Cracking the Top Three

Dec. 22, 2008 -- Just two weeks ago, it appeared as if no team not named the Celtics, Cavs or Lakers would be able to rise above No. 4 in the rankings. In fact, it was difficult to find a team that really deserved be be No. 4.

Well, it didn't take long for the Orlando Magic to make their case. And with the help of a Lakers' slump, they have joined their Eastern Conference brethren, Boston and Cleveland, at the top of the rankings.

The Magic's only loss in their last nine games was a one-point defeat in Phoenix. They went 4-1 on their trip out West, which included their last-second win in Portland. Then, they came home to beat the Spurs on Thursday and the Lakers on Saturday.

Of course, a head-to-head win like that may have been enough to put them above L.A. by itself, but the Lakers also dropped one in Miami the night before. Both games came down to the wire, but it's clear that Phil Jackson's team just isn't very sharp these days.

Maybe a matchup with the Celtics on Thursday (5 p.m. ET, ABC) is what the Lakers need to refocus. Speaking of Christmas games, with the Hornets also playing well of late, that New Orleans-Orlando matchup (12 p.m. ET, ESPN) is looking like the second best game of the day.

• Last Week: A Season of Caring
• This Time Last Year: Early Presents -- Two Eastern Conference teams occupied the top spots, the Celtics were finally about to travel west, the Blazers' winning streak was at 10, the Magic were slumping, the Hawks were fourth in the East, and Antoine Walker broke out the Shimmy.

Nice Team of the Week: Orlando (3-0)
Naughty Team of the Week: Toronto (0-4)

High jumps of the week: Indiana (+5), Milwaukee (+5), Portland (+5)
Free falls of the week: Toronto (-13), Dallas (-6), Denver (-4), Memphis (-4)

East vs. West: East leads 79-62 (.560) in inter-conference games, and was 15-10 this week.

Off: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Def: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank) The league averages through Sunday are 90.7 possessions (per team) per game and 108.1 points scored per 100 possessions.

As always, the stats don't determine the rankings, but they help us evaluate each team and provide a picture of where they stand on both sides of the ball.

NBA.com's Power Rankings are just one man's opinion and are released every Monday during the season. If you've got an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail.

