TEAM (LAST WK)	REC.	BREAKDOWN
1	Seattle (2)	10-2	Are they ever going to miss from downtown? In last four wins, they've hit 43-of-92 (.467) 3-pointers. Recent win over Minnesota pushed them to the top.
2	Phoenix (3)	9-2	What's scary? Amare's shooting. He's out of the gates at a blistering .593 clip. What's even scarier? The Suns are averaging 107.0 ppg and Q has been ice-cold so far (.291 FG%).
3	San Antonio (1)	8-3	Still arguably the league's most imposing blend of talent and experience, but recent losses to the Raptors and Grizzlies led to Duncan and company relinquishing first place.
4	Miami (9)	8-4	Wade, not Shaq, is emerging as an early MVP candidate and with all of the suspensions in Indy, Miami's prospects of getting out of the East just got a lot sunnier.
5	Sacramento (12)	7-4	Six straight wins? Nice. The play of C-Webb (19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 4.8 apg), Peja (22.3 ppg, 22-of-47 3P's) and Bibby (17.8 ppg, 5.7 apg) over that stretch? Even nicer.
6	Dallas (6)	8-4	Yes, Dirk, Dampier, Finely and J-Terry are hurt. But Harris (14.0 ppg, 4.3 apg), Howard (17.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Daniels (10.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) can still get it done. (Averages are over last four games.)
7	Minnesota (7)	6-4	Kevin McHale's latest reclamation project, Eddie Griffin (7.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .429 3P%), has worked out very well in spot duty up front.
8	Orlando (10)	6-3	What does Orlando have to be thankful for? A big helping of G-Hill (21.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg), who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
9	Utah (5)	7-4	Losing to Miami on a last-second Wade-winner is fine. But losing to the winless Hornets at home? On John Stockton night? How could they not fall a few spots ...
10	Detroit (8)	5-5	You get the sense that they're going to right the ship in Motown, but without Big Ben and Coach Brown, they just don't have that championship swagger.
11	Cleveland (11)	6-4	Power forward Drew Gooden has been a force down low (13.0 ppg, 11.8 rpg over his last four games) while LeBron has been a force way up high.
12	Indiana (6)	8-3	No, they're not the same team without Artest, Jackson and O'Neal. But if Joneses Fred and James can continue their sparkling play of late, then they may not fall that far after all.
13	L.A. Lakers (15)	7-5	They don't have many "big" wins under their belts, but Kobe is making sure they beat the teams they should (i.e., Bucks, Bulls, Clippers, etc.)
14	Memphis (19)	5-6	If they had managed to eke out a win over the Kings last Friday, then Hubie's Grizz could be up as high as No. 10.
15	Washington (18)	6-4	Quietly won three in a row over Eastern competition. And yes it's early, but "Warriors East" could conceivably have three 20-ppg scorers this season (Jamison, Arenas, Hughes).
16	Denver (22)	6-5	Just when it looked like things were starting to go south, they win four straight. Maybe it's because they've had a different high-scorer ('Melo, Boykins, Bucker, K-Mart) in each of those wins?
17	Portland (23)	5-5	The win over Miami was impressive, but a better sign might be that Zach (21.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg) and 'Reef (14.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg) are learning to play side-by-side.
18	New York (24)	5-5	Knicks have to like their chances in the Atlantic, where their balanced attack gives them more flexibility than any other team in the division.
19	Houston (20)	6-7	Should the offense really run through him? Rockets are just 1-5 when Yao scores 20 or more. Though they're only 3-4 when T-Mac does the same.
20	Boston (14)	4-5	After starting first seven games, appears as though Ricky Davis is back to sixth man role, and early returns (20.0 ppg, .640 FG%) are very positive.
21	L.A. Clippers (17)	5-6	With two-guard Bobby Simmons' impressive start (16.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg), it'll be interesting to see what happens now that Kerry Kittles is healthy again.
22	Toronto (21)	5-7	Raptors' 5-7 start isn't so bad when you consider their early strength of schedule, although seven of their next nine games are on the road.
23	Philadelphia (13)	4-6	Even though they dropped three straight, they fell to the Sonics, Spurs and Heat. So they probably deserve a little leniency.
24	Milwaukee (16)	3-6	Same as the Sixers. Yes, they've lost five straight, but losing to Heat, Blazers, Kings and Lakers isn't the end of the world, especially when last three were all on the road.
25	Golden State (27)	3-8	Wins over Bobcats, Bulls and Hornets cement the fact that they aren't the worst team in the league. Plus, after horrendous scoring start, they've broken 100 twice in last five games.
26	Charlotte (28)	2-8	Fell two points shy of making it back-to-back wins over the defending champs. Okafor deserves most of the credit, with 37 points, 25 rebounds and 5 blocks in the home-and-home series.
27	New Jersey (26)	2-8	While the Nets are struggling mightily, it's worth looking at Jefferson's impressive numbers so far this season: 22.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.8 apg.
28	Atlanta (30)	2-8	Hawks have dropped three straight, but they can find positive in the recent play of rookie Josh Childress (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.8 spg over last four contests).
29	New Orleans (26)	0-7	Congratulations to Byron Scott on getting his first win with the Hornets. Lee Nailon has also been a pleasant surprise lately (18.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg over last three games).
30	Chicago (29)	0-9	Well, at least the rookies are starting to come around. Gordon-Deng duo has combined for 69 points over the last two games.