NBA Sports Gab Network’s NBA Power Rankings – Week of March 7-13

In this week’s NBA Sports Gab Network’s NBA Power Rankings, the playoffs are slowly taking shape, with the San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls grabbing playoff berths with about 17 games or so (depending on what team you are) left in the 2010-11 NBA regular season.

Speaking of Chicago, they’re currently the hottest team in the Association, having won six straight, followed by the surprising New Jersey Nets who have four in a row. As a result, their stock has risen in this week’s Power Rankings.

All this and much more in NBA Sports Gab Network’s NBA Power Rankings for the week of March 7-13:

Listed below are the teams, their win-loss record as of March 14 and last week’s ranking:

1. San Antonio Spurs (54-12) (1) The Spurs, with a playoff berth secured, won out this past week; but to be fair, they had a cake schedule, beating Detroit, Sacramento and Houston. Look for coach Gregg Popovich to rest his starters a little more than usual (fewer minutes) for the remainder of the regular season. They have Miami, Dallas and Charlotte this week.
2. Chicago Bulls (47-18) (4) They romped through their opponents this past week, with the margin of victory being around 15.3 points – and they managed to do this without Carlos Boozer, who’s out with a sprained ankle. Joakim Noah will probably slide to ther 4 in the meantime.
3. Boston Celtics (47-17) (2) I suppose it was a matter of time for the Celtics to drop. They lost to the Clippers and 76ers (rare these days), but came back to spank the Bucks by 31 on Sunday. The main thing is getting Shaquille O’Neal in shape and healthy for the playoffs, at this point.
4. Los Angeles Lakers (47-20) (3) Perhaps the biggest game for the Lakers in terms of playoff seeding is on March 31, when they face the Dallas Mavericks, as a tiebreaker hangs in the balance. And it gets better for the team as they get to stay at Staples Center for the rest of this month. Kobe Bryant may or may not play agaisnt Orlando Monday because of a aprained ankle.
5. Miami Heat (45-21) (6) Mike Bibby finally got his scoring groove on with 17 points in the Heat’s win over Memphis last Saturday. Does that mean the Miami bench has gotten better? Not necessarily as they have underwhelmed for the vast majority of this season. Th fortunes of the Heat will ride on the bench getting better – and quickly.
6. Dallas Mavericks (47-19) (5) A tough week for the Mavs as they split four. The next four games are crucial for Dallas: Portland, Golden State (twice) and San Antonio. A win streak would do wonders for the Mavericks in terms of playoff seeding.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-23) (7) All of a sudden, despite the Thunder winning three in a row, the Northwest Division is tightening up. Kendrick Perkins is closer to making his Thuder debut, which is key as the playoffs are about a month away.
8. Orlando Magic (42-25) (8) They face the Lakers, Bucks and Nuggets this week, so the chance to sneak up on Miami is there as they’re just 3 1/2 games behind the Heat; meanwhile, Hedo Turkoglu is playing despite a bruised right elbow.
9. Denver Nuggets (39-27) (10) The Nuggets are another team that is trying to solidify their playoff seeding. This week will be key as they face four playoff-quality teams: New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando and Miami. Nene Hilario has been hot as of late, averaging 21.7 PPG and 10.7 RPG. Denver will need more of the same from Nene if the Nuggets want to reach and advance in the upcoming playoffs.
10. Atlanta Hawks (38-28) (12) Interestingly, it took an injury to Al Horford to wake up the Hawks. The tinkering with the lineup by coach Larry Drew has worked wonders; the rub is what happens when Horford returns?
11. New Orleans Hornets (39-29) (9) The Hornets can make a claim that few other NBA teams can make: They’re completely healthy. And they can put a little cushion in their playoff seeding, but have to get past Phoenix and Boston – not an easy task.
12. Portland Trail Blazers (37-29) (11) The lack of a center to back up Marcus Camby has reared its ugly head, so the Blazers signed Chris Johnson for the rest of the season. Whether that translates to future success is anyone’s guess, but centers in Portland tend to not remain healthy for some unknown reason. Ask Bill Walton, Sam Bowie and Greg Oden.
13. Memphis Grizzlies (36-31) (13) They have just over a dozen games left in the regular season, and are hanging on to the #8 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase by a thread. With Rudy Gay out with an injured shoulder, the rest of the team – and that means everybody – will need to pick up the offensive slack.
14. Houston Rockets (33-34) (16) They’re three games behind Memphis for the #8 seed in the Western Conference playoffr ace, so it’s safe to say that every game from this point on is a must-win game. So they’ll need some help from some other teams if they want to visit the postseason. If they miss the playoffs, you can point a finger to a lack of a true center as a culprit.
15. Philadelphia 76ers (34-32) (14) When they lose, they’re 13-4. I am not suggesting they go out and tank the occasional game, but when they’re on the short end of the stick, they tend to rebound nicely. They have a somewhat cake schedule this week as they take on the Clippers, Sacramento and Portland. 
