Power Rankings: Lakers reclaim top spot
Updated: November 23, 2009, 12:23 PM ET
By
Marc Stein | ESPN.com
Week: Team:
Add up three convincing home wins, one slip by the Atlanta Hawks, Pau Gasol's triumphant comeback … and what do you get?
The Los Angeles Lakers back on top of ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings.
| ESPN.com Senior Writer Marc Stein |
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The Hawks drop slightly to a still-lofty No. 2 after last week's first-ever rise to the top spot in our 1-to-30 pulse take of the league every Monday during the regular season. But the Hawks' weekend loss to banged-up New Orleans and L.A.'s return to dominance with Gasol back in the lineup -- as well the overall title potential of the NBA's reigning champs -- sent the Lakers back to the rankings summit.
Other prominent upward movers this week include Orlando (No. 10 to No. 4, thanks largely to a statement win in Boston), Milwaukee's completely unforeseen entry into the top 10 (No. 12 to No. 10 on the strength of the hugely improved defense Scott Skiles has coaxed out of the Bucks and heavy offensive doses of Brandon Jennings) and Utah's climb back to more familiar territory (No. 20 to No. 12).
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| 2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 4 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 4 Last Week: 5 | Rare misread by us. Pau has been back for only two games, but the Lakers' overall health suddenly must seem dreamy to Boston and loads of other teams. Playing 17 of your first 21 games at home can't hurt, either. | |
| 2 |  | 1 Last Week: 1 | Can't bust on them too hard for losing to the injury-hit Hornets when the Hawks responded to the high jinx potential of their historic promotion to No. 1 by first sweeping past Portland, Miami and Houston at home. | |
| 3 |  | -- Last Week: 3 | The best part about the Suns' start is that the schedule sets them up for a big second-half surge if they can get through a few more weeks in decent shape. Fifteen of their first 22 games are roadies; only one bad loss so far. | |
| 4 |  | 6 Last Week: 10 | Vinsanity seals a big victory in Boston, Dwight gets Stan to ease up on his negativity and Jameer's latest injury is softened by Rashard's return. Conclusion? We definitely dropped Orlando way too far last Monday. | |
| 5 |  | 3 Last Week: 2 | Updating one of my favorite stats of the early season, it's time to tally up the havoc Melo is wreaking: 476 minutes played; 396 points scored. Works out to one point every 1.2 minutes based on my amateur math. | |
| 6 |  | 1 Last Week: 7 | The schedule hasn't been the toughest, but the Mavs have had several injuries early and are just one late free throw in New Orleans away from an 11-2 start, all with Nowitzki supplying the only consistency. | |
| 7 |  | 1 Last Week: 6 | Good to see young (and athletic) Hickson get an extended shot and seize the opportunity. Not so good, from the Cavs' perspective, to hear LeBron publicly lament the fact that Charlotte beat Cleveland to Stephen Jackson. | |
| 8 |  | 4 Last Week: 4 | The Spurs, at least, have the handy rationalization of being wracked by injuries. The slow-moving Celts have been a lot healthier by comparison, which makes this 4-4 malaise since their smothering 6-0 start so curious. | |
| 9 |  | 1 Last Week: 8 | Back to the bench for Andre Miller ... for a couple of reasons: 1. Roy's game seemed squeezed even when the Blazers' three-PG lineup went 6-0. 2. Portland's famed depth just ain't the same with Batum and Outlaw out. | |
| 10 |  | 2 Last Week: 12 | B-Jennings is the first rookie with six 25-points-or-more games before Thanksgiving since someone named Michael Jordan in November 1984. And you wonder why Scott Skiles can't get any pub for the job he's doing. | |
| 11 |  | -- Last Week: 11 | The forthcoming docket for the gutty little Rockets: Dallas at home Wednesday, San Antonio at home Friday and then a trip to Oklahoma City on Sunday. A week doesn't get more Southwestern-y than that. | |
| 12 |  | 8 Last Week: 20 | D-Will is back and five straight home games loom after a 3-0 week that included a hex-snapping win in San Antonio over the short-handed Spurs. Methinks this could end up being Utah's best stretch since early March. | |
| 13 |  | 4 Last Week: 9 | It used to be routine to refer to the Cavs as the LeBrons. Why, then, aren't more folks calling this team the D-Wades? (Follow-up bonus factoid: Miami's eight wins came against teams with a composite record of 32-57.) | |
