| | Rankings as of Tuesday, Feb. 22
|  | | Gugliotta and the Suns have turned into West contenders. |
The first full week after the All-Star break told us a bunch about NBA teams, if you choose to believe that what happened to Phoenix and Minnesota was the reality. There were some big games that affected the rankings; Phoenix dumped San Antonio, making their win streak six and jumping them some more. New York topped Indiana, and that's reflected. And Utah jumped right back over Seattle and Sacramento as the Jazz sorted things out.
You'll see at the bottom there wasn't a ton of movement, but we didn't have much choice. The Bulls, Warriors and Grizz all could have moved a bit, but not all at the same time. Fact is there was nobody for them to jump over, other than Michael Jordan's sad bunch. You think it's ugly that the Clips have yet to win for Jim Todd. Jordan's really made an impression on the Wiz, who have lost seven straight.
Anyway, here are the latest Power Rankings as we prepare for the trade deadline on Thursday. As always, 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.
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Team (Record)
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Last week
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Last rank
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ESPN.com skinny
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1. Blazers (43-11)
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5-0
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1
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Lakers fans really expect us to drop a team that has won 9 straight? Home-court a big issue out West
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2. Lakers (41-11)
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4-0
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2
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Win in Philly on Sunday was telling; It wasn't Shaq's or Kobe's scoring that clinched it, it was defense
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3. Knicks (32-19)
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3-1
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6
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No, we're not Knicks fans, but look at the evidence; Beat our No. 4 and 5 teams from last week
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4. Suns (32-19)
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3-0
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11
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OK, we're finally raising Arizona; Beat Spurs and Kings and now look like dangerous playoff team
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5. Pacers (35-17)
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3-1
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4
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Still unbeatable at home, but Dallas nearly did it; Pacers and Knicks would be a great playoff series
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6. Spurs (34-19)
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2-2
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3
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Duncan has never missed a game; Popovich better hope he doesn't start now; Malik Rose, get ready
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7. Jazz (32-19)
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3-1
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10
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Back on track to 50+ wins, though home loss to Boston (and almost Detroit, Atlanta) points out vulnerability
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8. Sonics (33-21)
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2-1
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8
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Loss to Sacramento aside, this team can scare anyone; Tough to win when Payton's going 4-for-19
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9. Kings (31-22)
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1-4
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9
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Should drop, but no other team deserves the spot; Plus, it was Phoenix, Utah, Portland and Denver
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10. Heat (32-20)
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2-3
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7
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Losses to Chicago and Jersey no way to keep lead in division; Would Starks make a big difference?
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11. Wolves (28-23)
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1-3
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5
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We waited for turnaround, but it never came; Losses are close, but KG has to have more help; Maybe Wally?
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12. Hornets (29-22)
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2-2
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12
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Lost winnable games at home to Miami and Lakers; With weak road mark, can't afford to lose home games
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13. 76ers (28-24)
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1-2
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13
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Kukoc needs to make himself more involved down the stretch; Iverson tried to beat L.A. all by himself
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14. Raptors (27-24)
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1-3
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14
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Get credit for Knicks win, but rest of week ... Home losses to Denver and Dallas not a good sign
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15. Bucks (27-26)
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1-2
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15
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How do you explain home loss to Grizz? Bucks should be division contender, but could miss playoffs
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16. Nuggets (24-28)
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3-1
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19
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Beat Kings and Wolves in OT, and topped Raptors; But are they a playoff team? Doesn't look like it
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17. Magic (25-27)
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1-1
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17
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Split with L.A. teams, but took Shaq to OT; Mercer on Magic has been pretty average, but team doesn't run much
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18. Mavs (22-30)
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2-2
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18
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Won in Toronto and almost in Indy; With Rodman, team allowing less than 100 points, so it is working out
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19. Pistons (26-26)
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1-3
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16
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Saved near 0-4 week with huge win over Heat; Four players scored all but seven of team's points, which is hard to do
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20. Celtics (22-31)
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1-3
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20
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Big win in Utah; Looks like Pitino realizing Fortson can actually perform; All it took was giving him minutes
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21. Cavs (22-31)
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3-1
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24
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With Miller getting 10 assists a night, Brevin must be moved; Don't look for any Kemp-Rice contract deal
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22. Nets (21-31)
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2-1
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23
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Only 5 games out of playoffs; Despite win in Minnesota, tough to move in standings with only 5 road wins
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23. Hawks (20-30)
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1-2
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21
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J.R. says he doesn't care where he ends up; It could be out of league, if he doesn't watch it
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24. Rockets (21-32)
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1-2
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22
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Cato injury means Hakeem must play minutes; Look for Francis to really turn it on in Rookie award bid
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25. Grizz (16-36)
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2-2
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26
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Capable of big efforts, but not consistent ones; Beat Bucks and Wiz, blew Cleveland game; Team is close
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26. Warriors (14-37)
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2-2
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27
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Losing Jamison really isn't fair; At least Hughes now gets chance to shoot 20 times a game; Watch Caffey
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27. Bulls (12-38)
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2-1
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28
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Beat Heat and challenged Lakers, so they can clearly compete; All they want for Starks is draft pick
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28. Wiz (15-38)
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0-4
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25
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This is embarrassing, and there's really no end in sight; Games aren't even close, especially away from D.C.
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29. Clips (11-43)
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0-5
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29
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Coach Todd still hasn't won a game; At least Kareem is there to coach Keith Closs to stardom
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ALSO SEE
NBA Power Rankings, Feb. 15
NBA Power Rankings, Feb. 8
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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