The Miami Heat are in the midst of their annual losing streak with LeBron James' mental toughness being questioned (again). The Heat will be fine in the long run, but right now no one is playing better than the Chicago Bulls.
Derrick Rose is still playing like an MVP and it looks as if he's not conceding the East to the Heat.
1. Chicago Bulls (12-2, LW 2) - The Bulls are playing championship-caliber defense.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-2, LW, 3) - Losing Eric Maynor for the season with a knee injury hurts a lot.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (6-3, LW 6) - Beat Lakers, Heat, but will Chris Paul's hamstring injury linger?
4. Miami Heat (8-4, Last week, 1) - Late-game missteps arise during three-game losing streak.
5. San Antonio Spurs (8-4, LW 4) - When will the Spurs win a road game?
6. Los Angeles Lakers ( 9-5, LW 7) - Kobe has 40-plus points in four consecutive games.
7. Denver Nuggets (8-4, LW 8) - Scoring isn't a problem in the first full season without Melo.
8. Indiana Pacers (9-3, LW 9) - Rising Pacers spanked the Celtics again.
9. Dallas Mavericks (8-5, LW 10) - On five-game winning streak and just got Jason Kidd back in the lineup.
10. Orlando Magic (8-3, LW 13) - Dwight Howard attempted a league-record 39 free throws last Thursday.
11. Atlanta Hawks (9-4, LW 12) - Playing without Al Horford means Josh Smith has to play like an All Star.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (9-3, LW 15) - Another team playing good defense to start the season.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (7-5, LW 5) - Ended the week with a tough overtime loss to struggling Houston.
14. Utah Jazz (7-4, LW 17) - Perhaps the Jazz got the right pieces to rebuild in Deron Williams trade.
15. Memphis Grizzles (5-6, LW 16) - Marc Gasol might beat out his brother Pau for an All-Star roster spot.
16. New York Knicks (6-6, LW 14) - Until Melo (ankle) is back, the Knicks will struggle.
17. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6, LW 18) - Kyrie Irving attempts to lead a Cav revival.s
18. Boston Celtics (4-7, LW 11) - Rajon Rondo is trying to get a team on four-game losing streak playing better.
19. Houston (5-7, LW 27) - Three consecutive wins led by underrated PG Kyle Lowry.
20. Phoenix Suns (4-7, LW 19) - Marcin Gortat is a good player to have at center but Suns need more.
21. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-8, LW 21) - Kevin Love remains a force on the glass.
22. Sacramento Kings (4-9, LW 20) - One of the worst shooting teams and worst defensive teams.
23. Milwaukee Bucks (4-7, LW 23) - No Andrew Bogut hurts the Bucks' chances.
24. Golden State Warriors (3-8, LW 25) - Kwame Brown's injury is latest for franchise that seems to always lose key players.
25. Detroit Pistons (3-9, LW 26) - The Greg Monroe Show continues.
26. Charlotte Bobcats (3-10, LW 24) - Gerald Henderson might be the team's best player now.
27. Toronto Raptors (4-9, L 22) - Was the Homecoming opponent last week, allowing Wizards to win first game, Kings to win first road game.
28. New Jersey Nets (3-10, LW 28) -Reportedly still trying to figure out how to land Dwight Howard.
29. New Orleans Hornets (3-9, LW 29) - This team is struggling as expected, but Eric Gordon being healthy would help.
30. Washington Wizards (1-11, LW 30) - They finally won a game - followed by three consecutive losses.
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