DILLIGAF
11-13-2006, 12:56 PM
November 13, 2006 ESPN.com
Power Rankings: Rockets streak up charts; Hornets, Bucks crash
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
How do you fill out a top 10 when only four teams on the NBA map have found anything close to a groove?
Never mind. It's a rhetorical question.
Just consider this a heads-up for Tuesday night, when the lonely foursome of clubs playing legitimately good ball at this early stage pair off for a measuring-stick, Power Rankings-sponsored doubleheader: Spurs at Rockets and Clippers at Jazz.
Read on to see where your team ranks ... or any of the 13 teams that awoke Monday sitting at or within a game on either side of .500. Click here to send in your feedback.
2006-07 Power Rankings: Week 2
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (1) Spurs 5-1 November normally doesn't mean much to Spurs, but Oberto and Elson already have Duncan feeling good about the frontcourt help he's going to be getting.
2 (8) Clippers 5-1 I'm eager to see Clips' testing trip Tuesday to Utah, just their second roadie all season, because their home games -- no joke -- have been too easy lately.
3 (3) Jazz 6-1 Normally, we'd make a big fuss about Kirilenko's latest injury, but AK-47 has been only the seventh-leading scorer (8.4 ppg) so far for scorching Utah.
4 (14) Rockets 5-2 JVG has been saying T-Mac's greatest strength is his decision-making. Judging by T-Mac's 6.4 apg and Yao's early dominance, perhaps they're all in agreement.
5 (4) Cavaliers 4-2 No one in the East has a better record, but Cavs' losses to Bobcats and Hawks were a major letdown after their San Antonio breakthrough. They should be 6-0 or 5-1.
6 (7) Heat 3-3 Second half vs. Sonics. Second half in New Jersey. So make that two glimpses of Miami's ''on'' switch to go with two ugly home losses (Chicago and now Houston).
7 (6) Mavericks 2-4 After a four-game losing streak to end last season and another to start this season, Mavs have actually won two in a row. But they still don't look quite right.
8 (9) Lakers 5-3 Lakers have to capitalize on that favorable early schedule, but there's a catch: Kobe says it'll be ''January or February'' before he's at full strength.
9 (11) Nets 3-2 The only team out there to beat Utah can't exactly celebrate. Not after dropping to 0-2 against Miami just two nights later and losing Jefferson indefinitely.
10 (12) Bulls 3-3 Offensively challenged Bulls need more consistency from Ben ... Ben Gordon, that is. Gordon's wacky scoring totals in the first six games: 6, 24, 5, 37, 2, 3.
11 (22) Kings 4-2 Bibby's playing hurt, Miller's out and Muss has to coach under a microscope. But Kings are a healthy 3-0 at home amid all the questions about their future home.
12 (2) Hornets 4-3 The first 4-0 start in the club's 18-season history and being the last team to lose this season, just like that, are memories. Blowing a 27-point lead at Portland will do that.
13 (5) Pistons 3-4 Life without Big Ben is off to a rocky start: Rip's hurt, Sheed has more Ts (four) than Pistons have wins and you're even starting to hear Etroit jokes. As in no D.
14 (20) Warriors 4-3 Beating two of last season's 60-win teams (Dallas and Detroit) in the same week is nice, but Warriors can't stop there with nine of their next 10 games in Oakland.
15 (11) Suns 2-5 If Saturday night's 25-point, 14-board Amare sticks around for a while, I'm guessing Suns will say a 1-5 start was a worthy sacrifice.
16 (21) Magic 4-3 D-Howard has had some quiet nights offensively, true, but he also just went for 21 points and 22 boards against Kevin Garnett. In other words, he's doing fine.
17 (17) Pacers 4-3 Something to talk about besides that mohawk: Harrington has averaged 24 ppg the past five games after totaling just 12 points in his first two games back in Indy.
18 (15) Wizards 3-3 It's been just a so-so start for Wiz, but our first check of Arenas' rebound from the free-throw line is promising. He's shooting a tidy 92.5 percent, 49 for 53.
19 (23) Hawks 4-2 Joe Johnson scoffed when his coach called him an MVP candidate, but it's no exaggeration to say J.J. will get some votes if Hawks win four of every six.
