| Rankings as of Tuesday, Feb. 8
| | Guys like John Amaechi made the Magic an unbeaten team this week. | The debate continues at the top spot, and is likely to all season. Blazers or Lakers? Well, this past week the Blazers lost once in five tries, a tough game in New York. They ended the period winning in Milwaukee. The Lakers lost to the Spurs among their three games. Blazers remain on top.
The big question was what to do with the rest of the top West teams. The Jazz lost six straight over a two-week span before finally pulling one out, a key game with the Spurs. That was San Antonio's only loss. The Kings finished up their disappointing road trip by letting Allen Iverson run all over them and the Sonics beat Utah but lost at home to the Bulls in the same week. The Timberwolves lost to Washington.
All in all, we didn't do a lot of movement in these Rankings. We still think Utah is pretty good, and a big drop below teams like Phoenix, Charlotte and Toronto makes no sense to us. Check out what we did below.
Here are the latest Power Rankings as we prepare for All-Star Weekend, which is where ESPN.com will be. Check out our complete coverage from Oakland, including a daily Around The Rim, later in the week. Meanwhile, click here to share your thoughts about our Power Rankings or anything NBA and we'll post the best e-mails later in the week.
Team (Record)
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Last week
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Pvs.
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ESPN.com skinny
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1. Blazers (37-11)
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4-1
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1
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There's still trade talk with Kukoc and now McGrady, but why would Portland rock the boat now?
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2. Lakers (36-11)
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2-1
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2
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Huge comeback to stun Denver on Monday, including 35-19 fourth period; It's all Shaq and Kobe here
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3. Wolves (27-18)
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2-1
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3
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Thankfully, Wolves avoided our high-ranking jinx -- just one slipup; Brandon returns after the break
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4. Spurs (30-17)
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2-1
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4
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Escaped tough week looking good; Admiral made quick recovery; Elliott's looking at possible March return
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5. Pacers (31-16)
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3-1
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6
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Still struggling away from Conseco, but dominating at home; Didn't miss vs. Philly (12-for-19 on threes)
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6. Knicks (28-18)
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2-2
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5
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Stop whining, Knicks fans; Pacers pass you more than you drop; Orlando loss offset by big wins
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7. Heat (29-17)
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2-1
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10
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Riley can thank Jazz, Kings, Sonics for strange jump here; Tim Hardaway finally looking the stud he is
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8. Sonics (30-19)
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2-2
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9
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Next four teams are from West; Sonics need to limit Grant's time or risk losing him; What about McCoy?
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9. Kings (28-18)
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1-2
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8
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Home, sweet home, but facing Nugs, Suns and Sonics is a test; After 0-fer, looks like Vlade needs a rest
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10. Jazz (28-18)
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1-3
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7
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Could've been worse; After 46-point Laker loss, found way to win; Really, other losses were close and winnable
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11. Suns (27-19)
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2-1
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15
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Jump over East teams because they're just better; Forget beating Clips by 46, getting Sonic split key
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12. Hornets (26-20)
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2-2
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12
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Sacramento of East can't win on road; What's up with Wesley's pair of 1-for-10 outings this week?
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13. 76ers (26-22)
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2-2
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11
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Big difference in Kings, Pacers defenses, as Iverson saw; Snow averaging 12 assists per in last four
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14. Raptors (25-20)
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1-1
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14
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Figure they'll get a PG somewhere, but Workman not enough; They'll regret moving McGrady
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15. Bucks (26-23)
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1-3
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13
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If they don't watch it, could be eighth seed soon, even though they can beat anybody; Nobody wants Traylor
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16. Mavs (20-27)
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3-1
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16
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Nice schedule; Beat Clips and Warriors last week; Clips and Grizz this week; Time to see big picture
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17. Pistons (24-23)
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2-1
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17
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Could be only a Bison away from serious contender; At worst, should deal him for any big bodies
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18. Magic (23-26)
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3-0
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20
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Lone unbeaten team for week buried Pacers and Knicks; Still say Doc is coach of the year
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19. Nuggets (21-25)
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1-3
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18
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Had Lakers beaten until fourth, when El Foldo came; Putting Gatling (5 fouls, 10 minutes) on Shaq didn't help
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20. Celtics (21-26)
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1-3
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19
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Lost by combined 11 to Blazers, Heat, Pacers; Walker had big January, but it doesn't translate to wins
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21. Rockets (19-29)
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2-2
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21
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Bryce Drew lit it up with Francis out, but team needs the rookie; Cato finally playing big as starter
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22. Hawks (18-27)
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2-1
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24
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Hawks are better than this; Even played well in loss to Portland; Don't look for any trades here
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23. Nets (18-29)
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1-2
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22
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Nice to see McIlvaine's big game -- now he can take rest of month off in foul trouble and still reach averages
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24. Cavs (19-28)
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1-2
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23
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OK, Cavs fans, we'll let up on Kemp this week; After seeing Miller's triple-dub, can Brevin be moved?
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25. Wizards (15-33)
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1-3
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25
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Win over Wolves saved dreadful week; How 'bout G-town's John Thompson as coach next season?
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26. Grizzlies (13-33)
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1-2
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26
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Reef should be All-Star, but hard to make case when team can't win; Bibby might be future star as well
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27. Warriors (12-34)
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2-2
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27
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Jamison in January: 24.6 pts, 10.5 rebs, .492 FG; Happy Warriors don't look nearly as stupid now
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28. Bulls (10-35)
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2-2
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28
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Bulls' infamous three assist game has been changed to 12; If team had good PG, wouldn't be a problem
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29. Clippers (11-36)
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0-4
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29
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It's amazing that Clips fans actually write in to complain about this ranking; Lost by total of 100 points this week
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ALSO SEE
NBA Power Rankings, Feb. 1
NBA Power Rankings, Jan. 25
NBA Power Rankings, Jan. 18
NBA Power Rankings, Jan. 11
NBA Power Rankings, Jan. 4
NBA Power Rankings, Dec. 28
NBA Power Rankings, Dec. 21
NBA Power Rankings, Dec. 14
NBA Power Rankings, Dec. 7
NBA Power Rankings, Nov. 30
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