The Complex NBA Power Rankings (Week 12)

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All year the NBA has been about the Big 3: Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Miami. There have been various contenders attempt to crash the three-way (most notably San Antonio), but the most recent No. 4 in our rankings might be the most interesting: Orlando. With a win in Chicago last week, the Magic showed that they're a very good team, one that can at least hang with the big boys in the L. Only problem? They might trade their best player before the trade deadline Thursday. It's a wild, wild place, this new-old-new NBA. And in other news, the Knicks ain't that good, they can't hang with the big boys, and they might trade their coach before Wednesday. All that and more in the Complex NBA Power Rankings.

30. Charlotte Bobcats

Record: 5 - 34
Last Week's Rank: 30
Last Week's Results: W vs. Orlando 100-84, (Tue); L vs. Utah 93-99, (Wed); L vs. New Jersey 74-83, (Fri); L @ Oklahoma City 95-102, (Sat)
This Week: @ New Orleans, Monday (3/12); @ Houston, Wednesday (3/14); @ Dallas, Thursday (3/15); vs. Toronto, Saturday (3/17)

What do you know, the Bobcats got a win this week and it was against a legitimate playoff contender in the Magic. Unfortunately, though, they were unable to build off of it and lost their next three games. For any Charlotte fans, this W was an encouraging one. The 'Cats showed that regardless of their overall record, they still fight night in and night out. MJ should be proud for once. —Jose Martinez

29. Washington Wizards

Record: 9 - 30
Last Week's Rank: 29
Last Week's Results: L vs. Golden State 100-120, (Mon); W vs. LA Lakers 106-100, (Wed); L vs. Portland 99-110, (Sat)
This Week: @ San Antonio, Monday (3/12); @ Dallas, Tuesday (3/13); @ New Orleans, Thursday (3/15); @ Atlanta, Friday (3/16); @ Memphis, Sunday (3/18)

The Wizards' West Coast swing was going to be a rough one. Not surprisingly, they lost all three of their games. This week, their road trip continues with five games in only seven days. With their only easy match-up coming against the New Orleans Hornets, Washington needs to capitalize on the opportunity and win that game. If not, this squad could be looking at a tough 0-5 showing for the week. Yikes! —Jose Martinez

28. New Orleans Hornets

Record: 10 - 31
Last Week's Rank: 28
Last Week's Results: L @ Portland 74-86, (Mon); L @ Sacramento 98-99, (Wed); L @ Denver 97-110, (Fri); W @ Minnesota 95-89, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Charlotte, Monday (3/12); vs. LA Lakers, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Washington, Thursday (3/15); @ New Jersey, Saturday (3/17)

The Hornets handled last week's road trip—well, about how you'd expect the worst team in West to handle it—dropping three straight games before beating the Rubio-less Wolves on Saturday. The Chris Kaman trade-him-or-save-him talk rages on and Eric Gordon's knee is still busted up. It's pretty much business as usual for the NBA's orphan child. That said, Monday's game against Charlotte will mark the first time in the NBA's history that two Mexican players have faced off against one another (Charlotte's Eduardo Najera and NOLA's Gustavo Ayon), so there's that. —Sean Evans

27. Toronto Raptors

Record: 13 - 28
Last Week's Rank: 27
Last Week's Results: L vs. Orlando 88-92, (Mon); W vs. Houston 116-98, (Wed); L @ Detroit 86-105, (Sat); L vs. Milwaukee 105-99, (Sun)
This Week: @ Cleveland, Tuesday (3/13); @ New Jersey, Wednesday (3/14); @ Memphis, Friday (3/16); @ Charlotte, Saturday (3/17)

Toronto is still losing more games than they're winning. They finally got Bargnani back, but to no avail. They took Ls to the Pistons and the Bucks on consecutive nights. On top of that, Jose Calderon twisted his ankle Saturday against Detroit; he had to be helped off the floor and is listed as day-to-day. All is not lost, though. With the Knicks struggling, the Raps are 5 games back and have time to get hot. With the sweet shooting 7-footer back, anything is possible. Sike! You know I said that just to get you mad. —Angel Diaz

