Power Rankings: Hawks soar to No. 1 spot
Updated: November 16, 2009, 2:01 PM ET
By
Marc Stein | ESPN.com
Week: Team:
You had to wait a little longer than last season, when Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups were swapped on the first Monday of the regular season.
Not too long, though.
| ESPN.com Senior Writer Marc Stein |
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The third Monday of the new season is a certifiable Blockbuster Monday. On top of Golden State's big trade in the morning that sent Stephen Jackson to Charlotte, you can spend the rest of the afternoon digesting this: Atlanta has claimed the top spot in ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings for the first time in the eight seasons that your faithful committee (of one) has chaired this project.
Two-game losing streaks for the Celtics and Lakers -- with Atlanta's road win Friday over Boston trumping Denver's home win over the defending champs on the same night -- created an unexpected opening at the top that the Hawks have rightfully seized. Atlanta's best start since going 11-0 to open the 1997-98 season includes a home rout of Denver and an impressive win at Portland.
Throw in Phoenix's ongoing rise and we have a top three we never expected to see, even in the unpredictable early portion of the season, with the Celtics, Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers shoved down into the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 slots, and Orlando dropping to No. 10.
Click here to rank the teams yourself, or click here to comment on these rankings.
| 2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 3 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 5 Last Week: 6 | After matching Cleveland's win in Orlando with their own breakthrough in Boston, it's time to toss it out there: How much more must the Hawks do before we all start saying that the East elite runs four teams deep? | |
| 2 |  | 3 Last Week: 5 | Can't emphasize enough how torn we were on whom to award the top spot, given how Denver has dealt with seven road games ... and J.R. Smith's seven-game suspension ... and what it just did to the Lakers. | |
| 3 |  | 1 Last Week: 4 | Excluding its two games against the teams that appeared in June's NBA Finals -- both on the second night of a back-to-back -- Phoenix is a pretty passable 9-0. And only four of those games were at home. | |
| 4 |  | 3 Last Week: 1 | Seeing Cleveland lose two of its first four home games was disorienting. But seeing 3-happy Boston get swept on a Friday/Saturday back-to-back, capped by a 113-point pummeling in Indy, was just as staggering. | |
| 5 |  | 3 Last Week: 2 | The Lakers, like their old pals from Boston, are faced with their first losing streak of the season. The view, though, is clearly more troubling for L.A., now that Kobe has his own groin injury to go with Pau's bad hammy. | |
| 6 |  | 3 Last Week: 9 | Things change fast around here. One successful two-game swing through Florida and suddenly Cleveland -- after the supposed crisis of a 0-2 start -- is the only NBA heavyweight that can say last week was a good week. | |
| 7 |  | -- Last Week: 7 | The latest indefinite loss of Josh Howard and their wasted chance to beat short-handed San Antonio were undeniable setbacks. But the Mavs will take that 7-3 mark given how up-and-down they've been. Gladly. | |
| 8 |  | 2 Last Week: 10 | Four W's in a row on the road is four in a row on the road. Even when the opposition is a combined 9-32. But Portland also can't deny that its trip to the ATL will give us a much better read on that new three-guard alignment. | |
| 9 |  | 1 Last Week: 8 | How cruel was the ending Miami inflicted Saturday night on the poor Nets? It was Jersey's fourth loss already by three points or less ... and only the ninth 3-pointer banged home by D-Wade in 36 attempts this season. | |
| 10 |  | 7 Last Week: 3 | Probably time for us to hush our fawning about the Magic's depth. They get Rashard back this week and look like they need the boost ... although defense has been the real disappointment. Which is Dwight's department. | |
| 11 |  | 1 Last Week: 12 | You watch the Rockets win on the Lakers' floor and you hear that they've scored 100 points or more in nine straight games for the first time since 1995-96 and you understand why there's hesitation to rush T-Mac back. | |
| 12 |  | 9 Last Week: 21 | Who cares that three of the Bucks' wins came against teams with a combined record of 5-25? Milwaukee is suddenly synonymous with NBA excitement for the first time in forever. All because of one little lefty. | |
