Power Rankings: Mavs, Suns still sparring for No. 1; Rockets drop
Updated: January 22, 2007, 2:38 PM ET
By
Marc Stein | ESPN.com
Week: Team:
 | |
The top two spots in ESPN.com's weekly NBA pulse reading are occupied by the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, in that order, for the fourth successive week.
Those of you looking for a significant shuffle will have to settle for Utah's return to the No. 3 spot, Washington's rise to No. 5 and Denver's climb to No. 12, just in time for Monday night's return of Carmelo Anthony.
Read on to see where your team ranks and click here to send in your feedback.
| 2006-07 Power Rankings: Week 12 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | -- Last Week: 1 | Unlike last season's Pistons, who might have peaked at 36-5, Mavs appear to be getting stronger, sitting just three wins shy of their third double-digit win streak. | |
| 2 |  | -- Last Week: 2 | How hot are they? Suns have lost all of two games in two months and are a mere 11-0 since the league ignored Nash's pleas and switched back to the leather ball. | |
| 3 |  | 4 Last Week: 7 | See? A week at No. 7 did wonders for Utah, just as it did for San Antonio: Jazz respond to their demotion with big road wins at Detroit, Toronto and Chicago. | |
| 4 |  | -- Last Week: 4 | This week's comment comes from Pop, via our pal Peter May of the Boston Globe: ''It's hard for us to be as hungry as Phoenix or Dallas . . . and I understand that.'' | |
| 5 |  | 4 Last Week: 9 | The good news for Gil's long-shot MVP hopes: Wiz are tied for the East's best record. The bad news: Even at No. 1 in the Least, Wiz are only on pace to finish 49-33. | |
| 6 |  | 1 Last Week: 5 | Recent losses to Bobcats, Grizz and now Hornets are even tougher to explain when you see that Lakes are 10-4 against the other seven teams in the West's top eight. | |
| 7 |  | 4 Last Week: 3 | Even for these experts in pain, Rockets' latest succession of body blows -- T-Mac's tweaked back and the home fold to Denver to seal an 0-3 week -- was torture. | |
| 8 |  | 2 Last Week: 6 | The coach was clearly expecting more than a 3-4 trip, judging by Brown saying Cavs should be ''embarrassed and ashamed'' after heavy losses in Seattle and Portland. | |
| 9 |  | 3 Last Week: 12 | When C-Webb starts, Pistons are 2-0. But it's still disconcerting to see them with just one win against fellow Central Division foes this close to the 41-game midpoint. | |
| 10 |  | 2 Last Week: 8 | After last Monday's win in Detroit, Wolves were a season-high four games over .500. Three losses and two suspensions (KG and Ricky Davis) later, Wolves are regrouping. | |
| 11 |  | -- Last Week: 11 | Bulls are 4-6 in 2007, which is why Gordon has been moved back into the starting lineup ... even though five of those losses were inflicted by first-place teams. | |
| 12 |  | 4 Last Week: 16 | Bleak as it looked there for a while without Melo, Nuggets couldn't have set up his return much better after spanking Cavs and rallying past stunned Rockets in Houston. | |
| 13 | New Jersey 20-20 | 6 Last Week: 19 | You'd think that Jefferson finally conceding he needs surgery would have Nets freaked, but look at Nets' response to Kidd's personal crisis: 9-2 since Dec. 27. | |
| 14 |  | 4 Last Week: 10 | Pacers have a cushy stretch to work in the new guys: 11 of the next 13 games are at home. On the flip side: Indy has slipped to .500 for the first time in a month. | |
| 15 |  | 2 Last Week: 13 | At 9-15 since their 13-4 start -- and with Shaq coming back soon -- it now looks as though Magic's run as Florida's top team will wind up on the shorter side. | |
| 16 |  | 2 Last Week: 14 | If Lakers can start 11-19 in '02-03 thanks to a Shaq injury and still finish 50-32, you can understand why Shaq and his Heat never really panicked in this East. | |
| 17 |  | 2 Last Week: 15 | Of course Raps wanted to be the Atlantic's first team to reach the magical .500 mark. Then again, they're grateful just having a shot at a division title after starting 2-8. | |
| 18 |  | -- Last Week: 18 | All the Maggette trade chatter obscures the fact that Clips, who still find themselves adrift of playoff range, have only one win over a winning team since Christmas. | |
| 19 |  | 2 Last Week: 17 | Now you know why Nellie went on that ''Where are our veterans?'' rant about Dunleavy and Murphy. It's because he wanted to find them and trade them. | |
| 20 | NO/Oklahoma City 16-23 | 2 Last Week: 22 | Valid question: After all our fretting about Peja's back prognosis and the painful realities of life without Chris Paul, was David West actually Hornets' key to it all? | |
| 21 | Charlotte 14-25 | -- Last Week: 21 | Big week for Bobcats, who have a chance Wednesday to clinch their season series with Detroit (up 2-1) and sweep Lakers (three-OT rematch is Friday in L.A.). | |
| 22 |  | 1 Last Week: 23 | Right after the brawl, Knicks won two in a row (Jazz and Bobcats) at the buzzer. Last week might have been their karma payback: Back-to-back buzzer L's to Wiz, Nets. | |
| 23 | Seattle 16-25 | 2 Last Week: 25 | It's been a streaky month -- six straight losses, followed by three straight wins -- so we can't promise that Collison will sustain his recent double-double fever. | |
| 24 |  | 1 Last Week: 25 | He's missed 20 of Portland's 42 games and might not even be Blazers' most popular rookie with Rodriguez around, but Roy could well still rank as the ROY favorite. | |
| 25 |  | 5 Last Week: 20 | Bucks' only victory in five games since Boykins arrived required 30 points from Little Earl. Redd and Mo Williams, in other words, can't get back to work soon enough. | |
| 26 |  | -- Last Week: 26 | Panic in Sacto's kingdom is rampant with good reason. Kings' only victory in their past nine games came against the easiest team to beat these days: Boston. | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 29 | Everyone says Grizz are really ready to entertain Gasol trade offers. That's fine, but I still say they were better off making a real play for Iverson to play alongside Pau. | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 27 | 76ers still have the East's worst record, but for how much longer? Celts and sprialing Hawks seem determined to keep Philly just out of Oden-Durant territory. | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 28 | So how do Hawks build on three straight W's? By losing twice to Bobs in 48 hours by a shameful 40 points combined, lowlighted by Josh Smith's obscene gesture. | |
| 30 |  | -- Last Week: 30 | Just a hunch here, but I'd say the ''confusion'' and ''mystery'' about when Pierce will return from injury just might have something to do with Celts' lottery odds. | |
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