MVN: Most Valuable Network

A week ago there were seven undefeated teams left. Now there's only two, and who would have thought that one of them would be the Hawks? Atlanta is the big winner this week, but they weren't the team that made the biggest rise in my week 2 power rankings...

1. Los Angeles Lakers (5-0) - After a 2-0 week was punctuated by a dominating win against the Rockets, the Lakers are one of only two undefeated teams remaining.

2. Boston Celtics (6-1) - More impressive than Boston's spoiling of Iverson's debut in Detroit has been the play of Tony Allen and the C's bench.

3. Phoenix Suns (5-2) - The Suns rested Shaq during their loss to Chicago last week, but he sure did make his mark the next night, notching his first 25/10 game since last November.

4. Atlanta Hawks (5-0) - Losing Josh Smith for a few weeks will hurt, but Atlanta still has to be happy after getting off to their first 5-0 start in a decade.

5. Utah Jazz (5-1) - This may be the Jazz's high point for a while after news that D-Will is out longer than expected. Then again, maybe Utah will just keep winning without him.

6. New Orleans Hornets (4-2) - Losing to Atlanta isn't as embarrassing these days as one would think, but the loss to the rallying Bobcats had to make coach Scott squirm.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-2) - It didn't take too long for LeBron to finally get off the schneid. He's rolling now, and so are the Cavs after going 4-0 this week.

8. Toronto Raptors (4-2) - It seems unfair that I have to drop Toronto with the way that Chris Bosh has been playing so far this season.

9. Detroit Pistons (4-2) - I'll be honest, the A.I. trade puzzled me somewhat. Why break up a good thing? The Pistons might be asking themselves the same thing now.

10. Orlando Magic (4-2) - Now that's more like it! Orlando is back in business after coasting to three relatively easy wins at home last week.

11. Portland Trail Blazers (3-3) - Brandon Roy's game-winning rainmaker against Houston was pretty sweet, but not sweet enough to make Blazer fans completely forget about Oden.

12. Houston Rockets (4-3) - Houston's drop in this space might seem drastic since they lost to three excellent teams, but I promise that they'll be back in the top 10 soon enough.

13. Denver Nuggets (3-3) - So far so good for the new-look Nuggets, who are still perfect with Billups leading the charge.

14. Miami Heat (3-3) - I must say, the Heat have surprised me quite a bit. They might be overachieving at the moment, but I'll give them some credit by boosting them up a few spots.

15. Chicago Bulls (3-4) - The scrappy Bulls have been fighting hard, and even though they went 1-3 last week, I won't drop them too much because of their win over the Suns.

16. New York Knicks (4-2) - New York had a great week ending in a big win over the Jazz. It's hard to beleve the Knicks haven't been two games over .500 since '05, but it's the truth.

17. Philadelphia 76ers (2-4) - A pair of disappointing losses to Miami and Orlando in a road back-to-back has to have Mo Cheeks wondering what's up, but he'll turn them around soon.

18. Dallas Mavericks (2-4) - Normally a win in San Antonio would be great for any team, but not these days. There's a good chance Dallas could start the season 0-3 at home.

19. Indiana Pacers (2-3) - Indiana's tough opening schedule gets a little easier this week, beginning with the Thunder and Nets.

20. Sacramento Kings (3-4) - Things were ugly after the Kings started the season 0-4, but a 3-0 start at Arco Arena has them back in contention and playing much better.

21. San Antonio Spurs (1-4) - It went from bad to worse in Spursland after Tony Parker went down with a sprained ankle. Timmy will have to pick it up until Manu returns.

22. Charlotte Bobcats (2-4) - One would think the Bobcats should plummet after going 1-3 this week, but that one win came against the Hornets, so a three-spot drop seems okay.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (3-4) - Michael Redd will need to get back soon if the Bucks are going to weather their upcoming schedule, which features four consecutive back-to-backs.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (3-4) - A pair of wins over the Warriors has the Grizzlies above both Dallas and San Antonio in the Southwest Division standings, just not in my standings.

25. New Jersey Nets (2-3) - The ankle injury to Devin Harris is disappointing after the promising point guard exploded for 38 points against the Pistons last week.

26. Golden State Warriors (2-5) - Two losses to Memphis and another to Sacramento has me wondering if this team will ever get it together without Monta Ellis in the lineup.

27. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-5) - Losses to Boston, Utah and Atlanta were certainly expected, but this team is fighting hard, so I'll move them up a spot.

28. Los Angeles Clippers (1-6) - The Clips finally got their first win last night against Dallas, and they should continue to rise with a soft upcoming schedule.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-5) - Since beginning the season with a win, the Wolves have since gone 0-5 and are in need of some rest, which they'll get this week.

30. Washington Wizards (0-5) - The last remaining winless team probably isn't the NBA's worst overall, but they've allowed a putrid 108.8 points to their opponents. That's not good.