Power Rankings: Hawks flying high By Marc Stein | ESPN.com

Monday, Jan. 12

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ESPN's NBA Power Rankings committee (of one) has always tried to dismiss the notion of a Power Rankings jinx.

But even we thought we might have set the Atlanta Hawks up for a hard fall last Monday, when we promoted them to the No. 1 slot for the first time all season, mere hours before the Hawks played the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.

Shows you what we know.

The Hawks not only beat the Clippers comfortably but went on to sweep all four of their games last week, thus extending their stay at the top of the rankings to a second straight Monday despite the ongoing excellence coming from Golden State and Portland. Since Thanksgiving, Atlanta is 22-2 -- with the league's top-rated defense in that span -- and a perfect 8-0 against teams at .500 or better. It's a run that features wins over Chicago, Houston, Portland and Washington, as well as two victories each over Cleveland and the Clippers.

These are the same Hawks, incidentally, whose leading scorer is Jeff Teague at a mere 17.4 points per game. The only players on the roster to ever make an All-NBA team are big man Al Horford and veteran sage Elton Brand.

Atlanta, Golden State, Portland and Chicago are the league's only four teams in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Memphis is tied for a surprising ninth in offensive efficiency and ranks No. 11 in defensive efficiency. It's no coincidence that those five are found in the top five of these rankings, which were compiled, as always, with the usual helpful assisting we get from ESPN Stats & Info and the Elias Sports Bureau. We'll delve further into this week's ladder on Stein Line Live. You're also invited to rank the teams yourself here.