MVN: Most Valuable Network

If one thing has been made clear through the first two-plus weeks of the season, it's this: the Lakers and Celtics are still the cream of the NBA's crop. Although both L.A. and Boston lost to teams that most would argue are inferior opposition last week, I doubt anyone that has been closely following the league thus far would cite those losses as justification for dropping either of them in anyone's power rankings.

However with that said, one could debate all day as to whether the Lakers or Celtics deserves to be #1. Last week I had the then-undefeated Lakers occupying the top of my rankings, followed closely by the Celtics. L.A. still has the fewest losses of any team in the league, and they also possess the largest point differential out there (+14.4). So, in the words of Terrell Owens, "the proof is in the pudding."

1. Los Angeles Lakers (7-1) - L.A.'s normally smothering defense finally allowed an opponent to top 100 points and shoot above 50 percent from the field. So much for going 82-0...

2. Boston Celtics (9-2) - The Celtics had a busy week, playing five games in seven nights, yet managed to save some energy for an overtime win in Milwaukee on the second game of a back-to-back.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-2) - To say that LeBron is on a roll would be an understatement. But seriously, he's ridiculously good, and his Cavs have now won seven straight.

4. Phoenix Suns (8-3) - With Nash suspended, the Suns needed OT to beat the Kings. Then last night he came back and led Phoenix to an 18-point win over Detroit. That's the value of an elite point guard.

5. Detroit Pistons (7-3) - I was skeptical about the new-look Pistons, but they've since proven me wrong in winning three straight on the road, including the big one over the Lakers.

6. Orlando Magic (7-3) - The week started with a home loss to Portland, but ended with three straight road wins, including their first win in Dallas in 11 years.

7. New Orleans Hornets (5-4) - This might be a tad high for a team with four losses, but their two losses last week came against the Lakers and Rockets, and they did beat Portland.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (6-4) - The Blazers went a solid 3-1 on the road this week and have to be feeling good with Greg Oden in the lineup, healthy, and finding his groove.

9. Houston Rockets (6-4) - Wins over Phoenix and New Orleans outweigh the loss to the Spurs in my mind, but this team needs to show more consistency in order to rise any higher.

10. Utah Jazz (6-4) - The Jazz had a rough 1-4 road trip, but I blame most of it on the recent  injuries to Williams, Kirilenko and Harpring, as well as the absence of Okur. They'll bounce back.

11. Atlanta Hawks (6-3) - Atlanta's heartbreaking loss to the Celtics was followed up by a pair of losses to the Nets in a home-and-home. Apparently they forgot how to play defense.

12. Denver Nuggets (5-4) - I was very impressed with Denver's defense in their win in Boston on Friday, but can Billups continue to maintain the team's commitment to playing D?

13. Philadelphia 76ers (5-5) - They got spanked by the Jazz, but Philly has since won three straight, including a 25-point demolition of the Thunder. By the way, Thaddeus Young is legit.

14. Toronto Raptors (5-4) - Coach Mitchell shook up the team by starting Bargnani instead of Moon, and it worked in last night's win over the Heat. Could that be the spark they needed?

15. Chicago Bulls (5-5) - The loss to the Hawks notwithstanding, Chicago seems to be improving with each game. We'll see if they can keep it up with a long Western roadie up next.

16. New York Knicks (6-4) - The Knicks treaded water last week after beating Memphis and Oklahoma City and losing to San Antonio and Dallas. So, they don't budge in my rankings.

17. Miami Heat (5-5) - Once Miami starts beating quality teams on the road, I'll afford them some respect, but until then they are simply a mediocre team.

18. San Antonio Spurs (4-5) - With both Ginobili and Parker still unable to contribute, the Spurs have been forced to do what they do best in order to win: play great defense.

19. Indiana Pacers (4-5) - The Pacers were another example of a team going nowhere last week: they beat teams they were supposed to beat (OKC, NJ), but lost to Philly and Chicago.

20. Golden State Warriors (4-6) - Detroit needed a second-half rally to beat the Warriors, which got wins over the Wolves and Clippers, last week. S-Jax deserves to be an All-Star.

21. Milwaukee Bucks (5-6) - The Bucks couldn't contend with LeBron James, but at least they beat the Spurs and took the Celtics to overtime, all without Michael Redd.

22. Dallas Mavericks (3-7) - I was about ready to drop the Mavs into the bottom five, until Dirk's 39-point outburst led them to a win over the Knicks to snap a five-game losing streak.

23. New Jersey Nets (4-5) - The pair of wins over the Hawks were nice, but the return of Devin Harris (and his back-to-back 30-point output) was even nicer.

24. Charlotte Bobcats (3-6) - The loss of leading scorer Jason Richardson was bad news for the Bobcats, yet they still were able to beat the shorthanded Jazz without him.

25. Sacramento Kings (4-7) - The Kings lost a tight one last night to the Spurs, but they continue to fight without leading scorer Kevin Martin and top reserve Francisco Garcia.

26. Memphis Grizzlies (3-7) - Allowing 132 points to an opponent is absolutely inexcusable, even if the opponent is coached by Mike D'Antoni. Memphis has now lost four straight.

27. Washington Wizards (1-6) - The good news: the Wiz finally got a win. The bad news: they put up only 77 in a 20-point loss to Miami. Isn't this supposed to be a good offensive team?

28. Los Angeles Clippers (1-8) - They still have the league's worst point differential (-13.9), but at least the Clips can look forward to playing the Thunder in a few days.

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-8) - Seems like that first win occurred ages ago. The Wolves have lost eight in a row, and it won't get any easier with Philly, Boston and Detroit up next.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-9) - OKC had to play five games in seven nights, and they face another tough stretch this week, ending with a home-and-home set versus New Orleans.