Jimcs50
01-31-2005, 05:05 PM
Created On: January 31, 2005 ESPN.com
For the first time since the regular season began, a team has finally extended its hold on the top spot in Marc Stein's NBA Power Rankings for a third consecutive week. :smokin
Now to see if the San Antonio Spurs can finally grab a victory against the No. 3 Seattle SuperSonics.
The Sonics are the only team to win at San Antonio's SBC Center this season and initially pounded the Spurs in Seattle on Nov. 7. The teams' third meeting is Monday night back at KeyArena, with San Antonio hoping to avoid the dreaded post-glory loss mere hours after ESPN.com posts the freshest batch of rankings.
If the matchup alone isn't enough to grab you -- for some inexplicable reason -- you should watch just to see what Reggie Evans does. In his last three games, Evans has totaled a Rodmanesque 37 rebounds and zero points.
That's the sort of quirky stat the Power Rankings committee (of one) just loves.
At the other end of the spectrum ... to reverse their respective slides in the Rankings, the Washington Wizards need to get back to full strength, and the Indiana Pacers need to break their losing streak.
2005 Power Rankings: Week 13
Rank (Last Wk) Team Rec. Comment
1 (1) Spurs 36-10 Comforting thought as Spurs hit the road: Entering the weekend, the teams left on their home schedule have the league's lowest combined winning percentage at .433. :elephant
2 (2) Suns 35-10 What a difference a Nash makes? Suns have topped 120 points 12 times; in the previous seven seasons they did it 10 times.
3 (3) SuperSonics 30-12 The good news: Karl's arrival in Denver means the list of teams that can woo Ray away just got one shorter. The bad news: Ray says his uncertain future is starting to be a distraction.
4 (5) Kings 30-13 Kings have closed the gap on division-leading Suns, but they must fear a re-widening if Webb and Peja stay in street clothes with Bobby Jax ... and with 12 of the next 17 on the road.
5 (6) Heat 33-13 Jim Jackson was on Miami's wish list and Zo still might be. Had they acquired both, Heat would have boasted the top four picks from the '92 draft, along with Shaq and Laettner.
6 (4) Mavericks 28-14 The good news: Dampier had two double-doubles in three games, on a bad knee. The bad news: Dallas lost both games, including a deflating home defeat to Sixers sans AI.
7 (9) Grizzlies 25-20 Who needs a second scorer? Memphis is on a 13-3 run even though Pau is Czar Fratello's only player above 12.3 ppg.
8 (10) Pistons 26-18 Knicks might be his dream job, but here's Larry Brown's reality: His current players can't help but be ticked to be incessantly nitpicked -- and then hear Lar gush about NYC mystique.
9 (11) Timberwolves 24-20 Now that they've got the lineup straightened out, with Wally going to the bench so Hassell can start, perhaps Wolves can fix this 7-11 record vs. the East . . . after a 24-6 mark last season.
10 (7) Cavaliers 26-17 LBJ is an unquestioned MVP candidate. The questionable part is Cavs' lack of quality wins -- beating Memphis was their first W over a .500-or-better team since before Christmas.
11 (12) Rockets 24-21 Ever since they came to Dallas and posted a 124-point night in the committee's presence, Rockets have scored 100 only twice in the past nine games, going 6-4 in that span.
12 (13) Magic 24-19 Stevie Franchise prefers to be called Steve-O now. Isn't Matt Winer's NBA Fastbreak nickname better: Stevie New Franchise?
13 (8) Wizards 26-17 The eight-game home winning streak is gone, and they've taken a dip, but Wiz are hanging in without Hughes (4-4). And Arenas' All-Star case only gets stronger.
14 (16) Bulls 22-20 There's a reason why, in Week 3, we questioned Bulls' ability to rally from an 0-9 start. Reason being: Chicago is the first team ever to open 0-8 (or worse) and then surpass .500.
15 (14) Lakers 23-19 It's safe to say they're starting to miss Kobe. New Jersey was the third East team to win at Staples, compared to zero last season.
16 (17) Nuggets 19-25 Don't forget that, before everything unraveled, Furious George turned Bucks into a playoff team after seven seasons out of the playoffs. So don't be shocked if he turns Denver around, too.
17 (21) Clippers 21-23 It's doubtful Clips can rally back into the West's top eight, but credit them for hanging in without fielding their projected starting five even once (Brand, Maggette, Kaman, Kittles, Jaric).
18 (19) Celtics 21-23 Patriots? We were under the impresssion it was a Celtics town, since they're in first place and all.
