NBA Power Rankings: Jumping Jazz

The Cavaliers remain on top in this week's rankings -- the same spot that they've held for the last month. So that's not exactly news at this point. The recent surge from the Jazz? Now that's worth talking about.

Utah made the biggest leap, moving all the way up from 12 to number three. And they did so impressively, by winning eight of their last nine, with road wins over Dallas and San Antonio, along with the home buzzer-beater over the top-ranked Cavs.

As for everyone else? Read on to find out where your favorites landed this week.

1. Cavaliers (35-11) | Prev.: 1A
Beat the Lakers, beat the Thunder, beat Dwyane Wade. Injury problems are on the doorstep, but so far the Cavs are in a class unto themselves at this point. -- Matt Moore
2. Nuggets (30-14) | Prev.: 3
J.R. Smith nonsense aside, the Nuggets are riding a seven-game winning streak. The recent surge has George Karl in line to coach the Western Conference All-Stars -- he's neck-and-neck with the Mavericks' Rick Carlisle for the honor, since Phil Jackson is ineligible due to coaching the team last year. -- BP
3. Jazz (26-18) | Prev.: 13
Winners of eight of their last nine, are the Jazz finally putting it together? It seems so, and if all goes well, Deron Williams might just get his first trip to the All-Star game this season when the reserves are announced on Thursday. -- BP

4. Lakers (34-11) | Prev.: 1
They beat Washington so everyone can step back from the ledge. I lean towards sloughing off this recent dip. Everyone has a bad run of games, and the Lakers have more than enough excuses. This is a team that went down by 30 points to the Rockets without Yao Ming (and with Ariza on their side) in the playoffs and still won the Finals. This team isn't dominant, it's just really good. And they'll get there again. Still, a pretty embarrassing week for the bandwagon. -- MM

5. Mavericks (30-15) | Prev.: 4
The Mavs have been mostly consistent, and appear poised to remain in the West's top three for the remainder of the season. In other news, Jason Terry is 80th in the league in three-point shooting, but he and his team are lobbying for his participation in the three-point shootout competition during All-Star weekend. Given that the festivities are in Dallas and the league likes to get as many players from the host team involved as possible, I say he gets in. -- BP

6. Celtics (29-13) | Prev.: 5
I suppose a win's a win, and two wins are two wins. But beating the Blazers without Brandon Roy and the Clippers without Danny Manning in Boston by a combined 10 points ... I mean, kudos, I guess. The Celtics offense hasn't had a good night since beating the Nets two weeks ago, and I'm honestly not sure how big a boon Kevin Garnett is on that end at this point. The team's brilliant defense will be enough to keep Boston near the top of conference, but at some point to dust is going to have to come off the scorers. -- Tom Ziller

7. Hawks (29-14 | Prev.: 8
Some guys will do anything to motivate their team. Atlanta Coach Mike Woodson coached the Hawks Monday night wearing a pair of Velcro-looking eyebrows after his own were shaved off because he lost a football bet the day before. It certainly kept his team loose that night. It's fun being in Atlanta now with the Hawks leading the Southeast Division and everyone playing free and easy. -- Tim Povtak

8. Grizzlies (24-19) | Prev.: 10
The Grizz have won six of their last seven, with impressive ones over Orlando, San Antonio, and OKC during that stretch. Oh, and in case you didn't see the roster for the Rookie Challenge, Memphis has two guys playing for the Sophomores. Young talent paying immediate dividends certainly doesn't suck. -- BP

9. Magic (29-16) | Prev.: 11
Still can't figure which way this team is going after winning three straight, then self-destructing in Memphis against the Grizzlies. This isn't the Vince Carter of old, but just how much has he aged? And can he figure out how to blend his remaining skills with Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis? -- TP

10. Trail Blazers (27-19) | Prev.: 9
The Blazers have managed to remain mediocre for some time, considering the avalanche of injuries the team has suffered this week. In light of recent developments involving Greg Oden and some self-taken nude pictures that hit the internet this week, it's probably not the end of the world that he's out of the lineup at the moment. -- BP

11. Thunder (24-20) | Prev.: 7
This is like the fun-to-watch version of the Houston Rockets. OKC plays hard every night, except they've actually got exciting and athletic players doing it. The team's last four losses have been by a combined five points -- to Cleveland, Memphis, Dallas, and San Antonio. Even in defeat, this team impresses. -- BP

12. Bulls (21-22) | Prev.: 20
Their fans seem to loathe this squad for its lack of talent, and yet they've rattled off big win after big win, including a monstrous Texas two-step. The Bulls are in good shape for the playoffs if they can just develop some consistency. -- MM

13. Rockets (24-20) | Prev.: 15
Good solid team, playing better than expected, etc. Still, the most interesting thing to happen to Houston was when Mike Woodson showed up with no eyebrows when his Hawks came to town on Monday, and won in H-Town for the first time in 10 years. -- BP

14. Spurs (25-18) | Prev.: 6
The Spurs are one of the teams rumored to be looking at making Phoenix an offer for Amar'e Stoudemire. Given the historic bad blood between the clubs in the playoffs, though, it would be hard to imagine Suns' fans embracing someone like Manu Ginobili, or San Antonio fans cheering for STAT. -- BP

