With only a week left in the season, the NBA Power Rankings are now narrowed down to only those teams with playoff hopes.
1.(3) San Antonio Spurs (52-25) With a big victory Sunday over the Lakers, the Spurs have jumped back into the race for the top seed in the Western Conference. Riding a six-game winning streak, San Antonio seems to be peaking at the right time. Duncan has been slowed while he recuperates from his leg injury, but the rest of the squad has stepped up. If Duncan can return to 100% health and the Spurs can lockup a high seed, they'll be making another run at the crown.
2.(7) Minnesota Timberwolves (54-24) Winners of five straight, the Timberwolves have three of their last four games on the road including a huge match-up with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at Arco Arena. With the top four teams in the West separated by only two games, the contest has tremendous bearing on the playoff seeding. With Sacramento struggling as of late, the Wolves have a golden opportunity to rise to the top spot.
3.(2) Indiana Pacers (57-21) With the number one seed in the East all wrapped up, the Pacers need to concentrate on staying healthy in their last four regular season games. Ron Artest has stepped up his game as of late, leading Indiana in scoring in six of their last eight contests. The Pacers only real opposition in the East comes in the form of the Detroit Pistons. For Indiana to take down Detroit in a seven-game series, their offense needs to be clicking on all cylinders.
4.(6) Detroit Pistons (51-27) Detroit held the league-leading Pacers to 61 points in a huge statement game on Sunday. Though the Pistons are solidified in the third seed in the East, they are quickly becoming the favorite to come out of the conference. Winners of five straight, Detroit's last four games of the regular season are against the cellar dwellers as they look to head into the postseason with a full head of steam.
5.(1) Los Angeles Lakers (53-25) If losing to the Spurs on Sunday wasn't enough, the Lakers followed it up with a 91-80 loss to the Blazers on Tuesday night. With only four games remaining on their schedule, Los Angeles needs to quickly get back on track before heading into the playoffs. Kobe Bryant shot a combined 14-for-49 in the two losses.
6.(4) Sacramento Kings (54-23) The Kings have been up and down, losing four of their last seven. With Brad Miller battling bursitis in his elbow and Chris Webber not in game shape, the Kings have been dominated inside. Sacramento takes on Minnesota and the Lakers this week in games that have major playoff implications. With only five games left, the Kings could end up with any of the top four playoff spots.
7.(5) Memphis Grizzlies (49-28) Currently three games behind the Spurs and hanging on to the fifth seed, Memphis has proven that this season they are for real. Head coach Hubie Brown is a frontrunner for Coach of the Year honors as he has turned the organization around. Without a go-to-guy it is going to be extremely difficult for the Grizzlies to make it out of the first round, but their deep roster will definitely wear down their opponent.
8.(10) Dallas Mavericks (49-28 ) The Mavericks have quietly won five games in a row, but remain in the sixth spot in the tough Western Conference. Though their offensive arsenal runs deep, it will be incredibly difficult for a team that gives up over 100 points per game to make any headway in the playoffs. Look for the Mavericks to be knocked off in round one this postseason.
9.(8) Houston Rockets (42-34) Though the Rockets seem to be headed to the playoffs, it's hard to imagine them making any noise. Currently in the seventh seed, the team doesn't have enough offensive firepower to take on the league's elite. In addition, Houston is a subpar road team (16-21) and is horrendous in conference play (18-28).
10.(9) Utah Jazz (41-37) The Jazz are hanging on by the skin of their teeth for the final playoff spot. With the Nuggets and Blazers right on their heels ½ game back, the Jazz need to focus on one game at a time and win out their remaining four contests.
11.(11) Portland Trailblazers (40-37) The Blazers came up with a tremendous win over the Lakers on Tuesday night, pulling within ½ game of the final playoff spot in the stacked Western Conference. Led by the stellar play of Damon Stoudamire, Portland handed the Lakers a 91-80 loss at Staples Center. The Blazers have a tough schedule left with another game against the Lakers and two versus the Spurs in their last five contests.
12.(12) Denver Nuggets (40-37) Carmelo Anthony logged a career-high 41 points in Denver's 124-119 victory over Seattle. With five games left, the upstart Nuggets are currently tied with Portland ½ game back of the eighth playoff spot. With games remaining against Houston, Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio, this doesn't look to be the year that the Nuggets get back into postseason action.
13.(14) Miami Heat (38-39) Presently in the fifth seed in the East, the Heat are looking for a few more wins in the final days to propel them into the upper half of the bracket. If this team can grab homecourt advantage, though it would be a longshot, their athleticism and youth could carry them into the Eastern Conference Finals. Rookie Dwyane Wade is nursing a rib injury that could be problematic in the postseason.
14.(13) New Jersey Nets (45-32) With Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin ailing, Richard Jefferson needed to step up his game and the 6-foot-7 forward has responded. Jefferson is averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists in his last five games. Kidd and Martin returned to the lineup on Tuesday night as the Nets suffered a 103-98 loss at the hands of the Bucks.
15.(15) Milwaukee Bucks (40-38) The Bucks could be the surprise team of the season. Rookie head coach Terry Porter has done a tremendous job getting his players all on the same page. Even with point guard T.J. Ford out for the last 20+ games, Milwaukee is still treading water and hanging on to the fourth spot.
16.(16) New York Knicks (36-42) The Knicks can't seem to make much headway in the standings as they have lost every other game over their last nine contests. This New York team, particularly Stephon Marbury, needs to kick their game up another notch in order to make a difference in the playoffs.
17.(17) Boston Celtics (35-42) Still clinging to the eighth and final seed in the East, the Celtics may have been better off tanking. There is no chance they are going to knock of the Pacers again this year … or is there?
18.(21) New Orleans Hornets (38-40) Without Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn the Hornets have slid to the sixth spot in the East and are in danger of dropping even lower. Losers of eight of their last ten games, New Orleans faces elimination in round one this postseason as they just don't have the weapons to get it done.
19.(22) Philadelphia 76ers (33-45) Fighting to getting into the playoffs (2 ½ games back of the eighth spot) the 76ers are not getting much moral support from their injured teammates. Allen Iverson, Glenn Robinson, Derrick Coleman and Marc Jackson all were absent from the bench in the Sixers' loss to the Knicks on Saturday. Ravaged by injuries with only four games left, Philadelphia appears to be on the outside looking in this postseason.
20.(20) Cleveland Cavaliers (32-45) With their fifth consecutive loss coming Tuesday night against the Raptors, the Cavaliers have lost nine of their last ten ballgames. The young squad has been nearly eliminated from the playoff picture, three games back of the final seed with only five games remaining on their schedule. It was a commendable run for LeBron and company, but they are still missing a piece to the puzzle.