| 14 |  | 1 Last Week: 13 | Sunday's lesson from the Lakers dropped OKC's record to 10-43 in its past 53 games against teams that showed up with a winning record. But you have to believe that mark won't look so one-sided by season's end. | |
| 15 |  | -- Last Week: 15 | Even when Popovich is working so hard not to overextend his stars -- Duncan is averaging just 32 minutes per game, followed by Parker at 27.3 mpg and Manu at 23.4 -- San Antonio has seen injuries galore already. | |
| 16 |  | 2 Last Week: 14 | The bad news: Chicago's annual circus road trip looks as murderous as ever. The good news: Derrick Rose had the look of a full-speed Derrick Rose on Saturday night in Denver for maybe the first time this season. | |
| 17 |  | 1 Last Week: 16 | The Raps are nervous enough about a porous defense that too frequently cancels out Bosh and Bargnani's ongoing offensive prowess. Hearing Bosh complain publicly about media disrespect doesn't bring much comfort. | |
| 18 | New Orleans 6-9 | 8 Last Week: 26 | Byron Scott, truth be told, began the season with little chance of survival. But his reluctance to play Collison and Thornton -- rookies who, with Peja, just sparked wins over Phoenix and Atlanta -- sealed B-Scott's fate. | |
| 19 |  | -- Last Week: 19 | No Kevin Martin or Tyreke Evans in Houston and still Sacramento hangs in all the way to the final minute on the back end of a back-to-back. One more example of why we refer this scrappy group of kids as Rockets Lite. | |
| 20 |  | 3 Last Week: 17 | What drags a team back down to Earth after ringing up 113 points on Boston with Murphy, Dunleavy and Foster all out? The driving force in Indy's case was blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter in New York. | |
| 21 |  | 1 Last Week: 22 | The Dubs can't relax now that Jack's gone. Not when a W over Portland was preceded by L's at Cleveland and Boston. And not when stops in Dallas and San Antonio are next before a home date with the Lakers. | |
| 22 |  | 4 Last Week: 18 | You can rationalize Detroit's 0-4 trip out West when you factor in the quality of the opposition and the Pistons' injury woes. Harder to explain or accept is the fact that Will Bynum has been steadier than Rodney Stuckey. | |
| 23 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | The Clips followed up their good win in OKC by dropping winnable games in New Orleans and Memphis. Let's see if they can build on a good home W over Denver ... especially with Eric Gordon coming back from injury. | |
| 24 |  | -- Last Week: 24 | Anyone else having trouble figuring out which Gilbert we should expect these days? Is he talking? Not talking? Shooting? Just passing? Yes on Hibachi? No on Hibachi? Isn't that a lot of personas for a three-win team? | |
| 25 | Charlotte 4-9 | 4 Last Week: 21 | Fearless prediction: Stephen Jackson will not be in Charlotte at season's end. The Bobcats still won't score enough or win enough with Jack to persuade them not to re-shop Jack before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. | |
| 26 |  | 1 Last Week: 27 | If we did Irony Rankings, Memphis would be a top-three lock. Grizz owner Michael Heisley mandated the signing of Iverson to be the first box-office draw in franchise history ... and A.I. left without playing a home game. | |
| 27 |  | 4 Last Week: 23 | After six losses in eight games as well as the loss of Speights to injury, Philly is forced to focus on its one ray of promise: Elton Brand averaged a long-awaited 20 points, 10 boards and 4 blocks in the past three games. | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 29 | This is where they draw the line? After a decade of stupefying Knicks madness and dysfunction, Iverson is the guy they won't sign? Would have actually made the rest of the Knicks' season fun. Or at least watchable. | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | It must be worrisome for the Wolves, to say the least, that they've played almost into Thanksgiving and somehow Ricky Rubio has tasted victory in the NBA only one fewer time than fellow Wolves lottery pick Jonny Flynn. | |
| 30 | New Jersey 0-13 | 2 Last Week: 28 | L-Frank won his first 13 games as an NBA head coach after replacing Byron Scott. And now Frank's in the midst of an 0-13 start in what is virtually certain to be his final season in New Jersey. Did someone say full circle? | |
New Orleans
Charlotte | ||||
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