Usually when I recap the weekly SB Nation NBA Power Rankings I focus on the New York Knicks. I will get around to the Knicks today, but I have to first discuss the dissing of the Nets in the rankings released by my compadres at SB Nation's NBA desk this morning.
New Jersey (22-43) is 26th in this week's rankings -- down one spot from a week ago. That despite being on a five-game winning streak that includes a victory over Boston (No. 4 in this week's rankings), two victories in London over Toronto and victories over the No. 21 Golden State Warriors and No. 22 Los Angeles Clippers.
C'mon, fellas! That should have been enough to at least move the Nets UP a couple of places. Not DOWN! Just ahead of New Jersey at No. 25 is Minnesota (17-51), which somehow moved up from 27 to 25 despite going 4-6 in their last 10 games. At 24 is Detroit (23-44), which is 2-8 in its last 10 outings.
No doubt that the Nets got the Rodney Dangerfield treatment here.
The Knicks (34-31) plummeted from No. 10, a high-water mark for them, back down to No. 15 this week. The Knicks' play has been all over the map since the trade for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups -- sometimes great and sometimes, well, sometimes God-awful. Their last two performances were of the latter variety, bad losses to Dallas and Indiana that led to their free-fall in the rankings.
The Knicks try to get back on track tonight when they host the Indiana Pacers (7 p.m., MSG).