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Team/Record
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Prev rank/
Last week
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ESPN.com skinny
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BIG FOUR, NOT THREE |
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1. Mavericks 21-9
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3/3-0 |
Nine straight wins and suddenly the Mavs are the unlikely top guns. The fact that both L.A. and San Antonio have faltered paved the way, and the overtime win at the Spurs clinched it. |
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2. Lakers 21-6
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2/2-2
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Sans Shaq, the Lakers have been anything but a sure thing. The loss at Golden State followed by a loss to the Raptors at the Staples Center has them stuck at No. 2.
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3. Kings 23-9
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4/3-0
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Very impressive week of routs over good teams (Boston, Minnesota, Portland) at home. No. 3 in this case is extremely close to No. 1. |
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4. Spurs 21-7
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1/1-2
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Stay at No. 1 was short and deservedly so. They've played well, but are now 4-6 against teams with winning records, 17-1 against others. |
| KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON
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5. Timberwolves 20-9
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5/2-1 |
Tough loss at Sacramento, but the Wolves remain poised to jump should the top teams falter. |
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6. Bucks 19-10
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7/3-1
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Loss to Bulls undermines 3-0 start to week, without Ray Allen. |
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7. Celtics 18-11
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6/1-3
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Happy to get home after tough West Coast stretch. Pierce averaged 30.5 PPG during trip. |
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8. Nets 19-10
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8/3-1
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14-6 vs. Eastern Conference teams, second only to Bucks. |
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REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC
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9. Suns 18-13
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14/3-0
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Wins over Denver and Houston aren't that impressive, but 13-9 against Western Conference sounds pretty good. |
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10. Clippers 15-14
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9/0-3
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Bad week, including two rare home losses. They try to save their losses for the road.
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11. Wizards 16-14
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10/2-2
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MJ goes for 51 points, then another 45. We think it's pretty exciting. |
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12. Raptors 16-14
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13/1-2
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Win at Staples Center over Lakers is reason to rejoice. |
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13. Jazz 16-15
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17/3-0
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Magic number is 90. Have held five of last seven opponents to 90 points or less; 10-1 when they do that, 6-14 when they don't. |
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14. Sonics 16-15
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18/2-0
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Red hot. Five of the six wins during present winning streak have been blowouts. |
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15. Pacers 18-15
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12/2-2
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Nice W-L, but lacking quality wins; 5-12 against winning teams, plus a loss this week to the Heat. |
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16. Pistons 15-13
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11/1-2
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Does six-point win over the hapless Heat really constitute the end of a losing streak? |
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17. Magic 15-17
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16/2-1
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Hope to build on wins over Pistons and Knicks in the new year. |
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HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE …
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18. Blazers 13-16
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15/0-3
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Hard to believe it's come to this, but losses to Kings, Wolves and Jazz confirm that this team has fallen. |
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19. Knicks 13-17
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20/1-2
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Allan Houston is heating up, but wins remain elusive. |
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20. Hornets 13-17
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21/1-2
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Jamaal Magliore's 22 points and 7 boards in loss to Wizards were nice, but you simply can't allow MJ 38 shots in a game, guys. |
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21. Sixers 12-18
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19/1-3
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1-3 so far on trip out West. We know it's tough out there, but the loss to Denver stands out. |
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NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
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22. Warriors 12-18
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23/1-2
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Win over the Lakers: Fluke or sign of things to come? Hmm… |
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23. Cavaliers 12-18
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22/1-2
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The Z effect not in effect quite yet. As confirmed in 23-point loss to Bulls. |
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24. Grizzlies 9-21
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24/2-1
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Actually playing well recently, almost upset Spurs to cap a good week. Don't underestimate these guys. |
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25. Hawks 11-19
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25/1-2
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No team allows more PPG than the Hawks (99.1). |
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NOT-SO-FAB FOUR |
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26. Nuggets 10-19
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26/1-2
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Issel is gone, but the Nuggets are still bad. |
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27. Rockets 9-22
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28/1-2
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Welcome back Stevie Franchise. Look for a return to the middle of the pack. |
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28. Bulls 6-23
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29/2-2
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Mr. Bill is 2-0, but that's only worth one spot. |
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29. Heat 6-23
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27/1-3
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Finally got a win (vs. Pacers), but not enough to keep them from heading back to the basement.
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