19 (18) 76ers 20-23 After surviving 15 of 19 on the road, 24 of their final 39 games are at home. Which might make Sixers the new Atlantic favorites.
20 (22) Nets 18-26 All of our friends who are Nets fans (granted, that's just Sanford and O-lee) swear NJ is going to come back and win the Atlantic. The way Vince is starting to play, maybe they're right.
21 (15) Pacers 20-22 Since they went to Miami and won in OT, Pacers have dropped four straight -- and Tinsley, since scorching Heat for 30, is just 10 for 41 from the field, thanks to his flu bug.
22 (20) Raptors 18-27 No one in the Atlantic is a road powerhouse, but Raps must be ashamed to know they'd be winning the division if they weren't four wins shy of Boston's 7-16 away record.
23 (26) Trail Blazers 17-25 Our man Stephen A. reports that Cheeks is considering his resignation. After all the chaos he has seen in Portland, the committee (of one) wouldn't blame Cheeks at all.
24 (25) Jazz 15-30 AK-47 is back, thankfully, but even he might not be able to prevent the worst first half in Jazz history. Utah had 37 losses at the break in 1979-80, its first season in Salt Lake City.
25 (24) Knicks 18-25 It might be their worst January ever at 2-12 -- Knicks went 3-14 in January 1963 -- but the past week was their best week all season. Phil and Larry showed interest in working with Isiah.
26 (23) Bucks 15-27 Not really sure why Kukoc trade rumors persist. Bucks should probably think about keeping him for the rest of the season; they're 7-2 when Toni plays 10 minutes or more.
27 (27) Warriors 12-32 Typical. A thumb injury intrudes on Murphy's bid to be the first player in the top five in rebounding and 3-point shooting percentage since Larry Legend way back in 1985-86.
28 (29) Hornets 8-35 Considering the 2-26 record they lugged into January, Dan Dickau's Hornets can handle whatever happens Monday against Memphis, sporting a 6-9 record this month already.
29 (28) Bobcats 9-32 A home win over Toronto is nothing special, but Bobcats needed it to keep from sliding to the bottom of the rankings for the first time since the preseason. So for them it was special.
30 (30) Hawks 8-34 This won't help ticket sales, either: Hawks are two defeats away from setting a new club record for losses at the All-Star break ... with nine games to go before the break.
For the first time since the regular season began, a team has finally extended its hold on the top spot in Marc Stein's NBA Power Rankings for a third consecutive week. :smokin
Now to see if the San Antonio Spurs can finally grab a victory against the No. 3 Seattle SuperSonics.
The Sonics are the only team to win at San Antonio's SBC Center this season and initially pounded the Spurs in Seattle on Nov. 7. The teams' third meeting is Monday night back at KeyArena, with San Antonio hoping to avoid the dreaded post-glory loss mere hours after ESPN.com posts the freshest batch of rankings.
If the matchup alone isn't enough to grab you -- for some inexplicable reason -- you should watch just to see what Reggie Evans does. In his last three games, Evans has totaled a Rodmanesque 37 rebounds and zero points.
That's the sort of quirky stat the Power Rankings committee (of one) just loves.
At the other end of the spectrum ... to reverse their respective slides in the Rankings, the Washington Wizards need to get back to full strength, and the Indiana Pacers need to break their losing streak.
2005 Power Rankings: Week 13
Rank (Last Wk) Team Rec. Comment
1 (1) Spurs 36-10 Comforting thought as Spurs hit the road: Entering the weekend, the teams left on their home schedule have the league's lowest combined winning percentage at .433. :elephant
2 (2) Suns 35-10 What a difference a Nash makes? Suns have topped 120 points 12 times; in the previous seven seasons they did it 10 times.
3 (3) SuperSonics 30-12 The good news: Karl's arrival in Denver means the list of teams that can woo Ray away just got one shorter. The bad news: Ray says his uncertain future is starting to be a distraction.
4 (5) Kings 30-13 Kings have closed the gap on division-leading Suns, but they must fear a re-widening if Webb and Peja stay in street clothes with Bobby Jax ... and with 12 of the next 17 on the road.
5 (6) Heat 33-13 Jim Jackson was on Miami's wish list and Zo still might be. Had they acquired both, Heat would have boasted the top four picks from the '92 draft, along with Shaq and Laettner.
6 (4) Mavericks 28-14 The good news: Dampier had two double-doubles in three games, on a bad knee. The bad news: Dallas lost both games, including a deflating home defeat to Sixers sans AI.
