NBA Power Rankings: Big Top Lakers

Not only have the Lakers been dominant since the return of Pau Gasol, but they've been fun to watch, too. The home win over the Thunder was a complete circus, where you had Kobe Bryant hitting shots from behind the backboard, followed by an impromptu performance from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who was handed a mic during a fourth quarter timeout to "spontaneously" do one of his hit songs. Things are good right now in L.A., and the rest of the league has a lot of catching up to do -- read on to see where they all rank this week.

1. Lakers (11-3) | Prev.: 5
It's not just that the Lakers have won four in a row, it's that they haven't been challenged in any of them. It seems obvious that a month into the season Phil Jackson has his team on that championship timeline, where everything is really just a slow build until the start of the postseason and beyond. -- Matt Steinmetz
2. Magic (11-3) | Prev.: 7
The defense is a little shakey, the offense still has some rust, Vince Carter is somehow unaware that he's surrounded by the basketball equivalent of a fully functioning armory, and there have already been talks about SVG's attitude. And yet the Magic waltz in and blast Boston right in the mouth in their house. 11-3, best in the East, but Jameer Nelson's out again. Of course, that wasn't so bad last year... -- Matt Moore
3. Cavaliers (10-4) | Prev.: 3
Winners in seven of their last eight, and the Cavs look poised to get two more -- without Shaquille O'Neal -- before three straight at home against some stiffer competition. Dallas, Phoenix and Chicago will be solid tests, but win or lose, what will be most important is to get everyone healthy and start to build some chemistry (and some momentum) for the long haul. -- BP
4. Suns (11-3) | Prev.: 2
The starting five is going to do what it's going to do. But the Suns' long-term success this year will depend on their bench, and so far Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley have provided the numbers and the intangibles. Still, Phoenix is going to need a little more from Goran Dragic and Louis Amundson, and that's where the uncertainty is bound to come in. -- MS
5. Hawks (11-3) | Prev.: 1
Man, how things change. Just last week they were 9-2, riding high. And now? They're 11-3. Oh. I guess they're still riding high. And now the Hawks get the awesome job of having to prove to everyone that they can win consistently through the All-Star break, at which point people will question their ability to win the playoffs! Yay! I'm not saying it'll work out like the Magic, but do you notice a pattern? The Magic made the playoffs in '07, lost in the first round. They made it out of the first round in '08, lost in the semis. Then they broke through in '09. Now the Hawks have made it to the playoffs in '08, made it out of the first round, lost in the semis in '09 and started on fire with wins over quality teams. Again, not saying they're the same, but the pattern is intriguing, no? -- MM
6. Nuggets (10-4) | Prev.: 4
After an embarrassing loss to theClippers, the Nuggets quickly righted the ship with blowout wins over the Bulls and the Nets. J.R. Smith has been a big boost, and since his return from suspension, has shot almost 48 percent from the field in his last six games. Considering more than 75 percent of his attempts came from outside the paint, that's an impressive clip. -- BP
7. Blazers (11-5) | Prev.: 9
Portland is 8-2 over its last 10, and Brandon Roy has only been the team's leading scorer three times during that stretch. LaMarcus Aldridge has been solid, and has shown he can produce when given the heavy minutes. Oh, and that Greg Oden guy? He had perhaps his best game ever in the team's blowout win over the Bulls.-- BP

8. Celtics (10-4) | Prev.: 8
With a 2-3 record over the team's last five games, and the fact that they needed overtime to take out the abysmal Knicks, this ranking is probably a little high. But the Celtics do stand atop their division, despite the wretched three-point shooting of Rasheed Wallace and the fact that Kevin Garnett is still miles away from looking like his formerly dominant self. That's ... something. -- BP
9. Mavericks (10-4) | Prev.: 6
The Mavericks' three-game homestand read: San Antonio, Sacramento, Golden State. The Spurs match was the only one in which Dallas played well. Go figure. The Mavs managed to edge the Kings on Friday before falling hard to a resurgent Warriors team Tuesday. Shawn Marion has missed about a week of action, and there's no Josh Howard in sight, so it's all Dirk, JET and ... err, Drew Gooden? Tim Thomas? can do to keep winning games they are supposed to win. -- Tom Ziller