26. Sacramento Kings

Record: 14 - 27
Last Week's Rank: 25
Last Week's Results: L @ Denver 116-119, (Mon); W vs. New Orleans 99-98, (Wed); W vs. Dallas 110-97, (Fri); L vs. Atlanta 106-99, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Golden State, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Detroit, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Boston, Friday (3/16); vs. Minnesota, Sunday (3/18)

Going .500 isn't saying much for a lot of teams in the NBA, but this past week was a pretty good one for the Kings. They picked up wins over the Hornets and Mavs and even in their losses were able to keep the games close. Losing by small margins may not be reflected in the standings but for a team that has no real shot of doing anything this season, those small victories have to give players some hope for the future. Not to mention giving interim head coach Keith Smart some belief that he'll be able to keep his job at least until the end of the year. —Ralph Warner

25. Detroit Pistons

Record: 15 - 26
Last Week's Rank: 26
Last Week's Results: W vs. LA Lakers 88-85, (Tue); W vs. Atlanta 86-85, (Fri); W vs. Toronto 105-86, (Sat)
This Week: @ Utah, Monday (3/12); @ Sacramento, Wednesday (3/14); @ Phoenix, Friday (3/16); @ LA Clippers, Sunday (3/18)

Don't look now...but the Pistons look like the Pistons again! OK, we won't go that far, but this team somehow managed to go on a mini-winning streak last week by besting the Lakers, Hawks, and Raptors. However, we wouldn't expect that streak to last for very long. With Detroit headed out to the West Coast this week for a road trip, they should come crashing back to Earth any day now. But, for today at least, there's reason to be optimistic in the D. Just don't get used to it.—Chris Yuscavage

24. New Jersey Nets

Record: 14 - 28
Last Week's Rank: 24
Last Week's Results: L @ Miami 78-108, (Tue); W vs. LA Clippers 101-100, (Wed); W @ Charlotte 83-74, (Fri); L vs. Houston 106-112, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Milwaukee, Monday (3/12); vs. Toronto, Wednesday (3/14); @ Orlando, Friday (3/16); vs. New Orleans, Saturday (3/17)

Watch out! The Nets actually had a winning record this week going 3-2. Jersey beat the Bobcats twice and edged the Clippers by 1 with a game-winning three by Jordan Farmar. One of their losses came at the hands of the Rockets, but something else happened that game. Coming straight out of D-League, Gerald Green orchestrated one of the most amazing in-game dunks ever recorded in modern history, proving why he needs to be on an NBA roster (at least for the fans' sake). Oh yeah, the trade deadline is Thursday, and the fate of a franchise might hang in the balance if they don't get that Howard guy from Orlando. No big deal, right? —Angel Diaz

23. Golden State Warriors

Record: 17 - 21
Last Week's Rank: 22
Last Week's Results: W @ Washington 120-100, (Mon); L vs. Memphis 92-110, (Wed); W vs. Dallas 111-87, (Sat); W @ LA Clippers 97-93, (Sun)
This Week: @ Sacramento, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Boston, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Milwaukee, Friday (3/16); @ Utah, Saturday (3/17)

Golden State worked on their offense this past week and the result was a 3-1 record instead of going 1-3 record like the week before. The Warriors averaged 105 PPG over the last four games as opposed to the 82 PPG in the week prior. Stephen Curry worked his way back into the lineup but was limited to just nine minutes on Sunday after head coach Mark Jackson said it looked like the guard was "laboring." Despite being 17-21, the Warriors are only 3.5 games out of 8th place in the West. The trade deadline is only a few days away but that's plenty of time to push deals for either Curry or Monta Ellis. Peddling the flesh of young'ns and not getting locked up for it? The NBA, where amazing happens. —Ralph Warner

