Darth_Pelican
11-22-2010, 03:02 PM
LOL HEAT
Power Rankings: Southwest's best soar to top
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Monday, Nov. 22
The New Orleans Hornets (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nor) can no longer be denied.
Best record in the league at 11-1. Accounted for the San Antonio Spurs' only loss. Avenged the loss to the Mavericks that knocked the Hornets from the ranks of the unbeatens at home two nights later ... one of eight wins already against playoff teams from last season.
Add up everything on the Hornets' résumé -- including the recent slippage from elite teams like Boston and Miami -- and they have to be the new No. 1 in ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings. Skepticism persists about New Orleans' ability to sustain its amazing start, but the clincher this week is that San Antonio's only loss in its past 12 games came at home to the Hornets on Oct. 30.
In other notable moves: Boston dropped from No. 1 to No. 4, after losing Sunday in Toronto. Miami fell from No. 7 to No. 10, largely because of the long-term foot injury suffered by key rotation contributor Udonis Haslem (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2184). Chicago and Oklahoma City moved into the top 10 at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.
Click here (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/rank?versionId=7&listId=738) to rank the teams yourself, or click here (http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/mailbagESPN?event_id=3018) to comment on this week's fully-nonautomated pulse taking of the league's 30 teams.
2010-11 Power Rankings: Week 4 RK (LW)TEAMRECCOMMENT
1 (2)Hornets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/no/new-orleans-hornets) 11-1 Skepticism about Jack truly impacting CP's contentment level is understood after we were all told that upon Jack's arrival in Canada that he was super close with Bosh. But he also makes the league's hottest team better.
2 (4)Spurs (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs) 11-1 Focus on the Spurs being in the midst of the eighth double-digit win streak of the Popovich Era? Or that Duncan has five single-digit scoring games already ... which didn't happen last season until March?
3 (3)Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers) 12-2 The schedule has indeed been cakey. The defense, by Laker standards, has been spotty. The champs, though, are back to crushing people, as evidenced by the league's only current double-digit average scoring margin.
4 (1)Celtics (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/bos/boston-celtics) 9-4 You saw the worst of the Celts in their past two games. They didn't have Rondo in Toronto, true, but they also played with a lack of focus and respect, first against Durant-less OKC and then in the Canadian matinee.
5 (10)Magic (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/orl/orlando-magic) 9-3 Looks like both of the Magic's main rivals are going to be sweating health all season. Would love to tell you the Magic have the focus/togetherness to take advantage of such helpful circumstances, but I'm still dubious.
6 (6)Mavericks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks) 8-4 Good luck trying to explain why the Mavs, for the second straight season, are so much more ruthless on the road than at home. You called that like you predicted Dallas -- Dallas! -- would be winning games with D.
7 (12)Bulls (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/chi/chicago-bulls) 7-4 When Boozer comes back to join the long and rangy Noah and Gibson -- and especially if D-Rose starts getting to the line more than 5.5 times per game like he deserves-- these guys can challenge in the East. This season.
8 (14)Thunder (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder) 9-4 Durant shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 30 percent on 3-pointers? OKC riding the Westbrook Express to back-to-back wins in Boston and Milwaukee sans Durant and with its most stifling D of the season? Huh?
9 (5)Jazz (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/utah/utah-jazz) 9-5 Now that some of the shock and awe from Resurrection Week has worn off, do we dare suggest continuously falling way behind A) isn't an advisable nightly strategy and B) hints at holes in D-Will's supporting cast?
10 (7)Heat (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mia/miami-heat) 8-5 Not expecting much sympathy out there for the Miami Hurt, but the committee (of one) can plainly say we're not enjoying this. Can't expect anything from them while Miller and Haslem are out and Wade is hobbled.
11 (11)Trail Blazers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers) 8-6 One of the many sad facts in a city with too many to count: The battered Blazers pulled out two nice Ws last week amid the latest heaps of pain ... but never get the props Houston always did for its success when Yao-less.
12 (9)Nuggets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/den/denver-nuggets) 7-6 You tell us, Nuggets Nation. Dismayed by what you're seeing passion-wise from Melo and Co. with the franchise in limbo? Or reasonably satisfied at a game over .500 given injuries to K-Mart and Big Bird?
13 (8)Suns (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns) 6-7 Losing Lopez made a tiny team painfully smaller. Losing Nash next made watching lil' Phoenix painful, as evidenced by the Saturday night surrender of 123 points to a Charlotte team that never scores like that.
