MVN: Most Valuable Network

NBA Great Debates: Which Team is More Likely to Dethrone Boston: Orlando or Cleveland?

NBA Outsider's Amar Panchmatia and Joe Boikess debate the issue: Which team is more likely to dethrone the Boston Celtics: the Cleveland Cavaliers or Orlando Magic?

Amar Panchmatia argues in favor of Cleveland:

Orlando forward Rashard Lewis recently referred to the Magic as "that other team" whenever there is a conversation about the league's top teams. But although Orlando's 26-8 start is as legitimate as it gets -- and their depth, veteran leadership, and discipline is a benchmark of their stability -- there's a reason the Cleveland Cavaliers have always been able to keep the Magic at arm's length through the first 35 games this season:

They're simply better.

While Orlando stood relatively pat in the offseason a summer after making a big splash for Lewis, the Cavs went out and gave up next to nothing for Mo Williams, who is every bit as dynamic as Orlando's Jameer Nelson. And just as it took the Magic a season to do last year after adding a big piece like Lewis, the Cavs were just letting the dust settle from a three-team, 11-player trade last February that ripped up the old supporting cast around LeBron James and replaced it with a new one.

And while the Cavs' offense is just now starting to come around for the first time in the "LeBron James era," there have been two principle categories where the Cavs have always been able to hang their hat on: Defense and rebounding. The Cavaliers, unlike the Magic, are not just good, but elite in both categories.

Through Monday, the Cavs were #1 in the entire Association in points allowed, surrendering just a stingy 89.4 points per game. The Magic are no slouches, either, with their 93.5 points per game allowed ranking fourth in the league.

But #4 is not #1, and such suffocating team defense is what has made head coach Mike Brown's group as successful as it has been over the past several years.

Orlando ranks third to Cleveland's second in opponents' field goal percentage, but it's rebounding where the Cavs are able to leave the Magic in the dust for good. The Cavaliers have traditionally been one of the best rebounding teams in the league under Brown, and this year is no exception. The Cavs rank third in the NBA behind Boston and Portland in rebounding differential at plus-3.81. Orlando, however, is a putrid 20th at minus-1.29.

Why is this the case for the Magic despite having the best rebounder in the game in Dwight Howard? Well, head coach Stan Van Gundy's club has surrounded Howard with perimeter-oriented big men, with Lewis playing power forward and Hedo Turkoglu playing the three. The Cavs, by contrast, have Ben Wallace and LeBron James at the forward positions, two guys who are averaging 7.1 and 6.7 rebounds, respectively. Zydrunas Ilgauskas was also pulling down 7.1 boards per game before an injury has sidelined him for up to a month, but his replacement, Anderson Varejao, is putting up the same numbers in rebounding himself

By contrast, Lewis and Turkoglu average 6.2 and 5.4, respectively, the second- and third-highest totals on the team after Howard's 13.8. While the Magic have one elite rebounder surrounded by below-average rebounders, the Cavs are able to throw out a plethora of boarders who get after it and realize just how important team rebounding is to the team's success.

Cleveland also ranks no. 1 in average point differential, averaging a plus-11.8 point margin during their 27-6 start. Again, the Magic rank a distant fourth at plus-7.1 points. The Cavs are also seventh in points scored at 101.2 while the Magic are ninth at 100.6. The Cavaliers also check in third in the league in field goal percentage at 47.53 percent; Orlando is tied for ninth at 47.64 percent.

While the Magic are good in many categories, the Cavs are great and even exceptional in some. They also have one of the best scorers and difference-makers in the game in LeBron James, and this is a team that knows what it takes to get to the Finals, as they were there just two seasons ago. This is also the best team James has had around him in his career, and the Cavs' underrated team chemistry makes them considerably harder to beat over a seven-game series.

Orlando's time will come -- but not before they find a way to get to the Cavs' level of play. And until then, they'll have to settle for being referred to as "that other team."

Joe Boikess believes the Magic are the more likely choice:

Both Cleveland and Boston have powered through their schedule so far, piling up wins at a rate that this league hasn't seen in some time, and along with the L.A. Lakers, garnered most of the public's attention when it comes to identifying the true championship contenders. Yet the Orlando Magic, with a record of 26-8, sit only a game and a half behind the Cavs, and 2.5 games behind Boston. The statistics might favor Cleveland when comparing Boston's two prime contenders, but there are other areas where the Magic excel that the numbers don't show.

1. The Magic have the talent and depth to compete with Boston and Cleveland.

Casual basketball observers might argue that the Magic's prime talent starts and ends with Dwight Howard. That couldn't be further from the truth. They have two veteran, clutch perimeter threats in Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu, in addition to their point guard, Jameer Nelson, who has been garnering legitimate All-Star consideration with his excellent play. That's a solid "big four" that comes close to Boston's mighty foursome and can easily hang with Cleveland's core of James/Williams/West/Ilgauskas. Plus they have nice cast of athletic supporting players in Keith Bogans, Mickael Pietrus (who is currently injured but should be back before the playoffs), Courtney Lee and Tony Battie, not to mention the sharpshooting J.J. Redick at the end of the rotation. That's quality depth that few other teams can match.

2. Orlando knows how to win on the road.

The Magic's 12-5 road record is the league's best, and no other team has won 12 games on the road as of January 5. They already have wins at Utah, Portland and Dallas, and they will have a chance to further prove themselves on the road in a week when they begin a four game road trip out west. Sure, they have a 19-point loss in Boston on December 1 included in that record, but keep in mind that they were missing both Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus in that game. They also have a solid 14-4 record against the West this year, and no other team from the East comes within five wins of that mark.

