It's the second-to-last edition of the Power Rankings, so it's one of our last chances to reward the Denver Nuggets for their stunning run. How amazing? Not since a 27-2 stretch in their ABA days in 1974 have the Nuggets been this sizzling. So with each member of this season's Big Three dealing with late-season issues -- injuries in San Antonio, back-to-back narrow losses in Phoenix and the absence of an MVP candidate in Miami -- it just felt right to move the Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks into the top two slots in Marc Stein's NBA Power Rankings.
1 (5) Nuggets 45-31
Dare we say it's safe to anoint Denver as the proverbial Lower Seed No One Wants To Play. Nuggets are now a ridiculous 21-0 since Feb. 23 . . . if you exclude two losses to Phoenix.
2 (4) Mavericks 52-24
Mavs are becoming a trendy pick to make playoff noise, but more impressive is how steady they've become. This is a fifth straight 50-win season, after just two in the club's first 20 years.
3 (3) Spurs 57-20
Winning those back-to-back games in double OT -- the second without Manu and Duncan -- halted a 1-6 road skid and eased fears that Spurs could actually stumble all the way out of the Southwest lead.
4 (1) Suns 57-19
With a series looming against a team (Memphis) they secretly don't like to play, Suns can be thankful for one thing. After two straight losses to Golden State, at least Suns won't have to face Warriors in Round 1.
5 (2) Heat 56-21
Heat would never be this low if Shaq were playing. More than one cynic, mind you, has wondered aloud about whether Shaq is really ill or simply resting for the playoffs.
6 (7) Pistons 49-27
Instead of saying this is the win streak that proves Detroit Is Back, let's assume the champs have been so up-and-down because they've known for a while that Miami was uncatchable.
7 (8) Bulls 44-32
We can understand Jerry Reinsdorf's concerns about spending big on Curry and Chandler. But someone is going to have to explain why Skiles doesn't have a long-term extension yet.
8 (9) Rockets 46-31
The bad news? Rockets are 7-6 since losing Juwan for good. The good news? A win in Monday's road finale at Seattle would make this Houston's second-best road team ever at 25-16.
9 (13) Grizzlies 44-32 Gritty Grizz would have to run the table to match last season's 50 wins . . . but even if they don't this is the franchise's second-best season by a wide margin over No. 3 (28-54),
10 (14) Kings 48-30
Peja has picked it up (24.6 ppg in his last nine) and Kings, after looking like they could drop all the way to No. 7 out West, have averaged 119 points in their last five games. Looks like they're serious about hanging onto No. 5.
11 (6) SuperSonics 50-26
This is no joke. Sonics haven't won since April 1 and seem to be racking up nothing but injuries (Rashard, Radmanovic, Daniels and Fortson).
12 (10) Pacers 41-35
Indy'll be the first team in history to win less than 52 games after a 60-win season, but we repeat: Carlisle has never coached better, with Pacers about to finish this roller-coaster ride over .500.
13 (15) Celtics 41-35
Peter May makes a strong case (as usual) about Ricky Ricky playing too many minutes to be considered a true sixth man, but we still feel Davis hasn't received sufficient props.
14 (18) 76ers 39-37
Iverson has essentially clinched the scoring title, but this is still a big week for Sixers with games against the team they're chasing (home to Celtics) and the team chasing them (at Nets).
15 (19) Nets 38-39
Nets haven't seen the .500 Club since Nov. 9. But they're closing in and can secure the club's fourth straight winning season with a 4-1 finish.
16 (11) Wizards 41-35
After four 43-point games, Arenas finally reached 44. Problem is, Wiz are 1-4 in those five games, so they need to get back to balance if they want to do something in the playoffs.