20 (25) Trail Blazers 4-3 Dallas brought 'em back to Earth and Roy (for ROY) got hurt in his fourth NBA game. But tip your cap to Zach's Blazers anyway, with their twice as many wins as Mavs and Suns.
21 (27) SuperSonics 3-4 Sonics had to have that one-point OT win in Atlanta. A tense locker room couldn't take another heartbreaker after losing every close game in a 1-4 start.
22 (19) Nuggets 2-3 Nugs are in a quick hole to Utah already after becoming just the second team in history to open with three straight L's by three or fewer points, then losing K-Mart.
23 (16) 76ers 3-3 With the For Sale sign removed and the team yanked off the market, it's only natural to ask: Does this mean Iverson is going back on the market?
24 (13) Bucks 2-5 When you lose five of six after an opening night W at Detroit -- and when 57 points from my favorite lefty don't add up to a win -- you deserve a steep drop.
25 (18) Timberwolves 2-4 Of all the coaches feeling pressure already -- Rivers, Stotts and, of course, Isiah -- Casey's seat could well be the toastiest with Wolves quickly slipping under .500.
26 (26) Raptors 2-4 This November is already better than last November, when Raps went 1-15, but Friday's home L to Hawks was hardly an uplifting prelude to a five-game trip out West.
27 (29) Knicks 2-5 On top of every other crisis that keeps Knicks in the news, now Frye is backsliding further than the naysayers ever predicted, at 3.4 ppg on 22.2 percent shooting.
28 (28) Grizzlies 1-5 The good news: Pau insists he'll be back on the busted foot before January. The reality: Whenever he returns, it'll be way too late for outmanned Grizz.
29 (30) Celtics 1-5 It hasn't lessened the serious heat Doc's facing, but Pierce wasn't kidding on that NBA TV fantasy commercial when he promised 10 boards a night. He's at 11.7 rpg.
30 (24) Bobcats 1-5 We'll get into Morrison's postgame tobacco chewing later. First, we must lament Bobcats' inability to do more with resurgent Okafor's 18.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 3.5 bpg.
Power Rankings: Rockets streak up charts; Hornets, Bucks crash
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
How do you fill out a top 10 when only four teams on the NBA map have found anything close to a groove?
Never mind. It's a rhetorical question.
Just consider this a heads-up for Tuesday night, when the lonely foursome of clubs playing legitimately good ball at this early stage pair off for a measuring-stick, Power Rankings-sponsored doubleheader: Spurs at Rockets and Clippers at Jazz.
Read on to see where your team ranks ... or any of the 13 teams that awoke Monday sitting at or within a game on either side of .500. Click here to send in your feedback.
2006-07 Power Rankings: Week 2
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (1) Spurs 5-1 November normally doesn't mean much to Spurs, but Oberto and Elson already have Duncan feeling good about the frontcourt help he's going to be getting.
2 (8) Clippers 5-1 I'm eager to see Clips' testing trip Tuesday to Utah, just their second roadie all season, because their home games -- no joke -- have been too easy lately.
3 (3) Jazz 6-1 Normally, we'd make a big fuss about Kirilenko's latest injury, but AK-47 has been only the seventh-leading scorer (8.4 ppg) so far for scorching Utah.
4 (14) Rockets 5-2 JVG has been saying T-Mac's greatest strength is his decision-making. Judging by T-Mac's 6.4 apg and Yao's early dominance, perhaps they're all in agreement.
5 (4) Cavaliers 4-2 No one in the East has a better record, but Cavs' losses to Bobcats and Hawks were a major letdown after their San Antonio breakthrough. They should be 6-0 or 5-1.
6 (7) Heat 3-3 Second half vs. Sonics. Second half in New Jersey. So make that two glimpses of Miami's ''on'' switch to go with two ugly home losses (Chicago and now Houston).
7 (6) Mavericks 2-4 After a four-game losing streak to end last season and another to start this season, Mavs have actually won two in a row. But they still don't look quite right.
8 (9) Lakers 5-3 Lakers have to capitalize on that favorable early schedule, but there's a catch: Kobe says it'll be ''January or February'' before he's at full strength.