3. The Magic win close games

In games decided by three points or less, Orlando is 6-2, which is tied with the Spurs for the most wins in that category. Boston and Cleveland have combined to go only 2-1 in those games, having gotten the majority of their wins via blowouts. Close games are typically what the playoffs are made of, and Orlando clearly knows how to win them when it goes down to the wire.

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can forgive him for that. But if it weren't for his travel that cost his team a win in Washington, the Cavs would've had a shot at #1.

3. Boston Celtics (29-6) - After coming out of the gates a blazing 27-2, it's totally understandable for a team to lose some focus against a couple of good teams like the Lakers and Blazers. But the Warriors and Knicks? Come on Boston, you're better than that!

4. Orlando Magic (26-8) - Dwight Howard has been getting a lot of the praise for Orlando's success, and for good reason. But his 39-point showing in a loss to the Raptors shows that the Magic need more than just Howard's inside presence: they need him to make free throws.

5. San Antonio Spurs (23-11) - Like just about every other season this decade, the Spurs are quietly rolling along under the radar. They've won eight of nine and beaten up on a number of poor teams, but we'll see what they're really made of after Orlando and L.A. come to town.

6. Atlanta Hawks (22-11) - The Hawks have only two losses since their 0-3 trip through the Texas Triangle. That 10-2 stretch includes wins over Cleveland, Detroit, Denver and Houston. They spent most of December at home, however, where they have gotten 15 or their 22 wins.

7. Denver Nuggets (24-12) - Since struggling through a rough patch in their schedule in mid-December, Denver has rebounded to win six of their last seven, but expect them to struggle to keep it going if Carmelo misses significant time after breaking his hand last night.

8. New Orleans Hornets (20-10) - The Hornets have played the fewest games of any team in the league so far, meaning that the rest of the season will be jam packed with games. A tough back-to-back begins today in L.A. and finishes tomorrow in Utah.

9. Phoenix Suns (19-12) - If it weren't for the heartbreaking loss to the Spurs on Christmas Day, the Suns would be in the midst of a 9-for-their-last-11 stretch. They'll see the Mavs on Friday in what should be a battle for fifth place in the West.

10. Detroit Pistons (21-11) - Detroit's seven straight wins is nice enough to vault them back into the top-10, but upon closer inspection you'll notice that only one of those wins came against a team with a winning record (Orlando). Up next: at Portland, Denver and Utah.

11. Dallas Mavericks (20-13) - After hosting the Knicks and Clippers, Dallas will play eight of its next 11 games on the road in January, including stops in Denver, Detroit, Boston and Miami. Dirk is going to need more scoring help from J-Ho to keep them in the picture.

12. Houston Rockets (21-14) - Without McGrady and Artest out of the lineup, it's a lot to ask of Yao to hold down the fort. Both could be out again tonight in Philadelphia, and Houston could be looking at five straight road losses for the first time in more than four years.

13. Portland Trail Blazers (20-14) - Portland will need their leading scorer back and healthy tomorrow night when the surging Pistons visit the Rose Garden, or else the Blazers might risk losing their third straight game and falling to ninth place in the West.

14. Miami Heat (18-15) - Dwyane Wade has already proven that he can carry Miami almost completely on his own shoulders. But the Heat are a sub-par 6-9 on the road, and tomorrow they begin a season-high seven game road trip with six of those games against the West.

15. Utah Jazz (20-15) - The Jazz haven't put together more than two wins in a row since starting the season 5-0, yet they're still hanging around only a half game out of eighth place in the West. Give some credit to Jerry Sloan for getting the most out of a continuously banged up roster.

16. New Jersey Nets (17-18) - The Nets will have a good shot at getting back above .500 this week when they play Memphis, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City. After that, I wish them good luck in a pair of meetings with Boston sandwiched around a visit from the Blazers.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (17-19) - Milwaukee only has to play five of their remaining 15 January games against teams with winning records, but every week includes a Friday-Saturday back-to-back with at least one of those coming on the road.

18. Toronto Raptors (14-21) - Toronto has to be happy that their brutal December in which they went 4-12 is finally over. Aside from the loss in Milwaukee last night, the Raptors have started off '09 on the right foot with wins over Houston and Orlando.

19. New York Knicks (13-19) - Could the 12-point win over the Celtics get the Knicks going again after a poor finish to '08? Only if they can improve on their 5-11 road record with games at Dallas, New Orleans and Houston coming up.

20. Chicago Bulls (14-20) - The struggling Bulls have a great chance to turn things around and make a nice run back into the East playoff picture with three straight games at home coming against teams with a combined record of 19-82.

21. Charlotte Bobcats (12-22) - The Bobcats have been a little more competitive over the last couple of weeks, but regardless, Charlotte's back-to-back beginning tonight at home against Boston and concluding in Cleveland isn't going to be easy.

22. Indiana Pacers (12-22) - It's nice to see the Pacers finally win a couple of close games for a change, but unfortunately they followed that up by allowing 135 in a 20-point blowout to the Nuggets. Their tough five-game roadie continues with stops in Phoenix and L.A.

23. Philadelphia 76ers (13-20) - The Sixers will finally receive a much needed break from playing on the road, as eight of their next 13 are at home, but nearly half of their January games are against winning teams from the West.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (11-23) - Memphis had to have been ecstatic to finally end their 13-game losing streak to their bully, the Mavericks. O.J. Mayo is my leading candidate for Rookie of the Year after he picked apart Josh Howard and the Mavs' defense.

