Week 18 NBA Rankings

1. Boston Celtics (47-12) (2) Won the crucial showdown with Detroit to maintain a 4-game lead for home court advantage in the Eastern Conference.
2. San Antonio Spurs (42-17) (4) Never count out the defending champion as the Spurs have hit full stride at just the right time with their latest 10-game winning streak.
3. Los Angeles Lakers (43-18) (1) When his team needed him the most, Kobe once again stepped up huge with 52 in an overtime win over the Mavericks.
4. Detroit Pistons (44-17) (3) Signing Ratliff could prove to be a shrewd move for the Pistons if he has anything left in the tank.
5. Houston Rockets (40-20) (5) The more people doubt them, the stronger this team bonds, as the Rockets have now won 16 straight with TMac leading the charge and the role players stepping up.
6. New Orleans Hornets (41-19) (6) Welcome back Birdman! Your sub-par Slam Dunk performance still ranks in the bottom 5 all-time.
7. Utah Jazz (40-22) (8) At home, they're unbeatable with a 27-3 record, but for the Jazz to make a repeat run in the playoffs, they'll have to do better than a sub-.500 road record.
8. Orlando Magic (40-23) (10) Between the injuries and the turbulent backcourt play, it's amazing the Magic have performed at such a high level this year.
9. Dallas Mavericks (39-22) (7) The more I look at Dirk's hard foul on Kirilenko, the more I question it even being called a flagrant, much less warranting a suspension.
10. Phoenix Suns (40-21) (9) The defense isn't picking up much and with San Antonio and Utah in its next two games, the Suns need at least one win just to stay in the hunt for a top 4 spot.
11. Golden State Warriors (37-23) (11) While JRich got the last laugh, the Warriors can't be too happy with Brendan Wright's pedestrian 6-5 game against the Bobcats.
12. Denver Nuggets (36-24) (12) If Denver misses the playoffs, it maybe seriously time to adjust the format to only include the 16 teams with the best records.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers (35-26) (14) LeBron's Garden performance was truly memorable, everything from the 38-foot jump-shot to the near triple double he recorded to go with his 50 to him calling 50 and then pulling it off by hitting three straight threes.
14. Toronto Raptors (33-27) (13) Bosh better rest up that knee, as his presence is critical to the Raptors having any shot at advancing in the postseason.
15. Philadelphia 76ers (28-33) (15) Now 'Dre Miller's starting to step his game up, as he held his own against three of the premier PG's in the NBA last week.
16. Portland Trail Blazers (31-30) (16) With the playoffs almost certainly out of reach, the Blazers' next aim should be at maintaining a .500 record.
17. Washington Wizards (29-31) (17) They'd be in the 7th slot if they didn't somehow find a way to beat the Hornets twice in the last week.
18. New Jersey Nets (26-35) (18) If they couldn't win in Memphis, I'd be very surprised to see the Nets get one win on their five-game road trip against the Southwest Division, the toughest division in basketball.
19. Sacramento Kings (27-34) (19) If KJ becomes mayor of Sacramento, he'd instantly be the best PG living in Sacramento at the present moment.
20. Chicago Bulls (24-36) (20) If Luol Deng hadn't stopped, LeBron might have jumped over him, he was so high off the ground.
21. Atlanta Hawks (24-35) (21) They might be a playoff team if ownership had just let Billy Knight replace Mike Woodson with a real coach.
22. Indiana Pacers (24-37) (23) Who says the Pacers' time in the police blotter is over? We haven't even reached the offseason and it seems like half the team is an ex-con.
23. Milwaukee Bucks (23-38) (22) Welcome back Charlie! To think, he scored 32 in just three quarters, maybe he could have hit 40 with an extra 12 minutes.
24. Charlotte Bobcats (22-39) (26) Is there such thing as a concussion-prone NBA player? If there is, GWall comes closest to filling that definition.
25. Los Angeles Clippers (20-39) (24) I would hope Al Thornton's performing at a high level by now. He only needed six years of college.
26. New York Knicks (18-43) (25) LeBron's 50-point game might have meant more if Dolan hadn't turned the Knicks into the NBA's biggest joke.
27. Seattle Supersonics (16-45) (27) It's only a matter of time before David Stern allows one of the most illogical moves in NBA history by allowing the Sonics to skip town for Oklahoma City.
28. Memphis Grizzlies (15-46) (28) This is the team that really belongs in Oklahoma City, they just don't have a greedy enough owner.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-48) (29) McHale's just torturing Antoine Walker for becoming fat and useless in Miami by not buying out his contract and making him freeze up in Minnesota.
30. Miami Heat (11-47) (30) I will know there's something to this "rigged lottery" theory if the Heat wind up with the #1 pick and land Michael Beasley.