Here are my latest NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings.  The Bulls look to be the team to beat right now but don't count the Heat out just yet.  Teams like the 76ers and Pacers have surprised let's see if they can keep it up and pose as threats come playoff time.

1. Chicago Bulls (12-3) – The Bulls are doing it with defense and winning on the road which are two ingredients needs to win a championship.  They had their 5 game winning streak snapped on MLK day to the Grizzlies but still appear to be the class of the East.

  2. Philadelphia 76ers (10-3) – The 76ers are the talk to the league with their hot start. Lou Williams is having a stellar season scoring the basketball and fans in Philly are starting to gain big expectations for this young and exciting club. They have yet to lose at home this season and welcome Denver and Atlanta this week before visiting Miami .

  3. Orlando Magic (9-3) –  Orlando has benefited from an “easy” schedule to start but they are still getting wins and have a road victory over Portland to ride home about. Dwight Howard is still producing despite his desire to be traded.

  4. Miami Heat (10-4) – The Heat have lost 3 in a row but it’s not time to panic.  They still need to figure out how to close games and are dealing with much bigger problems with the nagging injuries of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. 5 straight homes games might help but the Spurs, Lakers, and 76ers are their next 3. 

  5. Indiana Pacers (9-3) – The Pacers can claim home and road win over the Celtics in a weeks span and are establishing themselves as a real threat in the East this season. Danny Granger is leading the way for this Pacers team that is not going to sneak up on anyone going forward.

  6. Atlanta Hawks (10-4) – The loss of Al Horford really hurts the Hawks as he is their best post player and one of the leaders of this team.  They still have talent to get wins but it will be hard to replace his production.  Josh Smith and Joe Johnson will need to elevate their games if they want to stay in the hunt for a top 4 seed.

  7. New York Knicks (6-7) – The Knicks still really haven’t gotten a full dose of what their squad can be. Carmello is dealing with an ankle injury and Amare has had injury problems that are limiting him.  They are still a few weeks from seeing what Baron Davis can do.  They need to focus on getting wins and staying in the playoff picture.

  8. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-6) – Kyrie Irving has to be the lead candidate for Rookie of the Year as he is averaging 17 points a game helping the Cavs gets wins which was a hard thing to come by last year.  Their other first round pick Tristan Thompson is also contributing.

  9. Boston Celtics (4-8) – The Celtics appear to be a streaky team after starting off 0-3 they won 4 straight and now are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak 4 of the 5 are at home.  This is a serious problem as the Celtics look slow, tired and unable to score when needed. 

 10.  Milwaukee Bucks (4-8) – The Bucks have the talent to be a playoff team but need to figure out how to win on the road.  They are currently 0-8 away from home with 4 of their next 6 on the road.

 11. Toronto Raptors (4-10) – Take away Andrai Bargnani from this team and you have a bad team that just got a lot worse.  The Raptors have lost 5 straight and go to visit a desperate Celtics team also with a 5 game losing streak.  Someone is leaving the TD Garden with a 6 game losing streak.

 12. Detroit Pistons (3-10) – Loser of 7 out of 8 the Pistons are searching for a way to win games.  Greg Monroe has been about the only positive thing for a team that appears to be heading for the lottery.

 13. New Jersey Nets (3-11) – The Nets have been a disaster this season as they play along despite their efforts to try and pair Dwight Howard with Deron Williams.  Marshon Brooks has been a scoring machine but Deron Williams hasn’t been shooting it well and remain stuck in neutral.

 14. Charlotte Hornets (3-11) –  Charlotte is struggling in all facets of the game.  They are averaging less than 92 points a game while giving up 102.  If you can’t defend you can’t win in the NBA. D.J Augistin leads the team in points and assists but they aren’t winning games.  

15. Washington Wizards (1-12) – It took until the 9th game of the season for the Wiz to pick up their first win and they have followed that up with 4 straight losses. Trade rumors are starting to swirl and you can bet everyone is on the block with the exception of the franchise John Wall.