22. Cleveland Cavaliers

Record: 16 - 23
Last Week's Rank: 23
Last Week's Results: L vs. Utah 100-109, (Mon); W @ Denver 100-99, (Wed); W @ Oklahoma City 96-90, (Fri); W vs. Houston 107-118, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Toronto, Tuesday (3/13); @ Milwaukee, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Atlanta, Sunday (3/18)

This team is just full of surprises, aren't they? Last week, we thought they were dead in the water. They'd lost a handful of games after the All-Star break and were getting ready to take on the Jazz, Nuggets, Thunder, and Rockets. Not exactly the lineup of teams you'd want to face when you're down on your luck. But, what do you know? The Cavs managed to get wins against three of the four—despite the fact that seemingly everyone except Kyrie Irving is on the trading block right now. They've got a pretty favorable schedule coming up, too. So, is there any chance they can get back to .500 at some point this season? Well, let's just say we won't be surprised if they do.—Chris Yuscavage

21. New York Knicks

Record: 18 - 23
Last Week's Rank: 17
Last Week's Results: L @ Dallas 85-95, (Tue); L @ San Antonio 105-118, (Wed); L @ Milwaukee 114-119, (Fri); L vs. Philadelphia 106-94, (Sun)
This Week: @ Chicago, Monday (3/12); vs. Portland, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Indiana, Friday (3/16); @ Indiana, Saturday (3/17)

The Knicks stink! They're on a five-game losing streak, they turn the ball over constantly, and play with no urgency until it's too late. Those two things are a product of lack of practice time and leadership. Amar'e and Melo need to come out with more energy. For all those screaming to make a trade or fire D'Antoni, look at the teams currently in the playoff picture: They're almost all squads whose cores have played two or more seasons together. This Knicks squad still needs more time. Better teams came out of that Texas two-step winless, don't panic just yet. This year's about who's hot come playoff time and last time we checked there's still a lot of basketball to be played. —Angel Diaz

20. Milwaukee Bucks

Record: 17 - 24
Last Week's Rank: 21
Last Week's Results: W vs. Philadelphia 97-93, (Mon); L vs. Chicago 104-106, (Wed); W vs. New York 119-114, (Fri); W @ Toronto 105-99, (Sun)
This Week: @ New Jersey, Monday (3/12); vs. Cleveland, Wednesday (3/14); @ Golden State, Friday (3/16)

Don't be fooled by the success that the Bucks enjoyed last week. In the grand scheme of things, they realize that they're not going anywhere this season, which is why they've reportedly put Andrew Bogut, Stephen Jackson, and Ersan Ilyasoya on the trading block. Still, it's nice to see that this team is continuing to play hard and beating squads like the 76ers and Knicks as a result of it. And, as long as they've got Brandon Jennings manning the point, this team is still worth a few minutes of our time when we're flipping through League Pass.—Chris Yuscavage

19. Portland Trail Blazers

Record: 20 - 21
Last Week's Rank: 20
Last Week's Results: W vs. New Orleans 86-74, (Mon); L @ Minnesota 94-106, (Wed); L @ Boston 86-104, (Fri); W @ Washington 110-99, (Sat)
This Week: @ Indiana, Tuesday (3/13); @ New York, Wednesday (3/14); @ Chicago, Friday (3/16); @ Oklahoma City, Sunday (3/17)

With the prodigal Raymond Felton returned to the starting point guard slot and Jamal Crawford rumored to be headed out of town before the Wednesday trade deadline, the Blazers still have a lot to figure out. And beating the Hornets and Wizards, as they did last week, doesn't really count. In an 18-point loss to Boston last week, Felton managed all of eight points and four assists in almost 27 minutes, and was a -27. Also, unretired center Joel Przybilla managed to post a 3:24 trillion against the Wolves. Heck, he could have stayed retired and posted those numbers. —Russ Bengtson

18. Utah Jazz

Record: 19 - 21
Last Week's Rank: 19
Last Week's Results: W @ Cleveland 109-100, (Mon); W @ Charlotte 99-93, (Wed); L @ Philadelphia 91-104, (Fri); L @ Chicago 97-111, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Detroit, Monday (3/12); @ Phoenix, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Minnesota, Thursday (3/15); vs. Golden State, Saturday (3/17); @ LA Lakers, Sunday (3/18)

