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Darren Abate/Associated Press

Life really does come at you fast, and the latest proof is this: We've already reached the midseason edition of NBA power rankings.

Seriously, how'd we get here? What happened to November and December...and half of January for that matter?

Remarkably, we hit the halfway point with as much uncertainty as we had when the season began. Nobody knows who the second-best team in the East is, and a new entry occupies that spot this week for what seems like the sixth time in a row.

The lower reaches of the rankings are also in flux, with some of the usual cellar-dwelling suspects climbing out and a couple of erstwhile playoff hopefuls slipping.

Up top, it's starting to look like we've got a fifth title contender.

You know the drill by now: Overall season stats, recent performance and gut feelings are the criteria. Ultimately, we're trying to figure out how good each team is right this second.

Here's how things shook out last week. As you'll see we've had some significant changes since then.