As of last week Detroit and Dallas were safely entrenched atop their respective conferences. But Ben Wallace’s knee injury, suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs, has changed everything.
The Pistons likely will now be without Wallace, their defensive anchor, for at least the rest of the regular season. With the Nets, Sixers and Pacers moving up of late, it’s going to be hard for Detroit to hang on to its Eastern Conference lead.
Meanwhile, Dallas was counting on Wallace and Detroit to beat San Antonio and provide it with a little more cushion in the West. Now the Mavs are in further danger of a fall to the No. 3 spot and a possible Lakers/Kings/Spurs gauntlet to reach the Finals. In other words, their title hopes might have gone down along with Wallace.
| NBA Power Rankings |
|---|
| Rank |
LW |
|
Team |
| 1 |
1 |
 |
San Antonio Spurs
Sunday’s win in Detroit improved their record to 24-4 since the All-Star break, including an amazing 12-1 on the road. Now they just need to get David Robinson (knee) back in shape for the playoffs. |
| 2 |
3 |
 |
Sacramento Kings
They won at Philly on Sunday to finish 5-1 on Eastern road swing. But coach Rick Adelman is concerned about their lack of killer instinct, especially with Thursday’s big game in L.A. coming up. |
| 3 |
4 |
 |
L.A. Lakers
Suddenly, they’re within striking distance of the No. 5 seed in the West and a chance to avoid the Kings or Spurs in the first round. But the Mavs (Tuesday) and Kings (Thursday) will provide major tests this week. |
| 4 |
2 |
 |
Dallas Mavericks
They’ve already matched last year’s franchise record of 57 victories. But with road games this week at L.A. (Lakers), Phoenix and Utah, their Midwest lead could be in peril. |
| 5 |
10 |
 |
New Jersey Nets
With six wins in seven games through Sunday, they’re again the hottest team in the East. But will Dikembe Mutombo’s recent grumbling over his lack of playing time become a distraction? |
| 6 |
7 |
 |
Philadelphia 76ers
They’re anxiously awaiting Tuesday’s home showdown with Pistons, but injuries are starting to crop up again. Allen Iverson (knee), Keith Van Horn (foot) and Aaron McKie (back) are all ailing. |
| 7 |
11 |
 |
Indiana Pacers
Go ahead and pelt him with coins, Ron Artest isn’t going to change -- or make change. Still, he’s been on the money of late, averaging 18.0 points and 3.0 steals over a recent nine-game stretch. |
| 8 |
8 |
 |
Minnesota Timberwolves
Sunday’s win in Portland was huge, giving them the season tiebreaker over the Blazers in the race for the No. 4 spot. Meanwhile, their remaining schedule features Clippers, Bulls and Grizzlies. |
| 9 |
6 |
 |
Portland Trail Blazers
Nothing boosts team morale quite like a fistfight between players two weeks before the playoffs. For $100 million, owner Paul Allen could have hired Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. |
| 10 |
9 |
 |
Utah Jazz
Cardiac kids? Sunday’s loss in Seattle was their fourth straight game determined in the final minute. Karl Malone, John Stockton and Mark Jackson are going to need new batteries in their pacemakers. |
| 11 |
5 |
 |
Detroit Pistons
Three straight defeats would have warranted dropping them a spot or two in this week’s ranking. The loss of Ben Wallace (knee), possibly for the season, sends them plummeting all the way down here. |
| 12 |
13 |
 |
Phoenix Suns
They lost a heartbreaker Sunday in L.A., but they’re still ahead of the Rockets for the No. 8 spot in the West. But if they get in, will it be enough to vault Amare Stoudemire to Rookie of Year? |
| 13 |
12 |
 |
New Orleans Hornets
Like the Sixers, they’re struggling with a slew of minor injuries. P.J Brown (ankle), Baron Davis (knee) and David Wesley (foot) all sat out Saturday’s dismal loss in Cleveland, their fifth in seven games |
| 14 |
14 |
 |
Orlando Magic
Do we sense a pattern here? Beset of late by minor injuries to Tracy McGrady (ribs), Pat Garrity (groin) and Drew Gooden (toe), they’d lost four straight games through Sunday. |
| 15 |
15 |
 |
Boston Celtics
Their defense and shooting have slipped, and now apparently so has their home-court advantage. Sunday’s loss to the Wizards at the Fleet Center was their fifth in their last seven home games. |
| 16 |
18 |
 |
Milwaukee Bucks
With games against the Clippers and Raptors this week, they should be able to hold onto their slim lead for the No. 8 spot in the East. If not, George Karl might really have to start Carolina dreaming. |
| 17 |
16 |
 |
Houston Rockets
Just when it looked like they were done, they beat the Sixers and Magic to keep hope alive. Still, Yao Ming looks tired and this week’s schedule (Blazers, Jazz, Sonics) appears rather imposing. |
| 18 |
19 |
 |
Washington Wizards
Cue up the shark theme from Jaws. They bounced back from Thursday’s heartbreaker in Atlanta by stealing OT win at Boston. With an easy schedule ahead, Michael Jordan is circling the waters. |
| 19 |
20 |
 |
Seattle SuperSonics
Sunday’s win over Utah was their fifth in six games, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. But with Kings, T’Wolves, Spurs and Rockets on tap this week, they’re about to wake up and smell the coffee. |
| 20 |
17 |
 |
Golden State Warriors
Parents say the darndest things! Despite recent comments from his own father, free agent-to-be Gilbert Arenas denies he’s made up his mind to sign with Denver next season. |
| 21 |
21 |
 |
New York Knicks
French 7-footer Frederic Weis says he’s thinking of joining New York next season. Somehow we don’t think this is what Latrell Sprewell meant when he said they needed a big guy. |
| 22 |
22 |
 |
Atlanta Hawks
After GM Pete Babcock got fired, they went out and won their first two games, including a buzzer-beater over the Wizards. But did you know Babcock’s teams were 529-497 in his 13 seasons? |
| 23 |
24 |
 |
Chicago Bulls
Oops. Coach Bill Cartwright allows Jay Williams and Jamal Crawford to share the backcourt, and what happens? They beat the Bucks at the United Center for their first OT win of the season after eight tries. |
| 24 |
23 |
 |
Memphis Grizzlies
Forget their franchise-record 26 wins through Sunday. Their most amazing stat this season is that Jason Williams ranks second in the NBA (behind Seattle’s Kevin Ollie) in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.73). |
| 25 |
25 |
 |
L.A. Clippers
There’s nothing like a five-game road trip to conclude an already dismal season. At least Elton Brand (29 points, eight rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Knicks) has returned to show his pride. |
| 26 |
27 |
 |
Toronto Raptors
From Bent Rim to Damaged Wheel: Vince Carter could be done for the season after spraining his ankle while shooting over fellow Nike pitchman Richard Jefferson in Sunday’s loss. |
| 27 |
26 |
 |
Miami Heat
You know it’s bad when Travis Best, your scoring point guard, has totaled just 14 point over his last seven games. Compared to Anthony Carter (4.0 points per game), Best is a scoring machine. |
| 28 |
28 |
 |
Denver Nuggets
Sunday’s loss at Golden State was their 23rd in 24 games away from home, leaving them 4-35 on the road. With road games upcoming against the Kings and Lakers, it’s not likely to get any better. |
| 29 |
29 |
 |
Cleveland Cavaliers
They beat the Hornets on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak and tie the franchise-low for wins in a season (15). At least they have something for which to play over the final six games. |
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