1 (1) Kings 35-13 Nationally televised loss to Spurs was disheartening, but Kings' hold on the top spot is preserved by the fact that it was only San Antonio's first big win of the season. B)
2 (7) Spurs 34-18 If it's February, Spurs are on the road and rolling anew. Now to see if the SBC Center rodeo really kick-starts the defending champs' season, like it did last season.
3 (3) Pacers 38-14 In spite of that loss in the Isiah Bowl, Indy is on a 17-4 surge. Of course, the Pacers need to be that hot to stay in the top three with all the West timber.
4 (5) Mavericks 32-18 A brief visit from German shot doctor Holger Geschwindner, as always, has snapped Nowitzki's shooting stroke back on kill. Dirk's shot had previously flattened out a bit.
5 (2) Timberwolves 35-15 With no clear-cut powerhouse established and lots of competition up here, a couple losses these days can send you tumbling. Wolves just found that out.
6 (
Nets 29-20 Jersey has indeed confirmed already that we do have an Elite Eight in this league. Under Frank, the Nets are playing how they should have been all season.
7 (4) Lakers 30-18 Don't believe us if you don't want to. Payton says so, too: Lakers' Big Four have to get some court time together BEFORE the playoffs start to re-establish some rhythm. :huh: :unsure:
8 (6) Pistons 33-19 The jokes about Larry's habit of moving around will always persist ... but it's safe to say that you can scratch Dallas off the list of potential destinations after Brown's back-and-forth with Cuban.
9 (13) Grizzlies 29-21 After 50 games, and more wins than any other season in franchise history, you'd have to say these guys are for real. With some separation now from Utah, the Grizz can really start dreaming playoffs.
10 (12) Rockets 29-21 Houston certainly doesn't need to see Yao, on top of his long seasons and busy summers, playing in the Rookie Game AND the All-Star Game. The news, though, is mostly good this week: Francis, after all, did not attend the Pro Bowl.
11 (9) Nuggets 29-23 Check that: Nuggets, Grizz and Rockets have all been out of the playoffs too long to start thinking they're in. That's especially true for Denver, which is 10-12 since a 19-11 start.
12 (10) Bucks 27-23 Top-10 status was short-lived, but the Bucks know that, eventually, they're going to have to win a few roadies if they want to stay where they are, here and in the standings.
13 (17) Knicks 25-27 At 14-9 in the Isiah Era, and with Marbury averaging 10 assists per game as a Knick, it's no stretch to suggest they're suddenly a contender for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
14 (15) Trail Blazers 24-25 There's no question Randolph belongs in the All-Star Game on numbers alone. But if the Nuggets didn't get an All-Star, the Blazers weren't going to, either.
15 (14) Hornets 27-24 More fodder to back the argument that the Hornets shouldn't be sending two to the All-Star Game: Since 17-7 start, they're 10-17.
16 (11) Jazz 25-26 We know what you're thinking, Utahns. You want us to write Jazz off one more time, so a winning streak kicks in.
17 (18) SuperSonics 24-26 First, a Ray Allen injury scare. Then a loss to end their mastery over Blazers. Moved up only because so many neighbors in this region are struggling.
18 (16) Heat 21-31 After four straight losses -- albeit to good teams -- it's time to forget Lamar Odom's All-Star snub and focus on the playoff chase, because East's No. 8 spot is still up for grabs.
19 (22) Raptors 24-25 You know it's tough filling out the top 20 when Raps, in the midst of a 3-9 slump and after losing Bosh, move up a few.
20 (21) Clippers 22-27 Moved to within three games of .500 with a 3-1 start on their eight-game trip, only to lose at Washington and New York. Worse yet, a back-to-back in Minnesota and Memphis looms.
21 (20) Warriors 21-28 The look of pain on Uncle Cliffy's face, during that two-point quarter Sunday night, was the look of a guy who knows his career-long playoff streak is unavoidably slipping away.
22 (19) Cavaliers 19-32 Make that 13-14 since Ricky Davis' exile. If Cavs are serious about challenging for the No. 8 slot, they simply can't lose home games like Saturday's against Washington.
23 (23) Celtics 23-29 Since they're better on the road than at home, Celts might not mind that they don't have a home game until Feb. 25. But Ricky is bound to get the blame if Boston loses Monday, after 13 straight wins over Cavs.
24 (26) Hawks 17-35 Now that the Hawks finally know how it feels to win two in a row, perhaps they can work on explaining their 12-18 record vs. winning teams and 5-17 record vs. losing teams.
25 (27) Wizards 16-33 Give them a healthy Stack and Arenas and a contribution from Kwame and there just might be a team there. Wiz even ended a road drought of 11 games.
26 (25) 76ers 21-31 Lost 34 games all of last season. Just lost by 30 points to a Boston team that hadn't won under John Carroll. Chances are this 4-11 slide gets worse.
27 (24) Suns 18-35 Again, it's good to see Joe Johnson playing well ... but the Suns have lost nine of 11, which overshadows Johnson's 23.4 ppg over the last nine games and Amare's 10-block party.
28 (29) Bulls 14-37 John Paxson announced that Eddy Curry is not available, but one interested GM we spoke with says Curry was never really available even when teams thought he was.
29 (28) Magic 13-40 Even if most experts agree that T-Mac hasn't played as well as he can, no one wants to see the kid continue to struggle with back trouble. Especially not with a franchise that has already endured the Grant Hill saga.