| 13 |  | 1 Last Week: 14 | OKC's defense/length/athleticism seen in San Antonio suggest this team can handle seven roadies in nine games just fine . . . except that it bookended that win with an L in Sacramento and a home L to the Clips. | |
| 14 |  | 3 Last Week: 11 | The next time the Bulls score 100 points (or even 95) will be the first time this season. But there are some gaudy numbers in Chicago if you know where to look. Joakim Noah, for example: Six straight double-doubles. | |
| 15 |  | -- Last Week: 15 | Yes: It was fair to expect a smoother start from the Deepest Team of the Duncan Era. No: Can't believe those same slow-starting Spurs beat Dallas without two of their three best players for the second season running. | |
| 16 |  | 1 Last Week: 15 | The most galling part about Sunday's narrow loss in Phoenix -- besides wasting the latest good game in Chris Bosh's best-ever start -- is that the Raps' much-maligned D made the Suns work so hard to get to 101. | |
| 17 |  | 7 Last Week: 24 | We're with you, Pacer People. We watched your squad deliver another early season beatdown of the Celts -- just like last season -- and we're hoping this doesn't mean Indy is destined to peak in November. Again. | |
| 18 |  | 2 Last Week: 16 | The good news: Gordon, Charlie V, Will Bynum and Big Ben have kept the Pistons competitive. The bad news: Trading Prince -- one of the options they have to bring in some size -- is a lot tougher if Tay has a bad back. | |
| 19 |  | 6 Last Week: 25 | Fitting that Houston was the victim when the Kings extended their miraculous, shocker-of-the-season start to 5-4. Sacramento's scrappy play without the injured Kevin Martin does feel rather Rockets-esque. | |
| 20 |  | -- Last Week: 20 | The Jazz have regressed to the point, especially defensively, that a comfortable win in Philly and a near-win in Cleveland -- both with Deron Williams attending to a difficult family matter -- add up to big progress. | |
| 21 | Charlotte 3-6 | 3 Last Week: 18 | Five times in nine games, Charlotte hasn't made it to 80 points. With MJ making a rare courtside appearance Saturday night? The Bobs scored 74. Hopefully their trade gamble on Jack gives us some new material. | |
| 22 |  | 5 Last Week: 27 | Isn't the Jack trade alone worthy of this bump? This we believe even more firmly: Nellie is not going to walk away from his $6 million salary to drop to a consultant's wage, nor will the Dubs pay him $6 mil just to consult. | |
| 23 |  | 6 Last Week: 17 | The spotlight on Brand's struggles is about to get brighter with Philly losing Speights. Cause it means Elton should start getting fourth-quarter minutes again, which could get him going ... or heap more pressure on him. | |
| 24 |  | 5 Last Week: 19 | The Wiz are 1-0 in the presence of the committee (of one) and 1-7 (with six straight L's and countless injuries) since. Scant consolation: Boykins just had a better Wiz debut than Michael Jordan: 20 points to MJ's 19 in 2001. | |
| 25 |  | 3 Last Week: 22 | Did the Clips cool any heat under Mike Dunleavy's seat by winning Sunday at OKC? Better question: How has Dunleavy lasted into his seventh season working for Donald Sterling, who used to fire coaches for sport? | |
| 26 | New Orleans 3-8 | 3 Last Week: 23 | Byron Scott gets the rest of this season's $5 million salary no matter what. Jeff Bower loses Chris Paul in his debut as an NBA head coach ... and the Hornets have holes aplenty with CP3. Who would you rather be? | |
| 27 |  | 1 Last Week: 28 | Full disclosure here: I want Iverson to come back soon purely and selfishly to see the Griz try to accommodate Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Hasheem Thabeet, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Iverson and now Jamaal Tinsley. | |
| 28 | New Jersey 0-10 | 1 Last Week: 29 | Indy at home Tuesday night. Milwaukee on the road Wednesday night. And a big Saturday lunchtime showdown with the equally punchless Knicks. Surely winless New Jersey can win one of three games this week. Right? | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | In the midst of four full days off after a humbling home loss to Golden State, we can come up with only one thing going right for the Knicks: Dare we say they're not the only team that missed on Brandon Jennings. | |
| 30 |  | 4 Last Week: 26 | This is only the fifth time ever three teams started 1-9 (or worse) in the same season. The Wolves weren't supposed to be in Knicks/Nets territory, but you can't be surprised looking at their team minus Love and Jefferson. | |
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