1 San Antonio Spurs A lightened load in the last week has helped the Spurs extend their streak after back-to-back losses. The veteran roster will be tested with 12 of their next 14 games on the road.

2 Boston Celtics Big win for the Celtics at home against the Magic. After falling on Christmas Day, it was important for Boston to keep from falling behind in the head-to-head. With Orlando surging since the trade, they could make themselves a player for Eastern Conference home court as well.

3 Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers aren’t going to be breaking any win records with this squad, but right when people start to write them off we get reminded why they are the two-time reigning champions. Their next task will be building an answer to losses against the Clippers and Mavericks this week.

4 Miami Heat You want to know what karma is? After LeBron’s tweet-gate calling out the Cavs during their beatdown to the Lakers, the Heat have rattled off four straight losses. Maybe King James turned the bad mojo on himself.

5 Atlanta Hawks The Hawks continue their climb up the Eastern Conference with a big overtime win against the Heat. The Hawks, when healthy, are excellent at pulling out close games. With so many weapons on the floor, it becomes a nightmare to scheme against in a one-play situation.

6 Chicago Bulls For some reason the Bulls, a team that holds one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, has been struggling with the easy wins recently. Despite knocking off teams like the Heat and Celtics, the Bulls have lost to the Sixers, Nets, and Bobcats twice since January 1.

7 New Orleans Hornets The Hornets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, and their turnaround has brought them back to the relevance that Monty Williams’ squad established at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, they are also the only team over .500 that has yet to be on national television. #TimeToGetLeaguePass

8 Orlando Magic Add Ryan Anderson to the “Brandon Bass School of Stepping Up” in Orlando. The Magic have gotten superb play from their bench recently to compliment the enthusiasm shown by the new additions. This team has a new energy and aggressiveness, and it is not a good sign for the Celtics, Heat, or Bulls.

9 Oklahoma City Thunder A few days rest after the big Orlando win was not enough for Oklahoma City, as they dropped their next two to the Lakers and Nuggets. Durant/Westbrook are still healthy and haven’t slowed their pace, so no reason to expect they won’t continue to hang around in the middle of the Western playoff picture.

10 Utah Jazz Not a good week for Jerry Sloan’s squad with losses on the road to Washington and New Jersey. I realize East coast swings can be tough, but a team with the Jazz’s caliber can’t afford to lose games like that.

11 Dallas Mavericks After dropping six in a row, the Mavericks got a much-needed win against the Lakers on Wednesday night. The Mavs struggles on the road recently are not a good sign for the postseason, particularly with the chances growing slimmer that Dallas will host a first round series.

12 Portland Trail Blazers Unbelievable bad luck with the announcement that Marcus Camby will undergo knee surgery. The Blazers just can’t catch a break.

13 Denver Nuggets With the Nets backing out of the Carmelo deal, the Nuggets have lost all leverage in trying to deal Anthony. With just over a month before the deadline, Denver will scramble to see what they can get for the All Star before he is locked in for the rest of the season, and gone come July.

14 New York Knicks The Knicks have sputtered a bit in the last week or so, dropping five of their last six. That streak includes bad losses to Sacramento and Phoenix, and getting worked by the defending champs in the Staples Center. Things aren’t getting any easier, either. San Antonio and Oklahoma City await the Knickerbockers in the next week.

15 Phoenix Suns Props to Vince Carter for hitting the 20,000 point scoring mark. Carter is the seventh active player to join the club, and all but two of the players all time are now in the Hall of Fame. Jury is out on whether Carter deserves that kind of distinction, but the jury’s decision on his team is that they are much worse than they were before he arrived.

16 Houston Rockets With the Nets backing out of the Carmelo deal, the Rockets have popped up as a new possible destination for the Nugget forward. Apparently, the Rockets are willing to give up draft picks to get Melo, even without an extension in place. What do you think about that move?

17 Memphis Grizzlies The consistecny issues are still very present in Memphis. They beat the Mavericks by 19, but just after getting WORKED by Charlotte less than a week earlier. The losses and wins have no predictability, and the Grizzlies are wandering around the middle of the Western Conference standings.

18 Golden State Warriors Hard not to be happy for Monta Ellis, who has been lighting it up from the field and even hit a game-winner to beat the Pacers. Ellis has been such a talent for the last couple of years, but now they are figuring out ways to turn them into wins. Three in a row and the Warriors are still marching.

19 Indiana Pacers The Pacers have been slowly undoing all the progress they made with their new look offense. It seems as though they have been forgetting to match the production with defensive tenacity.

20 Philadelphia 76ers Whatever it is that Doug Collins changed in Philadelphia has been working. The Sixers have climbed out from the Eastern Conference cellar to find themselves holding down 7th place in the playoff race. There is plenty of basketball left to play, but the gritty close games of late are a good sign of things to come for this young team.

21 Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers have won 6 of 7, 11 of their last 15, and now returned to .500 at home thanks to six straight wins in the Staples Center. But more than anything, this team is really, really fun to watch win they are winning. Hope it keeps up.

22 Charlotte Bobcats The Bobcats bounced back from three straight losses to stun the Bulls in Chicago 83-82. They have yet to be able to shut down primary scorers, but their commitment to team defense has kept their opponents under 100 in 10 of their last 11 games.

23 Milwaukee Bucks 2011 has not been kind to the Bucks, who are 3-6 since ringing in the new year. Injuries have crushed Milwaukee, with Jennings, Delfino, and Salmons all missing time this week. If the Bucks don’t get healthy, they will find themselves with an uphill battle to make a return to the playoffs.

24 Washington Wizards The Wizards have won 4 of their last 6, and seem to be gaining some momentum moving forward. Unfortunately, they still have yet to win a road game. A feat that is becoming almost impressive, but for all the wrong reasons.

25 Detroit Pistons The Pistons had a great chance to move some money and prepare for the future with their involvement in the Carmelo trade. With the Nets walking away from the deal, Detroit is back where they started.

26 Toronto Raptors The only teams the Raptors have beat in 2011 are the Kings and Cavaliers. Their inability to hold a lead is the latest concern in their current five game losing streak.

27 New Jersey Nets The Nets had an opportunity to land a perennial All Star in New Jersey with Carmelo Anthony. But as they stated, the frustrations surrounding the negotiations likely cost the Nets some victories. New Jersey now will be forced to renegotiate, or try and make the most of the tools in the shed.

28 Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota needs to start playing with a bigger chip on their shoulder. Despite their talent, the Wolves seem awfully comfortable rolling over at times. That is no way to revitalize the organization.

29 Sacramento Kings A week of close losses sum up the way I feel about Sacramento. They are really close to being a mildly successful team, but just can’t get over the hump.