10. Bucks (8-4) | Prev.: 13
So, you might have heard that this Brandon Jennings guy is pretty good. After Andrew Bogut went down with a leg injury, Jennings carried the team to two and a half solid performances, before things eventually caught up with them in the second half at San Antonio. Still, the kid appears to be special, and there hasn't been this much excitement surrounding the Bucks in a long, long time. -- BP

11. Rockets (8-6) | Prev.: 11
Houston has been championed for its grit and determination. But that's not the complete story: this team is smart. Chuck Hayes is a borderline defensive genius, and you know the book on Shane Battier. If Trevor Ariza's wingspan were one inch shorter, you could say he gambles too much. But the man is amazing in passing lanes -- more than two steals a game while rarely leaving his teammates in a bad position. If there's one question (other than whether they can contend with giant frontcourts like Gasol-Bynum and Aldridge-Oden in seven-game series), it's whether back-up Kyle Lowry is a better lead guard than Aaron Brooks. Jury's out, there. -- TZ

12. Thunder (8-7) | Prev.: 14
Solid bounce-back win at Utah on Tuesday, after playing the Washington Generals to the Lakers' Globetrotters show on Sunday. Kevin Durant has been the leader on the court, and he's taking the lead off it as well: check out his latest music video with teammates Jeff Green and James Harden. -- BP

13. Raptors (7-8) | Prev.: 18
Don't look now, but after a blistering game against the Pacers where the Raps put up 74 first-half points, they have surpassed the Suns for the league lead in offensive efficiency. It's a good thing, too, considering they're dead last in the same statistical measurement on defense. -- BP

14. Jazz (7-7) | Prev.: 20
It looked like Utah was starting to figure things out, after winning three straight, one of which was in San Antonio where they hadn't gotten a win in (roughly) forever. But a disappointing home loss to the Thunder leaves the team back where it started, still searching for answers. -- BP

15. Spurs (6-6) | Prev.: 18
Prediction: next season, the Spurs will start the season 0-14, everyone will write the eulogies ... and the Spurs will storm back to make the postseason. Slow starts have become a part of the Spurs' fabric, and yet still pundits wonder aloud whether it's time to start digging the grave. No! It's not! When Tim Duncan retires or switches teams, then you can dig the grave. Not a moment sooner. -- TZ

16. Heat (8-5) | Prev.: 16
Dwyane Wade: What's that sound?
Erik Spoelestra: That's the sound of our early start falling to pieces, with three consecutive losses before escaping at home from New Orleans by a hair. What's that other sound?
Wade: Nothing! (*continues packing bag*) -- MM

17. Bulls (6-7) | Prev.: 12
Things are going the wrong way for the Bulls: after opening their six-game roadie with a win in Sacramento, the team has lost by 15, 19, and 22 points in their last three games. Derrick Rose has been a bit more aggressive of late, but he has yet to come close to the performances we saw from him during last year's playoffs. -- BP

18. Pacers (5-7) | Prev.: 10
After looking solid on a five-game winning streak, the Pacers came back to earth a little and are currently riding a four-game losing streak. Had a chance to beat the Cavaliers, and played well for three quarters. Unfortunately, the games are a bit longer than that, and LeBron James took over in the fourth to save the day. -- BP

19. Hornets (6-9) | Prev.: 23
A resurgent week for the Hornets, insomuch as the CP3-less squad managed to beat the Suns and Hawks, two squads marked as elite in the early going. The only loss in the last four games for New Orleans came in a squeaker against Miami. Jeff Bower proved his mettle by playing Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton (his '09 draft picks) big minutes. If only Byron Scott knew it could have been that easy .. -- TZ