25. Golden State Warriors (10-26) - The road-weary Warriors get a much needed break with eight of their next nine games at home, but they might continue to struggle if Stephen Jackson's hamstring injury is more serious than just a day-to-day thing.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-25) - The Wolves are undefeated in 2009, and if they would have held on to that 29-point lead last week against Dallas, they'd be 5-1 since Christmas. With three of their next four at home, bet on their luck to continue as their confidence grows.

27. Washington Wizards (7-25) - If they can pull out a win tonight in Orlando, the Wizards will have beaten both of Boston's two main contenders for the East crown in consecutive games. If not, they'd be happy to settle with being the first losing team to beat the Cavs.

28. Los Angeles Clippers (8-25) - Expect the Clippers' longest losing streak of the season (seven games) to continue as they visit Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans, possibly without Baron Davis, Zach Randolph and/or Chris Kaman.

29. Sacramento Kings (8-27) - Kevin Martin is back and is playing as well as anyone could ask for, but it still hasn't been enough for the struggling Kings, who will look to avoid going 0-4 on their Eastern road trip tonight in Chicago.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-30) - You have to hand it to Kevin Durant, the kid is leaving it all on the floor every night. He nearly gave the Thunder their first winning streak of the season until Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets took it away at the buzzer.

NBA Stock Market: Stuckey Has Pistons Pushing Forward

Every week here at NBA Outsider we look at which teams and players are hot and who's not from the Association. Here's the contenders for the first week of 2009...

Rising:

Detroit Pistons - Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess have all missed time recently for Detroit, yet the Pistons have somehow found a way to win seven in a row. Their latest win came on Sunday night when a last-second Allen Iverson floater was goaltended by the Clippers' Al Thornton to give Detroit the 88-87 win. A big part of their success has been the play of Rodney Stuckey, who is averaging just under 23 points per game during their seven-game winning streak. The Pistons are 13-3 with Stuckey as the starting point guard, and it clearly seems obvious at this point that he'll be sticking around.

Kevin Martin (Kings) - Martin had missed 22 of Sacramento's first 24 games with a bad ankle, and non-coincidentally, the Kings started off a poor 7-24. On December 30 he finally returned, coming off the bench to score 20 points and give his team a much needed win. Since then he has played in two more games, as a reserve, yet has been getting starter's minutes and playing like the deadly, go-to guy he is for Sacramento. On Saturday in Indianapolis, Martin erupted for 45 points, yet couldn't lead his team to a win. Once he returns to the starting lineup and the rest of the team gets comfortable with him in there, expect the Kings to rack up wins at a much quicker pace.

Boris Diaw (Bobcats) - The Bobcats have won five of their last nine games (a nice stretch by Charlotte's standards), and Diaw's play has been a big reason why. In Saturday's win over the Bucks, Diaw had probably his best all-around game since being traded from Phoenix, scoring 21 points off 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds. The Bobcats may not be going anywhere this season, but at least Diaw has been one of the few bright spots for this franchise.

Falling:

Boston Celtics - We all knew this was coming, didn't we? Since beginning the season a torrid 27-2, Boston has cooled off considerably and lost four of their last six games, all on the road. Their most recent loss last night in Madison Square Garden was especially troubling, as they only could muster 88 points against the normally defense-averse New York Knicks. Their recent losses have led to talks that the Celtics don't have enough depth, and reports have even surfaced that they might be interested in bringing in beleaguered point guard Stephon Marbury. Yeah, it's that bad. Things won't be getting easier any time soon either, as Boston plays three of its next four games on the road, including a must-see matchup this Friday when they visit Cleveland.

Utah Jazz - Not only has Utah lost four of its last six games (including three in a row on the road, where they are 7-11) and fallen to ninth place in the West, but they recently got word that forward Carlos Boozer will require arthroscopic knee surgery on his bum leg, making it possible that the Jazz could be without their former All-Star forward for a few more weeks. Boozer has already missed 22 straight games, and Utah has gone a mediocre 11-11 during that span. Hopefully he'll return in time to keep the Jazz afloat in the increasingly competitive Western Conference.

Josh Howard (Mavericks) - In the 11 games that he has played in since returning from an ankle injury on December 15, Howard has reached or exceeded 50 percent shooting from the field only three times. He has had more games during that stretch of shooting under 40 percent than he has shooting over 50 percent. His only great game came about a week ago when Dirk Nowitzki was suspended and Howard was forced to carry the offensive load. In the Mavs' latest game, a 20-point loss the the Grizzlies, Howard finished with 12 points, two rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes, and he didn't even take a trip to the free throw line. Plus he got demolished on the other end by Rudy Gay. That's not what the Mavericks need from a guy who they consider to be their best overall defender and slasher.

Five Questions: Talking McHale, Wittman, and Love with T'Wolves Blog

It's not easy being a Minnesota Timberwolves fan. 

Early-season ineptitude caused team owner Glen Taylor to finally put his foot down, make a coaching change...and replace Randy Wittman with one of the most hated men in Minnesota sports, Kevin McHale.  If that wasn't bad enough for T'Wolves fans, the team has proceeded to go 2-10 after the switch to McHale.

College Wolf of T'Wolves Blog was kind enough to sit down with MVN for an interview and tell us just how bad things have gotten in Minnesota:

1. The Randy Wittman and Kevin McHale eras have both been miserable failures in Minny -- which coach on the market WOULD be a good fit for this team?
 
