Same ranking, next year

The NBA's top two teams met in Dallas on Thursday night, and in a fitting conclusion to a thrilling game, Dirk Nowitzki drained a long jumper with one second to go as the Mavericks knocked off the Suns 101-99.

The win was Dallas' eighth straight and solidified its hold on the No. 1 ranking. Phoenix, meanwhile, has won 20 of its last 23 games since a 1-5 start and, as a result, moves into the second spot, surpassing San Antonio.

In the East, a couple of young, exciting teams are running and gunning their way back into the league's spotlight. Both Chicago and Washington are playing entertaining ball and look like true contenders in their conference.

Here's a look at this week's rankings (records and statistics are through Dec. 31):

1.Dallas Mavericks (24-7, Last ranking: 1) – Avery Johnson reached 100 victories faster than any coach in NBA history as the Mavs won their 10th straight game in beating Denver 89-85.

2.Phoenix Suns (21-8, Last ranking: 3) – Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 13 boards in the Suns' road win over the Pistons.

3.San Antonio Spurs (23-8, Last ranking: 2) – The flu bug hit San Antonio last week, knocking Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry and Matt Bonner out of action in a loss to Milwaukee. But the Spurs bounced back and hammered Utah to get back on track.

4.Utah Jazz (22-9, Last ranking: 6) – Derek Fisher has stepped into the starting lineup for the Jazz. He's been one of the league's best offseason pickups.

5.Chicago Bulls (19-12, Last ranking: 7) – Ben Gordon scored 40 in the Bulls' win over Miami, and it marked the first time in six years that a Chicago player had scored 40 points or more. (Elton Brand had 44 on April 13, 2000).

6.Washington Wizards (17-13, Last ranking: 8) – The Wizards have become Phoenix-East. They've scored 102 or more points in their last 14 games.

7.Los Angeles Lakers (20-11, Last ranking: 4) – The injuries continue to pile up for the already Lamar Odom-less Lakers. Kwame Brown severely sprained his left ankle Sunday and could be sidelined for weeks.

8.Houston Rockets (19-12, Last ranking: 9) – Not a bad week for the Rockets: 3-1 without Yao Ming, although they took advantage of an easy schedule by beating the Nets, Hawks and Grizzlies. Life will get tougher as they try to survive without Yao.

9.Detroit Pistons (18-11, Last ranking: 5) – Tough week for the Pistons. They suffered three straight losses, but more importantly, they lost Chauncey Billups. He'll be out a couple of weeks with a strained calf.

10.Cleveland Cavaliers (17-12, Last ranking: 12) – The Cavaliers will find out who they really are this month. Ten of their next 14 games will be on the road, including a brutal seven-game Western swing.

11.Milwaukee Bucks (16-15, Last ranking: 15) – The Bucks scored 76 – yes, seventy six – points in the paint against San Antonio's vaunted defense and reached the .500 mark for the first time since they were 2-2.

12.Indiana Pacers (17-15, Last ranking: 13) – A big win in Detroit was followed by a frustrating loss at home to the Bobcats. The Pacers are still trying to string together some wins and gather some momentum.

13.Orlando Magic (18-14, Last ranking: 11) – The Magic lost a big one to Washington on Friday night, giving up first place in the process. Three home games this week will give Brian Hill's club a chance to get back on track.

14.Miami Heat (13-17, Last ranking: 14) – Dwyane Wade missed a pair of games with an injured hand, and the Heat got pummeled. They scored a grand total of 14 points in the paint against Orlando. Think they miss Wade's penetration?

15.Los Angeles Clippers (14-16, Last ranking: 22) – Finally, a little momentum. The Clips won three in a row last week for the first time since early November. A six-game eastern swing starts Tuesday in Orlando.

16.Denver Nuggets (16-12, Last ranking: 10) – Allen Iverson is trying to keep the Nuggets' heads above water until Carmelo Anthony gets back. Seven of Denver's next nine games come against teams that are above .500.

17.Sacramento Kings (13-15, Last ranking: 19) – Quincy Douby goes for 21 in the Kings' big win over Golden State. He may be needed this week because Mike Bibby has a sprained ankle and is day-to-day.

18.Golden State Warriors (16-16, Last ranking: 16) – Bad news for the Warriors: Jason Richardson's broken right hand will keep him out of the lineup for the next couple of months.

19.Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15, Last ranking: 18) – Randy Foye is coming of age: He scored a career-high 25 points and hit a runner with 1.8 seconds left to beat Chicago on Tuesday.

20.New Orleans Hornets (12-18, Last ranking: 20) – The already struggling Hornets took a huge hit last week: Chris Paul's sprained ankle was re-diagnosed, and it turns out he'll miss about a month. By the time he comes back, New Orleans could be in real trouble as far as the playoff picture is concerned.

21.Toronto Raptors (13-18, Last ranking: 21) – T.J. Ford's sprained ankle had a lot to do with his team's loss to Memphis on Saturday. He had averaged 24 points and eight assists in his previous four games.

22.Portland Trail Blazers (13-18, Last ranking: 17) – The Blazers lost three of four games last week, but they've come a long way since a year ago. Portland has already matched last season's win total on the road with six.

23.New York Knicks (13-20, Last ranking: 23) – Stephon Marbury, with 41 points and eight assists, enjoyed the best game he's had in a long time in the Knicks' thrilling triple overtime victory over Detroit.

24.New Jersey Nets (13-18, Last ranking: 25) – Mikki Moore is going to play an awful lot for the Nets with Nenad Krstic out for the season. He shot 9-for-9 and scored a career-high 20 points in a win over Minnesota.

25.Seattle SuperSonics (13-19, Last ranking: 24) – Ray Allen missed the Denver game due to the birth of his child on Wednesday, and the Sonics got shellacked. Without Rashard Lewis, Allen will have to carry a huge load for this club offensively.

26.Charlotte Bobcats (9-21, Last ranking: 29) – The Bobcats beat the Lakers and Pacers on consecutive nights, marking the first time all season they've won two games in a row.

27.Philadelphia 76ers (8-22, Last ranking: 28) – Rodney Carney's career-high 25 points weren't enough in a loss to Golden State, but the Sixers are excited about his potential. He'll get plenty of playing time now that Iverson is gone.

28.Boston Celtics (10-19, Last ranking: 26) – The Celtics are in freefall without Paul Pierce. They've lost six straight games, including four on their current five-game western swing.

29.Atlanta Hawks (9-20, Last ranking: 27) – Ever since I predicted the Hawks would "win 38 games and make the playoffs," they've gone in the tank. They couldn't take the pressure of my prediction, obviously.

30.Memphis Grizzlies (7-25, Last ranking: 30) – Mike Fratello is out, and Tony Barone is in, at least in the interim. Jerry West will take his time and try to hire the right man.