The NBA's wild, wild West continues to offer a new plot twist each week.
Now it's Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns who are heating up (seven straight wins through Sunday) while the Rockets (three losses in their last four games) seem to have lost steam after their historic 22-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, who entered the week with a two-game lead over ninth-place Denver in the conference, will have to make due without Dirk Nowitzki. The reigning MVP is out indefinitely with knee and ankle sprains.
Trying to figure out who will prevail in the West is next to impossible. The only thing that seems certain is that playoff seeding might not matter much. As Spurs coach Gregg Popovich noted last week: "The eighth seed could be as good as the first. None of us is any better than any other, so the seeds are really irrelevant this season more than any other time."
This week's high riser: Lakers (No. 3 from 9)
This week's big drop: Rockets (No. 9 from 1)
| NBA Power Rankings |
| 1 |
2 |
 |
Talk about making a championship statement. They swept the Texas triangle last week, becoming the first team to go 3-0 on a Lone Star road trip since the 2001-02 Kings. As Ray Allen, who sat out two of the games with an ankle injury, said: "It's something for the rest of the NBA to watch." |
| 2 |
5 |
 |
They downed the Celtics on Saturday to make it three straight victories and 10 of 13 overall, as they continue to chase the West's top seed. But now Chris Paul & Co must head out on six-game Eastern trip, including Friday's rematch with what is sure to be an angry Gang Green in Boston. |
| 3 |
9 |
 |
They made a statement of their own by winning back-to-back at Dallas and Utah (without Pau Gasol) to finish 2-2 on their recent trip. With nine of their final 12 at Staples Center (including a "road" game against the Clippers), Kobe Bryant's crew is well-positioned for a top seed -- even if Andrew Bynum doesn't return until the playoffs. |
| 4 |
6 |
 |
Don't tell Manu Ginobili that they're ready for the playoffs. "Right now, we're not there [at a championship level]," he said last week in Chicago. At least the defending champs have cranked up their defense to postseason levels of late, holding each of their last three foes (Bulls, Kings, Mavs) under 90 points. |
| 5 |
4 |
 |
Last Thursday's loss to the Lakers snapped their 19-game home winning streak, but they still own the NBA's best home mark (30-4). With seven of their final 11 games at EnergySolutions Arena, starting with Tuesday night's visit from the Bobcats, they should join the Lakers in putting together a strong finish to the regular season. |
| 6 |
3 |
 |
With nothing left to play for in terms of postseason seeding, they seem to be losing focus again (see last week's consecutive losses at Cleveland and Washington). But one more victory will give them 50 for a seventh straight season, and nobody else in the East currently can make that claim. |
| 7 |
10 |
 |
The Shaq Factor is starting to come into play, as they entered the week with their longest winning streak since an eight-gamer in November. But let's see how they do on this week's four-game trip that features games at Detroit (Monday), Boston (Wednesday) and Philadelphia (Friday) before declaring them officially back in the NBA title hunt. |
| 8 |
8 |
 |
They uncharacteristically blew a fourth-quarter lead in Saturday's setback against the Hawks, dropping their season record to 45-5 when they are ahead through three periods. But they still had won six of their last eight games heading into what should be an interesting home contest Tuesday night against the Spurs. |
| 9 |
1 |
 |
Now we'll get to see how they handle the inevitable letdown after The Streak. They looked flat, especially on defense, in Saturday's loss at Phoenix that marked their third defeat in four games. Given the way Amaré Stoudemire and Shaq abused them inside, it appears as if Yao Ming's absence might be catching up to them as well. |
| 10 |
11 |
 |
They rang up 115 points on the Lakers in Sunday's win in L.A., the 33rd straight game in which they have eclipsed the century mark. They lead the NBA in scoring (110.9) and rank in the top 10 in field-goal percentage, assists and steals. Most important, they've won 10 of 14 to remain in the No. 8 spot in the West. |
|
1 of 3