It is probably no consolation to the 19-21 Jazz, who are dead last in the Northwest, that they would be in third place in either the Central or Atlantic Divisions. The Jazz did exactly as predicted last week, beating the Cavs and Bobcats to get back to .500 before being whomped by the Sixers and Bulls. It's a five-game week for Utah this week, and while none of their opponents are exactly world beaters, neither are the Jazz. —Russ Bengtson

17. Minnesota Timberwolves

Record: 21 - 21
Last Week's Rank: 15
Last Week's Results: W vs. LA Clippers 95-94, (Mon); W vs. Portland 106-94, (Wed); L vs. LA Lakers 102-105, (Fri); L vs. New Orleans 89-95, (Sat)
This Week: @ Phoenix, Monday (3/12); @ Utah, Thursday (3/15); @ LA Lakers, Friday (3/16); @ Sacramento, Sunday (3/18)

Welp, so much for that. The Timberwolves finished another week at .500, but suffered a crushing (to their playoff hopes and more) blow as rookie point guard Ricky Rubio suffered a torn ACL in Friday's loss to the Lakers. His season is over. Luke Ridnour is a capable enough NBA point guard — he posted 14 and 10 in a loss to the Hornets, the first post-Rubio game — but he can't make up for all the intangibles Rubio brought to the table. And with nine of their next 10 games on the road, the Wolves' going is just gonna get tougher. —Russ Bengtson

16. Phoenix Suns

Record: 19 - 21
Last Week's Rank: 18
Last Week's Results: L @ Oklahoma City 104-115, (Wed); W vs. Dallas 96-94, (Thu); W vs. Memphis 98-91, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Minnesota, Monday (3/12); vs. Utah, Wednesday (3/14); @ LA Clippers, Thursday (3/15); vs. Detroit, Friday (3/16); vs. Houston, Sunday (3/17)

This was another respectable week for the Phoenix Suns who lost to OKC like everyone expected but were able to pick up Ws against contenders like Memphis and Dallas. Don't look now but the Suns are only two games back of the 8th seed out West. Only time will tell if the front office tries to trade away Steve Nash for some young blood or if they'll keep the veteran guard who's averaging 13 points and 11 assists per game this season. Wait, don't old people go to Phoenix in their golden years, not leave it for somewhere else? #confused —Ralph Warner

15. Houston Rockets

Record: 22 - 20
Last Week's Rank: 14
Last Week's Results: L @ Boston 92-97, (Tue); L @ Toronto 98-116, (Wed); W @ New Jersey 112-106, (Sat); L @ Cleveland 107-118, (Sun)
This Week: @ Oklahoma City, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Charlotte, Wednesday (3/14); @ LA Clippers, Saturday (3/17); @ Phoenix, Sunday (3/18)

As if losing six of their last seven games wasn't bad enough, Houston's stumble into mediocrity got a hard shove in the back Sunday with word that Kyle Lowry could miss the next month with a bacterial infection. The once promising Rockets are on the road against the Clippers and Thunder this week. Cue the Tom Petty because the Rockets are free fallin'. —Sean Evans

14. Boston Celtics

Record: 21 - 19
Last Week's Rank: 16
Last Week's Results: W vs. Houston 97-92, (Tue); L @ Philadelphia 71-103, (Wed); W vs. Portland 104-86, (Fri); L @ LA Lakers 97-94, (Sun)
This Week: @ LA Clippers, Monday (3/12); @ Golden State, Wednesday (3/14); @ Sacramento, Friday (3/16); @ Denver, Saturday (3/17)

The lockout really hurt a veteran team like the Celtics. They've lacked consistency all season, which might be attributed to the condensed schedule combined with old legs. Boston has been playing well as of late, but got their asses kicked against the Sixers and lost a heart-breaker to the Lakers yesterday. That said, KG's insertion into the starting lineup has paid dividends and the Celtics are looking like a new team. They play Lob City tonight, which should make for good TV. —Angel Diaz