	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
1	Boston (1)	26-2	Off: 112.1 (6), Def: 100.4 (1) For the second time in three years, the Celtics have a streak of 18 games. I'm guessing that the other one wasn't as enjoyable as this one.
2	Cleveland (3)	23-4	Off: 115.7 (1), Def: 100.8 (2) The Cavs picked up another big win in Denver on Friday (a perfect time to ask LeBron if he'd consider sticking around) and are still 13-0 at home, where they play three games this week. They're healthy again too, as Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are back in uniform.
3	Orlando (4)	21-6	Off: 109.2 (13), Def: 103.3 (3) The Magic are finally healthy, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are starting to shoot well, and Jameer Nelson is on fire. Memo to Grant Hill: Being traded here would be an upgrade from your current situation.
4	L.A. Lakers (2)	21-5	Off: 113.7 (3), Def: 103.8 (4) The Lakers' weekend could be described in three words: "In and out." Back-to-back losses in Florida come after a narrow escape at home over the Knicks. The offense was bad in Miami and the defense was bad in the other two games. Bottom line: this does not look like a team that is ready for the Celtics on Thursday.
5	New Orleans (8)	16-7	Off: 112.1 (5), Def: 106.3 (10) Quite a bit has been written about the Hornets' early struggles, but here they are, second in the West and with the fifth best record in the NBA. They've won 11 of their last 13 and have a big week ahead with the Lakers, Magic and Rockets on the slate.
6	San Antonio (5)	16-10	Off: 109.6 (9), Def: 106.5 (11) The Spurs lost a late lead in New Orleans on Wednesday and then fell victim to the new No. 3 the next night in Orlando. But starting with Saturday's win over the Raptors, they've got eight bad opponents in a nine-game stretch. Thursday's game in Phoenix is the only exception.
7	Houston (10)	18-9	Off: 109.3 (11), Def: 104.8 (5) With everybody except Rafer Alston able to play (Tracy McGrady's still achy) and Ron Artest now coming off the bench, the Rockets have gotten offensive, shooting .521 in their three wins this week. They've got a tough week ahead though, with visits to New Jersey, Cleveland and New Orleans before returning home to face the Jazz.
8	Portland (13)	17-10	Off: 115.2 (2), Def: 110.3 (20) Brandon Roy called his 52-point performance against Phoenix on Thursday the best game he's ever played. It's hard to believe that his career high before last week was 33. Now, let's see what he can do against the improved Denver defense over the next two nights.
9	Atlanta (11)	17-10	Off: 109.4 (10), Def: 106.9 (13) The Hawks are 4-1 so far on their eight-game homestand, with wins over the Cavs and Pistons and another nail-biting loss to the Celtics. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until late March before Atlanta and Boston go at it again. In the meantime, the Hawks are clearly the fourth best team in the East.
10	Phoenix (9)	16-11	Off: 112.6 (4), Def: 112.2 (26) The Suns are 3-1 with Jason Richardson and Thursday's game in Portland was their best offensive game of the season. Of course, it was also their worst defensive game, with Richardson's man scoring 52 points, and that's why they lost. They're auditioning several back-up point guards on Monday.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
11	Denver (7)	17-10	Off: 109.3 (12), Def: 105.1 (7) Oops. The Nuggets have dropped three straight. They were all against quality opponents, but the Nuggets' defense has taken a step back. They're now tied with the Blazers for first in the Northwest Division and conveniently play a home-and-home with Portland Monday and Tuesday.
12	Dallas (6)	15-11	Off: 108.8 (14), Def: 106.8 (12) The Mavs got burned by their former point guard on Friday, but their shooting may be more to blame for their two losses this week. They shot a combined .381 against the Nuggets and Nets.
13	Utah (12)	17-12	Off: 109.8 (8), Def: 106.3 (9) With Paul Millsap now at 15 straight double-doubles and Carlos Boozer seeking another opinion on his injured quad that has kept him out of the last 17 games, do you think the Jazz are worried much about Boozer opting out this summer? Sure, Boozer is the better player, but these days you've got to be caring more about return on investment.
14	Miami (15)	14-12	Off: 108.3 (17), Def: 108.6 (18) After three straight losses and three days off, the Heat used a big third quarter to beat the Lakers on Friday. The next night, they held off the Nets in New Jersey. Dwyane Wade struggled in the three losses, but averaged 39.0 points on .553 shooting in the two wins.
15	Detroit (14)	14-11	Off: 108.6 (15), Def: 108.9 (19) The Pistons are now 0-6 on Sundays, but their problems go beyond that. This just isn't a very good defensive team anymore and their most recent Sunday defeat (in Atlanta) may have been a passing-of-the-torch game, as the Hawks now look like more of a contender.
16	Chicago (16)	13-14	Off: 106.3 (20), Def: 108.5 (17) The Bulls have won five straight at home, but they've also lost four straight on the road, and that's where they'll play their next four games. With Drew Gooden out 7-10 days with a sprained ankle, there's not much scoring on the frontline, so they need big numbers from both Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon to win.
17	New Jersey (19)	13-13	Off: 111.0 (7), Def: 112.9 (27) We saw more evidence this week of how the Nets need a big game from Devin Harris to win. He spoiled Jason Kidd's return with 41 and 13 on Friday, but shot just 5-for-15 in a loss to the Heat the next night. In 13 wins, Harris is averaging 28.1 points while shooting .532 from the field. In 10 losses, those numbers are 19.6 and .386. And of course, they lost the three games he missed.
18	Philadelphia (20)	12-15	Off: 104.2 (27), Def: 104.8 (6) The Sixers are 3-1 under Tony DiLeo, with the lone defeat coming by one point to the Pacers on Saturday. They've got a 111.2 offensive rating in the four games and have also showed slight improvement defensively, but they'll miss Elton Brand (shoulder dislocation) over the next month.
19	Milwaukee (24)	13-16	Off: 105.9 (22), Def: 105.8 (8) The Bucks have won four of their last five games, each by 15 points or more. They've shown significant improvement on both ends of the floor, with an offensive rating of 115.0 and a defensive rating of 96.4 over the five games.
20	Indiana (25)	10-17	Off: 106.1 (21), Def: 108.4 (16) The Pacers ended their six-game losing streak and won three of four this week, even with a virus putting Danny Granger, Marquis Daniels and Troy Murphy in the hospital.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
21	New York (18)	11-16	Off: 107.5 (18), Def: 111.1 (24) If the Knicks got two moral victories by losing close games on the road to the Suns and Lakers, they got three moral losses by getting spanked by the Bucks upon returning home. They're off until Friday, so they have time to lick their wounds and get Jared Jeffries healthy ... again.
22	L.A. Clippers (23)	8-19	Off: 101.6 (29), Def: 107.3 (14) The Clippers' four-game trip ended with a 34-point loss to the Bucks, but they've still won five of their last eight. And that's with Baron Davis shooting .346 during that stretch.
23	Golden State (22)	8-20	Off: 108.5 (16), Def: 114.1 (29) After Friday's loss in Atlanta, Don Nelson said that he has named Keith Smart his "defensive coordinator." It only took 2261 career games as a head coach for Nellie to admit that defense ain't his thing.
24	Charlotte (28)	9-19	Off: 104.6 (26), Def: 107.6 (15) The Bobcats are 2-3 with Raja Bell and Boris Diaw in the lineup, and the three losses have been by just 15 total points to the Pistons, Hawks and Warriors. The efficiency numbers show improvement on both sides of the ball.
25	Memphis (21)	9-17	Off: 105.2 (24), Def: 110.6 (21) Even though their four-game losing streak came to an end against the Hornets on Tuesday, the Grizzlies put up a fight against a quality team. Three nights later, they lost by 29 at home to the Bobcats. No fight, no quality. It's Gasol vs. Gasol for the first time Monday in Memphis.
26	Sacramento (26)	7-21	Off: 104.8 (25), Def: 113.9 (28) Kenny Natt's win over the Timberwolves on Monday put interim coaches at 3-3 in their debuts this season. Of course, including the Kings' next three losses, interims are 11-43 (.204) overall. Their predecessors were 29-78 (.271).
27	Washington (27)	4-21	Off: 107.0 (19), Def: 114.7 (30) The Wizards have lost six straight, shooting a putrid .411 from the field and turning the ball over far too much. Oh, and their defense stinks too.
28	Oklahoma City (30)	3-25	Off: 100.8 (30), Def: 110.9 (23) With the Thunder's victory over Toronto on Friday, they increased their projected win total from six to nine, which would tie them for the worst record in NBA history.
29	Minnesota (29)	4-22	Off: 103.3 (28), Def: 111.7 (25) The Wolves have lost 12 straight and Kevin McHale is 0-7 as the coach, but they only lost by seven to the Rockets on Saturday. The parade is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT Monday.
30	Toronto (17)	10-17	Off: 105.8 (23), Def: 110.8 (22) We're sticking the rule we established a few weeks ago: When you lose to the Thunder, you're No. 30.