20. Clippers (6-9) | Prev.: 24
Under the circumstances, the Clippers will take their 6-9 record. What circumstances, you ask? Well, L.A. has been playing all season without Blake Griffin, and Baron Davis isn't exactly off to a rip-roaring start (14.9 ppg., 38 percent from the floor). Credit Rasual Butler and Al Thornton for doing a real nice job in the absence of Eric Gordon. -- MS

21. Grizzlies (5-9) | Prev.: 27
Someone woke up the bear, though I will go ahead and predict this Grizzly is going right back to sleep. Memphis picked up three wins in its last four games, losing only to Milwaukee in a game Straight Outta Vancouver hung on Lionel Hollins's head. Mike Conley has been so bad not even Greg Oden wants him anymore! -- TZ

22. Pistons (5-9) | Prev.: 19
Detroit had no chance in Phoenix after taking the Jazz to overtime the night before, but they have some nice pieces in place. Jonas Jerebko is more than serviceable, Will Bynum is outplaying Rodney Stuckey, and DaJuan Summers has some serious range. Now, if they could only stop relying so heavily on Ben Gordon offensively -- and/or get Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince back on the court sometime soon -- maybe they'd have a fighting chance. -- BP

23. Warriors (5-8) | Prev.: 26
It's official: The trade of Stephen Jackson was addition by subtraction. Since Jackson moved onto to Charlotte, the Warriors have gone 2-2, but that's not the half of it. Their two losses were hang-in-there jobs at Boston and Cleveland, and they've beaten the Blazers at home and now Dallas on the road. The harsh question now being asked in the wake of the win over the Mavericks on Tuesday is this: Are the Warriors better off without Don Nelson, too? Nelson, who has pneumonia, didn't accompany the team. -- MS

24. Kings (5-8) | Prev.: 17
Everyone agrees Paul Westphal is doing a nice job in Sacramento, and the Kings have done a wonderful job of playing without Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia. Still, despite the grit the Kings have lost four in a row. There is good news right in front of them, however: two upcoming home games against New York and New Jersey, respectively. -- MS

25. 76ers (5-9) | Prev.: 21
Despite the losses beginning to pile up, the team's been competitive lately, losing by no more than six points in their last four Ls. Lou Williams has stepped up his scoring to lead the team, which has become a necessity with Andre Iguodala's recent slump of 13-for-49 shooting over his last three games. -- BP

26. Bobcats (4-9) | Prev.: 22
The Bobcats lost seven straight before pounding Indy on Saturday. They wanted offense, and Stephen Jackson is giving them offense. He's firing like a Howitzer armed by Stevie Wonder, but if you shoot enough bullets you're going to hit something. This team is wretched offensively and can't out-talent teams defensively. It may not get better before it gets worse. -- MM

27. Wizards (4-9) | Prev.: 26
You gotta love a team that rewards its fanbase by beating Cleveland before losing to its next two opponents by a combined 41 points. A win last night over a wretched Philly team stems the bleeding a bit, but the locker room finger pointing is in full force and there's no sign of improvement for this club in the areas unaffected by the complexity of Flip Saunders' offense, namely effort and communication. -- MM

28. Knicks (3-11) | Prev.: 29
Hey, how about that wacky Nate Robinson? You know, shooting at the other team's basket and all? Wasn't that crazy? Apologies, but there's just not much actual basketball worth discussing right now where these guys are concerned. -- BP

29. Timberwolves (1-13) | Prev.: 28
Sure, they might be a shot away from being in the same situation as the Nets. And, they might be playing worse than New Jersey is at the moment. But no matter what happens, Kurt Rambis isn't going anywhere, and if Al Jefferson can become even close to what he was last year, the team could go on a mid-season run and get some wins under its belt. Or not ... it could really go either way. -- BP

30. Nets (0-13) | Prev.: 30
Only reason to watch right now is to see if they tie the record for most losses to start the season at 0-17 (likely), and if Lawrence Frank makes it back alive from the team's West coast swing (unlikely) -- BP