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Probably the most contentious race going right now is the Eastern Conference playoff chase, where anything is possible from the #6 all the way to the #8 seed.

Orlando is certainly making some noise and looking to ensure that they and the Cavs met in the EC playoffs. Meanwhile, the Western Conference is slowly becoming more clear, although Oklahoma City and Portland are fighting for positioning in the WC playof chase. Which, in the grand scheme of things, affects this edition of Slam Dunk Central NBA Power Rankings.

Please bear in mind that this is a culmination of the past two weeks as I was absent last week. Without further adieu…

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (1). Winners of five of their past six, the Cavs’ defense has been top-notch. And things got better by reacquiring Z. A key move as Cleveland preps for the playoffs.
2. Orlando Magic (2). They’d be #1 except for one speed bump: the Cleveland Cavaliers. But if they keep playing like they are, expect a Magic-Cavaliers EC finals. Getting Carter healthy for the long haul should be their first order of business.
3. Los Angeles Lakers (3). Winning six of eight is nice, but losing Bynum doesn’t exactly help. They have a tough week, facing Atlanta, Utah and San Antonio. Maybe a drop? We will see.
4. Phoenix Suns (10). They’ve won seven straight, so they’re doing something right. This week they’re on a 4-game roadie, facing Chicago, New Jersey, Detroit and Milwaukee. No reason why they can’t sweep the aformentioned 4.
5. Utah Jazz (7). Their offense has gotten better – and at a very opportune time as this week, they face the Warriors and Lakers. If they can play credible defense the rest of this season, they should be able to supplant Denver as the top dog in their division.
6. Dallas Mavericks (6). They’re safely in the playoffs, yet they have the chance to possibly meet and even get past Denver in the all-important tiebreaker category in terms of the playoffs. That assignment starts this week as they face Memphis, Orlando and Oklahoma City. Looks like Dirk’s going to have to pick up his game – since no one else will.
7. Denver Nuggets (4). They’ve only won 3 of their past 8, which is never a good sign. And there’s teams in their rear-view mirror who are chomping at the bit. They need Kenyon Martin back as soon as humanly possible as they’re getting beat on the boards. The rest of their schedule’s brutal as they take on Portland, Clippers, OKC, the Lakers, Spurs, Grizzlies and Suns. Other then the Clips and maybe the Grizz, there’s no gimmes here.
8. San Antonio Spurs (9). Manu’s been picking his game up a notch. He probably needs to as Tony Parker’s out.  One must wonder how they lost to the Nets, scoring a whopping 84 points. Which proves that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
9. Atlanta Hawks (8). Good news is that they’ve won 8 straight at home, but the bad is that they have also lost 3 consecutive on the road. Good teams just don’t take a dump on the road like that. While their entrance to the playoffs is secure, they have to win a lion’s share of their road games. They face away from Philips Arena the rest of the way: Cleveland, Charlotte, Detroit, Washington and Milwaukee.
10. Boston Celtics (11). How in the heck do you put up just 73 points against San Antonio? Granted, the Spurs are a decent team defensively, but 73? Hopefully, that’s a rarity as they take on the OKC, Houston and *gasp* the Cavaliers this week.
11. Portland Trail Blazers (12). No big surprise that the Blazers are 12-4 since acquiring Marcus Camby from the Clips. They should take two of three (maybe sweep) this week as they play New York, Denver and Sacramento. Wake up, LaMarcus!
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (5). They got a whiff of the rareified air that is the elite wing of the NBA and they blacked out. I can’t put a finger on one particular reason the OKC has fallen, but if they want to participate in the playoffs, they need to step it up right about now. They face Philly, Boston, Dallas and Minnesota this week.
13. Miami Heat (15). They have been under the radar, yet they cannot be ignored as they’ve won 5 straight. D-Wade’s been hot and the defense has been airtight. They’ll need more of the same as they have a 3-game roadie, facing Detroit, Indiana and Minnesota – all three very winnable.
14.  Charlotte Bobcats (14). They had a cake schedule, yet somehow managed to go just 5-4. Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Chicago await them and they should win most of these – assuming they can eclipse 100+ PPG.
