We're into Week 15 of the NBA Power Rankings and it's been a doozy for suckiness. The Washington Wizards are now 0-25 on the road, just four shy of the 29 straight road losses the Dallas Mavericks had in 1992-93. The sad panda Cleveland Cavaliers, sans LeBron James, have lost 25 games in a row -- an NBA record in craptastic futility. Remember the sweet, naïve days when NBA pundits thought the Cavs could be a surprise playoff team in the East? Those were silly days.
The San Antonio Spurs are in the lead when it comes to anti-suckiness. Manu Ginobili and company are 51 games into their season and they still don't have double-digit losses. The Spurs are looking every bit a championship contender this season. Sure, the big three are still quite old, but the team is getting solid contributions from young whippersnappers like DuJuan Blair, Gary Neal, and, on occasion, highly-touted Spanish import Tiago Splitter. Who would have thought the two best teams in the league would be the two oldest? Perhaps the AARP, but that's about it.
In the middle of the pack, there are two inter-division teams that have taken different paths to mediocrity. At one point, the New York Knicks were 15-9 and the Philadelphia 76ers were 9-15. Over half a season later, and the teams are both hovering near .500 and battling each other in the Atlantic division. The Knicks have stopped getting help from non-Amare Stoudemire players (and even Stoudemire's play has dropped off) and the 76ers have gotten increased production from Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young, and Andre Iguodala.
In local news, the Phoenix Suns continue to flirt awkwardly with .500, though they've thus far been unable to reach it. All that stands in the way now is a home victory over the Golden State Warriors, a team they beat on the road a couple days ago. Mid-season acquisition, Marcin Gortat, has found his groove with Steve Nash on the pick-and-roll and that, combined with his rebounding prowess, has proven a nice boon to the Suns' fortunes. Will the team's improved play save them from detonation at the trade deadline? Probably, though a spot in the playoff picture may be out of reach.
Now, on to the rankings:
SBNation.com | NBA Power Rankings: Spurs Reign, But Mavericks Are Charging Hard
This week's NBA Power Rankings continue to spotlight the San Antonio Spurs. But the Dallas Mavericks are charging up the standings, and other contenders loom.
NBA.com | Another big win keeps Spurs on top
The San Antonio Spurs (on pace for 38 wins at home and 30 on the road), top the rankings for the fourth straight week, thanks to a big win over the Lakers. They have at least two wins against every team in the West except Portland (1-1), Memphis (1-0) and Sacramento (1-0).
ESPN.com | Power Rankings: Spurs still surging at No. 1
Forty-two wins in the first 50 games -- good for the fifth-fastest start in NBA history -- have kept the San Antonio Spurs atop ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings for a fourth successive week.
SI.com | Spurs ranked No. 1, Heat jump to No. 2 in NBA Power Rankings
With about two weeks left before the Feb. 24 trading deadline, the competition for the bottom playoff spots has intensified in both conferences.
CBSSports.com | Power Rankings: Who's more likely to be caught: worst or first?
One has lost just eight times all season. The other gets drubbed about that often every two weeks. The Spurs and Cavaliers are so far apart in the NBA universe, it's hard to use them in the same sentence. But here goes ... The top and bottom clubs in this week's CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings are separated by such a great margin, it's hard to imagine the Spurs and Cavs not finishing as polar opposites in the ratings at regular season's end.
FOXSports.com | NBA Power Rankings - Top 30 NBA Basketball Teams
A new No. 1 tops the rankings, but there's very little separation among the top three as Boston and Miami head towards a Sunday showdown. All three Texas teams are trending up, things are getting interesting at almost every level in the Western Conference and there's plenty of bad, bad basketball being played in the East. None worse than the Cavs and Wizards, who happen to play each other this week. Buckle up!