You're correct that the DimWittman (and McFale) eras have been abject failures.  It will be a joyous day if/when/please god the McHale coaching era is over and Taylor FINALLY (hopefully) brings in a real coach from outside the "Country Club."  The only acceptable solution is to clean house and bring in an entire new Front Office of fresh blood.  Personally, my #1 coaching dream would be Jeff Van Gundy.  He's a great coach and one of the best NBA TV commentators in the biz.  I mention his TV commentating because he's hilarious, and more importantly, his observations and analysis are spot on.  He's probably forgotten more coaching acumen than Wittman and McHale could ever hope to possess.  I think a young impressionable team for him to mold would be a decent fit for him in Minnesota.  We've got a bunch of upcoming draft picks and cap space, assuming our Front Office doesn't screw it all up before they (hopefully) leave town.  I say give JVG the keys to the ship and let him do his thing.  I think he would command the attention and respect of most of our club (except maybe McCants, but who CAN coach him?) 

If not JVG, we should go after an offensive minded coach along the lines of Mike D'antoni or Rick Adelman.  It's obvious that our collection of "talent" (I use the term loosely) is not capable of playing any sort of defense whatsoever, so we are going to need to outscore teams if we ever have any hope of winning.

2. So, about that Kevin Love-for-OJ Mayo trade. I was surprised by the generally positive reaction to it among Timberwolves fans when the deal went down, but since then, the tide of public opinion has certainly shifted. What grade would you give the Great Basketball Minds at Target Center for that deal?
 
Can I give it an "Infinity F-"?  I thought it was a bad trade at the time, and now it seems even horrifically worse.  I guess I can see WHY the Front Office did the trade, but it sure seemed pretty stupid (at least to me) to trade your Top Three Lottery pick for a backup to the best player on our team.  Not only that, he's an undersized and un-athletic backup.  Mayo, on the other hand, had the star potential (both on and off the court), that the Wolves (and their fans) have been craving for years.  The warning flags should have been everywhere for our motley crew of decision makers.  I guess it's still a bit early to be overreacting, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that honestly thinks it was a great trade for us at this point.  Maybe if Mike Miller turns things around and we magically use the cap space we got from the trade, it will end up turning out alright.  Or perhaps if Kevin Love decides to stop sucking.  More likely, we'll need OJ Mayo to suffer a career ending injury for it to be considered a "good" trade in our favor.
 
3. You were just chosen as Minnesota's new general manager -- where on earth do you start with this team? What are the first moves you make?
 
First off, I promise to put in more than the 20 hours per week that McHale was working during his tenure.  Secondly, the biggest need for this team is another star to go with Al Jefferson.  Mayo could have been that guy, but its water under the bridge now. Anyways, from what I've seen, I'm not so sure that Jefferson is capable of being the "Alpha Star" that can lead a team to a championship.  With that in mind, we need to pair another star alongside him.  I think it's obvious that the said player would ideally be a perimeter guard, or perhaps a penetrating point guard in the mold of CP3 or Derrick Rose.  The problem is that acquiring such players is much easier said then done.  So assuming we don't win the lottery anytime soon, I'd get on the phone.  Actually, before I did that, I'd fire the entire coaching staff and start over from scratch.  In my dream world I'd bring in Jeff Van Gundy and allow him to handpick his entire coaching staff, and allow him to give full input on any players he wants to keep (if any... ha.) 

After the coaching staff is in place, then I get on the phones.  I call up every team and see what they've got available.  No BSing with them, just get down and dirty.  No one on the Wolves would be untouchable, including Big Al.  Granted, I wouldn't trade him away on a whim, but if the right deal came along... 

The focus of the phone calls would be to trade some of the plethora of first round picks we've got coming our way in the next two drafts, along with our expiring contracts and redundant pieces like Craig Smith and McCants.  Mike Miller is a prime trade candidate because he has a sizable contract, doesn't fit into our future, and could still help a contender with his outside shooting (assuming he like, actually starts taking shots.)  Ideally, we could consolidate a few picks and/or players/expiring contracts for a top lottery pick to nab someone like Harden.  I would be hesitant to bring in talent that hurts our cap position because the Wolves are set up to have some nice salary space in a few years (assuming they don't blow it before I get hired.)  If there is a deal that's "too good to be true" for young, yet expensive talent like Chris Kaman or Gerald Wallace, I'd think long and hard about making that deal.  The reason being is that I don't see any of the prime free agents actually wanting to sign with the TWolves.

If we can't swing any trades for a star, then I'd look at bringing in some cheap young talent that fills holes.  Specifically talking about a Center, Point Guard, and athletic defensive minded Small Forward.  I think Joakim Noah would be a perfect center to go alongside Big Al, especially since he has fallen out of favor with the Bulls.  I would imagine he could be had for relatively cheap.  Getting a starting caliber stud PG is slightly more difficult, but I'd look for someone young and in the mold of Rondo/Westbrook/Jameer Nelson/DJ Augustine/Rose/etc.  Gerald Wallace and Kaman would be great fits as our Center and athletic defensive minded SF, but like I said, they have somewhat sizable contracts.  A Trevor Ariza, Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, and/or Sergio Garcia could all be nice possible additions. 

And then if none of this can possibly get worked out, I pray like hell to the basketball lottery gods as we tank away the rest of the season.

Lastly, under no circumstances would I re-sign McCants after this season is over. 

4. If you had to choose just one -- which is a difficult task -- what's the biggest front office gaffe in franchise history for the T'Wolves?
 
