RANK (LAST WK)REC.
1 (1) Lakers 27-5
The Lakers maintained their number 1 ranking for a second straight week. They also have the league’s best record to cap things off as well.
2 (2) Cavaliers 27-6
The Cavaliers will be without Big Z for a month due to an ankle injury. A subpar 1-2 week shouldn’t raise any eyebrows yet, but by the end of their West Coast trip coming up, we will be able to really gauge how good the Cavaliers are. With Big Z out, Lebron will have to return to his early season form for the Cavaliers to have any chance of gaining ground on Boston and L.A
3 (3) Celtics 29-6
The Boston Celtics are finally feeling the effects of losing P.J. Brown and James Posey. Like I said before, their nba all time best 27-2 was deceiving because everything had gone perfect. Since then, the Celtics have gone 2-4 and are hoping to obtain the erratic Stephon Maubury if he is released by the Knicks.
4 (4) Magic 26-8
The Magic had a subpar 2-2 week but are still sitting pretty with a 26-8 overall record. Highlights: Dwight Howard is the leading vote getter in the Eastern Conference recent all-star balloting results, thanks to his league leading 13.7 rebounds and 3.63 blocks per game.
5 (5) Spurs 22-11
A 100-98 loss to the Bucks cost the Spurs a perfect 3-0 week. Obviously they are back to being one of the elite teams in the West but, I still think they are a giant step behind the Lakers. They are in that second tier in the Western Conference along with the Nuggets, Hornets and a healthy Houston Rockets.
6 (8) Hornets 20-10
Chris Paul is leading the nba in assist and steals for a second straight season and has the Hornets playing well again after a subpar 5-5 start. They are 15-5 since and went 2-1 in week 10.
7 (6) Hawks 22-11
Last season the Hawks were satisfied with just making the playoffs. This season, they have their sights on making it to the second round of the playoffs with a possible upset of either the Cavaliers or Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The later may be a though feat and almost impossible if you ask me.
8 (7) Nuggets 23-12
How good are the Nuggets, is the question I keep asking? On paper, they seem like the second best team in the West, but I believe they will end up with the 4th or 5th seed in the West. They are ranked 8th after a 3-1 record in week 10.
9 (11) Suns 19-12
Over his last 5 games, the Suns Shaq turned the clock all the way back by averaging 22.2ppg, 11rpg and 2.4bpg. A heartbreaking 91-90 loss to the Spurs kept the Suns from going 5-0, but they still ended up going 4-1.
10 (14) Pistons 21-11
The Pistons had a 4-0 week but three of their games were at home. Their only road win came against the Clippers, one of the worse teams in the league and they barely won 88-87. After going 11-11 since the Iverson trade, the Pistons have reeled of seven straight wins. Maybe they have turned the corner after all.
11 (13) Heat 18-14
The Heat defense has been their biggest improvement under new head coach Eric Spoelstra. Add in D-Wade’s MVP play and you see how the Heat were able to play the Cavs close in Cleveland and beat them in Miami. Regardless of how well they perform, I expect them to finish with the 6th or 7th seed in the East by the end of the season.
12 (10) Mavericks 20-13
Decent record, 2-1 week with a 20-13 overall record means the Mavericks are a playoff team if the season ended today. Outside of that, I don’t expect them to finish better than the 6th seed in the West.
13 (12) Trail Blazers 20-14
The Blazers could not have had a more difficult week. First, they lose their all-star Brandon Roy to a hammy injury. He’s scheduled to be out for at least another week. Without Roy, they faced the Celtics, Hornet and Lakers and somehow beat the recently slumping Celtics. Considering those circumstances I would consider their 1-2 week a good one.
14 (9) Rockets 21-14
The Rockets injury situation is really concerning me. Many experts believe that when healthy, the Rockets are the second best team in the West. Will they ever be completely healthy, is the question?