16. New York Knicks (34-31) (15) The Knicks have an nteresting task that they’re struggling with at the moment: Establishing a better playoff position and team chemistry. If and when this team meshes, they can be dangerous come postseason. Fortunately, their remaining schedule has New York facing six teams with winning records and nine home games. The Sixers are right behind them, so a win streak is a good way to acomplish those goals.
17. Utah Jazz (34-33) (18) Right behind Memphisfor that #8 seeding in the Western Conference playoff hunt, coach Ty Corbin has been the mad scientist, tinkering with his lineup a bit. Getting Paul Millsap back is key if Utah wants to visit the postseason, along with having a full complement of healthy players.
18. Phoenix Suns (33-31) (17) Losers of three straight (including their loss to hosuton on Monday), the Suns are losing ground in the playof chase out west. The loss of Steve Nash to a hip issue plays a big part in this. His return at 100% is essential for the Suns to make the playoffs. Suffice it to say, this week is probably the most important week for Phoenix this season for obvious reasons.
19. Golden State Warriors (30-36) (19) If the Warriors want to see the playoffs next season, they may need to focus on their defense. As of late, this team has been giving up too many points (a Warrior tradition), but without the offense to make the end result respectable. Time for coach Keith Smart to exorcise the ghost of Don Nelson.
20. Charlotte Bobcats (28-38) (21) By all rights, they have no business being in the Eastern Conference playoff chase at 10 games below .500, yet they’re tied with Indiana for the #8 spot. They go through the Southwest Division this week, facing Houston, Oklahoma City and San Antonio – a tough test, if ever there was one.
21. Indiana Pacers (28-38) (20) They and Charlotte are in the same predicament, with 16 games left in the regular season. Getting Danny Granger back (out with the flu) would be a big step in Indiana trying to put some distance between them and the Bobcats for that final playoff berth.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (26-39) (24) They’re offensively challenged, and as of late, inconsistent. After racking up 110 and 102 points against Cleveland and Philadelphia (both wins), respectively, they eked out 56 against Boston – in 48 minutes. Despite the weird numbers, they’re still just  11/2 games behind Indiana and charlotte for that last playoff slot in the Eastern Conference. This is a put-up-or-shut-up week for Milwaukee as they face Atlanta, Orlando, the reurgent New Jersey Nets and New York. Yikes!
23. Los Angeles Clippers (26-41) (22) The Clips need to stick to a proven offensive set of plays. While run-and-gun works on occasion, so does the slow-down game. Coach Del Negro has this knack of micro-managing the offense depending on the opponent in question. That works for their neighboring team, the Lakers. Obviously, this team isn’t the Lakers.
24. New Jersey Nets (21-43) (25) Five straight wins (including their impressive win over Boston on Monday). A sign of things to come from this team or just a fluke? Other than Chicago on Thursday, the Nets have a cake schedule, facing Milwaukee and Washington.
25. Detroit Pistons (23-44) (23) It’s not by accident that the Pistons have forgotten how to play defense lately. This could be attributed to a team that has apparently no pride in itself and lost their coach a long time ago. Joe Dumars really has his work cut out for him this postseason ,in terms of improving this squad.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-51) (29) Just when you thought the T-Wolves may have found themselves, they revert to form by beating Indiana and Utah by 26 and 22, respectively then losing by 23 to Golden State. Also throw in the rumor that the team may replace coach Kurt Rambis with Kelvin Sampson – a rumor denied by management. No wonder this franchise has stunk since Kevin Garnett has left.
27. Toronto Raptors (18-48) (26) As if things are gloomy enough already in Toronto, the corporation that owns the franchise is up for sale – two-thirds of it, anyways. the person who reads the financial statement will probably notice that the Raptors, being the losing team that they are, do the corporation of record no favors by lsoing on a regular basis. While they’re rebuilding, things can change drastically for Toronto, contingent on what happens with the sale of the team’s umbrella.
28. Anaheim Las Vegas Sacramento Kings (15-49) (27) With the team apparently moving from California’s state capital, save for a last-minute slam-dunk change of plans, the only thing going for the Kings lately is one Marcus Thornton. Since his trade to the Kings, he’s been averaging 22.2 PPG. Just 18 games to go before the inevitable happens.
29. Washington Generals Wizards (16-48) (28) “We used to be pretty good at home, early on. Not anymore, though. We’re getting blown out at home now.” Those words came from rookie John Wall. While very true, that’s stating the obvious. This team has apparently given up this season, as evidenced by 19- and 21 point losses to the Clippers and Oklahoma City. Poor Abe Pollin has to be rolling around in his grave right now.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (12-53) (30) “I’m starting to question what type of heart we have on this basketball team. If you are a competitor, no matter what the situation is, you’re going to compete every single night. We haven’t done that the last two games. There’s no excuse for going out there and not playing hard.” Coach Byron Scott uttered those words. The problem is, that’s something he should’ve said eaelier in the season. Well, there’s always next year … or 2012 … or 2013 …