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Rankings before games of Tuesday, Nov. 7
|  | | Where are Travis Best's Pacers ranked? |
A lot of people disagree about what Power Rankings are all about. If the Grizzlies beat the Lakers, some people will say the Grizz should be ranked higher. If the Nuggets run off six straight wins, they should be No. 1. Well, you ain't gonna get that here.
Our formula for NBA Power Rankings is pretty simple, really. We think the Lakers are the best team in the league. A loss to Utah doesn't change that. It's one game. A 4-0 start for Philly doesn't change that. Now, a few more Laker losses could change that, but today, the Lakers are the best team in the league. Sorry, Mailman. You'll see us stick to this theme throughout. Lakers are best, Hawks are worst. Sonics are better than Grizz, despite one loss, Raptors are better than Pistons, etc. We'll change when appropriate. But when in doubt, we do think the No. 16 team is better than 17, and etc.
We figure you'll disagree. You always do. We like that. When we release our Power Rankings every Tuesday at Noon ET, we want your comments. Click here to share your thoughts about our Power Rankings and we'll post the best e-mails later each week.
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Team
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Record
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Prev.
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ESPN.com skinny
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TITLE CONTENDERS
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1. Lakers
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3-1
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1
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Yeah, they lost a game. And they'll lose about 15 more. We don't care. Now if the Clips had beaten them...
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2. Spurs
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3-0
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3
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Well, they didn't lose a game, and they look like they're gonna win about 60 more; Watch the Laker game on Wed.
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3. Jazz
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4-0
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5
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In a month if you're still talking about the win at Shaq's house, that's sad; Can the old guys sustain this?
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4. 76ers
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4-0
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9
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Pat Riley says they're the East's best, and he couldn't be wrong; Seriously, defense still wins games
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5. Suns
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3-1
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7
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We can't explain the Warrior loss, but we can the Portland win -- Marion, Delk, Santiago are key guys
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6. Hornets
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3-1
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8
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Again, unexplainable loss at home to Wiz, but Bugs are stacked and getting Coleman back; Where does he fit in?
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7. Wolves
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2-2
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17
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OK, this is a high jump, but we admit our original mistake; Wolves are good with or without that ordinary Joe
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8. Magic
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3-2
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8
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Well, Tracy, in a roundabout way you wanted this; Armstrong, Miller need to play better as well
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9. Blazers
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1-3
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2
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Frankly, we've dropped them too far, but it's possible they're just a 55-win team; Was Shawn Kemp in The Klumpps?
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PLAYOFFS, BUT...
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10. Heat
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1-2
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10
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We wouldn't call losses to Philly and Charlotte bad ones; Fact is, Heat match up with every other East team
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11. Mavs
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3-1
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16
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It's a little high, but if they play defense like this, they're playoff-bound; Nash and Eisley are a nice combo
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12. Pacers
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1-2
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14
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We're not rewarding them, they're just not a bad team; Wait till they get a few home games
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13. Knicks
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2-1
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12
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Hey, the Pacers didn't lose by 29 at home; Knicks have issues, issues good teams will exploit at will
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14. Kings
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3-2
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16
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We were ready to dump on this team, then they allow 75 to Blazers? With Jason at point, you allow 75 in a half
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15. Sonics
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1-3
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6
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Team should probably be around No. 10, but we'd like to see Ewing put two good games together first
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16. Cavs
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3-0
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20
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Doing it with mirrors; How can you be 3-0 and lead league in turnovers? Oh, play Nets, Kings and Celts
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NOT GOOD ENOUGH
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17. Bucks
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1-2
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11
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It's not the losses, it's how they did it; No defense, Karl's rotation in disarray, and now Ham's out for months
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18. Grizzlies
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3-1
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28
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Were we wrong putting them at No. 28? Give 'em a week, mid-20s is more like it; This is Bibby's year
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19. Raptors
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1-3
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13
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Bad, bad start might not be an aberration; Vince can only do so much on his own
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20. Celtics
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2-1
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23
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Today, they are over .500; Don't get used to it, there are only so many East lottery teams to play
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21. Rockets
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1-3
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18
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Hakeem, do us a favor and step down; It's sad to watch; Maybe if they had Cato we'd see the change
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22. Warriors
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1-2
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21
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The Suns win was great, yes, but you have to beat Denver if you're any good; Fortson, he's pretty good
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NOT GOOD AT ALL
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23. Nets
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1-2
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19
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At least protect your home court; Nets lose to Cavs, Hornets at home; Man, where's Feick when you need him?
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24. Clippers
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1-3
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29
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The win over Houston is one thing, but they hung with Shaq till the end; Other teams are actually worse
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25. Pistons
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1-3
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22
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When Ben Wallace is your No. 3 scorer, you have problems; Chucky better not fall in love with starting
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26. Wizards
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1-3
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26
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At least this group is trying; Three overpaid musketeers each appear to care about wins and losses
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JUST HORRIBLE
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27. Nuggets
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1-3
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25
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We thought they'd be bad; Take out McDyess, battling back problems, and they might be Bulls bad
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28. Bulls
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0-3
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27
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Just a hint, guys, you need to score to win; In three games, produced 81, 82 and 81 points
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29. Hawks
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0-4
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29
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Well, they get Dikembe back this week; Problem is, they still have everyone else
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ALSO SEE
2000-01 Power Rankings
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