15 (15) Jazz 19-15
Boozer is schedule to return in a month and the Jazz are currently out of the playoffs. Deron Williams is doing his best to keep his team afloat and if the Rockets don’t get it together they could soon find themselves in the Jazz position.
16 (17) Bucks 16-19
After starting 9-15 with the Bucks have gone 7-4 since. The impressive thing was their 7 wins were by a combined 131 points, an average margin of 18.714. They have literally been blowing teams out while playing excellent defense.
17 (16) Nets 16-18
The Nets went 1-3 in week 10 and have been slumping as of late. The Nets started off terribly going 2-5 in their first 7 games but went on to win 7 of their next 9 giving them a 9-7 overall record. Since then they’ve gone 7-12 and their 16-18 overall record is even better than what I expected them to have after 34 games.
18 (22) Raptors 14-20
I wouldn’t say the Raptors have turned the season around, but after starting the season 10-16 the Raptors are playing .500 ball since and have gone 4-4 over their last eight games.
19 (25) Knicks 13-19
The Knicks 2-2 week was highlighted by their win over the slumping Boston Celtics. The on again, off again Al Harrington has been on again recently with a 22ppg average in week 10.
20 (20) Bobcats 12-22
I would say the Bobcats are better since making the trade for Diaw and Bell. Before the trade, the Bobcats were 7-16 and 5-6 since.
21 (24) Pacers 12-21
The Pacers went 2-1 in week 10 but their overall record is very deceiving. They have lose more close games than any team in the league and should easily be a .500 team. The team’s leading scorer Danny Granger (25.2ppg) will definitely be a first time all-star this year.
22 (18) Bulls 14-20
I think people need to hold on instead of crowning Derrick Rose the NBA ROY when we haven’t even reached half way mark of the season. I think it’s clearly between him and Mayo as of right now, but a 1-3 week and a 14-20 overall record isn’t enough for me to join that band wagon.
23 (19) 76ers 13-20
Before Elton Brand injury the 76ers were 9-14 (.391). Without Brand in the lineup 4-6 (.40). They may be just as good or bad for that matter without Brand. The only problem is, he is due $75 million over the next 5 years including this one.
24 (23) Grizzlies 13-20
With both the Grizz and the Bulls having losing records, the only measurement used for determining the NBA ROY Award should be individual stats and so far I like O.J. Mayo better. A 1-3 week didn’t help his cause.
25 (27) Timberwolves 8-25
I guess Kevin McHale can actually coach after all. The Timberwolves may have won against 3 teams with losing records, but a 3-1 week was still impressive in my book. Let’s see if they can build on it in the upcoming weeks.
26 (21) Warriors 10-25
I don’t understand why Nellie doesn’t play Anthony Morrow a little more. The guy is averaging almost 10ppg in less than 20 minutes. I know Nellie is supposed to be a genius, but am I the only one who sees his potential? I can understand if the Warriors were healthy or at the very least a playoff team.
27 (29) Wizards 7-25
The Wizards could have been the first team in the nba to do two things this season. Be the first team to beat the Cavs in Cleveland, they were up by 7 points with less than two minutes in the game, but found a way to lose. They made up and beat the Cavs in their next meeting in Washington and had to beaten the Cavs earlier, would have been the only team to beat Cleveland twice thus far this season.
28 (28) Kings 8-26
Kevin Martin may have one of the ugliest jumpers in the nba, but there is no disputing that he is a natural born scorer. He averaged 28.3ppg in week 10 after just returning from an injury. He should make the Kings very exciting and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up leading the league in scoring.
29 (26) Clippers 8-25
The Clippers signed Baron Davis because they were sure he would team up with forward Elton Brand who bolted for the 76ers. Now there’s talk Davis wants to return back to the Warriors now that he’s got his new contract. Things are just a big mess in Clipperland.
30 (30) Thunder 4-30
The Thunder appears to be the team that will end up with the nba’s worse record unless some drastic changes are made via a trade. Obviously they already fired one coach so I think new head coach Scotty Brooks job is safe at least until the end of the season.
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