11/23/2009 NBA Power Rankings - Natio… ESPN

TV RADIO MAGAZINE INSIDER SHOP ESPN360 SPORTSCENTER

En Español

Register Now myESPN (Sign In)

ALL SPORTS NFL MLB NBA NHL College Football College Basketball Women's Basketball College Sports Recruiting Golf NASCAR Racing Soccer --World Cup High Schools Tennis Boxing Mixed Martial Arts Olympic Sports Horse Racing Poker WNBA Lacrosse Cricket (Cricinfo) Rugby (Scrum) Action Sports Outdoors Bassmaster Rodeo & Bull Riding UFL COMMENTARY sports..go.com/nba/powerranking… 1/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Blogs Ombudsman PAGE 2 Sports Guy's World FANTASY Football Baseball Basketball Hockey Stock Car Soccer Arcade Video Games Poker Club All Fantasy Games

College Bowl Mania Streak for the CASH Gridiron Challenge Pigskin Pick 'Em Eliminator Challenge College Football Challenge College Pick 'Em Race for the Cup Driver Pick 'Em Stock Car Challenge Uber Challenge VIDEO Most Recent Highlights Pardon the Interruption Outside the Lines Mayne sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 2/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Street 30 for 30 MMA Live Fresh Take Inside Deal E:60 Countdown Daily SPORTSNATION Profiles Groups Conversations Chats Polls Message Boards Widgets CITIES ESPNBoston.com ESPNChicago.com ESPNDallas.com ESPN Local THE LIFE Home Travel Sports Passport Arcade Video Games Tickets Cars Contests Books Active.com

NBA Home Scores Schedule Standings Rankings Teams

Atlantic New Jersey Nets New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers Central Chicago Bulls Southeast Charlotte Bobcats sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 3/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Miami Heat

Pacific Southwest Rockets Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Hornets Northwest Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves City Thunder Portland Trail Blazers

Players Stats TrueHoop Daily Dime Draft Rumors Odds Local Tickets

ESPN » All Sports » NBA

Power Rankings: Hawks soar to No. 1 spot

Team Archives: Select Team Add Widget By ESPN.com

You had to wait a little longer than last season, when and were swapped on the first Monday of the regular season.

Not too long, though.

The third Monday of the new season is a certifiable Blockbuster ESPN.com Senior Writer Marc Stein Monday. On top of Golden State's big trade in the morning that sent Stephen Jackson to Charlotte, you can spend the rest of the • Follow ESPN's NBA coverage on afternoon digesting this: Atlanta has claimed the top spot in Twitter ESPN.com's weekly NBA Power Rankings for the first time in • Follow Marc Stein on Twitter the eight seasons that your faithful committee (of one) has • Read Marc at TrueHoop chaired this project. • Read Marc at ESPN.com • E-mail Marc Two-game losing streaks for the Celtics and Lakers -- with Atlanta's road win Friday over Boston trumping Denver's home win over the defending champs on the same night -- created an unexpected opening at the top that the Hawks have rightfully seized. Atlanta's best start since going 11-0 to open the 1997-98 season includes a home rout of Denver and an impressive win at Portland.

Throw in Phoenix's ongoing rise and we have a top three we never expected to see, even in the unpredictable early portion of the season, with the Celtics, Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers shoved down into the Nos. 4, 5 sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 4/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… and 6 slots, and Orlando dropping to No. 10.

Click here to rank the teams yourself, or click here to comment on these rankings.

