Two very big blowouts took place in San Antonio this week, both of which had a major impact on the top of the rankings. First, the Spurs destroyed the Heat and pulled themselves solidly into first place, but then the Lakers came to down and did the same to San Antonio, making a claim of their own for the top spot. It turns out that they did just enough to claim the top spot for the first time since early November. Here are this week's rankings, with team name followed by weekly record, overall record, rating, and previous ranking.
The Contenders
1. LA Lakers (3-0) (45-19) -6.59 (4)
2. San Antonio (2-2) (51-12) -6.58 (1)
3. Miami (0-3) (43-20) -6.33 (2)
4. Boston (4-0) (46-15) -6.07 (3)
5. Chicago (3-1) (43-18) -5.92 (6)
6. Orlando (2-1) (40-23) -5.28 (5)
Average Teams
7. Dallas (2-1) (45-17) -4.02 (7)
8. Denver (3-1) (37-27) -3.30 (8)
9. Oklahoma City (3-0) (39-22) -3.00 (9)
10. New Orleans (2-2) (37-28) -2.42 (10)
11. Memphis (2-1) (35-29) -2.37 (11)
12. Houston (2-1) (32-32) -1.82 (13)
13. Philadelphia (2-1) (32-30) -1.59 (12)
14. Portland (2-1) (35-27) -1.08 (16)
15. New York (2-2) (32-29) -0.94 (15)
16. Phoenix (2-2) (32-29) -0.54 (17)
17. Atlanta (1-3) (37-26) -0.25 (14)
18. Utah (1-2) (33-30) 0.38 (19)
19. Indiana (1-3) (27-35) 1.00 (18)
20. Milwaukee (1-2) (23-38) 1.45 (20)
Occasional Competitors
21. LA Clippers (2-1) (23-40) 2.61 (23)
22. Golden State (1-3) (27-35) 2.67 (22)
23. Charlotte (0-3) (26-36) 3.46 (21)
24. Detroit (1-2) (23-41) 3.77 (24)
Crappy Teams
25. Sacramento (1-2) (15-45) 5.29 (26)
26. Minnesota (1-3) (15-49) 5.45 (25)
27. New Jersey (2-1) (19-43) 5.46 (27)
28. Toronto (1-2) (17-46) 5.72 (28)
29. Washington (1-3) (16-46) 6.55 (29)
Cleveland
30. Cleveland (1-2) (12-50) 9.10 (30)
It's Hot out West
The Lakers last couple wins weren't that impressive, so what happened in San Antonio yesterday came as a bit of a surprise. The Lakers dominated the team with the league's best record from the starting tip, and maintained a double-digit lead for the entire game. That win, coupled with San Antonio's blowout of Miami in the previous game, established a very clear pecking order among the top teams.
The Houston Rockets reached .500 this week for the first time since December 31, and they did it with large victories over two playoff contenders, Portland and Indiana. The Portland win was especially impressive since it was on the road, and the Rockets have a chance to get above .500 for the first time all season when they face Sacramento tonight.
Portland may have lost to the Rockets at home on Tuesday, but they followed up that disappointment by beating Sacramento on the road then blowing out the Charlotte Bobcats 93-69. If Portland can remain hot, they may have a chance to pull off some big upsets with week as they visit Miami and Orlando.
It's Cold Out East
The Charlotte Bobcats went 0-4 on their latest road trip, and the only game of those 4 that could even be considered close was their 8-point loss to the Lakers on Friday. This week alone they lost by 24 to Portland and 40 to Denver, and it looks like they have given up on grabbing that final playoff spot.
Atlanta started out their 4-game homestand well, beating Chicago by 3 points, but then they lost to the Thunder by 7 on Friday and New York by 13 yesterday, and the games aren't getting any easier, with the top-ranked Lakers in town tomorrow, followed by a trip to Chicago, where the Bulls will be looking for revenge after last week's upset.
The Pacers struggled this week in their trip to the Midwest, losing all three games against Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Houston. They were still able to hold onto the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, however, thanks to the Bobcats struggling even more than Indiana.
NBA Player of the Day
Andre Iguodala - PHI - 15 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl, 5-13 FG, 5-6 FT
It definitely wasn't as impressive as his previous triple-double, but his great performance was critical in the 76ers' overtime win over Golden State. Iguodala was the first Sixer in 10 years to record 2 straight triple-doubles, and he has Philly two games above .500 and looking like a lock for the playoffs.
Predictions - 7 Mar
Upset picks are in italics.
Possible upsets are underlined.
NBA
Trail Blazers at Magic - Magic by 7
Clippers at Bobcats - Bobcats by 2
Jazz at Knicks - Knicks by 4
Hornets at Bulls - Bulls by 7
Mavericks at Timberwolves - Mavs by 7
Thunder at Grizzlies - Grizz by 2
Rockets at Kings - Rockets by 4
Prediction Results - 6 Mar
NBA: 5-4 (.556) 533-222 overall (.706)
College Basketball: 2-1 (.667) 540-134 overall (.801)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 142-93 overall (.604)
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