SECAUCUS, NJ, March 17, 2008 -- Over the last few weeks, especially after I put the Rockets at No. 1 last week, I've received plenty of mail decrying Houston's winning streak. The predominant sentiment has been that only a few of their wins were against good teams, so it wasn't that big of a deal.
Most of that mail came from Lakers fans. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kobe Bryant:
"People who say that are the same people who say that me scoring 81 was nothing because we played against the Toronto Raptors. That's the kind of meaning that that had. It's B.S. Every team in the NBA is a tough team. Any time you go on a 21-game winning streak, that's absolutely amazing. If it was that easy, there would have been more teams that would have done it."
I also give you the result of yesterday's game: Rockets 104, Lakers 92.
Oh right, Pau Gasol wasn't playing, so that game doesn't mean anything either.
If you've got any questions or comments about this week's rankings, you know what to do. I'll answer mail later this week.
LeBron Team of the Week: Houston (4-0) DeShawn Team of the Week: Miami (0-4)
High jumps of the week: Detroit (+3), New Jersey (+3), New Orleans (+3), Philadelphia (+3), Phoenix (+3), Washington (+3) Free falls of the week: San Antonio (-4), Denver (-3), Golden State (-3)
Off: Points scored per 100 possessions Def: Points allowed per 100 possessions The league averages 91.7 possessions (per team) per game and 108.6 points per 100 possessions.
TEAM (LAST WEEK)
REC.
BREAKDOWN
1
Houston (1)
46-20
Off: 108.2 (16), Def: 102.2 (2) -- They beat the Lakers, and for that, they're rewarded with the Celtics (home), Hornets, Warriors and Suns (all away) this week. If this streak reaches 26, anybody who writes an anti-Rockets e-mail will be forced to watch the April 11 game between the Grizzlies and Heat ... 10 times in a row.
Off: 113.1 (6), Def: 104.2 (3) -- You've got to be impressed with the Pistons' two wins this weekend. They beat the Spurs with defense on Friday and the Hornets with offense on Sunday.
4
New Orleans (7)
44-21
Off: 112.7 (8), Def: 107.1 (8) -- David West missed three games with a sprained left ankle, came back for the Hornets' two huge wins over the Spurs and Lakers, and then sprained his right ankle, forcing him to miss Sunday's loss in Detroit. Not good timing for a team that was decimated by injuries last season.
5
L.A. Lakers (3)
45-21
Off: 113.7 (3), Def: 106.4 (5) -- No one will miss Pau Gasol (estimated to be out for another two weeks) more than Lamar Odom. Since Gasol arrived in L.A., Odom is shooting an unbelievable .633 from the field.
TEAM (LAST WEEK)
REC.
BREAKDOWN
6
Utah (5)
44-24
Off: 114.8 (1), Def: 108.3 (13) -- Friday's game in Boston matched the best defense in the league against the best offense, and the offense won out as the Jazz shot 51 percent from the field and got the line 33 times in a huge 110-92 victory.
7
Orlando (9)
44-24
Off: 113.5 (5), Def: 108.3 (12) -- All eyes are on the Celtics and Spurs tonight, but the undercard ain't bad. The Magic, who have won four straight, host the Cavs at 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV. And if you're an Orlando fan, this thing is pretty cool.
8
San Antonio (4)
44-20
Off: 109.1 (13), Def: 104.3 (4) -- The Spurs have lost five of their last six (with all five losses coming on the road) and have fallen all the way down to sixth in the West. But a somewhat favorable schedule (after tonight's game against the Celtics) should keep them from falling much further.
9
Phoenix (12)
44-22
Off: 114.6 (2), Def: 109.5 (17) -- We may eventually look back at last Sunday's win over the Spurs and realize that it was the turning point for the Suns. And we may eventually look back at the acquisition of Gordan Giricek, who is shooting 20-for-31 in the last three games, as more important than anyone thought at the time.
10
Dallas (11)
44-23
Off: 112.9 (7), Def: 107.2 (10) -- The Mavs have won five straight by an average margin of 23.6 points, but they haven't beaten a team with a winning record since the Kidd trade. With home games against the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs this week, now's their chance.
11
Golden State (8)
41-24
Off: 113.7 (4), Def: 110.5 (22) -- The Warriors didn't exactly beat the Grizzlies convincingly on Saturday, but they're still holding strong to that eighth spot in the West. With three games against the Rockets and Lakers looming, they need to take care of business against the Kings and Clippers (both on the road) over the next two.
12
Philadelphia (15)
33-34
Off: 107.4 (18), Def: 106.5 (6) -- Folks, the Sixers are for real. They beat Detroit (on the road) and San Antonio this week. And while a win over the Bulls might not look like much at first glance, that they came back from 18 down in the fourth puts it in the "big win" category as well.