15. Bobcats (21-22) | Prev.: 13
The Cats have grown into a legit playoff contender, now on track for the first post-season appearance in franchise history. They have won at home all season, but finally winning in Phoenix Tuesday night proves they have taken the next step. Raymond Felton did what a lot of point guard can't do – he prevented Steve Nash from dominating the game. -- TP

16. Hornets (24-20) | Prev.: 16
You would think that any chatter of Chris Paul ending up on the Lakers this season as part of a New Orleans salary dump would be nothing more than wishful thinking from delusional Lakers fans. And it's probably not going to happen in this universe. But remember: Pau Gasol happened, and only because Mitch Kupchak was willing to make the ridiculous phone call in the first place. -- BP

17. Heat (23-21) | Prev.: 17
Dwyane Wade lost his one-on-one show with LeBron James the other night, but it made everyone wonder what might happen if the two good friends find their way to the same team this summer. Let's see: Wade to Cleveland or James to Miami? Maybe that was LeBron sizing up a new pair of shorts at the surf shop on South Beach the other day. -- TP

18. Suns (26-21) | Prev.: 14
GET OUT OF THE WAY! THE WHEELS ARE COMING OFF! GET DOWN! GET DOWN! -- MM

19. Raptors (23-22) | Prev.: 18
If Jose Calderon gets back on track -- like, really locked in, as we've seen him in the past -- this team might actually be interesting to watch in the playoffs. Toronto famously has trouble with the Magic, who appear on-track for the third seed as the Raptors try to make themselves comfortable in sixth place. But Chris Bosh is a dynamo, and Andrea Bargnani and Calderon can be fantastic little complements. We'll see how the pending return of Reggie Evans improves thing defensively. -- TZ

20. Clippers (20-24) | Prev.: 19
It's admirable that this team is still trying to win games in spite of how mediocre it is and without Blake Griffin. At the same time, it's also kind of annoying. It's tank time, Clippers. Get with the program. -- MM

21. Knicks (18-26) | Prev.: 21
The Knicks lost by 50 to Dallas (50!) on Sunday and won by 27 against Minnoestaon Tuesday. That doesn't quite mean we can soon expect to see a 77-point Mavs win over the Wolves. I'd like to see that, personally, because I'm a fan of awkward comedy, and a 77-point loss as "high comedic value" written all over it. But it probably won't happen. More likely is that Mike D'Antoni's Knicks continue to do this Jekyl and Hyde nonsense, clicking with the shots fall and falling when they don't. -- TZ

22. Bucks (18-25) | Prev.: 22
So much for heightened expectations. This team isn't bad. They're really not. They're just missing the talent to really get a push to win games. Should have pulled the Redd trigger when they had the chance. -- MM

23. Pacers (16-29) | Prev.: 25
Granger has helped a ton and this team is .500 in its last ten. Which doesn't mean much because they're still pretty terrible. Some promising rookie play from A.J. Price and Tyler makes the future not seem bleak to the point of "The Road," but you have to wonder if they don't need a true impact player. -- MM

24. Sixers (15-29) | Prev.: 26
I don't think the management of the Sixers had splitting home-and-homes with Indiana -- and being relieved about! -- in their preseason plans. Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see soon, as Ed Stefanski is no doubt trying to figure out how to save this roster from itself. -- TZ

25. Pistons (15-28) | Prev.: 23
The ways in which this team are mediocre are astounding. They have some good players, and yet nothing is working. You have to wonder if coaching has an impact here and if Kuester shouldn't unpack the rest of his stuff. -- MM

26. Kings (16-28) | Prev.: 28
Evans is still playing well. Casspi is still playing well. This team's effort is still there. So what happened? Why can they not rebound from this losing streak?... Oh, hi, Kevin Martin, didn't... see you... there...Awkward. The Kings were on a slide before Martin came back, but you still have to wonder if something's not right in Cowtown on that front. -- MM

27. Warriors (12-27) | Prev.: 24
(Insert derogatory Nelson comment here). -- MM

28. Wizards (14-29) | Prev.: 24
The Wizards played before a sold out crowd at home Tuesday night, but much of the crowd was cheering for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. No embarrassment in losing to the Lakers, but everything else about the franchise has become a big one. -- TP

29. Timberwolves (9-33) | Prev.: 29
After getting crushed in Memphis by 25 points, the T'Wolves went on to win an overtime game in Philly, before losing their next two by a combined four points. Alas, the competitive fire seems to have been short-lived, as the next two losses were by a combined 60. -- BP

30. Nets (3-40) | Prev.: 30
The Nets are three losses away from their second winless month. New Jersey, of course, got skunked in November, won three games in December, and are currently riding an 11-game losing streak dating back to Jan. 2. I'm guessing we all agree Lawrence Frank (nor Tom Barisse!) was the problem, right? The more pressing concern is the spirit of the young players. Terrence Williams has been in and out of the doghouse, apparently, and Chris Douglas-Roberts often sounds peeved. Epic losing is a tough stain to wash out, and the Nets staff needs an antidote for the bad juju going around. -- TZ