Week 5 Power Rankings

I had to. I had to toss 'win-loss' record aside and focus on the little things. While the teams are the same, the order is different.

1. San Antonion [15-3]
Sure, Duncan is out. But, it shouldn't be for very long, and with the way Manu and Tony are playing, it might not even matter. A brutal schedule ahead though for the Spurs: Dallas, Utah, Golden State, LA LAkers, Denver.

2. Orlando [15-4]
They've played 12 of their 19 games on the road, beat the Celtics [in fact, they're 9-1 against the East overall], and the combined record of the teams they lost to is 39-12. They could be #1.

3. Phoenix Suns [13-4]
Grant Hill for comeback player of the year? Sure, and Super Jamario for ROY, and Delfino for 6th man. All unlikely, but not out of the question. Hill just had a monster game for Phoenix, who are right in the thick of things at the top of the league.

4. Boston Celtics [14-2]
ESPN tells us that they have only beaten four teams with winning records - Toronto, Denver, Golden State, LA Lakers [barely winning records] and have played 9 of their 16 games at home. This is why they're #4 even with a 14-2 record. Their upcoming schedule means they won't be returning to #1 anytime soon. Not because it's brutal, but because the combined record of their next five opponents is 31-47. And their previous five games [a 4-1 record over those five]: combined 33-50 record.

5. Utah Jazz [12-5]
The Jazz are 7-2 against the rest of the West, and 12-5 overall, but are mostly locked into this 5 spot until a team above them makes a big slip. Expect the Jazz to hang around for the long haul though.

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On the Rise:
- Detroit has won 3 in a row, pushing their overall record to 11-5. I have a feeling the Celtics and Magic are going to have competition at the end of the year for the East crown.
- Golden State is the hottest team in the league. They've won 6 in a row, 9 of 10, and could be in the top 5 if not for their awful first 6 games.

Stumbling:
- As soon as I give Milwaukee some recognition, they lose four in a row, dropping out of first in the division, and dropping below .500.
- The Raptors may have caught a break. They are without Bargnani, Garbo, Ford, and Bosh for tonight's contest against Charlotte, but the Bobcats have lost 5 in a row, and are only 1-5 on the road.
- Maybe Portland does need Oden after all. After showing promising signs, the Blazers have lost four in a row, dropping to 0-9 on the road, and 1-9 in their last 10.
- LA Clippers... injury prone, and bad. A 4-1 record all but forgotten due to 5 straight losses and a 2-8 record in their last 10.

The Raptors
- There's certainly no salami and cheese out yet for tonight's game, but it will be a big win if they can hold on. The Raptors big 3 will need to be healthy if they have any chance of winning their next three games [after Charlotte] against Phoenix, Boston, and Houston. A 10-8 record would put them around 11th or 12th in the league, and that's about where I would have them in the rankings. Not top 10 yet, but not far off.