Cavs and Lakers are The Big Two

There were times during this season when it looked as if no team other than the Cavs, Celtics and Lakers would crack the top three. And there were times when it looked like no one other than those three, the Magic and the Spurs would crack the top five.

Those walls have been broken down, more so by the frailties of the teams listed above than by a big run from any of the other 25 teams. These days, with Kevin Garnett's return boosting the Celtics back to elite status, it's the Spurs who aren't looking very top-fivish.

The top two teams, though, are looking impenetrable. Each has an insurmountable lead atop the conference and, together, they are competing only against each other for home-court advantage .

It has been predicted in this space multiple times that Cleveland-L.A. will be the matchup in the 2009 NBA Finals, and that possibility is looking stronger than ever. Not only will the Lakers have the No. 1 seed in the West, but they also have a winning record against every Western Conference team except one. (They're 1-1 against the Jazz, with one game remaining.)

The only Eastern Conference team with a head-to-head edge on the Cavs is the Celtics, who visit Quicken Loans Arena on April 12. Cleveland also has split its first two games with the Magic and visits Orlando on April 3. But of course, the Cavs are 32-1 at home, 21-0 against the East. And even though Ben Wallace is out, Cleveland is looking much more healthy than the Celtics these days.

Meanwhile, the Elimination Watch is on. They're still mathematically alive, but put former partners Larry Bird (Indiana) and Donnie Walsh (New York) on the guest list for May 19 in Secaucus. Then pencil in Rod Thorn (New Jersey), John Hammond (Milwaukee) and Steve Kerr (Phoenix) as well.

It looks like the eighth spot in the East will come down to the Bulls and Bobcats. They play once more (April 11 in Chicago) and Charlotte already has the tiebreaker, with wins in the first two games between the two teams.

• Last Week: A Fine Line
• This Time Last Year: Rising Suns and Convincing Celtics -- The Celtics swept through the Texas Triangle, the Suns had won seven straight, the Magic were showing improvement on the defensive end, the Warriors controlled their own destiny, and the Wizards were waiting on Gilbert Arenas.

Hero Team of the Week: Houston (4-0)
Zero Team of the Week: New York (0-3)

High jumps of the week: Houston (+3), L.A. Clippers (+3), New Jersey (+3), Sacramento (+3)
Free falls of the week: New York (-7), Washington (-4), Miami (-3), San Antonio (-3)

East vs. West: The East leads 215-203 (.514) in inter-conference games, but the West was 14-11 last week.

Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
Off: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Def: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank) The league averages through Sunday are 90.4 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 109.6 points scored per 100 possessions.