13. Denver Nuggets

Record: 23 - 19
Last Week's Rank: 13
Last Week's Results: W vs. Sacramento 119-116, (Mon); L vs. Cleveland 99-100, (Wed); W vs. New Orleans 110-97, (Fri); L vs. Memphis, 94-91 (Sun)
This Week: vs. Atlanta, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Oklahoma City, Thursday (3/15); vs. Boston, Saturday (3/17)

Yeah, well, maybe last week's schedule wasn't so easy after all. The Nuggets went 2-2, losing to the Grizz on Sunday and the Northwest killer Cavs (who also beat the Thunder) by a single point. Their absurdly long nine-game homestand continues this week, but with Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Boston coming to town, things won't get any easier. And whilst Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson are back healthy, the fact that they combined for five points in the loss to the Grizzlies (Gallo chipping in 0 of those 5) doesn't bode well. —Russ Bengtson

12. Dallas Mavericks

Record: 23 - 20
Last Week's Rank: 10
Last Week's Results: L @ Oklahoma City 91-95, (Mon); W vs. New York 95-85, (Tue); L @ Phoenix 94-96, (Thu); L @ Sacramento 97-110, (Fri); L @ Golden State 87-111, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Washington, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Charlotte, Thursday (3/15); vs. San Antonio, Saturday (3/17)

OK, it's officially time to panic in Dallas. The Mavs have lost eight of their last ten games and fallen to the eighth spot in the West. Dirk and Co. have been able to climb out of rough patches so far this season, but the compressed schedule might have the geezer squad gassed. If the flat-lining defending champs drop games to either the Wizards or Bobcats to start this week, it'll be time to bust out a defibrillator.—Sean Evans

11. Atlanta Hawks

Record: 24 - 17
Last Week's Rank: 12
Last Week's Results: W @ Indiana 101-96, (Tue); L @ Miami 86-89, (Wed); L @ Detroit 85-86, (Fri); W @ Sacramento 106-99, (Sun)
This Week: @ Denver, Tuesday (3/13); @ LA Clippers, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Washington, Friday (3/16); @ Cleveland, Sunday (3/18)

Times are tough these days in the ATL. The Hawks continue to slide down the NBA standings and our Power Rankings, and now, Josh Smith wants to be traded. While nothing can build team camaraderie back up quite like a good winning streak, Atlanta is struggling to put together a solid weekly showing. With Washington and Cleveland on the schedule, you gotta expect them to pull out a couple Ws, but if they want to prove to Smith that they're serious about going to the next level, they'll need to show it against their tougher opponents, the Clippers and Nuggets, too. —Jose Martinez

10. Indiana Pacers

Record: 23 - 16
Last Week's Rank: 9
Last Week's Results: L @ Chicago 72-92, (Mon); L vs. Atlanta 96-101 (Tue); L @ Miami 91-93, (Sat); L @ Orlando 107-94, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Portland, Tuesday (3/13); vs. Philadelphia, Wednesday (3/14); @ New York, Friday (3/16); vs. New York, Saturday (3/17)

See what we mean about the Pacers? Right before and right after the All-Star break, they looked great. Only problem: They were playing teams like the Hornets and Bobcats. Last week, they had to face four playoff teams in the Bulls, Hawks, Heat, and Magic and they fell flat on their faces, losing all four games. If this team wants us to take them seriously, they need to start winning a few more of those games in addition to the ones against the worst teams in the league. Otherwise, they just look like a squad that's still a year away from making any serious noise.—Chris Yuscavage

9. Memphis Grizzlies

Record: 24 - 16
Last Week's Rank: 8
Last Week's Results: W vs. Golden State 100-92, (Wed); L @ Phoenix 91-98 (Sat); W @ Denver 94-91, (Sun)
This Week: W vs. Golden State 100-92, (Wed); L @ Phoenix 91-98 (Sat); @ Denver, Sunday