13
Denver (10)
40-26
Off: 110.4 (11), Def: 106.5 (7) -- Since mid-November, the Nuggets have won three straight six times, including their current streak. But they've yet to get four in a row. Their five-game road trip begins in Detroit, so No. 4 will be hard to come by once again. For the record, the offensive rating for Sunday's show was 144.9. Not bad.
14
Washington (17)
33-32
Off: 109.6 (12), Def: 109.7 (19) -- Three straight wins (with Caron Butler back for the last two) have the Wizards back over .500 and holding on to that sixth spot in the East. And Gilbert just might return in the near future.
15
Cleveland (13)
38-29
Off: 108.0 (17), Def: 108.3 (11) -- After missing seven games with a bulging disc in his back, Zydrunas Ilgauskas made a solid return on Sunday with 16 points, nine boards and three blocks. Sometimes, in trying to compare this season's Cavs team to the one that went to the Finals last year, we forget all the lineup issues that they've had.
16
Toronto (14)
34-32
Off: 112.3 (9), Def: 109.1 (15) -- The Raptors have lost four straight and are 2-8 since Chris Bosh went down, but he should be back this week. The other good news is that Jason Kapono hit two threes on Sunday, which is as many as he had hit in the previous 18 games.
17
Portland (16)
35-32
Off: 108.5 (14), Def: 109.3 (16) -- Saturday's win over the T-Wolves was one of those games that has Blazer fans dreaming of the (near) future as Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 51 points on 21-of-38 shooting.
18
New Jersey (21)
28-38
Off: 104.1 (26), Def: 109.8 (21) -- After a very ugly Southwest trip, the Nets came home and got two quality wins over the Cavs and Jazz. What's most encouraging may be that they can outscore a great offensive team like the Jazz with Vince Carter shooting just 6-of-20 from the field.
19
Sacramento (19)
30-36
Off: 108.4 (15), Def: 111.0 (25) -- Since Kevin Martin was robbed of the Most Improved Player award last year, I'd like to submit his name for consideration again this season. The guy hasn't stopped getting better.
20
Atlanta (18)
28-38
Off: 106.3 (21), Def: 108.9 (14) -- The Hawks had lost 19 of their last 21 road games going into Sunday, but the Knicks are the cure for all your ills. They're hoping that opened the floodgates, because three of their next four are on the road, including matchups with the Nets and Bulls, whom they're battling for that final playoff spot in the East.
21
Chicago (20)
26-39
Off: 104.4 (25), Def: 107.2 (9) -- The Bulls play the Hornets and the Spurs this week, but their biggest game is probably Tuesday's matchup with the Nets. They currently trail New Jersey by just one game in the loss column for the final playoff spot in the East. They should be tied in the loss column, but they blew an 18-point, fourth-quarter lead on Friday.
22
Charlotte (22)
24-42
Off: 105.5 (24), Def: 110.9 (24) -- The Bobcats had a five-game winning streak without Gerald Wallace. Then he returned Wednesday, and they've lost three straight. The opponents (Dallas, Houston and Cleveland) and the location (all on the road) probably had something to do with it though.
23
Minnesota (23)
15-50
Off: 103.8 (27), Def: 111.8 (27) -- The T-Wolves had a real shot at getting that elusive third straight win on Tuesday, but blew a late lead to the Blazers. I'm picking them to win four straight this week though: Clippers, Grizzlies, @ Pacers, Knicks.
24
Indiana (24)
25-41
Off: 106.8 (19), Def: 109.7 (20) -- Somehow, despite their 6-18 record over the last 24 games, the Pacers are three games out of a playoff spot. And (I can't believe I'm writing this) their next four games are very winnable.
25
L.A. Clippers (26)
21-44
Off: 102.8 (29), Def: 109.6 (18) -- The Clips dropped a heartbreaker in Washington on Saturday after leading by four with seven seconds to go. With Chris Kaman "out a while" according to coach Mike Dunleavy, this team is going take some lumps the rest of the way.
Off: 106.4 (20), Def: 113.9 (30) -- Good news, Bucks fans. Two of your team's next three games are against the Miami Heat.
28
Seattle (28)
16-51
Off: 101.6 (30), Def: 110.6 (23) -- It's not often that you score 116 points ... and lose by 52. It's probably safe to say that Denver, who has outscored them 306-212 in their last two meetings, is not a good matchup for the Sonics.
29
Miami (29)
11-54
Off: 103.0 (28), Def: 111.7 (26) -- Are the Heat now paying for their sins of a few years ago? No way, says Ira Winderman. I tend to agree. I'll take the championship, thank you very much.
30
Memphis (30)
15-50
Off: 105.9 (22), Def: 113.3 (29) -- Playing small (a frontline of Mike Miller, Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick), the Grizz put up a fight Saturday at Golden State, but the result was their 17th straight road loss.
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