As always, the stats don't determine the rankings, but they help 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	Cleveland (1)	57-13	Pace: 87.8 (25), Off: 113.6 (4), Def: 103.5 (2) The Cavs quietly have won nine straight, and if Ben Wallace wasn't out, they would be more than ready for the playoffs. They tied their franchise record for wins Sunday in New Jersey and with 12 games to play, already have 12 more wins than last season.
2	L.A. Lakers (2)	55-14	Pace: 93.4 (5), Off: 115.2 (2), Def: 107.0 (6) If the Cavs finish a game ahead of the Lakers and the two teams meet in the Finals, Game 1 would be in Cleveland thanks to Andre Iguodala's game-winning three last Tuesday. L.A. began its seven-game trip with a Bench Mob-led comeback in Chicago on Saturday.
3	Orlando (3)	51-18	Pace: 91.1 (12), Off: 111.9 (7), Def: 103.8 (3) The Magic were less than a minute from handing the Cavs their second loss at the Q on Tuesday, but a LeBron three and a rare three-second violation sent them home empty-handed. They host the Celtics on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) in a game that could go a long way in determining the two seed.
4	Houston (7)	47-25	Pace: 89.1 (20), Off: 109.7 (15), Def: 105.3 (4) The Rockets have won four straight and moved into second place in the West with Sunday's win over the Spurs (though San Antonio is still a game ahead in the loss column). Put Rick Adelman on the short list for Coach of the Year.
5	Boston (6)	53-18	Pace: 89.2 (19), Off: 112.4 (5), Def: 103.4 (1) For some reason, the Celtics' defense was much better in their two games this weekend (95.3) than it was in their previous 13 games (110.5). Oh yeah, No. 5 came back. That'll do the trick.
6	Utah (5)	43-26	Pace: 91.2 (10), Off: 111.9 (6), Def: 108.0 (11) Wins over the Wizards and Thunder probably aren't enough to say that the Jazz are back on track after losing three straight last week. The next six games, in which they play Houston, Phoenix twice, Portland and Denver, will be a better measuring stick.
7	San Antonio (4)	45-24	Pace: 87.0 (27), Off: 109.7 (16), Def: 105.4 (5) The Spurs have lost four of their last six, including Monday's shocker in Oklahoma City, thanks to an anemic Ginobili-less offense. A shooting percentage of 43.4 percent and an offensive rating of 99.3 over six games is downright ugly.
8	Atlanta (8)	41-29	Pace: 88.5 (24), Off: 110.9 (10), Def: 108.6 (12) It took just one road game for the Hawks' seven-game winning streak to come to an end. They retreat home for a four-game stand, but that includes visits from the Spurs (Wednesday), Celtics (Friday) and Lakers (Sunday).
9	New Orleans (9)	44-25	Pace: 86.4 (28), Off: 110.9 (11), Def: 107.8 (9) The Hornets have won three straight over the dregs of the West. Chris Paul has been ridiculous over the last 10 games, averaging 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 3.60 steals, while shooting 55 percent from the field and 69-for-71 from the line. How exactly is he getting less MVP consideration this year?
10	Portland (12)	44-26	Pace: 85.7 (29), Off: 114.3 (3), Def: 109.9 (18) The banged-up Blazers return to Portland from a solid 3-2 trip for a four-game homestand. In his second game back, Greg Oden racked up seven points, eight trips to the line, nine rebounds and five fouls in just 12:15 of action in Cleveland on Thursday. Whether positive or negative, that's making an impact.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
11	Denver (13)	45-25	Pace: 92.9 (6), Off: 110.9 (9), Def: 107.7 (8) The Nuggets have won five straight over five pretty crummy teams. J.R. Smith dropped 40 on the Wizards on Friday, while the Birdman was just a few blocks short of a triple-double. This week, Denver's got three big games on the road: Phoenix, New Orleans and Dallas.
12	Dallas (11)	42-28	Pace: 90.4 (15), Off: 111.1 (8), Def: 109.7 (16) The Mavs are in the middle of four full days off after Friday's win in Indiana. And if Dirk Nowitzki didn't pull that one out with his game-winning jumper, it would be a long four days. The Suns are hanging around, just three games back in the loss column.
13	Miami (11)	37-32	Pace: 89.0 (21), Off: 109.2 (17), Def: 109.3 (15) The Heat avoided an 0-4 trip by the thinnest of margins in Detroit on Sunday. Still, they're now in a battle with the Sixers for that fifth spot in the East. Of course, seeding means nothing if Dwyane Wade isn't healthy, so keep an eye (and some ice) on that hip.
14	Phoenix (15)	38-31	Pace: 94.1 (4), Off: 115.2 (1), Def: 112.8 (26) With four straight wins, the Suns are still alive, but the next six days could seal their fate. They host Denver and Utah, and then face Portland and Utah on the road. They're currently 7-15 against the eight teams ahead of them in the West standings.
