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Tony Mejia

Power Rankings: Spurs no longer cream of the crop

Updated March 22

We’ve been able to count the San Antonio Spurs among the NBA’s elite all season. Not once have they fallen out of the top three, and we've kept them in the top spot since Jan. 25, a span of eight consecutive weeks. While we wish Tim Duncan a speedy recovery from his latest ankle ailment, we cannot in good faith hold the team a spot at the top with him probably out the remainder of the regular season.

Are the Spurs still our championship favorite? Yes, Duncan will be back and won’t need much time to get re-acclimated. The great ones never do. As they line up currently, are they one of the league’s top five teams? Not in our estimation.

These are after all, weekly power rankings, ranking the league’s most imposing teams from top to bottom. Looking to replace Duncan’s production with Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed isn’t going to scare anybody. All you have to do is watch the third-quarter tape of the Spurs’ first outing without their leader to know there are going to be serious issues.

The Knicks, playing without top defender Kurt Thomas, completely took away the Spurs’ post game and left them to settle for difficult shots, surrendering just 13 points on 5-for-18 shooting. Fact is, without Duncan, the Spurs are no longer the best team in Texas, much less the league. The fact they’re talking about 'holding off' Dallas, who they lead by less than six games with 15 left, should tell you where they stand.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili form an entertaining, productive backcourt combo, but to this point, neither has needed to be the man. We’ll see if either steps up as the guy his team rallies around, but we’re not putting any pressure on either. Replacing the irreplaceable simply isn’t done.

Power Rankings
CurrentTeamPrevious
1Heat · Trends2
Fully expected the Bucks to topple the Heat for the third time this season, but instead Miami turned on the afterburners on the flying death machine and flew right past. Still, it took injury to get them back in the top spot.
2Bulls · Trends1
The minute Derrick Rose returns, Chicago will likely re-take its position at No. 1. This is as close to a tie as you can have.
3Thunder · Trends3
The Sacramento loss was bad and revealed some blemishes, but not enough to affect the Thunder's inclusion in the elite tier, which contains only the top three.
4Clippers · Trends6
The Clippers' relationship with title contention on Facebook is listed as "It's complicated."
5Spurs · Trends7
They say the French are experts in love. From where I sit, watching Tony Parker this season makes it seem like they know more than a little about basketball too.
676ers · Trends4
The Sixers aren't winning all their games against the good teams, but combined with their regular stomping of bad teams, they're winning enough to make you think they're as good as their record indicates.
7Pacers · Trends5
A losing streak against tough competition may crest at three games Tuesday night against Miami, but then the schedule evens out for Indy. Not ready to bury the Pacers after some great play the last couple of weeks.
8Hawks · Trends9
To the tune of "Proud Mary:" "Going ... going ... going through the motions."
9Mavericks · Trends17
The Mavericks still don't look like they have everything together, and they're still winning games. That's got to be scary for the rest of the league.
10Lakers · Trends8
Never has going .500 on a long and grueling road trip been so disappointing.
11Nuggets · Trends10
Stopped the slide for the moment, but they're in need of some TLC in order to get healthy.
12Magic · Trends13
We intercepted the Magic's Valentine's Day card to Dwight: "Roses are red, lilies are white, you're not really going to do this to us, are you, Dwight?"
13Trail Blazers · Trends12
The Blazers need to spend V-Day with that special person. That is, Nate McMillan, because they are wobbling like that single girl tonight at the bar from your office whose mom keeps asking why she's not married and who will be clearing out the pineapple rum.
14Celtics · Trends11
The Celtics are big believers in that old saying, "Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt and play basketball like you're 600 years old."
15Rockets · Trends14
The Rockets had such a great week they treated themselves to losing to Golden State. On this special day you have to treat yourself, you know.
15Knicks · Trends21
Jeremy Lin's like Cupid for Knicks fans ... if Cupid could run the pick and roll.
17Jazz · Trends15
Did the Jazz overachieve earlier this month or underachieve the past two weeks? It's like a mystery no one cares about.
18Timberwolves · Trends16
Danger, Ricky Rubio! Danger! The Wolves are either just weathering a rough patch or starting to disassemble.
19Bucks · Trends19
Does Brandon Jennings think if he talks about considering leaving Milwaukee in free agency, people will think he's on the level of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James? This is the worst game of charades ever.
20Grizzlies · Trends18
You could use a random number generator to simulate the rest of the Grizzlies' season and have 75 percent-plus success rate.
21Warriors · Trends26
Hands up, Dubs up?
22Kings · Trends23
Oh, so that's what DeMarcus Cousins with his head between his shoulders and not, um, elsewhere looks like. Neat.
23Suns · Trends22
Steve Nash deserves better.
24Cavaliers · Trends20
It's not every day you get to read your own obituary, and yet the Cavaliers have had it happen twice in two years when reading medical diagnostic results for Anderson Varejao. They're like the groundhog of the NBA, only they see six more weeks of indie-film-level depression.
25Raptors · Trends25
The Lakers game was like coming from behind on a world-class sprinter only to dive for the finish line and land two inches short. On your face.
26Pistons · Trends27
Breaking: Pistons lobby NBA to play only the New Jersey Nets for remainder of season.
27Nets · Trends24
No truth to the rumor Mikhail Prokhorov sent a dump truck of heart candies to Dwight Howard's house, nor that they said "I know where you live" in Russian.
28Wizards · Trends29
(To the tune of Sam Cooke's "Cupid":) Cupid, draw back your bow, show McGee which way to go.
29Hornets · Trends28
Sadly, David Stern will not be receiving that Valentine's Day gift package from Hornets fans because security says they have to spend the next two weeks screening it.
30Bobcats · Trends30
For Valentine's Day, the Bobcats are going to spend time with someone special. So, not each other, clearly.
 
 
 
 
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