As you said in the question, it's almost next to impossible to pick just ONE single gaffe.  Trying to narrow down the list makes my head nearly explode. With that said, and I'm not sure if this is would be considered a "single gaffe" or not, but it was the utter failure to surround KG with the talent to win a title.  Maybe he needed a #1A type star, but whatever it was our Front Office had the time and resources to make it happen. As you can see from last season, it didn't take KG long to prove his value en route to finally winning a ring.  It was absurd that we couldn't surround him with the right types of players in 12 years.  For the most part, our Front Office should be ashamed of the miscast collection of goons and misfits they surrounded him with.  Most "lesser" NBA stars would have demanded a trade years ago, yet KG always tried his hardest to make it work.  In my mind, the failure of the Wolves to win a title rests almost completely on the Front Office and the way(s) they built our teams.  I guess we'll always have that one magical Western Conference Finals season, but really, is it that hard to find complements to one of the best and most versatile players in the league?  
 
5. Could the 2008-09 Timberwolves beat the 1989-90 Timberwolves (which was, of course, their first season in existence)?

In one game on a neutral court... this year's team could probably win.  After all, as KG would say: "Annnnnnything is possssssible."  For what it's worth, I'd have a hard time picking a team if they played a Best Of Seven series.  We're that bad this year.

Thanks again to College Wolf of T'Wolves Blog!

NBA Power Rankings: East on Top

So much for the 1 vs. 2 matchup of Celtics-Lakers on Christmas Day. The Lakers' two losses dropped them below the Cavs and Magic to their lowest spot in these rankings all season, but that could change if the Lakers manage to end the Celtics' incredible streak when they visit L.A. on Thursday. The Hornets and Rockets both moved up after last week, while the Nuggets and Mavericks dropped. There's also a new team occupying the dreaded #30 position in MVN Outsider's last power rankings of 2008.

1. Boston Celtics (26-2) - A win tonight at home against the Sixers would mean that the Celtics would be heading to L.A. on a 19-game winning streak. Has there ever been a more anticipated NBA game during the month of December?

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4) - Q: What's scarier than the fact that LeBron is only averaging 36 minutes per game? A: How he'll look come playoff time when he has fresh legs and is playing 42 minutes or more.

3. Orlando Magic (22-6) - Orlando's close win over the Lakers and domination of the Spurs vaulted them into the top three for the first time this season. They host the Hornets in another marquee matchup on Christmas Day.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (22-5) - L.A. had a rough trip to Florida, going down to the Heat and Orlando in back-to-back games by a combined five points. They finish their road trip tonight in New Orleans before heading back home to host Boston.

5. New Orleans Hornets (16-7) - Since losing three out of four in mid-November, the Hornets have gone on a roll, winning 11 out of 13. They have a tough next three games, however, hosting L.A. and Houston and visiting Orlando.

6. Houston Rockets (19-9) - The Rockets finish their four-game roadie with visits to Cleveland and New Orleans before hosting Utah over the weekend. Aaron Brooks has been great starting in place of Rafer Alston, but he's better as a reserve.

7. San Antonio Spurs (17-10) - The schedule gods haven't been kind to the Spurs, which lost both games of a road back-to-back in New Orleans and Orlando. They've since rebounded with two more wins and have a much easier road ahead.

8. Denver Nuggets (18-10) - After dominating the Mavs last Monday, the Nuggets lost three in a row (all against solid teams) before getting a nice win at home against the Blazers last night without Carmelo. Can they do it again in Portland without their top scorer?

9. Portland Trail Blazers (17-11) - Brandon Roy is virtually guaranteed an All-Star spot, even if the fans don't elect him as a starter at guard. If he continues to score at the level he has been of late, I'd put him in the conversation for MVP.

10. Atlanta Hawks (17-10) - The Hawks once again gave the Celtics their best shot at home, but couldn't finish it off with a win. Atlanta is as good as they come at home, but they won't be more than just contenders unless they play better on the road.

11. Utah Jazz (17-12) - Paul Milsap has done his best to keep this team afloat as Boozer tries to get better from that weird quad injury, but the Jazz still aren't the same team without their former All-Star.

12. Dallas Mavericks (15-11) - The blowout loss at the hands of Devin Harris and the Nets had to have been a smack in the face to Mark Cuban. This week they'll visit Portland and Utah in a tough back-to-back, but at least they have Josh Howard back.

13. Phoenix Suns (16-11) - After going 2-1 last week with wins over the Knicks and Nuggets, Portland only has one game this week (against the Spurs on Christmas Day) before visiting Oklahoma City and Memphis next week to close out 2008.

14. Miami Heat (14-12) - Miami's pair of wins against the Lakers and Nets, coupled with Dwyane Wade's hotness, was enough to vault the Heat back into the top half of the league. Staying here might be an issue though, with two games against the Cavs coming up.

15. Detroit Pistons (14-11) - After losing two in a row, the Pistons suddenly find themselves only two games ahead of the Bulls in the Central Division. Guess which team comes to town tonight? Good thing Chicago is terrible on the road.

16. Chicago Bulls (13-14) - The Bulls have won five in a row at home, but they won't return to the United Center until New Year's Eve, when they host Orlando. They visit Detroit, Miami and Atlanta this week, and getting any kind of win would be a big plus.

17. New Jersey Nets (13-14) - New Jersey got beaten by three better teams, but at least Devin Harris was able to smoke the Mavs to the tune of 41 and 13 last Friday. The Nets have the fourth-best road record in the East behind powerhouses Boston, Cleveland and Orlando.

18. Philadelphia 76ers (12-15) - Philly has won three out of its last four games, but they begin a six-game road trip tonight in Boston and will also have to stop in Denver, Utah, Dallas and San Antonio before it's all said and done.

19. Milwaukee Bucks (13-16) - The Bucks went a solid 3-1 last week, including two straight wins by over 20 points, to vault themselves up to ninth in the East. They host Utah and Detroit this week before heading to Texas to finish the year.

