NBA Power Rankings: Who is Streaking and Who Is Slumping at Midseason?
NBA power rankings are here and as we head into the All Star break, we're taking a look at every team in the NBA to tell you who is hot and who's not.
We've had some surprises this season and some disappointments and we'll cover them all as we break down the entire league and find out who the best team in all of basketball is.
There's still plenty of basketball to be played so all of this can change in a matter of days.
If you have any thoughts or comments, leave them below. Who do you think the best team in basketball is?
Nos. 21-30: The Bottom of The Barrel
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No. 30: Cleveland Cavaliers — It's almost comical at this point, except for the Cavs and the city of Cleveland.
No. 29: Minnesota Timberwolves — You would think they'd be better with Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. At least they have Darko on the roster.
No. 28: Toronto Raptors — Andrea Bargnani may be the softest big man in the league. Please, play some defense, any kind will do.
No. 27: Sacramento Kings — The Kings got a big win over the Blazers the other night but it's still a disappointing season.
No. 26: Washington Wizards — John Wall has been good, but not great this year for the Wizards.
No. 25: New Jersey Nets — What happened to Brook Lopez? He took a giant step back this season.
No. 24: Indiana Pacers — At what point do the Pacers just move Danny Granger and try and get a major piece in return?
No. 23: Milwaukee Bucks — Well, so much for keeping up the momentum from last year's playoff run. The Bucks need Brandon Jennings back in the worst way.
No. 22: Detroit Pistons — Let's see, the Pistons have way too many shooting guards, a player feuding with the coach and an unhappy Tayshaun Prince. Not to mention Rodney Stuckey is a shooting guard playing point guard. Other than that, they're in great shape.
No. 21: Los Angeles Clippers — The loss of Eric Gordon until after the All Star break is a crushing blow to this young team.
No. 20: Phoenix Suns
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The Suns are simply not used to this situation.
Phoenix was in the Western Conference Finals a couple of months ago and now it finds itself out of the playoff picture and a team that simply has no identity.
Sure, Steve Nash and a few other pieces are there, but the Suns have way too many swingmen and no dominant player in the frontcourt.
Nash can't do it himself and it's looking like eventually the Suns will have to resign themselves to trading their franchise player.
No. 19: Golden State Warriors
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One of the things lost in the shuffle of this season is how well Monta Ellis has been playing.
Ellis is one of the top scorers in the league and he's been part of the high-powered Golden State offense while adding a few game-winners to his arsenal.
The Warriors have called him their franchise player and it's not hard to see why.
The man is a beast, too bad it hasn't translated into wins though.
No. 18: Charlotte Bobcats
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Well things have certainly changed since Larry Brown left.
The Charlotte Bobcats are playing much better under Paul Silas and things are just running better on the offensive end.
Charlotte has opened it up and it has helped D.J. Augustin, who's numbers have gone way up. There's a lot of talent on this squad, but I'm not sure they're a playoff team.
I wouldn't be shocked to see guys like Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace get moved before the deadline. Stay tuned.
No. 17: Philadelphia 76ers
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Don't look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are playing some good basketball.
The Sixers have beaten the Jazz, the Bobcats, destroyed the Suns and beat the Raptors last night.
That's not exactly the greatest bunch of teams, but for a group that has struggled to some of the worst teams in basketball, it's a step in the right direction.
There's a lot of young talent on that team, it's just a matter of getting consistent performances.
No. 16: New York Knicks
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Well, so much for the New York Knicks being back.
After that hot streak earlier in the season, the Knicks have fizzled out and are now sitting at sixth in the Eastern Conference.
New York is 3-7 in its last 10 games and now the Knicks have the Miami Heat tonight with Chris Bosh out of the lineup.
Amar'e Stoudemire is going to do work tonight, but we'll see if they have answers for the rest of the Heat. My answer is no.
No. 15: Memphis Grizzlies
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Rudy Gay is turning into a stone cold assassin.
First it was the gorgeous game-winning shot over LeBron James to beat the Miami Heat and most recently it was a similar shot to beat the Toronto Raptors just a couple of days ago.
Not only does he rip the heart right out of teams, he does it calmly.
He's earning that contract, that's for certain.
No. 14: Houston Rockets
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While it's not as bad as it was earlier in the season, it hasn't been great for the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets are 22-25 on the season but are 6-4 over the last 10 games and with the amount of talent on that team, you'd think Houston would be a little more competitive.
However, injuries to Aaron Brooks and Yao Ming have slowed Houston down.
Houston may make a deal before the deadline so keep that in mind as we get closer to the trade deadline.
No. 13: Utah Jazz
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What is wrong with the Utah Jazz?
Utah is just slip sliding away in the Western Conference and the Jazz are 3-7 in their last 10 games and losers of their last six games.
Their only wins in that span came against Houston, New York and Cleveland. That's not exactly the cream of the crop.
