Red-Hot Mavericks Top NBA Rankings

Even we were amazed and a bit concerned when Avery Johnson’s Dallas Mavericks started 0-4, after winning the NBA’s Western Conference in 2005-2006. A 12-game winning streak and the worries are over. And it’s not just Dallas shaking up Suite101's NBA Power Rankings.

1. Dallas Mavericks – Dirk Nowitzki is competing with LeBron James for the role of best NBA player, leading Dallas to first place in the NBA’s Southwest Division and a return to the top spot in Suite101's NBA Power Rankings.
2. Orlando Magic – The Magic keep getting better, mainly due to the remarkable play of Dwight Howard, who leads the NBA in rebounding. Not many experts are ready to place Orlando this high in NBA rankings; we are.
3. Phoenix Suns – If you’ve seen past Suite101 NBA Power Rankings, you’ll notice a trend here; lots of teams started slowly and are now playing great and climbing fast. The Suns are another, jumping 10 spots from our last NBA rankings. Steve Nash is having yet another MVP-type year, and Amare Stoudamire is playing like he did two years ago. This is bad news for the rest of the NBA’s Western Conference.
4. Utah Jazz – Utah is 13-4 overall and 8-1 at home. Two weeks ago, Carlos Boozer and friends were the talk of the NBA. The Jazz are still very good, but this team is simply being overshadowed in our NBA rankings by the top three teams, which are all a bit hotter right now.
5. Detroit Pistons – An 8-game winning streak has made us believers. The Pistons figured to struggle mightily without Ben Wallace, but it’s Chicago who is playing poorly and Detroit is on fire.
6. San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs’ core unit – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginbili – is arguably the best starting trio in the NBA. All are playing great, and San Antonio is 11-5.
7. Houston Rockets – It’s impossible to say anything about the Rockets without mentioning Yao Ming. Yao has become the definitive center in the NBA and is putting in the most consistent effort of any NBA player right now. With plenty of help from Tracy McGrady, there’s no telling how far Houston can climb in our NBA Power Rankings.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers – Coach Mike Brown is under heavy scrutiny after losses to NBA teams like Charlotte, New York and Toronto. Too many nights, LeBron James is willing to settle for long-range jumpers, and Brown can’t figure out a solid rotation, while Larry Hughes is out with injury. It’s very early, but if the Cavaliers continue to struggle, Cleveland may be looking or a new coach sooner than later.
9. Los Angeles Lakers – It was just a matter of time before Kobe Bryant got tired of passing the basketball. The result was a 52-point outing. So far, it hasn’t hurt the Lakers, who are still winning and leading the Pacific Division. As long as Kobe doesn’t start lobbing up 35 shots each night, Los Angeles can continue to climb in the NBA rankings.
10. Denver Nuggets – Denver is playing surprisingly well, but with so many other teams on win streaks, the Nuggets couldn’t move up in this week’s NBA Power Rankings. Still, Carmelo Anthony is an NBA MVP candidate and, for now, he has Denver in the thick of a playoff hunt.

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