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As always, the beginning of the season has brought some surprises. Teams that would normally be in the top five of the league have fallen past the top ten and teams who would normally find themselves out of the top ten are in the top five. I guess thats just the way the cookie crumbles. Anyways, here are the Power Rankings thus far into the season:<br>
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1 - Seattle Super Sonics (5-1) - After losing to the Clippers on opening night, Seattle has rolled off five in a row. Fortson has given them a post presence and Allen is playing fantastic.<br>
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2 - San Antonio Spurs (4-1) - The Spurs have rebounded back from the Seattle loss with two impressive wins over Golden State and Miami. Manu Ginobili has been very impressive thus far with his amazing numbers.<br>
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3- Dallas Mavericks (5-1) - The Mavericks moves this off season appear great at the moment. Dampier looks comfortable in Nelson's system, while Terry and Stackhouse have been doing their jobs well off the bench. <br>
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4 - Utah Jazz (4-1) - People assumed Utah would be better this year; however, nobody thought Utah would jump out of the gate so quickly. AK-47 is without a doubt proving he is worth every penny of his new contract.<br>
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5 - Toronto Raptors (4-2) - The Raptors could have ended Seattle's winning streak last night, but Air Canada missed at the buzzer. Nonetheless, the Raptors are playing as unit and Chris Bosh has complimented Air Canada wonderfully.<br>
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6 - Phoenix Suns (4-1) - The Sun appears to be rising in Phoenix once again. Amare Stoudemire finally has the pieces around him to make the Suns a legit team and Steve Nash is averaging 10asp, so he appears to be fitting in well.<br>
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7 - Minnesota Timberwolves (3-2) - The Wolves had two bad games, but bounced back against the Rockets. Kevin Garnett is putting up MVP numbers once again, but he is playing a huge amount of minutes. <br>
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8 - Orlando Magic (4-2) - Steve Franics is once again back to his old form with Orlando's offensive system. Grant Hill is playing well and does not appear to be in pain out on the court. Dwight Howard has lived up to his hype thus far.<br>
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9 - Indiana Pacers (4-2) - Indiana has lost back to back games. Jermaine O'Neal started the season injured and Artest appears to be the second coming of Dennis Rodman. The only bright spot for the Pacers has been SJax.<br>
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10 - Miami Heat (4-2) - The Heat as well have lost back to back games, but Dwayne Wade was out with an ankle injury against San Antonio on Friday. However, Shaq won't allow the team to lose three in a row.<br>
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11 - Detroit Pistons (3-2) - The Champs are knocked down, but not out. They lost to Toronto and Denver, and barely beat the Clippers in OT, so the Pistons are learning how tough it is to defend and NBA title first hand.<br>
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12 - Milwaukee Bucks (2-1) - The Bucks have won two in a row mainly due to the play of Desmond Mason. Michael Redd is still draining shots left and right, but how long can Redd and Mason keep up their good shooting?<br>
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13 - Houston Rockets (3-3) - Tracy and Yao still need some time to get the chemistry rolling. However, once they do things should be flowing a lot smoother for the Rockets. Charlie Ward has silenced his critics thus far as well.<br>
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14 - Boston Celtics (3-2) - It started off rough for the Celtics, but they have quickly turned the last three games into victories. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers appear to have the Celtics back on the right path and playoff bound.<br>
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15 - Washington Wizards (3-2) - The young Wizards will have their up's and down's this season. However, if they can stay healthy the Wizards can contend for one of the last playoff spots out East. <br>
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16 - Los Angeles Clippers (3-3) - The Clippers have a better record than that other team who plays in Staples as well. Chris Wilcox is playing great for the Clips, but how long can the Clippers maintain a record above 500?<br>
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17 - Philadelphia 76ers (3-3) - They beat the Pacers in overtime and their rookie Andre Igoudala is a stud. Allen Iverson will score his points, but if he can make his team mates better it will make the 76ers a much better team.<br>
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18 - Los Angeles Lakers (3-4) - Kobe Bryant is putting up his points, but his teammates are failing to bring their games every night. How much longer till Kobe doesn't trust his teammates any more? <br>
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19 - New York Knicks (2-2) - The Knicks started off slow, but have won two in a row. What will GM Isiah Thomas do next to try and "improve" this team? Eddie Robinson failed his physical, so he's still a question mark.<br>
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20 - Cleveland Cavaliers (2-3) - The Cavaliers started off by losing three in a row. However, LeBron quickly put on his game face and got the Cavs two victories. If Zydrunas can keep up his wonderful play, the Cavs will be okay.<br>
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21 - Memphis Grizzlies (2-4) - The Grizz have been this years biggest disappointment thus far. It was tough losing the first four of the season, but it appears Hubie might have the Grizz back on track.<br>
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22 - Denver Nuggets (2-4) - Denver has taken the biggest dip in the Power Rankings. They have lost Lenard for the Season and Nene is hurt with a hamstring injury. The Denver Nuggets right now appear more like Chicken McNuggets.<br>
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23 - New Jersey Nets (2-3) - It could be a lot uglier right now for the Nets, but they have two wins under their belt. Alonzo would like a buy-out and Jason Kidd is still on the injured list. However, the Nets have been playing hard.<br>
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24 - Portland Trailblazers (2-3) - The Blazers showed some promise starting off 2-0; however, they have lost three in a row. If not careful, the Blazers can easily spiral into disaster with their unpredictable play and players.<br>
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25 - Sacramento Kings (1-4) - The Kings have not been playing as team. Webber is still not to back to 100% and Greg Ostertag has not brought much to the table. Plus, the Kings bench is not as deep as seasons prior to this one.<br>
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26 - Atlanta Hawks (1-4) - The Hawks got their first victory the other night and have been very erratic at times. Kevin Willis has started at Center the past four games, which isn't a good sign. Don't expect many wins once again.<br>
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27 - Charlotte Bobcats (1-3) - Jason Hart has done a fantastic job leading the Bobcats with his point guard play. The Bobcats are having a good time playing basketball and not worrying about pressure because they don't have any.<br>
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28 - Chicago Bulls ( 0-3) - Deng and Nocioni are becoming quite the players for Chicago. While Eddie Curry is on the trading block and Eddie Robinson has been bought out. The Bulls are very young, but need some time to mature.<br>
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29 - New Orleans Hornets (0-5) - The Hornets were in trouble even before this season started. Moving out West has not been an easy transition and they have definitely missed Jamal Mashburn.<br>
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30 - Golden State Warriors (0-6) - Are the players even listening to Coach Montgommery? I knew it would be difficult for Montgommery to transition from the College game, but he needs a win very badly.
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2003 