9 (11) Nets 3-2 The only team out there to beat Utah can't exactly celebrate. Not after dropping to 0-2 against Miami just two nights later and losing Jefferson indefinitely.
10 (12) Bulls 3-3 Offensively challenged Bulls need more consistency from Ben ... Ben Gordon, that is. Gordon's wacky scoring totals in the first six games: 6, 24, 5, 37, 2, 3.
11 (22) Kings 4-2 Bibby's playing hurt, Miller's out and Muss has to coach under a microscope. But Kings are a healthy 3-0 at home amid all the questions about their future home.
12 (2) Hornets 4-3 The first 4-0 start in the club's 18-season history and being the last team to lose this season, just like that, are memories. Blowing a 27-point lead at Portland will do that.
13 (5) Pistons 3-4 Life without Big Ben is off to a rocky start: Rip's hurt, Sheed has more Ts (four) than Pistons have wins and you're even starting to hear Etroit jokes. As in no D.
14 (20) Warriors 4-3 Beating two of last season's 60-win teams (Dallas and Detroit) in the same week is nice, but Warriors can't stop there with nine of their next 10 games in Oakland.
15 (11) Suns 2-5 If Saturday night's 25-point, 14-board Amare sticks around for a while, I'm guessing Suns will say a 1-5 start was a worthy sacrifice.
16 (21) Magic 4-3 D-Howard has had some quiet nights offensively, true, but he also just went for 21 points and 22 boards against Kevin Garnett. In other words, he's doing fine.
17 (17) Pacers 4-3 Something to talk about besides that mohawk: Harrington has averaged 24 ppg the past five games after totaling just 12 points in his first two games back in Indy.
18 (15) Wizards 3-3 It's been just a so-so start for Wiz, but our first check of Arenas' rebound from the free-throw line is promising. He's shooting a tidy 92.5 percent, 49 for 53.
19 (23) Hawks 4-2 Joe Johnson scoffed when his coach called him an MVP candidate, but it's no exaggeration to say J.J. will get some votes if Hawks win four of every six.
20 (25) Trail Blazers 4-3 Dallas brought 'em back to Earth and Roy (for ROY) got hurt in his fourth NBA game. But tip your cap to Zach's Blazers anyway, with their twice as many wins as Mavs and Suns.
21 (27) SuperSonics 3-4 Sonics had to have that one-point OT win in Atlanta. A tense locker room couldn't take another heartbreaker after losing every close game in a 1-4 start.
22 (19) Nuggets 2-3 Nugs are in a quick hole to Utah already after becoming just the second team in history to open with three straight L's by three or fewer points, then losing K-Mart.
23 (16) 76ers 3-3 With the For Sale sign removed and the team yanked off the market, it's only natural to ask: Does this mean Iverson is going back on the market?
24 (13) Bucks 2-5 When you lose five of six after an opening night W at Detroit -- and when 57 points from my favorite lefty don't add up to a win -- you deserve a steep drop.
25 (18) Timberwolves 2-4 Of all the coaches feeling pressure already -- Rivers, Stotts and, of course, Isiah -- Casey's seat could well be the toastiest with Wolves quickly slipping under .500.
26 (26) Raptors 2-4 This November is already better than last November, when Raps went 1-15, but Friday's home L to Hawks was hardly an uplifting prelude to a five-game trip out West.
27 (29) Knicks 2-5 On top of every other crisis that keeps Knicks in the news, now Frye is backsliding further than the naysayers ever predicted, at 3.4 ppg on 22.2 percent shooting.
28 (28) Grizzlies 1-5 The good news: Pau insists he'll be back on the busted foot before January. The reality: Whenever he returns, it'll be way too late for outmanned Grizz.
29 (30) Celtics 1-5 It hasn't lessened the serious heat Doc's facing, but Pierce wasn't kidding on that NBA TV fantasy commercial when he promised 10 boards a night. He's at 11.7 rpg.
30 (24) Bobcats 1-5 We'll get into Morrison's postgame tobacco chewing later. First, we must lament Bobcats' inability to do more with resurgent Okafor's 18.2 ppg, 12.2 rpg and 3.5 bpg.