20. New York Knicks (11-16) - New York has lost four in a row, and the last two couldn't have been any uglier. That streak should end when the Wolves visit MSG on Friday coming after New York's four-day break for Christmas.

21. Indiana Pacers (10-17) - Indiana made the most of their easy schedule last week, going 3-1, with their only loss coming in double-overtime against the Clippers minus Granger, Murphy and Daniels. More good news: Mike Dunleavy is practicing.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (9-18) - After winning four in a row, Memphis has since lost three straight, and the Mavericks will look to make it four tonight. The Grizzlies are 1-6 against in their own division, and they still have five games left in 2008.

23. Toronto Raptors (11-17) - Toronto ended their five-game losing streak in last night's win over the Clippers. For them to keep winning, they'll have to keep feeding it to Bosh, who is nearly unstoppable when his confidence is high.

24. Charlotte Bobcats (9-19) - Charlotte had lost seven in a row before earning a pair of wins over the Bulls and Grizzlies last week. They'll face Washington tonight in a battle of the East's two worst teams (at least record-wise).

25. Los Angeles Clippers (8-20) - After losing last night by 22 to Toronto, the Clippers will have five days off to mull over their poor 2008 and figure out how to turn it around before falling completely out of it. It might already be too late.

26. Golden State Warriors (8-21) - I hate to beat a dead horse with this stat, but it's too weird not to mention: Jamal Crawford is one of only four players in NBA history to score 50 points in a game with three different teams.

27. Sacramento Kings (7-22) - The Kings got a nice win over the terrible Timberwolves early last week, but they've since lost four in a row (all to better-than-average teams from the West) by a margin of 17 points per game.

28. Washington Wizards (4-21) - Washington has lost six straight, and have the task of fitting five more games into the rest of December, four of which are on the road and three coming against Cleveland, Houston and New Orleans. Good luck...

29. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-25) - They technically still have the league's worst record, but the Thunder got a win last week over a decent team in the Raptors, and since the Wolves have been just awful, I'll move OKC up a spot.

30. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-22) - Kevin McHale is now 0-7 as the Wolves' new head coach, and he might not get his first win until the New Year unless they can get wins over below-average teams like the Knicks and Grizzlies.

NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

Note: We at MVN Outsider have re-organized our posting schedule in an effort to make our sports coverage more well rounded and timely. For those of you expecting to see the NBA Power Rankings today, that post has been moved to Tuesdays. With these changes, get ready to see more fresh content every day on every major sport. Thanks, and enjoy!

Rising:

Boston Celtics - Honestly, this team has been on the rise this entire season, piling up wins at a rate that we haven't seen since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. They now have won 18 in a row and have tied the league mark for the best start (26-2) for a team with two losses. Their recent success has been due in large part to the play of point guard Rajon Rondo. When the team needs him to score, he does it (as we saw on Sunday in the C's win over the Knicks when he scored 18 of his 26 points in the third quarter), and when they need him to distribute, he also obliges (see his 15-assist effort on Friday night). It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Celtics are sporting a legitimate "Big Four" now, with Rondo playing at a near All-Star level.

Mike Bibby (Hawks) - Ever since Bibby arrived in Atlanta in mid-February, the Hawks have been a much different team. Exhibit 1: before last night's win over the Pistons, Atlanta had lost 12 of its last 16 games against Detroit, including all four meetings last season (all of which came before Bibby arrived). On Sunday he led the Hawks with 27 points (10-of-13 from the field, 6-of-6 from downtown), and often abused his primary defender, Allen Iverson, in the process. Exhibit 2: Atlanta is now a season-best seven games over .500, and in games where Bibby leads the team in scoring, they are 5-1.

Others: Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4 start is best in franchise history), Jamal Crawford (50 points on Saturday to help Warriors snap five-game losing streak), Chicago Bulls (five straight home wins) and Dwyane Wade (35 points in win over Lakers, followed by 43-point outburst in win over Nets).

Falling:

Detroit Pistons - Clearly this team is still trying to get adjusted to having Allen Iverson in the lineup, because they are languishing in mediocrity at the moment. In the month of December they are an underwhelming 4-5, and with their latest loss have dropped to only three games over .500 and are now sporting a -0.3 point differential. Rasheed Wallace hasn't been nearly as involved offensively as he needs to be for this team to succeed. I don't know, maybe they simply need more time to work out the kinks, but Detroit is still a work in progress. Until they get it together, the Pistons are no longer an elite team in the East.

Al Harrington (Knicks) - The Knicks came into Sunday's bout with the Celtics on a three-game losing streak, and as you might have guessed, Boston made it four-in-a-row with relative ease. Harrington, who had been playing great before New York entered their funk, hasn't been on his game at all lately. Last night he had one of his worst shooting nights of the season, going 2-for-15 from the field and finishing with only 10 points. It was the fourth straight game in which he managed to notch a shooting percentage way below 50 percent. The Knicks will need him to re-focus if they expect to stay in the East playoff picture.

Others: Toronto Raptors (losers of five straight for second time this season, 2-10 in last 12), Los Angeles Lakers (two losses in a row by a combined five points for first time this season), Denver Nuggets (three L's in a row, now tied with Portland at 17-10), and Baron Davis (hasn't hit 50 percent from field since 11/22, and shooting only about 30 percent over last five games).

NBA Stock Market: CP3 steals way into record books

With everything that happened during yesterday's busy night in the NBA, there's a lot to get to, so I'll just get right to it: here's the league's big movers and shakers.