14 (15)Hawks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-hawks) 8-5 Obviously wouldn't have known this without our friends from Elias, but All-Lefty Team fixture J-Smoove is on course to become the fifth player ever to average 16 points, 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
15 (17)Grizzlies (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies) 5-9 Will not overreact to a home win over the Wade-less Heat because we already (foolishly) did that after their one-point W at Dallas. Gay is earning that money, but that's as far as it goes for Grizz proclamations here.
16 (13)Bucks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mil/milwaukee-bucks) 5-8 I want to believe, as an unabashed Bogut and Jennings fan, that the Bucks' offense is going to fix itself as Bogut's elbow gets stronger and Maggette and Salmons shake their recent ankle woes. Really, really want to.
17 (21)Bobcats (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/cha/charlotte-bobcats) 5-8 We always get on MJ when he's not visible, but it's hard to quibble with Saturday night's absence. First home game that His Airness wasn't sitting courtside ... and S-Jax uncorks the first triple-double in team history.
18 (24)Raptors (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/tor/toronto-raptors) 5-9 Bosh's, uh, character-building November continues. Toronto is suddenly a sparkling 1-0 against mighty Boston since his departure. The Raps, with Bosh, had lost their previous six home dates with the Celts dating to 2007.
19 (18)Warriors (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors) 7-6 You keep reading and hearing about how soft the early schedule has been, as if the Dubs are going to apologize. After the Cohan Era -- one playoff trip in the past 17 seasons -- 5-1 at home feels unapologetically spectacular.
20 (19)Pacers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers) 5-6 We continue with the premise that the Pacers used up too much mojo with those 144 points against Denver ... because the only time they've cracked 100 points in the five games since came against the defenseless Clippers.
21 (23)Knicks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks) 6-8 The committee was holed up in Gotham when a two-game winning streak inflated Knicks expectations. Can only imagine how unrealistic some folks will be now after three straight road wins over some West lottery teams.
22 (20)Pistons (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/det/detroit-pistons) 5-8 It's one of the untold surprises of the season: Detroit is firmly in the heart of the best-of-the-worst battle for seeds No. 6 through No. 8 in the East, despite that 0-5 start and the player-coach tensions that won't go away.
23 (16)Rockets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets) 3-9 Still no Yao. No Aaron Brooks. No wins in seven tries when the Rockets allow 100 points. And virtually no defense to speak of in the two games since what ranks as an undeniable quality win at home over Chicago.
24 (22)Cavaliers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers) 5-7 The Cavs took a .500 record into back-to-back games on the road against the top two teams on our list. So, yes, there are roughly 10 to 20 people in Cleveland who feel borderline good about NBA basketball these days.
25 (29)Kings (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sac/sacramento-kings) 4-8 Enraged as I am to see my man Casspi punished for some collectively woeful D to date, there's not much I can say when the Kings hold the Nets and Hornets to 81 and 75 points in the first two games post-lineup change.
26 (25)Nets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/nj/new-jersey-nets) 4-9 Progress report? Five straight losses in games decided by five points or fewer, one public plea already from the new coach for more toughness and accountability and zero double-doubles for a presumed All-Star in Lopez.
27 (26)76ers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-76ers) 3-10 Iguodala's future is still the story with this team ... even after that New Orleans trade with Toronto that cost the Hornets an asset (Peja's contract) believed to be earmarked for an Iguodala offer. Just tellin' the truth.
28 (27)Timberwolves (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/min/minnesota-timberwolves) 4-10 The D-League geek in me can't resist voicing unreserved support -- while acknowledging that nobody in basketball does this yet -- for the baseball-
style thought of sending J-Flynn to Sioux Falls on a rehab assignment.
29 (30)Wizards (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/wsh/washington-wizards) 4-8 The boot on his left foot isn't the only early obstacle to J-Wall's Rookie of the Year bid. Griffin's dunks and numbers are so irresistibly addictive that he can probably bank on half of the ROY votes, even if the Clips go 1-81.
30 (28)Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers) 1-13 The committee's old friend Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com summed it up on Twitter better than we could: "Worse than the record itself is the fact the last five Ls came against the Knicks, Pacers, Wolves, Nets and Pistons."
