30. Sacramento Kings (Last week’s ranking: 28): The Kings are losers of six consecutive games and are looking forward to seeing the season come to a merciful end. After a double digit loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night the Kings find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (29): After four straight losses the Cavaliers have pretty much locked up their place in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. They will be one of the few teams to go from finishing first place in the conference in two consecutive seasons only to finish last the third season.
28. Washington Wizards (27): The Wizards are also on a losing streak, and have lost their last three games and nine out of their previous ten. It looks like the Wizards will have the chance to win the lottery again this season.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves (30): Minnesota is 4-6 in their last ten games but has pulled ahead of Sacramento in the standings. However, the only positive thing Minnesota had going for them (Kevin Love’s double-double streak) ended on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors.
26. Toronto Raptors (26): Is it any coincidence that two of the bottom five teams are teams that had their best player bail for Miami this season? Probably not. The Raptors are struggling without Bosh, and are looking forward to another shot at the draft lottery in June.
Next: 25 – 21
25. Detroit Pistons (25): It appears that the Pistons have accepted their fate and will look to rebuild next season. However, continued drama surrounding the team and head coach John Kuester has the Pistons as the latest soap opera story in the NBA.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (24): The Bucks would be lower on this list if the team above them wasn’t the Pistons. However, after only scoring 56 points on Sunday night against the Boston Celtics isn’t something they want on their resume.
23. New Jersey Nets (23): As hard as I tried to put them higher in the ranks I just couldn’t do it. However, since the acquisition of Deron Williams the Nets have looked much better, and are currently on a four game winning streak, including an overtime victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (21): The Clippers are still reeling from losing Eric Gordon to yet another injury, and it clearly affected them in their loss to New Jersey on Friday. However, a win in Washington was enough to put them ahead of New Jersey.
21. Charlotte Bobcats (22): The Bobcats are still struggling since trading Gerald Wallace to Portland, and it appears that the team is upset at owner Michael Jordan for the move. However, the Bobcats were able to grab a moral victory when they defeated Wallace and the Trail Blazers on Friday.
Next: 20 – 16
20. Indiana Pacers (19): Despite currently sitting in the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers are 10 games below .500.
19. Utah Jazz (18): The identity of this team at the beginning of the season was head coach Jerry Sloan and star PG Deron Williams. Both of those faces are now gone, and the Jazz are left with nothing but a chance at the lottery.
18. Houston Rockets (14): The Rockets have lost two straight games and appear to be falling out of post-season contention. Houston has dealt with a variety of injuries again this season, and are looking at another off-season filled with questions.
17. Golden State Warriors (20): The Warriors have won two straight games and became the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 19th to prevent F Kevin Love from recording a double-double.
16. Phoenix Suns (17): The Suns are a shell of their former selves, and are still trying to incorporate their new players after their land-shifting trade with the Orlando Magic. It appears as if the move isn’t going to work for this season, and Phoenix will be looking ahead to the future once again.
Next: 15 – 11
15. New York Knicks (16): After trading for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups many felt the Knicks would cruise through the Eastern Conference. However, they’ve struggled recently including an embarrassing loss at home against the lowly Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (15): Despite losing their last game the Sixers have still gone 7-3 in their last ten games and are currently just half a game behind the New York Knicks for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
13. Memphis Grizzlies (10): The Grizzlies are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but a 5-5 record over their last 10 has the Phoenix Suns licking their chops.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (9): After beating the Miami Heat it appeared as if the Blazers were going to make a run at the fifth seed in the West, but after an embarrassing loss to the Bobcats the often-injured Portland team is looking for answers.
11. Atlanta Hawks (12): The Hawks ended a short losing streak against the Trail Blazers on Saturday and look to have a lock on the fifth seed in the East.
Next: 10 – 6
10. New Orleans Hornets (13): A scary Chris Paul injury had the Hornets worried their season might be a wash, but Paul returned on Saturday and tallied 33 points and 15 assists in a win over the Sacramento Kings.
9. Denver Nuggets (11): Despite being written off after trading Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks, the Nuggets have remained a post-season threat in the Western Conference. The Nuggets have won eight out of ten and are currently sitting at the fifth spot in the West.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (6): After acquiring Kendrick Perkins from the Boston Celtics many felt that the Thunder had enough pieces to make a legitimate run at the NBA Finals. However, Perkins has been unable to suit up for Oklahoma City and has left them with a void at center.
7. Orlando Magic (7): The Magic have won six out of ten but were left scratching their heads after giving up 123 points to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night and falling in overtime. However, they rebounded nicely with a win in Phoenix and will visit the defending champion Lakers on Monday night.
6. Miami Heat: (8): Many of the questions that surrounded Miami ended on Thursday night after the Heat defeated the Lakers to end their five game losing skid. Miami turned around and then put up a dominating performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, winning 118-85.
Next: Top 5
5. Dallas Mavericks (5): The Mavericks had a chance to secure the second seed in the West at home against the Lakers but were unable to do so. The streaking Lakers now have a chance to surpass Dallas in the standings, which would mean the Mavericks would visit Los Angeles for Game 1 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
4. Boston Celtics (2): The Celtics are sitting atop the Eastern Conference and appear to be in great shape heading into the playoffs. However, it is still to be determined whether or not the trade for Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic will pan out for Boston when it counts.
3. San Antonio Spurs (4): After suffering an embarrassing loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the Spurs rattled off three straight wins and have all but guaranteed themselves the top seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.
2. Los Angeles Lakers (1): The Lakers are still red-hot since the All-Star Game, and have gone 9-1 since the break. However, their one loss was to a reeling Miami Heat team on Thursday. The Lakers rebounded well on Saturday night, though, and defeated the Dallas Mavericks to pull Los Angeles within a half game of the Mavericks for the second seed in the Western Conference.
1. Chicago Bulls (3): The Bulls might be the best team in the league that nobody’s talking about. They’re the only team in the league that’s hotter than the Lakers, and have won nine out of 10 since the All-Star break. There is also a good chance that PG Derrick Rose will win his first league MVP award as the Bulls battle Boston for the top seed in the East.