Court Surfing Sweet 16, Week 2

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In this week's edition of the Sweet 16 power poll, Joseph Casciaro and I have a new #1 and the Raptors, unsurprisingly, fall off the charts. Keep in mind that this ranking considers the teams' overall records, their strength of schedule, injuries, breakout stars, slumps and streaks.

Rank (Last wk.) Team Record (Last 10) Comment
1. (2) Celtics 20-2 (10-0) Joseph says: "The champs are back where they belong, at the top. How badly do these guys want to win? Well, blown leads spark K.G. to make grown men cry; even his teammates, as Glen "big cry baby" Davis found out.
2. (1) Lakers 17-2 (9-1) Scott says: "Would a 70-win team lose to the Pacers and beat the Wizards by two points? Not likely."
3. (3) Cavaliers 17-3 (9-1) Joseph says: "With the King guarding his court more intently than ever, will anyone be able to beat the Cavs four out of seven when the games really matter?"
4. (4) Magic 16-5 (8-2) Scott says: "Dwight Howard: force of nature. He's on pace to be the first player to average over four blocks per game since Mutombo in '95-96."
5. (6) Blazers 15-7 (8-2) Joseph says: "Maybe this is just going to be one of those years where everything goes right for a team. Seriously, Steve Blake with a game-winning fall-away three? Are you kidding me?"
6. (5) Nuggets 14-7 (7-3) Joseph says: "Billups and his new teammates aren't showing any signs of slowing down, but they didn't look too good against the Spurs this week. Are they on their last legs in this early run they are having?"
7. (9) Hornets 11-6 (7-3) Joseph says: "When you have CP3, you are going to have a shot at a victory every time your team steps on the floor. But I think even the biggest of Hornets supporters would admit they haven't looked as good as advertised."
8. (7) Rockets 13-8 (6-4) Joseph says: "This is a recording: T-Mac is out for a couple of weeks. Yes, the injury-struggles are already beginning for the oft-wounded Rockets, but Yao seems intent on keeping them competitive, no matter the circumstances. Now if only he could get back to those Visa commercials, I might consider him for MVP."
9. (10) Jazz 13-9 (5-5) Scott says: "The Jazz are 8-5 without Deron Williams and 5-4 when he plays. Coincidence? Yeah, I think so."
10. (16) Mavericks 11-8 (9-1) Scott says: "Don't sleep on the Mavs -- their only loss in the last 10 games was to the Lakers. They're also the only team in the league with three players averaging 20+ points (Nowitzki, Howard and Terry)."
11. (12) Spurs 11-8 (7-3) Joseph says: "Slowly but surely old man winter creeps up on you, and before you know it, you're wearing boots and a scarf and trekking through feet of snow. Well the same could be said for these old Spurs. Before you know it, they might be near the top of this list."
12. (11) Nets 11-8 (7-3) Joseph says: "Coming into the year, I would have probably had the Nets somewhere around #29, not #9, but what a difference a year makes. So much for Devin Harris for MIP, he's playing like he wants the award with the 'V' in the middle."
13. (14) Hawks 12-7 (6-4) Scott says: "These Hawks keep sticking around by beating teams they're supposed to beat. Also, Mike Bibby would like you to know that the reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated."
14. (8) Pistons 11-8 (4-6) Scott says: "The bad news is that the Iverson trade turned into an unmitigated disaster. The good news is... yeah, I got nothin'."
15. (13) Suns 12-9 (4-6) Scott says: "On RealGM, the "Amare Needs To Be Traded" thread has over 73 posts -- mostly from Suns fans supporting the title. Paying attention, Mr. Colangelo?"
16. (NEW) Heat 12-9 (6-4) Scott says: "Yeah, I think it's safe to say that D-Wade is truly back."
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Posted Dec 09 2008, 02:26 PM by Scott Carefoot

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