington's wizardry

With so much talk about the revamped Heat and the Ron Artest comeback in Indiana, the Pistons fell under the radar when the season began two weeks ago.

But the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions have exploded out of the gates under Flip Saunders, embracing his up-tempo style while still stifling opponents with their defense. An impressive comeback victory in Phoenix highlighted another undefeated week for the Pistons, who remain atop the rankings.

Shooting up to the second spot are the surprising Wizards, who scored 137 points in a win over Seattle, then spanked the Spurs behind Gilbert Arenas' 43 points. At the bottom end of the spectrum, Larry Brown's Knicks finally picked up their first W, but both Atlanta and Toronto are searching for their first victories of the season.

Here are this week's rankings. (Records and statistics are through Nov. 13.)

1.Detroit Pistons (6-0, Last week: 1) – The Pistons are scoring seven more points per game than last season. Think the players like Flip Saunders?

2.Washington Wizards (5-1, Last week: 6) – The Wizards are the surprise of the young season so far, and two weeks in, Gilbert Arenas is the MVP.

3.San Antonio Spurs (5-2, Last week: 3) – The Spurs have struggled in the second nights of back-to-backs the past couple of seasons.

4.Milwaukee Bucks (4-1, Last week: 5) – Their four-game West Coast swing will tell a lot.

5.Los Angeles Clippers (5-2, Last week: 7) – The best team in Los Angeles will get even better when Shaun Livingston returns from injury.

6.Dallas Mavericks (4-2, Last week: 2) – Good start for the Mavs, considering five of their first six games were on the road.

7.Cleveland Cavaliers (5-2, Last week: 16) – LeBron James has a lot more help this season.

8.Indiana Pacers (4-2, Last week: 4) – Pacers fans hope the late collapse against the Bucks was an anomaly.

9.Miami Heat (4-3, Last week: 8) – Dwyane Wade is trying to do too much. He's turning it over five times a game.

10.Philadelphia 76ers (4-3, Last week: 25) – They've won four in a row after a tough start.

11.Phoenix Suns (3-3, Last week: 10) – They're having trouble holding onto leads.

12.Golden State Warriors (4-3, Last week: 13) – The Warriors are anxious to get injured rookie Ike Diogu into the lineup.

13.Utah Jazz (4-3, Last week: 11) – Mehmet Okur is averaging 22 and 10.

14.Memphis Grizzlies (4-3, Last week: 12) – Pau Gasol looks better than ever.

15.Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2, Last week: 21) – Trouble on the glass: The Wolves are getting out-rebounded by seven per game.

16.Chicago Bulls (3-2, Last week: 19) – "Send us to the Atlantic!" The Bulls are 3-2 and in last place in the Central.

17.Boston Celtics (3-3, Last week: 24) – Paul Pierce is getting to the line 11 times a game.

18.Los Angeles Lakers (3-3, Last week: 14) – Kobe Bryant is carrying this team, but he needs more help.

19.New Jersey Nets (3-4, Last week: 9) – The Nets have problems inside.

20.Denver Nuggets (3-4, Last week: 22) – Outside shooting is still a problem. They're shooting 22 percent from the three-point line.

21.New Orleans Hornets (2-3, Last week: 17) – Chris Paul is the real deal.

22.Houston Rockets (2-4, Last week: 15) – They're shooting only 40 percent, but Tracy McGrady is back.

23.Portland Trail Blazers (2-3, Last week: 26) – There are some encouraging signs for Blazers fans.

24.Sacramento Kings (2-5, Last week: 23) – The Kings are shooting just 42 percent as a team.

25.Seattle SuperSonics (2-4, Last week: 18) – Hello, where's the defense?

26.Charlotte Bobcats (2-5, Last week: 20) – Bernie Bickerstaff is bringing Sean May and Raymond Felton along slowly.

27.Orlando Magic (2-4, Last week: 27) – The Magic are scoring 84 points per game.

28.New York Knicks (1-5, Last week: 28) – Their first win eases a bit of the pain, but Larry Brown is already taking some heat in the Big Apple.

29.Atlanta Hawks (0-6, Last week: 29) – The Hawks are 0-6 and heading to San Antonio and Dallas. Ouch.

30.Toronto Raptors (0-6, Last week: 30) – "When do we get to play Atlanta?"