2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 3 RANK (LAST TEAM REC. COMMENT WK) After matching Cleveland's win in Orlando with their own breakthrough in Boston, it's time to toss it out there: How much more 1 (6) Hawks 8-2 must the Hawks do before we all start saying that the East elite runs four teams deep? Can't emphasize enough how torn we were on whom to award the top spot, given how Denver has dealt with seven road games ... and 2 (5) Nuggets 7-3 J.R. Smith's seven-game suspension ... and what it just did to the Lakers. Excluding its two games against the teams that appeared in June's NBA Finals -- both on the second night of a back-to-back -- 3 (4) Suns 9-2 Phoenix is a pretty passable 9-0. And only four of those games were at home. Seeing Cleveland lose two of its first four home games was disorienting. But seeing 3-happy Boston get swept on a 4 (1) Celtics 8-3 Friday/Saturday back-to-back, capped by a 113- pummeling in Indy, was just as staggering. The Lakers, like their old pals from Boston, are faced with their first losing streak of the season. The view, though, is clearly more troubling 5 (2) Lakers 7-3 for L.A., now that Kobe has his own groin injury to go with Pau's bad hammy. Things change fast around here. One successful two-game swing through Florida and suddenly Cleveland -- after the supposed crisis of 6 (9) Cavaliers 7-3 a 0-2 start -- is the only NBA heavyweight that can say last week was a good week. The latest indefinite loss of Josh Howard and their wasted chance to beat short-handed San Antonio were undeniable setbacks. But the 7 (7) Mavericks 7-3 Mavs will take that 7-3 mark given how up-and-down they've been. Gladly. Four W's in a row on the road is four in a row on the road. Even when the opposition is a combined 9-32. But Portland also can't deny 8 (10) Trail Blazers 8-3 that its trip to the ATL will give us a much better read on that new three-guard alignment. How cruel was the ending Miami inflicted Saturday night on the poor Nets? It was Jersey's fourth loss already by three points or less ... and 9 (8) Heat 7-2 only the ninth 3-pointer banged home by D-Wade in 36 attempts this season. Probably time for us to hush our fawning about the Magic's depth. They get Rashard back this week and look like they need the boost 10 (3) Magic 7-3 ... although defense has been the real disappointment. Which is Dwight's department. You watch the Rockets win on the Lakers' floor and you hear that 11 they've scored 100 points or more in nine straight games for the first Rockets 6-4 (12) time since 1995-96 and you understand why there's hesitation to rush T-Mac back. Who cares that three of the Bucks' wins came against teams with a 12 combined record of 5-25? Milwaukee is suddenly synonymous with Bucks 5-2 (21) NBA excitement for the first time in forever. All because of one little lefty. OKC's defense/length/athleticism seen in San Antonio suggest this 13 team can handle seven roadies in nine games just fine . . . except that Thunder 5-5 (14) it bookended that win with an L in Sacramento and a home L to the Clips. The next time the Bulls score 100 points (or even 95) will be the first 14 time this season. But there are some gaudy numbers in Chicago if you Bulls 5-4 sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 5/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Bulls 5-4 (11) know where to look. Joakim Noah, for example: Six straight double- doubles. Yes: It was fair to expect a smoother start from the Deepest Team of 15 the Duncan Era. No: Can't believe those same slow-starting Spurs Spurs 4-4 (15) beat Dallas without two of their three best players for the second season running. The most galling part about Sunday's narrow loss in Phoenix -- 16 besides wasting the latest good game in 's best-ever start - Raptors 5-5 (15) - is that the Raps' much-maligned D made the Suns work so hard to get to 101. We're with you, Pacer People. We watched your squad deliver 17 another early season beatdown of the Celts -- just like last season -- Pacers 4-3 (24) and we're hoping this doesn't mean Indy is destined to peak in November. Again. The good news: Gordon, Charlie V, Will Bynum and Big Ben have 18 kept the Pistons competitive. The bad news: Trading Prince -- one of Pistons 5-5 (16) the options they have to bring in some size -- is a lot tougher if Tay has a bad back. Fitting that Houston was the victim when the Kings extended their 19 miraculous, shocker-of-the-season start to 5-4. Sacramento's Kings 5-4 (25) scrappy play without the injured Kevin Martin does feel rather Rockets-esque. The Jazz have regressed to the point, especially defensively, that a 20 comfortable win in Philly and a near-win in Cleveland -- both with Jazz 4-6 (20) Deron Williams attending to a difficult family matter -- add up to big progress. Five times in nine games, Charlotte hasn't made it to 80 points. With 21 MJ making a rare courtside appearance Saturday night? The Bobs Bobcats 3-6 (18) scored 74. Hopefully their trade gamble on Jack gives us some new material. Isn't the Jack trade alone worthy of this bump? This we believe even 22 more firmly: Nellie is not going to walk away from his $6 million Warriors 3-6 (27) salary to drop to a consultant's wage, nor will the Dubs pay him $6 mil just to consult. The spotlight on Brand's struggles is about to get brighter with Philly 23 losing Speights. Cause it means Elton should start getting fourth- 76ers 4-6 (17) quarter minutes again, which could get him going ... or heap more pressure on him. The Wiz are 1-0 in the presence of the committee (of one) and 1-7 24 (with six straight L's and countless injuries) since. Scant consolation: Wizards 2-7 (19) Boykins just had a better Wiz debut than Michael Jordan: 20 points to MJ's 19 in 2001. Did the Clips cool any heat under Mike Dunleavy's seat by winning 25 Sunday at OKC? Better question: How has Dunleavy lasted into his Clippers 4-7 (22) seventh season working for Donald Sterling, who used to fire coaches for sport? gets the rest of this season's $5 million salary no matter 26 what. Jeff Bower loses in his debut as an NBA head coach Hornets 3-8 (23) ... and the Hornets have holes aplenty with CP3. Who would you rather be? Full disclosure here: I want Iverson to come back soon purely and 27 selfishly to see the Griz try to accommodate Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies 2-8 (28) Hasheem Thabeet, Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, Iverson and now Jamaal Tinsley. Indy at home Tuesday night. Milwaukee on the road Wednesday 28 night. And a big Saturday lunchtime showdown with the equally Nets 0-10 (29) punchless Knicks. Surely winless New Jersey can win one of three games this week. Right? In the midst of four full days off after a humbling home loss to Golden 29 State, we can come up with only one thing going right for the Knicks: Knicks 1-9 sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 6/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Knicks 1-9 (30) Dare we say they're not the only team that missed on Brandon Jennings. This is only the fifth time ever three teams started 1-9 (or worse) in 30 the same season. The Wolves weren't supposed to be in Knicks/Nets Timberwolves 1-10 (26) territory, but you can't be surprised looking at their team minus Love and Jefferson.

