1 (2) Celtics 6-1 Seriously. Go back and look closely at what the champs did in Houston and then in Detroit, then tell me how this committee (of one) could ignore the quality of those wins, even when the Lakers are blasting everybody.
2 (1) Lakers 5-0 Two more dominating displays, including a 29-point beatdown of the Ron Artest-fueled Rockets, have hiked the Lakers' average margin of victory to a whopping 22.4 points per game. Next in line: Atlanta at a mere 10.2 ppg.
3 (9) Cavaliers 5-2 You have to go all the way back to 1975-76 for the Cavs' first and only division title. Tell us: Do you like them to win the Central Division more or less now that the Pistons have swapped Billups for Iverson?
4 (8) Suns 5-2 Hard to argue with the insistence of the Suns' brass to impose occasional nights off on Shaq when he follows up a DNP-CD in Chicago with his biggest scoring game in more than a year (29 points) at Milwaukee.
5 (12) Hawks 5-0 The loss of Josh Smith for two to four weeks has to dampen the mood somewhat, but we insist on letting these -- get this -- defense-first Hawks enjoy their moment, now 2-for-2 as the U.S. Army Team of the Week.
6 (2) Hornets 4-2 Peja and Chandler weren't out of the lineup long ... and these days a home loss to Atlanta doesn't look nearly as bad as it sounds. Yet you get the sense that Coach Scott isn't thrilled with what he's seen so far.
7 (6) Raptors 4-2 Have you noticed Bosh is getting mentioned as a 2010 free-agent target almost as often as LeBron lately? Perhaps that's because there are maybe two guys in the East (LeBron and Joe Johnson) who can match him lately.
8 (7) Jazz 5-1 Has to be scary for Jazz fans to hear that D-Will is going to be out longer than expected. That said, Utah can't be too cautious with that guy, no matter what this news does to the rest of Jerry Sloan's November.
9 (5) Pistons 4-2 I'm sure the second-guessing is well underway in Motown after an 0-2 launch to the Iverson Era, but how do you pass on a deal in which you get the best player and the most payroll flexibility? Right. You don't.
10 (16) Magic 4-2 Anyone else out there think our scathing critique of the Magic in this space, just one Monday ago, is what woke them up and led to (mostly) comfortable wins over Chicago, Philly and Washington at home? Us, too.
11 (4) Rockets 4-3 You pretty much have to live with that heave Brandon Roy tossed in at the buzzer. Losing to Boston and the road no-show against the Lakers, in the Rockets' first two big games of the season, were the real letdowns.
12 (18) Nuggets 3-3 Back when the Nuggets acquired Iverson, AI couldn't get to Denver right away because of a blizzard that shut down the whole city. In the Billups Era, at a quick 2-0, things have started a bit more smoothly.
13 (14) Pacers 2-3 Not the easiest four opponents to start with: Detroit, Boston, Phoenix and Cleveland. Vulnerable as the Pacers' defense remains, let's see whether they can build on thumping Boston and hanging with the other three.
14 (17) Trail Blazers 3-3 Deflated as Blazermaniacs must be about the Oden situation, they're still seeing serious entertainment. All of Portland's home games have gone down to the final seconds and the local kids pulled out all three wins.
15 (15) Bulls 3-4 Injuries to Hinrich and Hughes should make it easier for the Bulls to find playing time for all their guards ... but tougher to assemble the trade package they'd need to address those well-chronicled size issues.
At first I was like woooo how did Boston get the top spot, but then again they won on the road at Houston and Detroit.
While the Lakers have been impressive they haven't faced an elite team like that on the road yet.
If they would of re signed Kurt Thomas at center that would of been the best team they put on the floor since Barkley and KJ.
Thank GOD all those "Portland is a DYNASTY" threads stopped. That was just getting annoying. Now on to some real basketball. 