Rising:

New Orleans Hornets - Not only did the Hornets mount an impressive comeback win over the Spurs last night (their tenth win in the last 12 games, putting them in first place in their division), but they also got to see some history. During the second quarter, Chris Paul stole an intended pass from Tony Parker, establishing CP3 as the NBA record-holder for most consecutive games with a steal (106).

Paul broke a record that stood since 1986, and by the time the streak ends it's likely that it won't be broken for many more decades. The next longest streak by an active player is 22, by Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. With apologies to Parker, Nash and D-Will, all excellent players, Paul is simply on another level at the point guard position right now. By the way, the Hornets now deserve to be mentioned along with the West's other elite teams (L.A., San Antonio and Utah).

Marcus Camby - Even though the Clippers are still one of the league's worst teams record-wise, they're starting to play much better, and a lot of it has to do with this guy. In the team's last four games, Camby has averaged 14 points and 17 rebounds per game, and the Clippers (surprise, surprise!) went 3-1, with their only loss coming last night in overtime against the Bulls. Despite the loss, Camby put up a ridiculous line of 19 points, 27 rebounds (a career-high) and four blocks. Look for the Clippers to keep piling up wins if Camby continues to play at this level.

Kevin Ollie - Remember this guy? I honestly didn't even think he was still in the league, but apparently the lowly Wolves (his 11th team, by the way) have gotten some use out of the 35-year old point guard from UConn. He's played sparingly so far this season, but he's gotten 26 minutes in each of the last two games, averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. Not bad for a guy with a career scoring average of under four points per game.

Others: Boston Celtics (16 wins in a row after beating Hawks in Atlanta), Danny Granger (40+ points in two of last four games), and Rodney Stuckey (three double-doubles in last four games since becoming starting point guard).

Falling:

Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks entered yesterday's game against the 76ers on a roll (at least by the Bucks' standards), having won two in a row. A few minutes after the Sixers' Elton Brand left the game in the third quarter with a dislocated shoulder, Milwaukee took a 10-point lead and appeared to be ready to extend their winning streak to three. Then they shot 2-for-19 in the fourth quarter, losing by three on the road. The Bucks will face the Knicks at MSG next before heading home for a three-game set against the Clippers, Jazz and Pistons. Combine the Bucks' issues with the Packers' troubles and CC Sabathia's departure to the Yankees, and you'll see that times have been tough for Wisconsin sports fans.

Rasheed Wallace - Oddly enough, the Pistons have won three in a row, yet Wallace hasn't been playing at anywhere near the level that he is capable of playing. In his last three he's averaging only six points and has shot a combined 6-for-25 from the field (including 2-for-12 from downtown). He's also drawn a league-leading nine technical fouls on the season and is only six away from receiving a one-game suspension. When his head's there, Wallace is one of the league's best shooting big men, but at the moment I'm not sure where his head is at. At least the Pistons haven't let his poor play affect their winning ways.

Matt Bonner - Bonner is quietly having an excellent season as the Spurs' starting center. His season numbers have eclipsed those of his entire career virtually across the board, and his three-point shot has been especially deadly (he's second in the league in three-point shooting at 47.7 percent). But last night, well, he sucked. Bad. He went 1-of-8 from downtown (3-of-15 overall), and took more shots than Duncan, Parker and Ginobili did. Some of that might be due to the Hornets defense, but it's still not a good thing for the Spurs to have Bonner lead the team in shots. 

Others: New Jersey Nets (held Jazz to seven points in first, then 72 in second half to blow 20-point lead), Caron Butler (five points off only four shots in 36 minutes) and Chris Bosh (16-for-52 in last three games where Toronto went 0-3).

NBA Week 7 Power Rankings

The Celtics were perfect last week once again, cementing them at number one for the second straight week, while the Lakers slipped up in Sacramento, opening up the door for Cleveland to move up to number two. But Atlanta ended the Cavs' hopes for jumping L.A., and thus our top three remain unchanged from last week. Portland dropped out of the top 10 after losing three in a row, while the Spurs, winners of six straight, moved up to number six.

1. Boston Celtics (22-2) - With the way that the Celtics are easily dispatching every foe (the latest victims being a tough Hornets team), you have to wonder if they will start to become complacent. It's on Doc and KG to make sure that doesn't happen.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (20-3) - The Lakers end their four-game homestand against the Knicks on Tuesday before beginning the four-game road trip that precedes their long-awaited Christmas Day bout with the Celtics.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (20-4) - Despite their loss to the Hawks that ended their winning streak, the Cavs are poised to be the only legit challenger to the Celtics in the East. Too bad they won't face off again until January.

4. Orlando Magic (18-6) - Orlando has built up an impressive record, but they've done it against mostly weak opposition. Beat Boston or Cleveland, then we'll talk.

5. Denver Nuggets (16-7) - 'Melo's scoring binge against the Wolves might have been the greatest 12-minute offensive display ever. The Nugz hope he stays hot as they face a tough schedule.

6. San Antonio Spurs (15-8) - Lost in all the talk about Boston, Cleveland and L.A. are the Spurs, who have all of a sudden won six in a row and are up to third in the West.

7. New Orleans Hornets (13-7) - Like many before them, the Hornets found out that they're not playing at Boston's level yet. The addition of Antonio Daniels is a nice insurance policy for CP3.

8. Utah Jazz (15-10) - Losing at home to the Howard-less Magic wasn't the way the Jazz wanted to end the week. Getting a win in Boston tonight would change their tune.

9. Dallas Mavericks (13-9) - No one is playing better in the West than Dirk Nowitzki. He has to at least be in the conversation for MVP after dropping a season-high 46 on the Thunder.

