Posted on 3/14/2008 1:48:29 AM

NBA Top 10 Power Rankings New Number One Empties the Lakers

By D.S. Williamson

The power still resides in the Western Conference, but the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Boston Celtics aren’t that far behind. The Celtics, in fact, might be the best overall team in the NBA.

This after the San Antonio Spurs proved all too human last Sunday versus the Phoenix Suns. No worries, that’s what this article is all about, right? Who’s hot in the NBA against the BetUS spread?

No surprises in this Top 10 although I will add one word of caution - - be careful about jumping on teams at the wrong moment. As quickly as teams get hot in the NBA, they can turn right around and get cold. That’s just the nature of the beast.

Let’s get to it!

NBA Power Rankings

1. Houston Rockets - - They’ve won 20 games straight-up in a row and are 17 and 2 against the BetUS spread in their last 19 games. That’s outrageous. This team is incredibly hot, but beware - - hot teams can fall fast.

2. Boston Celtics - - They’ve crawled their way back into the Top 3 by going 7 and 3 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 as well as covering in their last five straight games. One of those was against the ultra-tough Detroit Pistons. So this ranking is absolutely justified.

3. New Orleans Hornets - - 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 doesn’t mean that these guys are ready to take over the Western Conference, but that 25 point spanking of the Spurs sure said a lot to me.

4. Orlando Magic - - 8 and 2 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games. The Magic are starting to solidify themselves as a terrific team to wager on no matter who or where they play. They also appear to be staying under the radar for now. That’s a good thing for BetUS NBA bettors!

5. Utah Jazz - - They’ve gone 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games, but have failed to cover in their last two. Some see that as weakness. I see it as strength. The Jazz should right their ship starting this weekend which means they could get hot in a hurry.

6. Dallas Mavericks - - 6-3-1 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 games, but covering in their last 3, the Mavs should keep it going with games against the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers - - who they always play tough - - coming up.

7. Golden State Warriors - - They also have covered 3 games in a row, but they face the Phoenix Suns tonight and that could end their dreams of moving up in these rankings. I’m positive the Warriors are worried about that. In any case, once we get past number four on this list things start to get dicey for me.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers - - A 6 and 4 against the BetUS spread in their last 10 team who is always up and down. Play them against good teams. Play against them when they have to play bad teams. That appears to be their modus operandi.

9. Los Angeles Lakers - - They’ve fallen fast because they haven’t covered in their last two games and they’ve gone 5 and 5 in their last 10. The problem is defense. If they start playing it, they should immediately rise back into the Top 5. Notice I wrote if…

10. Phoenix Suns - - The Suns have been terrible against the BetUS spread all year, but they did cover in their last two. The way they did it was impressive. They used their defense to beat the Spurs this past Sunday. Then, they ran all over the Memphis Grizzlies last Tuesday. If they keep it going, they could put in one of those crazy hot cover type streaks that teams sometimes do. Wouldn’t that be nice?

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