| RANK | TEAM | THE RUNDOWN | LAST |
| 1 | HEAT (48-14) |
There goes the rap about not being able to beat bigger East rivals: After going 0-4 vs. Knicks and Pacers, came from down 16 to win in New York, pummeled Indy by 23 in rout in Miami. | 2 |
| 2 | SPURS (49-16) |
(Yet another) star is born: With Parker out, Tiago Splitter – Brazilian center they stole with No. 28 pick in 2007 – goes for 21 and 10 as they win showdown with OKC. | 1 |
| 3 | THUNDER (47-17) |
No longer the unbelievably precocious team that kept on surprising everyone. Now they’re defending West finalists who traded Harden before season – and are 1-3 vs. Heat and Spurs. | 3 |
| 4 | GRIZZLIES (43-19) |
Some tough conference when your defense is so good, you can bounce back from furor over Gay trade, win 13 of 14 … and have to beat Clippers and Nuggets on road Wednesday and Friday to keep from dropping to No. 5. | 5 |
| 5 | NUGGETS (43-22) |
Some tough conference when you win nine in a row and 32 of 42 after an 11-12 start … and are still No. 5 in West standings. | 6 |
| 6 | CLIPPERS (45-20) |
Some tough conference when you win 11 of 15 and drop to fourth in West and sixth in prestigious Sheridan Hoops rankings. | 4 |
| 7 | PACERS (39-24) |
Team that was 37-45 two seasons ago may never have better shot with Rose out, only two other teams in East on 50-win pace, including fast-fading Knicks. Unfortunately, Miami just pricked – or dynamited – their bubble after Indy outmuscled them in first two. | 7 |
| 8 | LAKERS (34-31) |
No, really. Now 16-6 since 18-25 low on Jan. 25. Big Chill between Howard and Bryant undergoing Big Thaw as Dwight learns Kobe isn’t really over the hill. Says Dwight after Kobe’s 41 vs. Raptors: “He should walk off in slow motion with the ‘Bad to the Bone’ song.” | 17 |
| 9 | KNICKS (38-23) |
Wheels come off in Oakland, where high-powered Knicks score 63 in wipeout loss. Melo down to 20 ppg this month, shooting 38 percent on sore knee, Amare out 6-8 weeks. Next come games at Denver, Portland, LA Clippers, Utah. | 8 |
| 10 | NETS (38-27) |
Still Reggie Evans after all these years: At 32 and 6-7 1/2 in stocking feet, he’s 13th in rebounds at 9.4 — in 23 minutes a game. In rebounds per minute, he leads everyone. | 11 |
| 11 | WARRIORS (36-29) |
Bogut’s back, if more of a rebounder (9.4 a game) than scorer (3.4), at least in the five games that he has lasted so far in his latest return. | 9 |
| 12 | BULLS (35-28) |
You’re not going to believe this: You know when team listed Rose “day-to-day”? It never did. It was a joke Thibs made before game. Return date still looks like March 17 vs. Denver. Or Nov. 1. | 10 |
| 13 | HAWKS (34-29) |
Hawks were remarkable 33-23 at end of February but they’re 1-for-March, losing six of seven. On the bright side, there’s only so far you can fall in the East. | 13 |
| 14 | ROCKETS (34-30) |
If they could just combine them: Thomas Robinson, who’s physical but undersized, falls behind spindly, further-along Donatas Motiejunas as their power forward of unspecified future. | 12 |
| 15 | CELTICS (34-29) |
KG says they’re showing “the BS-ass critics” before Celtics show that the BS-ass critics are right, losing by 26 to Bobcats while Pierce is given a rest. | 14 |
| 16 | JAZZ (33-31) |
With Lakers nosing into No. 8, a half-game ahead, Jazz, who started 19-6 at home, will rue games they lost after that to Bulls, Celtics, Hawks. | 16 |
| 17 | BUCKS (32-30) |
What race? With Bucks eight games ahead of No. 9 Toronto and locking up season series, magic number is 11. Any combination of 11 Bucks victories or Raptors losses and it’s over. | 15 |
| 18 | MAVERICKS (30-33) |
Big question: Does clearing cap room, as owner Mark Cuban has done, still work with new CBA providing such big incentives for free agents like Al Jefferson to stay where they are? | 19 |
| 19 | BLAZERS (29-34) |
It’s easy to miss but this is a major turnaround for team that went from 18-16 at last season’s All-Star break to 10-22 finish with interim coach, Buchanan as third GM in three years and Paul Allen looking for buyer. | 18 |
| 20 | RAPTORS (25-39) |
One going: Bargnani, who averaged 20-19 ppg last two seasons, at 11 in 35 games and may be done with elbow injury. One coming? Not yet with rookie Valanciunas averaging modest 7-6. | 20 |
| 21 | SIXERS (24-39) |
Inoperative: Everything I’ve said about Bynum being out of there. GM DiLeo says they want to sign him — and should. With all they gave up for him, it’s either that or rebuild around Jrue, Young and Turner. | 22 |
| 22 | WOLVES (22-39) |
Budinger, who looked great for six games, averaging 12 off bench before blowing out knee, cleared to rejoin practice. Unlike Rose, that means he will be back this season. | 25 |
| 23 | CAVALIERS (22-42) |
Byron being Byron, says he’s “not impressed” after low-energy Marreese Speights awakens to score 23 points. With Scott on last year of deal, if Clippers need a coach, Chris Paul, who has, uh, some influence, loves him. | 24 |
| 24 | PISTONS (23-43) |
It’s actually been an OK season, except for the beginning and the end: Pistons started 0-8, are 0-6 in March, but went 23-29 in the middle. | 23 |
| 25 | HORNETS (22-43) |
Broken hand ends Austin Rivers’ rookie season, disaster that it was, at least until All-Star break when he was shooting 35 percent. Did better since, shooting 51 percent, but still looks like a No. 3 guard. | 26 |
| 26 | SUNS (22-42) |
Gortat wasn’t having great season at 11-8, compared to 14-10 he averaged in first two in Valley. But things were tough enough before he went out for duration with foot injury. | 21 |
| 27 | KINGS (22-43) |
Shakedown continues: As a way of thanking city for decades of loyalty, Stern says Sacramento hasn’t quite matched Seattle’s offer. In other words, get it up or we’re outta here. | 27 |
| 28 | WIZARDS (20-42) |
For anyone who saw my tweet dissing Wall, it’s also inoperative. He’s on a roll (well, for him), averaging 16-4-6 over five games, even making a three, his fifth of last two seasons. | 28 |
| 29 | MAGIC (18-47) |
Dwight, who ticked off second set of teammates by calling former ones “players that not many teams wanted,” sticks it to Magic anew, ignoring war criminal reception and scoring 39 in romp by Lakers. Who, of course, stole Shaq from them, too. | 29 |
| 30 | BOBCATS (14-50) |
Kidd-Gilchrist, hard-working, high-character uber-athlete who supposedly couldn’t miss, scores double figures in six of eight, followed by 2-2. Actually, if he can’t shoot better than he has, he can miss and, to date, has. | 30 |
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Hey, Heisler, not that attention to detail has ever been your strong suit, but Byron Scott is not in the last year of his contract. It doesn’t end until the end of next season. That’s not to say they wouldn’t be positively delighted to let that yutz get another job and let him out of his contract, but do some research before you spout out fiction as fact, OK?