The Grizz had their five-game winning streak snapped this week by the Suns but, with road wins against Golden State and Denver, Memphis continued to solidify their contender status. This week's brief homestand will be crucial for Memphis who begin a brutal nine of eleven game road trip March 20. —Sean Evans

8. Los Angeles Clippers

Record: 23 - 16
Last Week's Rank: 7
Last Week's Results: L @ Minnesota 94-95, (Mon); L @ New Jersey 100-101, (Wed); W @ San Antonio 120-108, (Fri); L vs. Golden State 97-93, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Boston, Monday (3/12); vs. Atlanta, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Phoenix, Thursday (3/15); vs. Houston, Saturday (3/17); vs. Detroit, Sunday (3/18)

Uh-oh, the Lob City crew looks like they may be in a bit of a second half slump. Since the All-Star break, the Clippers are 3-5 and have now slipped into second place in the Pacific Division after holding a lead over the Lake Show for months. A couple one-point losses to the Nets and Timberwolves got things off to a bad start for the Clippers this week and last night's home loss to a young Golden State team had to leave a sour taste in the mouth of L.A. fans. On top of going 1-3, the Clippers added some injury to the insult when Chris Paul broke his nose in Friday's game against the Spurs. Team super stars rocking masks like it's a new trend? Where they do that at? Oh yeah, La La Land.—Ralph Warner

7. Los Angeles Lakers

Record: 25 - 16
Last Week's Rank: 6
Last Week's Results: L @ Detroit 85-88, (Tue); L @ Washington 101-106, (Wed); W @ Minnesota 105-102, (Fri); W vs. Boston 97-94, (Sun)
This Week: @ Memphis, Tuesday (3/13); @ New Orleans, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Minnesota, Friday (3/16); vs. Utah, Sunday (3/18)

There's no place like home. That saying pretty much sums up this season for the Lake Show. L.A. is 18-2 at home (tied for the league's best record); conversely they're toting a 7-14 tally on the road. Losses to bad teams like the Pistons and the Wizards made many question when Mitch Kupchak was going to finally begin engaging in serious talks for either a legit point guard or Dwight Howard. Then the Lakers bounced back with a close victory over the Timberwolves followed by another nail-biting W over the hated Celtics. Despite the up and down week, Kobe & Co. now lead the Pacific Division by a full game over the Clippers and are ranked third in the Western Conference. Forget Kobe's menacing mask, we think a pair of Dorothy's slippers is what this squad needs to remain a contender. —Ralph Warner

6. Philadelphia 76ers

Record: 25 - 17
Last Week's Rank: 11
Last Week's Results: L @ Milwaukee 93-97, (Mon); W vs. Boston 103-71, (Wed); W vs. Utah 104-91, (Fri); W vs. New York 106-94 (Sun)
This Week: @ Indiana, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Miami, Friday (3/16); @ Chicago, Saturday (3/17)

This Philly team isn't fucking around. They're on a three-game winning streak and are fresh off of scraping the Celtics and the Knicks. They've been doing it with team ball and great defense. Doug Collins is really doing a great job coaching these young guys up. We've been waiting all season for them to give up their lead in the Atlantic, but it doesn't look like they'll be letting up anytime soon. This week will be tough, though. They face the Pacers, Chicago, and Miami. —Angel Diaz

5. San Antonio Spurs

Record: 26 - 13
Last Week's Rank: 4
Last Week's Results: W vs. New York 118-105, (Wed); L vs. LA Clippers 108-120, (Fri)
This Week: vs. Washington, Monday (3/12); vs. Orlando, Wednesday (3/13); @ Oklahoma City, Friday (3/15); @ Dallas, Saturday (3/16)