7 (9) Grizzlies 25-20 Who needs a second scorer? Memphis is on a 13-3 run even though Pau is Czar Fratello's only player above 12.3 ppg.
8 (10) Pistons 26-18 Knicks might be his dream job, but here's Larry Brown's reality: His current players can't help but be ticked to be incessantly nitpicked -- and then hear Lar gush about NYC mystique.
9 (11) Timberwolves 24-20 Now that they've got the lineup straightened out, with Wally going to the bench so Hassell can start, perhaps Wolves can fix this 7-11 record vs. the East . . . after a 24-6 mark last season.
10 (7) Cavaliers 26-17 LBJ is an unquestioned MVP candidate. The questionable part is Cavs' lack of quality wins -- beating Memphis was their first W over a .500-or-better team since before Christmas.
11 (12) Rockets 24-21 Ever since they came to Dallas and posted a 124-point night in the committee's presence, Rockets have scored 100 only twice in the past nine games, going 6-4 in that span.
12 (13) Magic 24-19 Stevie Franchise prefers to be called Steve-O now. Isn't Matt Winer's NBA Fastbreak nickname better: Stevie New Franchise?
13 (8) Wizards 26-17 The eight-game home winning streak is gone, and they've taken a dip, but Wiz are hanging in without Hughes (4-4). And Arenas' All-Star case only gets stronger.
14 (16) Bulls 22-20 There's a reason why, in Week 3, we questioned Bulls' ability to rally from an 0-9 start. Reason being: Chicago is the first team ever to open 0-8 (or worse) and then surpass .500.
15 (14) Lakers 23-19 It's safe to say they're starting to miss Kobe. New Jersey was the third East team to win at Staples, compared to zero last season.
16 (17) Nuggets 19-25 Don't forget that, before everything unraveled, Furious George turned Bucks into a playoff team after seven seasons out of the playoffs. So don't be shocked if he turns Denver around, too.
17 (21) Clippers 21-23 It's doubtful Clips can rally back into the West's top eight, but credit them for hanging in without fielding their projected starting five even once (Brand, Maggette, Kaman, Kittles, Jaric).
18 (19) Celtics 21-23 Patriots? We were under the impresssion it was a Celtics town, since they're in first place and all.
19 (18) 76ers 20-23 After surviving 15 of 19 on the road, 24 of their final 39 games are at home. Which might make Sixers the new Atlantic favorites.
20 (22) Nets 18-26 All of our friends who are Nets fans (granted, that's just Sanford and O-lee) swear NJ is going to come back and win the Atlantic. The way Vince is starting to play, maybe they're right.
21 (15) Pacers 20-22 Since they went to Miami and won in OT, Pacers have dropped four straight -- and Tinsley, since scorching Heat for 30, is just 10 for 41 from the field, thanks to his flu bug.
22 (20) Raptors 18-27 No one in the Atlantic is a road powerhouse, but Raps must be ashamed to know they'd be winning the division if they weren't four wins shy of Boston's 7-16 away record.
23 (26) Trail Blazers 17-25 Our man Stephen A. reports that Cheeks is considering his resignation. After all the chaos he has seen in Portland, the committee (of one) wouldn't blame Cheeks at all.
24 (25) Jazz 15-30 AK-47 is back, thankfully, but even he might not be able to prevent the worst first half in Jazz history. Utah had 37 losses at the break in 1979-80, its first season in Salt Lake City.
25 (24) Knicks 18-25 It might be their worst January ever at 2-12 -- Knicks went 3-14 in January 1963 -- but the past week was their best week all season. Phil and Larry showed interest in working with Isiah.
26 (23) Bucks 15-27 Not really sure why Kukoc trade rumors persist. Bucks should probably think about keeping him for the rest of the season; they're 7-2 when Toni plays 10 minutes or more.
27 (27) Warriors 12-32 Typical. A thumb injury intrudes on Murphy's bid to be the first player in the top five in rebounding and 3-point shooting percentage since Larry Legend way back in 1985-86.
28 (29) Hornets 8-35 Considering the 2-26 record they lugged into January, Dan Dickau's Hornets can handle whatever happens Monday against Memphis, sporting a 6-9 record this month already.
29 (28) Bobcats 9-32 A home win over Toronto is nothing special, but Bobcats needed it to keep from sliding to the bottom of the rankings for the first time since the preseason. So for them it was special.
30 (30) Hawks 8-34 This won't help ticket sales, either: Hawks are two defeats away from setting a new club record for losses at the All-Star break ... with nine games to go before the break.