659 comments on "Power Rankings: Hawks soar to No. 1 spot"

BoOtto97 (11/16/2009 at 2:53 PM) Nuggets have depth problems too, just like the Lakers... they also have holes in their rotation. they are using inferior players like Afflalo... Lawson looks like a spark plug off the bench though.. the Suns and Blazers have good depth...

thchitman (11/16/2009 at 2:33 PM) The Hawk's are doing this without a big time superstar! That's what's impressive. If they can do this the whole season they're gonna go deep into the playoffs!

CarryMyGATech (11/16/2009 at 2:05 PM) By beating three top ten teams(Portland,Denve r,Boston on the road), and being tied for the least amount of losses in the league(with the Suns) the Hawks earned the number one spot.GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

Sponsored Links Cavaliers Fan Makes $67/hr Online 23 Year Old Makes $6,477/month online! Read his amazing story here. w w w .PACourierNew s.com

Cleveland Cavaliers Tickets Cleveland Cavaliers Tickets. Sold Out? Not Here. w w w .StubHub.com

Work at Home $47/Hr-Alert Cavaliers Fans: Recession Proof Jobs Seen On CNN, NBC, CBS & FOX New s. Jobs.FutureTimes.com/Cavaliers-Fans

Buy a link here

sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 7/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio…

Find Tickets:

Search by Team:

Season tickets or single game tickets, all the best seats are here.

See all tickets

SPORTS

NFL MLB NBA NHL College Football College Basketball Soccer NASCAR

MORE

Racing Golf Tennis Boxing MMA Recruiting Olympic Sports Horse Racing

FANTASY sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 8/9 11/23/2009 NBA Basketball Power Rankings - Natio… Football Baseball Streak for the Cash

SPORTSNATION

Profiles Groups Chats

VIDEO

Most Recent Highlights

THE LIFE

Travel Sports Passport Arcade Contests

TOOLS

Contact Us Member Services myESPN Mobile Alerts News Wire Corrections Daily Line RSS

TV LISTINGS

RADIO

PODCENTER

INSIDER

PAGE 2

SHOP

ESPN360.COM

SPORTSCENTER

ESPN.com: Help | PR Media Kit | Advertise On ESPN.com | Sales Media Kit | Report a Bug | Corrections | Contact Us | Site Map | Mobile | ESPN Shop | Jobs at ESPN | Supplier Information ©2009 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.

sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking… 9/9