The Spurs have come back down to Earth since last month's eleven-game winning streak. The Clipper backcourt of Mo Williams and Chris Paul hung 69-points on the Spurs in their loss Friday—the first Clip win in San Antonio in over a decade. Tony Parker's thigh injury seems to be less serious than originally suspected and Manu Ginobili looked comfortable offensively scoring 22-points against CP3 and Friends. Both good signs if the Spurs expect to hold rank as one of the best teams in the West. —Sean Evans

4. Orlando Magic

Record: 27 - 15
Last Week's Rank: 5
Last Week's Results: W @ Toronto 92-88, (Mon); L @ Charlotte 84-100, (Tue); W @ Chicago 99-94, (Thu); W vs. Indiana 107-94, (Sun)
This Week: vs. Miami, Tuesday (3/13); @ San Antonio, Wednesday (3/14); vs. New Jersey, Friday (3/16); @ Miami, Sunday (3/18)

If someone looked at Orlando's schedule from last week and were told that they lost to one team, the last answer would've been the Bobcats. In fact, Charlotte should've been their easiest win. But thanks to a horrible 4th quarter where the Magic were outscored 28-13, they suffered a surprising loss that overshadowed their huge win over Chicago. So, their match-up with New Jersey isn't an automatic W, right? —Jose Martinez

3. Miami Heat

Record: 31 - 9
Last Week's Rank: 3
Last Week's Results: W vs. New Jersey 108-78, (Tue); W vs. Atlanta 89-86, (Wed); W vs. Indiana 93-91, (Sat)
This Week: @ Orlando, Tuesday (3/13); @ Chicago, Wednesday (3/14); @ Philadelphia, Friday (3/16); vs. Orlando, Sunday (3/18)

It wasn't easy, but the Heat went 3-0 this week. After edging out the Hawks on Wednesday, LeBron said in the post-game interview that the team needed to be involved in a contest where they had to fight to get the win. OK, good thing you got that out of your system. But how do you explain the need for clutch shots by both James and Wade to pull out the W over the Pacers three days later? The schedule for this coming week isn't going to be easy at all, so hopefully you have that late-heroics thing down pat. —Jose Martinez

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Record: 32 - 9
Last Week's Rank: 2
Last Week's Results: W vs. Dallas 95-91, (Mon); W vs. Phoenix 115-104, (Wed); L vs. Cleveland 90-96, (Fri); W vs. Charlotte 122-95, (Sat)
This Week: vs. Houston, Tuesday (3/13); @ Denver, Thursday (3/15); vs. San Antonio, Friday (3/16); vs. Portland, Sunday (3/18)

A four-point win is a win, and with that margin over the Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder did indeed become the first (and as of now only) Western Conference team to reach the 30-win plateau. Although for it to be a plateau they would have to stay there, and the Thunder didn't, dropping 115 points on the Suns two nights later. They then suffered a setback (at home, no less) against the surging Cavaliers, before taking out their frustrations on the poor, helpless Bobcats. As long as the Thunder can avoid the injury bug — Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka have yet to miss a game, while James Harden and Kendrick Perkins have just missed one a piece — that No. 1 seed in the West should be all but guaranteed. —Russ Bengtson

1. Chicago Bulls

Record: 34 - 9
Last Week's Rank: 1
Last Week's Results: W vs. Indiana 92-72, (Mon); W @ Milwaukee 106-104, (Wed); L vs. Orlando 94-99, (Thu); W vs. Utah 111-97, (Sat)
This Week: vs. New York, Monday (3/12); vs. Miami, Wednesday (3/14); vs. Portland, Friday (3/16); vs. Philadelphia, Saturday (3/17)

The Bulls had a pretty eventful week. They crushed the Pacers to avenge their home loss to Indiana back in January. They beat the Bucks on a Derrick Rose buzzer-beater. They had their eight-game winning streak snapped by the Magic. They rebounded nicely against the Jazz. And, oh yeah: Reports came out indicating that, although they appear willing to talk to Orlando about a trade for Dwight Howard, the Magic center doesn't seem interested in playing with D-Rose. But something tells us that if they keep playing the way they are right now, no one in Chicago will really mind all that much.—Chris Yuscavage