First Quarter NBA Power Rankings: #1-5

A quarter of the way through the 2006-2007 NBA season we have seen several surprises. If the NBA season ended right now, which teams would be the best and which would be the worst? Do any Eastern Conference teams stack up against the Western Conference? After a quarter of the season, the top five NBA teams are as follows:

1. Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz have been the NBA's biggest surprise so far this season. No one expected the Jazz to be this good early in the season. The free agent acquisitions from previous seasons are starting to payoff for this club and the big front court has this team rolling into 2007. With Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur in the post, the Jazz have out rebounded opponents and dominated teams in the paint. With a win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Jazz are for real.

2. San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are the same perennial powerhouse basketball team that we've seen over the last five years. Any time a team can feature Tim Duncan, the success rate is going to be high, and this case is no different. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are still the perfect fit for the San Antonio organization. The two backcourt mates share the basketball and play to the team oriented style better than any two guards in the league. Ginobili and Parker are what make the Spurs go. Look for the Spurs to earn a high seed in the Western Conference playoffs and make a deep run.

3. Dallas Mavericks. The fun and gun Mavs started off the season with a woeful stretch, but an 11 game run to end November has brought them back among the NBA's elite. Avery Johnson now has the once offense only playing Big "D" in the Big D. If the Mavericks continue to put the defensive net on teams, we could see them return to the NBA's pinnacle in the 2007 NBA Finals.

4. Denver Nuggets. The mile-high Nuggets are one of the most fun teams in the league to watch. The high scoring Nuggets are a sleeper team for many and could end up being the surprise in this year's playoffs. Without superstar K-Mart, Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony will have to pick up the slack. So far, Melo has had no trouble, but down the stretch fill he falter? So far, so good.

5. Detroit Pistons. In an effort to not leave out the Eastern Conference entirely, we will rank the Pistons at fifth. The Eastern Central Division is the only wealth of talent in the East and the Pistons seem to be the cream-of-the-crop once again. Without Big Ben, Ben Wallace, the Pistons have struggled a bit in the box. Rasheed Wallace has stepped up the rebounding effort down low and has the Pistons back where they expect to be. Without Wallace in the frontcourt, don't expect this team to be a force in this season's championship chase, but talent alone has this team treading water near the fifth place rankings.

Honorable Mention: Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Golden State Warriors