Power Rankings: Southwest's best soar to top
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Monday, Nov. 22
The New Orleans Hornets (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nor) can no longer be denied.
Best record in the league at 11-1. Accounted for the San Antonio Spurs' only loss. Avenged the loss to the Mavericks that knocked the Hornets from the ranks of the unbeatens at home two nights later ... one of eight wins already against playoff teams from last season.
Add up everything on the Hornets' résumé -- including the recent slippage from elite teams like Boston and Miami -- and they have to be the new No. 1 in ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings. Skepticism persists about New Orleans' ability to sustain its amazing start, but the clincher this week is that San Antonio's only loss in its past 12 games came at home to the Hornets on Oct. 30.
In other notable moves: Boston dropped from No. 1 to No. 4, after losing Sunday in Toronto. Miami fell from No. 7 to No. 10, largely because of the long-term foot injury suffered by key rotation contributor Udonis Haslem (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=2184). Chicago and Oklahoma City moved into the top 10 at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively.
Click here (http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/rank?versionId=7&listId=738) to rank the teams yourself, or click here (http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/mailbagESPN?event_id=3018) to comment on this week's fully-nonautomated pulse taking of the league's 30 teams.
2010-11 Power Rankings: Week 4 RK (LW)TEAMRECCOMMENT
1 (2)Hornets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/no/new-orleans-hornets) 11-1 Skepticism about Jack truly impacting CP's contentment level is understood after we were all told that upon Jack's arrival in Canada that he was super close with Bosh. But he also makes the league's hottest team better.
2 (4)Spurs (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sa/san-antonio-spurs) 11-1 Focus on the Spurs being in the midst of the eighth double-digit win streak of the Popovich Era? Or that Duncan has five single-digit scoring games already ... which didn't happen last season until March?
3 (3)Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers) 12-2 The schedule has indeed been cakey. The defense, by Laker standards, has been spotty. The champs, though, are back to crushing people, as evidenced by the league's only current double-digit average scoring margin.
4 (1)Celtics (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/bos/boston-celtics) 9-4 You saw the worst of the Celts in their past two games. They didn't have Rondo in Toronto, true, but they also played with a lack of focus and respect, first against Durant-less OKC and then in the Canadian matinee.
5 (10)Magic (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/orl/orlando-magic) 9-3 Looks like both of the Magic's main rivals are going to be sweating health all season. Would love to tell you the Magic have the focus/togetherness to take advantage of such helpful circumstances, but I'm still dubious.
6 (6)Mavericks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/dal/dallas-mavericks) 8-4 Good luck trying to explain why the Mavs, for the second straight season, are so much more ruthless on the road than at home. You called that like you predicted Dallas -- Dallas! -- would be winning games with D.
7 (12)Bulls (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/chi/chicago-bulls) 7-4 When Boozer comes back to join the long and rangy Noah and Gibson -- and especially if D-Rose starts getting to the line more than 5.5 times per game like he deserves-- these guys can challenge in the East. This season.
8 (14)Thunder (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder) 9-4 Durant shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 30 percent on 3-pointers? OKC riding the Westbrook Express to back-to-back wins in Boston and Milwaukee sans Durant and with its most stifling D of the season? Huh?
9 (5)Jazz (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/utah/utah-jazz) 9-5 Now that some of the shock and awe from Resurrection Week has worn off, do we dare suggest continuously falling way behind A) isn't an advisable nightly strategy and B) hints at holes in D-Will's supporting cast?
10 (7)Heat (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mia/miami-heat) 8-5 Not expecting much sympathy out there for the Miami Hurt, but the committee (of one) can plainly say we're not enjoying this. Can't expect anything from them while Miller and Haslem are out and Wade is hobbled.
11 (11)Trail Blazers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers) 8-6 One of the many sad facts in a city with too many to count: The battered Blazers pulled out two nice Ws last week amid the latest heaps of pain ... but never get the props Houston always did for its success when Yao-less.
12 (9)Nuggets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/den/denver-nuggets) 7-6 You tell us, Nuggets Nation. Dismayed by what you're seeing passion-wise from Melo and Co. with the franchise in limbo? Or reasonably satisfied at a game over .500 given injuries to K-Mart and Big Bird?
13 (8)Suns (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phx/phoenix-suns) 6-7 Losing Lopez made a tiny team painfully smaller. Losing Nash next made watching lil' Phoenix painful, as evidenced by the Saturday night surrender of 123 points to a Charlotte team that never scores like that.