15. Milwaukee Bucks (13). The Bucks finally had a losing streak this month, but that shouldn’t be a trend as they face the Clips, Cavaliers, Bobcats and Suns this week. 
16. Chicago Bulls (20). It wasn’t that long ago when the Bulls were thisclose to forgetting about the playoffs. Now? They’re thisclose to passing up the Raptors. It gets tougher for Chicago as they take on Phoenix, Washington and Charlotte.
17. Memphis Grizzlies (16). A porous defense and turning the ball over a bunch doesn’t win games. Ask the Grizzlies, because numbers do not lie. Nonetheless, they have their probably best chance to get in the Western Conference playoff chase. Dallas, New Orleans and Orlando stand in the way. Good luck Memphis – you’ll need it.
18. Houston Rockets (17). They’re on a four-game losing streak, and truth be told, I cannot see them making the playoffs unless divine intervention takes place. They should be able to snap that streak when they play Washington Tuesday night.
19. Toronto Raptors (18). You know your team’s taking the downslope when the Chicago Bulls are in your rearview mirror in terms of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Fortunately for them, they get to play the Clippers, 76ers and Warriors this week. But next week’s going to define their playoff chances.
20. New Orleans Hornets (19). CP-3 is back, yet isn’t putting up the numbers peeople are accustomed to (7.7 PPG). But they’re finding ways to win, despite that. But you cannot ignore the fact that their defense has been awful.
21. Indiana Pacers (27). Since the playoffs aren’t an option with the Pacers, they’ve decided to be spoilers these days. Danny Granger’s putting up big numbers (30.3 PPG) and Indiana’s won six of eight. This is a case of the team riding some momentum into next season should they win with some semblance of regularity.
22. New York Knicks (26). As bad as the Knicks are, they did in fact beat three winning teams in the month of March. Interestingly enough, save for Portland, the Knicks have a cake week as they also take on Golden State and the Clippers.
23. Philadelphia 76ers (21). Their offense has been uneven, yet have a two-win streak going nito their game Tuesday vs. the Thunder. Which probably means the streak ends at two.
24. Sacramento Kings (22). They can’t win with Tyreke Evans out of their lineup; but at the same time, their losses to Boston and Cleveland were by a combined 15 points. Perhaps these can count as moral victories?
25. Los Angeles Clippers (23). Even Kim Hughes cannot resuscitate these Clippers as they are 3-11 in the month of March. Not to mention they lost to the Kings and Warriors – both teams without their leading scorer. Yet the three wins this month have been against Utah, Milwaukee and Houston. so there’s their silver lining.
26. Detroit Pistons (24). They’ve won a whopping two games this month. Seems like these days, the Piatons are making the Nets look like a playoff team. Joe Dumars has some really hard decisions to make this offseason. I’m thinking that Richard Hamilton’s days as a Piston are limited.
27. Golden State Warriors (28). The Warriors have some positives going into the homestetch of this season. Coach Nelson needs two wins to tie and three to surpass Lenny Wilkins as the NBA’s leader in victories. And they have some winnable games ahead: New York and Toronto. Like Utah’s going to roll over for Golden State.
28. Washington Wizards (25). 15 straight, folks. That’s something that is usually the domain of the New Jersey Nets. But here they are. The 0-for-March should continue as they play Houston and New Orleans. April brings to the Wiz the Bulls and *snicker* the Nets. Venture a guess as to who wins that one?
29. New Jersey Nets (30). Ok, New Jersey, the coast is clear! Break out the Nets! They’ve won four games in March – which is four more than the Wizards. But with the good comes the bad – they have to face Phoenix, New Orleans and Washington. Hey, one out of three ain’t bad.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (29). The owner of Oracle said recently in reference to the Golden State Warriors, “Too bad hostile takeovers aren’t allowed in the NBA.” Perhaps that applies to the T-Wolves, losers of 23 straight. If there’s any incentive for this team, it is the fact they they need to win just one game to avoid the worst win-loss record in franchise history. And only one opponent – Sacramento – may give that to them. But even that’s not a given.