The Bulls are 7-3 in a league-high 10 road games, and they’re perfect at home.
Miami falls to fifth after three losses, trailing Chicago, OKC, Philly and the Clippers,
Pacers, Magic and Mavs crack the top 10; Blazers slip to 12th and Celtics to 20th.
The season is destined to be footnoted for its lockout-compressed schedule, with teams clanking shot after shot and missing assignments and rotations as they fill what should be practice time with games that count in the standings.
It is an unpredictable mess that, even more than usual, rewards teams that are healthy and familiar with each other and find ways to play well in the midst of the road grind. Miami, nearly invincible just a week ago, demonstrated how quickly things can come unraveled, dropping three consecutive road games and watching Dwyane Wade writhe on the court with an ankle injury.
The Heat tumble from first to fifth in this week’s Power Rankings. Chicago moves up to first and Oklahoma City climbs to second, two teams that, not coincidentally, have enjoyed a lot of roster stability and road success.
1) Chicago Bulls (12-3)
2) Oklahoma City Thunder (12-2)
3) Philadelphia 76ers (10-3)
4) Los Angeles Clippers (7-3)
5) Miami Heat (8-4)
6) Los Angeles Lakers ((10-5)
7) San Antonio Spurs (9-4)
8) Indiana Pacers (9-3)
9) Orlando Magic (9-3)
10)Dallas Mavericks (8-6)
11)Denver Nuggets (8-5)
12)Portland Trail Blazers (8-5)
13)Utah Jazz (8-4)
14)Atlanta Hawks (10-4)
15)Memphis Grizzlies (6-6)
16)Houston Rockets (6-7)
17)New York Knicks (6-7)
18)Cleveland Cavaliers (6-6)
19)Minnesota Timberwolves (5-8)
20)Boston Celtics (4-8)
21)Milwaukee Bucks (4-8)
22)Phoenix Suns (4-8)
23)Golden State Warriors (4-8)
24)Sacramento Kings (4-10)
25)Toronto Raptors (4-10)
26)New Orleans Hornets (3-10)
27)Detroit Pistons (3-10)
28)Charlotte Bobcats (3-11)
29)New Jersey Nets (3-11)
30)Washington Wizards (1-12)
(All records are through Monday, 16 January 2012)
Source: Sports Illustrated
Photos: Jacek Urbanczyk/Polish News