Week 13 in the NBA proved to be nothing less than exciting. Allstar starters were announced with some question about the voting process raised. The second proverbial "Clash of the Titans" between the Lakers and Cavs resulted in LeBron out dueling Kobe and gaining the psychological edge. Barring the drubbing by the Bobcats, Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to an impressive week and a jump in the Standings.

 1.) Cleveland Cavaliers (34-11): After sweeping the season series against the defending Champion Lakers LeBron and the Cavs have undoubtedly taken over the top spot in this week’s power rankings. Don’t let the injuries to West and Williams damper your spirits Cavs fans, as long as you have “The King” healthy you’re golden. Last Week (2)

2.) Los Angeles Lakers (33-11): The Lakers struggled a little this week going 2-2 to start their road trip. The return of Pau Gasol did not prove to be the difference maker as he was relatively ineffective against the Cavs. A good sign for L.A is several team members feel they have not played their best basketball so far this season. Last Week (1)

3.) Denver Nuggets (29-14): The Denver Nuggets are healthy and rolling. They have won a league high 6 straight games which has been driven by a resurgence of veteran guard Chauncy Billups who averaged 26 points last week. Denver will try to keep the good times rolling as they get set for a 3 game Western road trip. Last Week (6)

4.) Atlanta Hawks (28-14): The Hawks continue to prove to everyone that they are on the cusp of becoming an elite team. It will be a long week for Atlanta as they travel to Texas to play the Rockets and Spurs before facing the Magic and Celtics on back to back nights. Look for Joe Johnson to be named an all-star reserve on Thursday as he has been stellar this season. Last Week (3)

5.) Boston Celtics (28-13): After dropping 3 straight games the Celts squeaked one out against the injury riddled Blazers. Kevin Garnett returned to action this week in the win over Portland. Hopefully he stays healthy this time because “Garnett to miss more time” is getting very redundant. Last Week (4)

6.) Orlando Magic (29-15): The value of Vince Carter has been the subject of debate lately as the Magic were in a bit of a slump. They took care of business this week however winning 3 games by double digits including an overtime win in Charlotte which is the toughest place to play in the Eastern conference.  Last Week (9)

7.) Dallas Mavericks (29-15): After an embarrassing loss at the hands of the 76ers the Mavs used the Knicks as a punching bag beating them by 50 points! Dallas heads home after a 5 game road trip with a ton of momentum and a battle with the Denver Nuggets for the 2^nd seed in the West. Last Week (5)

8.) Portland Trailblazers (27-18): The Blazers cease to amaze me as they have shuffled their starting line-up for most of the season. Despite the injury to Brandon Roy (who is expected out for the next 3 games) they almost beat the Celtics in Boston. A true center will be a necessity for Portland as the trade deadline nears. Last Week (8)

9.) Utah Jazz (25-18): This may finally be the year Deron Williams makes the all-star team, and rightfully so as he has again led to Jazz to a solid record and playoff contention. There have been some ramblings about the Jazz trading Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a first round pick but nothing has come to fruition yet. Last Week (11)

10.) Miami Heat (23-20): I’m stumped at how the Heat played last week. They beat Indiana by 30 points followed that up with a 40 point loss to Charlotte then ended the week with back to back 20+ point wins over Washington and Sacramento respectively. . . ??? But maybe it’s just me. Last Week (18)

11.) San Antonio Spurs (25-17): Congratulations to Tim Duncan for surpassing the 20,000 point mark for his career. Too bad it happened in the midst of back to back losses. Home games this week should bode well for the Spurs who look to stay competitive in a tight Western Conference. Last Week (7)

12.) Phoenix Suns (26-19): For the first time this season the Suns are at a risk of slipping out of playoff contention. Subpar have caused the Suns to drastically drop in the standings yet Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were both voted into the All-star starting line up. Inconsistent play has caused Alvin Gentry to change up line-ups in hopes of sparking his team. Last Week (10)

13.) Toronto Raptors (23-22): The Raps recent win over the Lakers could be a turning point in their season. They have now proved they can beat the defending champs and are playing with a ton of confidence. The insertion of Jarrett Jack into the starting line-up has worked wonders for Toronto. Last Week (12)