14 (15)Hawks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-hawks) 8-5 Obviously wouldn't have known this without our friends from Elias, but All-Lefty Team fixture J-Smoove is on course to become the fifth player ever to average 16 points, 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 blocks.
15 (17)Grizzlies (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mem/memphis-grizzlies) 5-9 Will not overreact to a home win over the Wade-less Heat because we already (foolishly) did that after their one-point W at Dallas. Gay is earning that money, but that's as far as it goes for Grizz proclamations here.
16 (13)Bucks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/mil/milwaukee-bucks) 5-8 I want to believe, as an unabashed Bogut and Jennings fan, that the Bucks' offense is going to fix itself as Bogut's elbow gets stronger and Maggette and Salmons shake their recent ankle woes. Really, really want to.
17 (21)Bobcats (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/cha/charlotte-bobcats) 5-8 We always get on MJ when he's not visible, but it's hard to quibble with Saturday night's absence. First home game that His Airness wasn't sitting courtside ... and S-Jax uncorks the first triple-double in team history.
18 (24)Raptors (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/tor/toronto-raptors) 5-9 Bosh's, uh, character-building November continues. Toronto is suddenly a sparkling 1-0 against mighty Boston since his departure. The Raps, with Bosh, had lost their previous six home dates with the Celts dating to 2007.
19 (18)Warriors (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors) 7-6 You keep reading and hearing about how soft the early schedule has been, as if the Dubs are going to apologize. After the Cohan Era -- one playoff trip in the past 17 seasons -- 5-1 at home feels unapologetically spectacular.
20 (19)Pacers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers) 5-6 We continue with the premise that the Pacers used up too much mojo with those 144 points against Denver ... because the only time they've cracked 100 points in the five games since came against the defenseless Clippers.
21 (23)Knicks (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ny/new-york-knicks) 6-8 The committee was holed up in Gotham when a two-game winning streak inflated Knicks expectations. Can only imagine how unrealistic some folks will be now after three straight road wins over some West lottery teams.
22 (20)Pistons (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/det/detroit-pistons) 5-8 It's one of the untold surprises of the season: Detroit is firmly in the heart of the best-of-the-worst battle for seeds No. 6 through No. 8 in the East, despite that 0-5 start and the player-coach tensions that won't go away.
23 (16)Rockets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/hou/houston-rockets) 3-9 Still no Yao. No Aaron Brooks. No wins in seven tries when the Rockets allow 100 points. And virtually no defense to speak of in the two games since what ranks as an undeniable quality win at home over Chicago.
24 (22)Cavaliers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers) 5-7 The Cavs took a .500 record into back-to-back games on the road against the top two teams on our list. So, yes, there are roughly 10 to 20 people in Cleveland who feel borderline good about NBA basketball these days.
25 (29)Kings (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/sac/sacramento-kings) 4-8 Enraged as I am to see my man Casspi punished for some collectively woeful D to date, there's not much I can say when the Kings hold the Nets and Hornets to 81 and 75 points in the first two games post-lineup change.
26 (25)Nets (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/nj/new-jersey-nets) 4-9 Progress report? Five straight losses in games decided by five points or fewer, one public plea already from the new coach for more toughness and accountability and zero double-doubles for a presumed All-Star in Lopez.
27 (26)76ers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-76ers) 3-10 Iguodala's future is still the story with this team ... even after that New Orleans trade with Toronto that cost the Hornets an asset (Peja's contract) believed to be earmarked for an Iguodala offer. Just tellin' the truth.
28 (27)Timberwolves (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/min/minnesota-timberwolves) 4-10 The D-League geek in me can't resist voicing unreserved support -- while acknowledging that nobody in basketball does this yet -- for the baseball-
style thought of sending J-Flynn to Sioux Falls on a rehab assignment.
29 (30)Wizards (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/wsh/washington-wizards) 4-8 The boot on his left foot isn't the only early obstacle to J-Wall's Rookie of the Year bid. Griffin's dunks and numbers are so irresistibly addictive that he can probably bank on half of the ROY votes, even if the Clips go 1-81.
30 (28)Clippers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lac/los-angeles-clippers) 1-13 The committee's old friend Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com summed it up on Twitter better than we could: "Worse than the record itself is the fact the last five Ls came against the Knicks, Pacers, Wolves, Nets and Pistons."