NBA Power Rankings, March 13: Shuffle At The Top

There is one thing that is almost always true about a set of NBA Power Rankings based solely on the season’s numbers: the later in the season it gets, the less severe the shifts from week to week become.

So it’s a shocker when, in March, a team makes a three-spot jump, particularly when that movement is within the top five of the rankings.

There is a new No. 1 team, a new team breaking into the top five, a couple of squads that jumped three places and one new member of the top 10.

Oh, and for the first time since late November, there is a new team at the bottom of the proverbial NBA pile.

A second team clinched a berth in the postseason as the suddenly reeling Miami Heat—losers of four out of their last five—secured a playoff berth.

And there is some serious streaking going on: The Clippers have won nine in a row, San Antonio is on an eight-game run, the Knicks have won five straight and Golden State just had a five-game skein broken Thursday. And, yes, it seems like it was 1999 the last time the 76ers won a game, but it was actually just Jan. 29—a mere 43 days, counting Wednesday.

Just for giggles, here’s each team’s record since the last time Philadelphia won a game:

It’s just so stark to see it in black-and-white like that, isn’t it?

And with that, on to the NBA Power Rankings for this week (all statistical information via nba.com/Stats):