14.) Memphis Grizzlies (23-19): The Grizzlies have been superb lately winning 5 of their last 6 games. This week should provide a tough test as they play the Magic on Monday and close the week with back to back games against the division rival Spurs and Hornets. Zach Randolph has been an integral part of the Grizzlies success and I would be disappointed if he did not make the all-star team. Last Week (14)

15.) Houston Rockets (24-19): This is a make or break week for the Houston Rockets. They play Atlanta, Denver, Portland and Phoenix. With a record of 24-19 a losing streak could deliver a crushing blow to the Rockets playoff position. If there’s any time for Houston to over achieve its now. Good news is the T-Mac situation has buried itself as of late. Last Week (15)

16.) Oklahoma City Thunder (24-20): The Thunder went 2-2 this week, and both of their losses came by a combined three points. Oklahoma continues to put together more consistent efforts this season, but unless they get extremely hot in the second half of the season they will most likely miss the playoffs in the competitive West. Last Week (13)

 17.) Charlotte Bobcats (21-21): After a sizzling homestretch last week the Bobcats fell back down to earth as their six game winning streak came to an end, and surprise it ended on the road. But as long as this team continues to have their way with opponents at home they should have no problem locking up a playoff spot at .500. Last Week (17)

18.) Chicago Bulls (20-22): A tough four game road trip saw its ups and downs, namely a win over the Suns and a loss to the Warriors. The Bulls now have a solid lead over the Bucks for the last spot in the East, making Vinny Del Negro’s job a little safer. Last Week (19)

19.) New Orleans Hornets (23-20): The Hornets had yet another mediocre week this week going 2-2, making some question whether this team is capable of making a serious run at the playoffs even with a healthy roster. Last Week (16)

20.) Milwaukee Bucks (18-24): The Bucks are 18-3 when Andrew Bogut notches seventeen points or more. So basically the Bucks haven’t won when he doesn’t score seventeen or more. I don’t think I can make the Bucks X factor any clearer. Last Week (21)

21.) Los Angeles Clippers (20-23): It’s not a question of talent with this team, chemistry maybe, but forty three games into the season and the Clippers are still below .500. I understand losing Blake Griffin for the season hurts, but Mike Dunleavy has had enough time to prove his worth and he clearly hasn’t, he needs to be shown the exit if this team wants to make any sort of run at the playoffs. Last Week (24)

22.) Philadelphia 76ers (15-28): Here’s a fun game, what 76ers player hasn’t been mentioned in trade rumours recently? Last Week (26)

23.) New York Knicks (17-26): The fifty point loss to the Mavericks at home last night was just flat out embarrassing. I understand D’Antoni doesn’t have a lot to work with but that’s just pathetic. Good luck landing any big name free agents when you muster up performances like that. Last Week (23)

24.) Detroit Pistons (15-28): A semi-bright week for the Pistons as they knocked off the Boston Celtics, but that win only made them a measly 1-3 on the week. Kind of sums up your season when going 1-3 classifies as semi-bright week. Last Week (20)

25.) Indiana Pacers (15-29): The Pacers followed up a solid victory over the Pistons by getting whooped at home over the lowly 76ers. Who wants fans to come watch anyway? Last Week (22)

26.) Washington Wizards (14-29): A tribute to Antawn Jamison for continuing to play hard and keeping this team together even in the late stages of his career. It’s a direct reflection of his professional character and I would love to see the Wizards deal him to a contender before the deadline. Last Week (27)

27.) Sacramento Kings (15-28): Remember at the beginning of the year when the Kings were playing .500 ball and it looked like they might finally be steering away from utter dismay? Well, the Kings have lost twelve of thirteen and are 0-6 with the return of Kevin Martin...Yikes. Last Week (25)

28.) Golden State Warriors (13-29): I can’t say I’ve ever seen a team that contained so much ‘fantasy’ value that didn’t translate AT ALL into the win column. The Warriors are playing better ball of late, but then again it’s not hard to improve when the only direction is up. Last Week (28)

29.) Minnesota Timberwolves (12-27): In some sense the Wolves are one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year. Last year before Al Jefferson got hurt they had the best record in January, and with most of their young core returning you’d think they’d have mustered out more than twelve wins by this point. Last Week (29)

30.) New Jersey Nets (3-40): The record continues to speak for itself. Pathetic, just plain pathetic. Last Week (30)

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