Power Ranking the NBA's Hottest Cheerleaders

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With the NBA season winding down and teams starting to fall too far out of their respective playoff races to do much in terms of making a run at the postseason, teams are going to start feeling that end-of-the-season lull.

There's always a time at the end of the year when arenas start to thin out and teams start throwing out ticket deals in order to get more butts in the seats. They're desperate for attendance, as they are making the final pushes for every dollar as the season comes to a close.

However, for every new event and for every cheap ticket deal, there is one thing that has been around sports for so long that it's almost faded into the background, it's become just another attraction at the stadium. I'm talking, of course, about the cheerleaders.

Unlike cheerleaders in the NFL, NBA cheerleaders are visible, often intricate parts of the mid-game entertainment to keep people in their seats and excited during timeouts.

Of course, some teams are better at utilizing cheerleaders than others, and there are some cheerleaders out there who stick out more than others.

Here I have for you, then, the 12 most beautiful sirens of the hardwood.

12. Courtney, Boston Celtics

I've always been a fan of the Boston Celtics cheerleaders.

They always seem to have some sort of fun little gimmick that they're playing on.

For the Celtics Dancers, it seems like every home game in the TD Garden is just another small slice of St. Patrick's Day, and we're all ready to be swimming in green beer.

11. Ashley, Miami Heat

It goes without saying that one of the few things a basketball fan that hates the Heat can like is the dancers that they pack their sidelines with.

Ashley is just one of the many Miami Heat dancers who make us almost forget about hating this team.

She doesn't, but she does come very close.

10. Jessica, Chicago Bulls

There's just something about a woman in a jersey that makes them that much more desirable, and to make it all better, it's not like she's overtly trying to look good—it's just happening.

It's a big task to make a man get past the fact that you're wearing the jersey of his rival team, but I think that's something at which Jessica is successful.

9. Teresa, Los Angeles Clippers

You know what I like about Teresa?

She's not one of those bandwagon Clippers cheerleaders who jumped on and started dancing for the team because of the Lob City moniker.

No, she's been there through thick and thin, all of three years.

In the photo to the left, Teresa is the brunette girl on the left—the one that's not snarling at the camera—in her early days as a Clippers dancer.

8. Rachel, Phoenix Suns

They say that Arizona is a dry heat.

I've never been there, so I can't rightly say, but there's definitely some incentive to do so.

The Suns dancers are just as maddeningly close to the sun as any other team's, and it shows with this young lady.

7. Kasie, Memphis Grizzlies

Kasie is another cheerleader who has been around for a long time in cheerleader years, as she's in her third year with the Grizzlies.

She seems like someone who genuinely enjoys dancing for a basketball team and always comes across as a good person.

That being said, I think it's really time that the Grizzlies change the name of their dance team, as they're currently donned, "The Grizz Girls."

Sure, it goes along with the team's name, but it gives off the vibe that they're pulling these ladies out of a cave, which they clearly aren't.

6. Brittney Kerr, Charlotte Bobcats

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I don't know if it's the fact that I just enjoy finding nice things to say about the Charlotte Bobcats or if it just seems like she's a nice lady, but there's something about Brittney Kerr that just seems right.

Everything about her seems to fit in with the basketball world.

She's got the last name of a five-time NBA Champion, she seems to be quite tall and she looks good in Bobcats colors.

Okay, so that last one has only been associated with about five basketball players ever, but still.

5. Paula, Dallas Mavericks

If there is one thing that is synonymous with sports in Dallas, it's their cheerleaders, and you know that the huge focus on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders had to have some sort of spillover into basketball.

The Mavericks have just as good a dance squad as any other team, and it's really on display with girls like Paula here.

4. Natasha, Los Angeles Lakers

As if I could say anything about cheerleaders without mentioning a single member of the Laker Girls—they are, after all, basically the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders of the NBA.

While doing a bit of research for this, I found out that Natasha is a fan of classical piano.

I'm not sure how that relates, but I do find that to be pretty cool for a cheerleader.

3. Tori, Washington Wizards

Let me just say one thing about the Wizards this year—if there's one thing they got right, it's the "new" jerseys they have throwing it back to the Bullet days, and I'm not just saying that because Tori looks good in it.

You could throw a new John Wall jersey on Rosie O'Donnell right now and I would think, "Hmm, that jersey's pretty fly."

That being said, it's not hard to make a jersey (or half of one) look good when you're dancing around on the court in Washington—just take a look at Tori.

2. Sophia, Toronto Raptors

There's something about Sophia in this picture that just gives off the vibe of a 1940s pinup girl, which is very cool.

I don't know whether it's the slightly raised eyebrows or the smirk (I love a good smirk), but Sophia just has that classic look about her that isn't seen enough these days.

1. Mandi, Los Angeles Clippers

I'm genuinely sorry about this, but I can't in good faith see the name Mandi (or any form thereof) without linking to the Barry Manilow song. 

To those of you who want to have a terrible song stuck in your head for the rest of the day, by all means click the link, but even I'm regretting it now.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the beautiful lady.

Like the basketball team, the Clippers "Spirit Dance Team" has really brought their game this year, and I daresay that they've overtaken the Laker Girls as the best cheerleaders in Los Angeles.

There, I said it.

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