1. San Antonio Spurs (8-1): Richard Jefferson has made the big three into a legitimate big four. If Tiago Splitter can find his footing, watch out. This team has won seven straight games. I would like to see more production from Tim Duncan—just 13 points and 9 rebounds per game so far—but Gregg Popovich is handling him well, keeping the veteran at 29 minutes per game.
2. New Orleans Hornets (8-1): They had to lose sometime, and they did just barely to a good team in Dallas. They have six players averaging at least 9.5 points a game, but as always, I wonder about consistent go-to options around Chris Paul.
3. Boston Celtics (8-2): This team is considerably deeper than last year's squad, which is a scary thought. They will be even better on defense once they get their anchor, Kendrick Perkins, back. Rajon Rondo is an MVP favorite at this point.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (8-2): This is the first poll where the defending champs haven't been number one, and they take a precipitous fall to fourth. Losses at Denver and home to Phoenix are understandable; this team will rebound quickly. Any time you are first in points per game, second in rebounds, and third in assists, you won't be losing for long.
5. Utah Jazz (7-4): Back-to-backs are very tough in the NBA and you usually lose the second game if you're playing a fresh team. Well, the Jazz beat the Heat in an epic comeback, and then played the Magic the next night and won that game too. After one night off, they then beat a very good Atlanta Hawks team. Not a bad week. We can forgive the recent loss to the Thunder.
6. Dallas Mavericks (7-2): They have won four straight and were the team to defeat the previously unbeaten Hornets. The questions with the Mavs will always be: can they stay fresh down the stretch and how will their defense hold up.
7. Orlando Magic (7-3): The Magic are playing too much one-on-one basketball, evidenced by the fact that they are 27th in assists per game. Dwight Howard is averaging 21 and 11, which is great, but he's only getting 32 minutes a game, partly because of foul trouble. That problem could be exacerbated in the playoffs, and if Howard is not on the floor, this team has no chance.
8. Miami Heat (6-4): They probably shouldn't be this high given their play, but they have too much talent to continue winning just 6 out of 10 games. Still, they have lost to Deron Williams, Paul, and twice to Rondo. They are losing the point guard battle every night, and Chris Bosh has been totally average. They don't have a single player that can really impact the game on the boards or in the paint defensively.
9. Phoenix Suns (6-4): This team is starting to play really good ball. They are fun to watch. They bombed the Lakers with 22 threes, and that is exactly what they have to do because they are an awful rebounding team.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-4): They beat Philly, Portland, and the Jazz in Utah, so we can let the loss to the Spurs go. Russell Westbrook is quietly putting up MVP numbers with 23 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals per game.
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