Meanwhile, Utah has lost to Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey and have been blown out by Boston and the Lakers. Something needs to change in Utah, and fast.
No. 12: Atlanta Hawks
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The Atlanta Hawks are starting to kick it into high gear.
Atlanta is 7-3 in the last 10 games and is currently sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Despite this latest hot streak, I have no faith in the Hawks to do anything in the postseason.
Atlanta paid Joe Johnson too much money and while there's a lot of talent there, the Hawks aren't talented enough to win multiple playoff series.
This streak is all well and good, but in the end, it won't mean anything.
No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers
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You have to feel bad for Brandon Roy.
Roy is having surgery on both of his knees and the star believes that they will never be the same again.
Throw in the injury to Greg Oden and you have to wonder if Portland is cursed.
However, Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge have stepped up to really carry the load for Portland.
Blazers fans have to be wondering what might have been though.
No. 10: Denver Nuggets
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For a team as talented as the Denver Nuggets, winning shouldn't be as hard as it's been.
The Nuggets are 27-18 and in sixth place in the Western Conference and it's been a bit of an up-and-down ride for Denver this season.
A lot of that has to do with the Carmelo Anthony saga and the toll it has taken on this team.
It's affected this team and I think it's holding them back from what could be a really successful season.
No. 9: Dallas Mavericks
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Who knew Caron Butler was so important to the Dallas Mavericks?
Since Butler has gone down, the Mavericks haven't been playing as well as they were earlier in the season and it looks like Dallas is going to have to try and make a move for a swing-man at the deadline and luckily, there are plenty out there.
Dallas will be in the mix all season long as Dirk Nowitzki continues his great performances.
No. 8: Oklahoma City Thunder
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It's time to start the Kevin Durant for MVP bandwagon back up.
In less than a week, Durant ripped the heart out of the New York Knicks with a game-winning three pointer at the buzzer and then torched the Minnesota Timberwolves last night for 47 points and 18 rebounds in an overtime victory.
It was an amazing performance and Durant coupled with Russell Westbrook is a tough combination to stop for any defense.
No. 7: Orlando Magic
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The Orlando Magic are a team that everyone in the Eastern Conference should watch out for.
Orlando's trades with Washington and Phoenix made the Magic a much better team and gave Orlando some much needed depth and brought a guy like Hedo Turkoglu back into the fold.
Turkoglu was a huge part of the Magic's run to the NBA Finals two years ago and he's been playing better since he came back to Orlando.
Dwight Howard has played a lot better this season and the Magic will be no easy out in the playoffs.
No. 6: New Orleans Hornets
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After a mild slump, the New Orleans Hornets are back and playing great basketball.
New Orleans has won 10 in a row and are in third place in the Western Conference as Chris Paul has had a monster season running the point for the Hornets.
Throw in great seasons from David West and Emeka Okafor and you can see how the Hornets are playing so well.
The Hornets will be in New Orleans for the foreseeable future and they're playing great basketball. All is right with the world.
No. 5: Miami Heat
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If I told you six months ago that Chris Bosh was the most valuable player on the Miami Heat, you'd have laughed in my face.
Now that Bosh has gone down with an ankle injury, it's become apparent that it's the case.
Without Bosh, the pick-and-roll game is worthless and LeBron James and Dywane Wade have to settle for long jump shots and that's not their strength.
Bosh can't get back soon enough if you're a fan of the Heat.
No. 4: Los Angeles Lakers
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It hasn't been easy for the defending champs, but the Lakers are in a solid position as we near the halfway point of the season.
Los Angeles has dealt with consistency and effort issues but have managed to put together a 33-13 record, good enough for second place in the Western Conference.
Kobe Bryant has a lot of miles on those tires but he's still playing at a high level.
The Lakers are the two-time defending champions and they're going to be playing basketball deep into the summer.
No. 3: Chicago Bulls
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The fact that the Chicago Bulls are near the top of the Eastern Conference is one of the more impressive feats this season.
Chicago has had to deal with the loss of Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah at different parts of the season but have managed to keep winning basketball games and a lot of that has to do with Derrick Rose, who is getting some MVP buzz as we head to the All Star break.
If the Bulls can deal for a legit shooting guard, they could be even scarier, if that's possible.
No. 2: Boston Celtics
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The Boston Celtics are on a roll and now Kendrick Perkins is back in the fold.
Boston has been energized by that heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Lakers in the NBA Finals and now they're back and better than ever.
Kevin Garnett looks like the KG of old and Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are as steady as ever as the Celtics have dominated the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics look poised to head to the Finals yet again.
No. 1: San Antonio Spurs
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Every time you think the San Antonio Spurs are done, they come right back.
The Spurs are the dominant team in the first half of the season and have a whopping six game lead over the Lakers for the first seed in the Western Conference.
Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are playing as good as they ever have and the Spurs look like the team to beat in the NBA.
The moral of the story is to never count out a veteran team.
