Cavs and have-nots

The Eastern Conference has been ridiculed all year, and for good reason. No team in the East has established itself as a true championship contender.

With Shaquille O'Neal out, the Heat have been struggling to keep their heads above water, and the Atlantic Division is an unmitigated disaster. But hope is arriving for the conference thanks to the resurgence of LeBron James' Cavaliers.

The Cavs put together a perfect 4-0 week to vault five spots in Yahoo! Sports' rankings. Throw in the fact that Chicago, Washington and Detroit are also making strides, and at long last it looks like the East will be able to at least stand up to the powerful West.

Here's a look at this week's rankings (records and statistics are through Jan. 7):

1.Dallas Mavericks (27-8, Last ranking: 1) – The Mavs' 13-game winning streak was finally snapped in L.A., but No. 13 was impressive: a victory in San Antonio as Dirk Nowitzki drained 37.

2.Phoenix Suns (25-8, Last ranking: 2) – The Suns lost their first four road games of the season but have since won 11 of their last 12. Phoenix is 8-0 on the road against the East. made the winning three-pointer.

3.Utah Jazz (24-10, Last ranking: 4) – Deron Williams' career-high-tying 28 points led the Jazz to a win over Denver. Utah now has the biggest division lead in the entire NBA: six games.

4.Los Angeles Lakers (23-11, Last ranking: 7) – Sasha Vujacic was the key in the Lakers' big win over Dallas. No, that's not a misprint. Vujacic shot 6-of-7, scored 16 points and made the winning three-pointer.

5.Cleveland Cavaliers (21-12, Last ranking: 10) – A perfect 4-0 week for the Cavaliers included a win over the Spurs. They'll need all the momentum they can get as they hit the road for seven games.

6.San Antonio Spurs (24-11, Last ranking: 3) – The Spurs salvaged a tough week with a win in Memphis as Manu Ginobili poured in 34 points. Tony Parker missed the game with a strained hip and is listed as day-to-day.

7.Chicago Bulls (20-14, Last ranking: 5) – Ben Wallace enjoyed his first game against his old mates: 12 points, 14 boards and six blocks in the Bulls' rout of Detroit.

8.Washington Wizards (19-14, Last ranking: 6) – Antawn Jamison is very quietly having another great year: 19 points and eight rebounds per game.

9.Houston Rockets (21-13, Last ranking: 8) – After a slow start to the season, Tracy McGrady has caught fire, averaging 35 points on 50-percent shooting in the Rockets' last five games, four of which they've won. Houston continues to hang in there without Yao Ming.

10.Detroit Pistons (19-12, Last ranking: 9) – The Pistons are finding out just how important Chauncey Billups is to their success. He remains sidelined with a strained calf.

11.Orlando Magic (21-14, Last ranking: 13) – The Magic took advantage of an easy schedule to go 3-0 and recapture the Southeast Division lead. It could be short-lived, though. They head west for four games this week.

12.Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15, Last ranking: 19) – Three straight overtime victories capped off a perfect 4-0 week for the Wolves, who are starting to look like a playoff team.

13.Indiana Pacers (18-16, Last ranking: 12) – Jermaine O'Neal called his team "average" after the Pacers lost to Dallas. Haven't I been saying that all along?

14.Milwaukee Bucks (16-17, Last ranking: 11) – The Bucks' seven-game home winning streak is over, but it's time to start winning on the road. Seven of their next 10 are away from the Bradley Center.

15.Miami Heat (14-19, Last ranking: 14) – Dwyane Wade came back just in time to get the Heat a win on their western swing. Jason Kapono, meanwhile, is taking advantage of all of Miami's injuries by playing the best ball of his young career.

16.Los Angeles Clippers (15-19, Last ranking: 15) – The only road wins for the Clippers all season have come against Memphis, a depleted Miami squad and McGrady-less Houston.

17.Sacramento Kings (14-17, Last ranking: 17) – Missed free throws cost the Kings a win over the Lakers. The Kings can't afford to give away any more games.

18.Golden State Warriors (18-18, Last ranking: 18) – Matt Barnes continued his quest to win the NBA's Most Surprising Player Award. (Do they have one?) He scored 29 and 36 in consecutive games last week.

19.Toronto Raptors (15-19, Last ranking: 21) – Chris Bosh came back and sparked the Raptors to wins over Atlanta and Washington, plus a near upset of Phoenix.

20.Denver Nuggets (16-15, Last ranking: 16) – Five straight losses for the Melo-less Nuggets, and it doesn't get any easier this week. Milwaukee, San Antonio and Houston are on the docket.

21.New York Knicks (15-21, Last ranking: 23) – Eddy Curry helped the Knicks salvage the final two games of their western swing by scoring 27 points in each of New York's wins over Portland and Seattle.

22.New Jersey Nets (14-19, Last ranking: 24) – Encouraging signs for the Nets. They've won three of their last four, and Richard Jefferson has averaged 20 points a game over that span.

23.New Orleans Hornets (12-21, Last ranking: 20) – It's all falling apart for the Hornets. An 0-3 week and Chris Paul is still out with the sprained ankle.

24.Portland Trail Blazers (14-21, Last ranking: 22) – Brandon Roy is healthy and finding his way in the league. He's averaged 17 a game over his last seven outings.

25.Boston Celtics (12-21, Last ranking: 28) – Wally Szczerbiak is back in the starting lineup, but his rhythm is still off. He's had only one good shooting game in his last five outings: a 9-for-14 effort against Memphis. In the other four games, he was a combined 17-for-54.

26.Seattle SuperSonics (13-23, Last ranking: 25) – Ray Allen's return to the Sonics' lineup didn't help much. Seattle lost all four games last week, three of them by blowout margins. The season is slipping away.

27.Charlotte Bobcats (9-23, Last ranking: 26) – Matt Carroll is playing awfully well for the Bobcats. He's averaged 22 points in his last four games.

28.Philadelphia 76ers (9-24, Last ranking: 27) – Revenge was sweet for Philly as it beat Allen Iverson's Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday. Give the Sixers some credit. They're competing.

29.Atlanta Hawks (10-21, Last ranking: 29) – Joe Johnson's 27 points helped the Hawks beat the Clippers, snapping a nine-game losing streak.

30.Memphis Grizzlies (8-27, Last ranking: 30) – Tony Barone has the Grizzlies running and gunning. They averaged 120 points during a four-game stretch under their new coach, but they still lost two of them.