10. Houston Rockets (15-9) - T-Mac is back, but now Artest is having issues with a bum ankle, and Yao is having to carry the load once again. That's not what Houston wants.

11. Portland Trail Blazers (15-10) - Tough luck for Portland, which got punked by Hedo Turkoglu and Zach Randolph in two of their three losses last week.

12. Atlanta Hawks (14-9) - The Hawks went 0-3 against the state of Texas, but were able to follow that up with quality wins against Miami and Cleveland. A date with the C's is ahead...

13. Phoenix Suns (14-10) - It'll be interesting to see how the Suns look with J-Rich in and Bell/Diaw out. Is this still a defense-minded team or are they reverting back to the D'Antoni era?

14. Detroit Pistons (13-9) - The Pistons have the talent to be up there with the East's best, but they're playing as if they don't care to be. I believe they miss Chauncey Billups' leadership.

15. Chicago Bulls (11-12) - It's good to see that Derrick Rose's accidental knife slash to the leg while in bed didn't affect his ability to slash into the paint and score.

16. Miami Heat (12-11) - The tides of the Heat are controlled by D-Wade. Two straight sub-par games from the league's leading scorer led to two L's for Miami.

17. New York Knicks (11-12) - Al Harrington is looking increasingly more comfortable in New York, averaging a little under 26 points now in 10 games as a Knick.

18. New Jersey Nets (11-11) - The Nets came back down to earth last week after their recent hot streak in which they won nine of 12. They need to re-commit to playing defense.

19. Philadelphia 76ers (10-14) - Elton Brand scored a season-high 27 points in Tony DiLeo's first game as Mo Cheeks' replacement. Is a turnaround imminent with a soft schedule this week?

20. Memphis Grizzlies (9-15) - Now winners of four straight, Memphis has to be looking up after unloading one of their many guards and picking up a future first rounder.

21. Toronto Raptors (10-13) - Chris Bosh's patience has to be running thin in Toronto. He continues to play solid basketball while his team keeps underachieving.

22. Milwaukee Bucks (10-15) - Milwaukee is a passable team at home, but their struggles on the road were apparant last week. They begin a short three-game roadie tonight in Miami.

23. Los Angeles Clippers (6-17) - Zach Randolph went off over the weekend to lead the Clippers to victories against Portland and Houston. Two more road back-to-backs await this week.

24. Sacramento Kings (6-18) - Big ups to the Kings for knocking off the Lakers at home early last week to snap an eight-game losing streak. John Salmons has been big in K-Mart's absence.

25. Indiana Pacers (7-16) - Indiana has lost six in a row in the midst of a brutal schedule, but there's light at the end of the tunnel: the Wizards, Warriors and Clippers are up next.

26. Golden State Warriors (7-17) - Corey Maggette is out indefinitely with a hamstring tear, but at least the Warriors got some good news that Monta Ellis is getting closer to returning.

27. Charlotte Bobcats (7-17) - I have no idea who this team will get any consistent offense from now after trading away their only legitimate scorer in Jason Richardson.

28. Washington Wizards (4-17) - I'm not sure that the additions of Mike James and Javaris Crittenton will do much to change the Wizards' fortunes until Gilbert Arenas comes back.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-19) - Kevin McHale should have picked a softer spot in the schedule to take over as head coach. Expect them to try to move Mike Miller before the deadline.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-23) - I'll give the Thunder some props for making it interesting in their close losses over the weekend to the Mavs and Spurs on the road. 

Is the NBA Season Over Already?

I understand that it is a rather bold assertion to make at the quarter point of the season, but it seems that the NBA regular season is already, as the phrase goes, all over but the shouting. At least it certainly appears that way in the once-again weak Eastern Conference, as both the Celtics and the Cavaliers are already far outpacing the rest of the conference.

Cleveland's loss to Atlanta tonight was the first in three and a half weeks for either team, a stretch during which Boston and Cleveland have posted a combined 23-1 record. It hasn't been close very often, either, as 19 of the wins have been by 10 or more points, and eight by 20 or more. To take it a step further, three games into the season these two squads were a combined 2-2 (excluding their game against each other in the opener), and since November 1st, they are a combined 41-3.

Forgive me if I find such dominance rather absurd and difficult to grasp. Last season, the Cavaliers won 45 games and wound up as the #4 seed in the playoffs. This season, they have only the second best record in the league, but they could play .500 ball the rest of the way and still finish with 50 wins, probably enough to take the division and the second seed - right behind the Celtics, of course.

These two squads play three more games the rest of the season, and you would be hard-pressed to convince me that either of these teams are likely to lose to anyone besides each other. The Celtics do it through the same complete starting lineup they used last season, accumulating 54 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists per game from the big three. A continued improvement in the play of point guard Rajon Rondo, who is doling out seven assists a night, and big man Kendrick Perkins, who is actually blocking more shots that Kevin Garnett,have this looking like a team likely to repeat.

Cleveland is possibly the only thing standing in their way. Sure, Detroit is no slouch in this conversation, as they hold claim to being the only team to drop the Cavs during their current 18-of-19 winning streak, but they're still growing for the future with their young talent and aren't dominating teams the way the Cavs are doing, as Wednesday's game against Philadelphia is the only one in their 11-game win streak decided by less than a dozen points.

The Cavs finally picked up another scoring weapon to compliment Lebron James in the form of Mo Williams from Milwaukee, and the team now boasts three players (the third being Zydrunas Ilgauskas of course) who can drop 15-plus points a night. Add in Ben Wallace returning to defensive form while managing to avoid turning into a complete black hole on offense and Delonte West running the point capably if not spectacularly, and they are as well rounded as o