1. Miami Heat (28-9): Yes, the Spurs still have the best record, but how can I ignore the Heat's recent roll? They've won 19 of their last 20 games; that's well above a 72 win pace. If only they had started the season this hot. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James have figured out their chemistry issues and are absolute dobermans defensively. Chris Bosh has found his niche as a really strong third option.
2. San Antonio Spurs (29-5): Why are the Spurs so good? Last night in a loss to the Knicks when they weren't playing well, Gregg Popovich benched his starters with the game still in reach. Pop understands that the season is a marathon, and sometimes it's more about sending a message than winning a game.
3. Boston Celtics (26-7): Rajon Rondo is back, and if he stays healthy from here on out, the Celtics could end the year with the best record with Rondo as league MVP. Who's the last MVP that only averaged 10 points a game? Yet Rondo's 13 assists and 2 steals per game are MVP-worthy.
4. Dallas Mavericks (26-8): With Caron Butler out for the rest of the season, this team just lost its chance to win a championship. He was their second most talented scorer, and now an increased burden falls on the veteran legs of Jason Terry and Jason Kidd.
5. Chicago Bulls (23-10): Joakim Noah still has 4-7 weeks to sit on the bench, but the Bulls have won five straight because Carlos Boozer is averaging a monstrous 20 points and 10 boards per game. Boozer is a star, Derrick Rose is a superstar, and Luol Deng is a very nice supporting scorer. Once Noah gets back, the Bulls have a veritable big four with a deep bench.
6. Orlando Magic (22-12): The experiment seems to be working thus far. Six wins in a row for Stan Van Gundy's new crew, things are going according to plan. Hedo Turkoglu is revitalized (just had a triple double) and Gilbert Arenas is coming off the bench to provide a huge spark (22 points off the bench a few nights ago). I just wonder if they have to many mouths to feed on offense.
TIE 7. Los Angeles Lakers (24-11): It pains me to put them this low, but they haven't earned any ascension. The sky isn't falling like some would suggest, but they are playing some pretty lethargic ball. Losing to the Grizzlies at home is bad. The good news though is that Andrew Bynum looks healthy and strong. He's averaging 12 points and 9 boards over his last five games in the starting lineup. Stay healthy big man, stay healthy.
TIE 7. Utah Jazz (24-11): The Jazz just keep sticking around in my power poll and keep earning my respect week by week. Deron Williams is fully capable of being a lead superstar, and he's proving it averaging 22 points and 9 assists per game. He's an MVP candidate.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (23-12): Sure they're ten games over .500, but they aren't playing up to potential. They are far too reliant on two players, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and I can't help but think they need to pull a trade for a legit big man.
9. Atlanta Hawks (23-14): Yes they have a nice record, but can you tell me they are honestly any different from the last few seasons? To me they are just a nice regular season team with no hope of making noise in the playoffs.
10. New York Knicks (20-14): They slipped a bit early in the week, but they've won two straight and got a really nice win over the Spurs. This doesn't appear to be a team that will just fold up the tent when things go bad.
--from Adam
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