15	Philadelphia (16)	35-33	Pace: 89.6 (17), Off: 108.4 (21), Def: 107.8 (10) Even though they lost at Phoenix and Golden State, the Sixers would be happy to come home with a 3-2 trip and just a game behind the Heat in the loss column. That would require a win in Portland on Monday and maybe some more heroics from Andre Iguodala.
16	Detroit (14)	34-35	Pace: 85.5 (30), Off: 108.8 (18), Def: 109.2 (14) The Pistons are 2-12 on Sunday after this week's frustrating loss at the hands of the Heat. Back under .500 and with just a 2 1/2 game lead over the Bulls for seventh, Tuesday's game in Chicago becomes critical. Allen Iverson is making some progress with his back and just might return (to the bench) sometime soon.
17	Chicago (18)	32-38	Pace: 92.2 (9), Off: 108.6 (19), Def: 109.8 (17) Saturday's game against the Lakers, where they were up 14 at the half and couldn't finish, was an opportunity for the Bulls to pick up their biggest win of the season, put two games between them and the Bobcats and even move to within striking distance of the seventh-place Pistons. The last playoff spot is still theirs to lose.
18	Charlotte (20)	31-39	Pace: 87.0 (26), Off: 106.2 (27), Def: 107.5 (7) If the Bobcats are going to catch the Bulls, they're going to have to do it on the road, with eight of their final 12 games coming away from Time Warner Cable Arena. They've won five of their last seven road games, but Saturday's 25-point loss at home to the Pacers may have killed whatever momentum they had.
19	New Jersey (22)	30-40	Pace: 88.8 (22), Off: 110.3 (13), Def: 112.7 (25) Friday's win over the Heat may have been one last sign of life from the Nets, but they probably need a miracle during this stretch of three games against the Cavs and Lakers in order to have a realistic chance at the eighth spot come April. They're playing without Devin Harris, too.
20	Indiana (19)	29-42	Pace: 94.9 (3), Off: 108.5 (20), Def: 110.5 (19) They're still mathematically alive, but after losing five straight, the Pacers were realistically reduced to the roll of spoiler. And by winning in Charlotte on Saturday, they spoiled the Bobcats' opportunity to tie the Bulls for eighth.
	TEAM (LAST WEEK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
21	Golden State (25)	25-45	Pace: 97.1 (1), Off: 110.7 (12), Def: 114.3 (28) The Warriors are in the middle of a five-game stretch against teams with a lot on the line. They were able to take down the Sixers on Friday and showed some fight in New Orleans on Sunday. Next up are visits to San Antonio, Dallas and Denver.
22	Milwaukee (21)	31-40	Pace: 91.2 (11), Off: 107.9 (22), Def: 109.0 (13) The Bucks' fingertip grip on eighth place has been lost with a 2-4 homestand. Four straight on the road, where they've lost nine of their last 11, followed by a visit from the Lakers could finally put them away.
23	Oklahoma City (24)	20-50	Pace: 92.2 (8), Off: 104.9 (28), Def: 110.6 (20) Monday's upset of the Spurs was the biggest win in Oklahoma City Thunder history and another display of their much-improved defense. Games against the Lakers and Celtics this week provide two more shock-the-world opportunities.
24	New York (17)	28-41	Pace: 95.4 (2), Off: 110.0 (14), Def: 112.7 (24) With four straight losses (including the Kings' first win vs. the East ... by 27 ... in New York) and four teams between them and eighth place, it would be time for the Knicks to book their flight for Secaucus for the May 19 Draft Lottery. But they can just drive.
25	Toronto (25)	25-45	Pace: 90.1 (16), Off: 107.7 (23), Def: 111.5 (21) Not only did the Raptors get an easy win over the Cloppers on Sunday, but Jose Calderon dunked the ball. Toronto is now undefeated with a 24.0 point margin of victory in games that are broadcast in Punjabi.
26	L.A. Clippers (29)	17-53	Pace: 91.0 (13), Off: 103.7 (30), Def: 113.0 (27) You might be the worst team in the NBA if: You lose to the Toronto Raptors by 24, get outrebounded by 23 and shoot 39 percent against one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
27	Sacramento (30)	15-55	Pace: 92.7 (7), Off: 106.6 (25), Def: 115.6 (30) You might be the worst team in the NBA if: You crack champagne on the flight home from New York on Friday after getting your first win over an Eastern Conference team.
28	Minnesota (27)	20-50	Pace: 90.8 (14), Off: 107.6 (24), Def: 112.7 (23) You might be the worst team in the NBA if: You lose to the Thunder at home, are 4-23 since Jan. 28 and Ryan Gomes is your leading scorer for the month of March.
29	Memphis (28)	17-52	Pace: 88.7 (23), Off: 104.4 (29), Def: 111.6 (22) You might be the worst team in the NBA if: Big Baby's dunk on Darko Milicic on Saturday is more memorable than anything else that has happened in Memphis this season.
30	Washington (26)	16-55	Pace: 89.4 (18), Off: 106.4 (26), Def: 115.4 (29) You ARE the worst team in the NBA if: You lose by 15 to the Clippers and are about to make NBA history as the first team to go winless in your own division.