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Dwyane Wade (left), LeBron James (right)

This week’s edition of Slam Dunk Central’s NBA Power Rankings finds the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers being the two hottest teams in the Association. Meanwhile, Miami has taken a drop in the rankings as evidenced by their recent 4-game losing streak.

Coincidentally enough, the entire Southeast Division is suffering; not only the Heat, but also the Charlotte Bobcats whereas the Atlantic has enjoyed a renaissance, of sorts.

All this and more in this edition of Slam Dunk Central’s NBA Power Rankings for the week of February 28-March 6:

Listed below are the teams, their win-loss record as of March 6 and last week’s ranking:

1. San Antonio Spurs (51-12) (1) The Los Angeles Lakers killed the Spurs Sunday, which begs the question: Do the Spurs miss Tony Parker? Short answer – probably. The thing is, he’s going to be back probably around mid-March or so. They should be ok for the meantime with George Hill handling the 1.
2. Boston Celtics (46-15) (2) The Celtics are on a roll these days, and perhaps the addition of Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and more recently, Troy Murphy, has helped to that end. The Kendrick Perkins trade may be what ensures that Bsoton gets the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Unless Chicago has a hot streak in the 20+ games left in the regular season.
3. Los Angeles Lakers (45-29) (5) It’s official, folks: The Los Angeles Lakers are back. They took down the Spurs Sunday (7 wins in a row and counting), which was a statement game, if anything else. Things don’t get any easier for the Lakers as they have this week Atlanta, Miami and Dallas – all of them on the road.
4. Chicago Bulls (43-18) (6) They edged Miami on Sunday; these two teams, at this rate, should be battling for the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. They also got Joakim Noah back and also signed Rasual Butler for the rest of the regular season. The Bulls look like they’re quite serious about grabbing the #2 seed. An already dangerous squad just got even more so.
5. Dallas Mavericks (45-17) (4) Admittedly, the Mavs shouldn’t have dropped to #5; but to be fair, the Bulls are riding a hot hand at the moment. The signing of Corey Brewer gives Dallas a defensive presence at forward. Tyson Chandler should be back as early as Monday, which is a good sign for the Mavericks.
6. Miami Heat (43-20) (3) The Heat are in a funk of sorts, as evidenced by their 4-game skid, capped by their loss Sunday to the Bulls. I am beginning to wonder if LeBron James is silently making it known who’s the boss in Miami? That aside, the Heat bench has been stinking up the joint – even with the addition of Mike Bibby. That’s a head-scratching acquisition if ever I saw one.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (39-22) (9) So long to the Thunder’s “Big Three”. But they have a “Dynamic Duo” of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, which isn’t chopped liver. James Harden has been hot lately, so the loss of Jeff Green isn’t really being felt in the OKC. Let’s not forget that they’re finally scoring points (113, 111 and 122 this past week).
8. Orlando Magic (40-23) (7) Like Chicago, Orlando didn’t really do anything wrong. In this instance, Oklahoma City is the hotter team at the moment. That aside, their win at Miami proves that they aren’t an afterthought in the state of Florida. Despite all of this, the Magic still don’t have a true center to back up Dwight Howard (who will miss Monday’s game due to a suspension).
9. New Orleans Hornets (37-28) (10) While New Orleans won at Cleveland, they lost Chris Paul due to a concussion. He won’t play on Monday, which means that Jarrett Jack will probably start in CP-3′s place at the point. Paul will be missed, rest assured.
10. Denver Nuggets (37-27) (11) Winner of three of their last four, the Nuggets – at the moment – aren’t feeling the effects of the loss of Carmelo Anthony. The interesting mix of players that grace Denver’s starting lineup (Ty Lawson/Raymond Felton, Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario, seems to be working right now.
11. Portland Trail Blazers (35-27) (13) They’ve won two in a row and hope to add on to that with a four-game road trip, facing Orlando, Miami, Charlotte and Atlanta. Not the easiest way to maintain their #7 seed in the Western Conference playoff hunt, with memphis right behind them.
12. Atlanta Hawks (37-26) (8) 79 points at home in a loss to the New York Knicks. Decednt teams in the NBA score 79 in three quarters of play. It appears to me that a lack of focus has bitten the Hawks. They’re in the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, but the lack of effort is alarming – especially at this juncture of the regualr season.
13. Memphis Grizzlies (35-29) (14) They spanked San Antonio and Dallas, which is no small feat, these days. Darrell Arthur has been hot lately (13.4 PPG in his last nine games), which is key as the Grizzlies bench really hasn’t stepped up lately.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (32-30) (17) The Sixers are one of the few teams that have an equal mix of home and road games left on their schedule (10 of each). That journey begins this week as they travel to Indiana, go home to host the Thunder and Celtics and finish up the week at Milwaukee.
15. New York Knicks (32-29) (15) The Knicks are surviving as the trio of Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups create some chemistry between them. Once they do, New York is going to be dangerous come playoff time. I still cannot believe the Knicks signed Jared Jeffries – again.
16. Houston Rockets (32-32) (18) Winners of two of three this past week, the Rockets still cannot catch a break as they are 3 1/2 games behind Memphis for the #8 seed in the Western Conference playoff chase. Yet their remaining schedule seems to work in the favor, in terms of their opposition. Hasheem Thabeet should see an increase of playing time; not a knock on Chuck Hayes, but really – a 6’6″ center?
17. Phoenix Suns (32-29) (12) They have fallen into the pattern of losing to good teams while beating the mediocre ones, which doesn’t benefit them as the NBA homestretch is fast approaching. What makes matters worse is the loss of Channing Frye to a dislocated shoulder. Look for Phoenix to utilize the inside game, as a result.
18. Utah Jazz (33-30) (16) Even with the signing of coach Ty Corbin to a multi-year deal, the Jazz seem to have diffculty closing out games – which isn’t Corbin’s fault. Much like Oklahoma City and Boston, the new players on the squad will need time to mesh in order to improve the overall product. They’re 1 1/2 games behind Memphis in the Western Conference playoff hunt, so there’s time to catch up. But the window of opportunity is shrinking by the day for Utah.
19. Golden State Warriors (27-35) (21) “There’s no games in the NBA that you should win. There are games you’ve got to take.” Keith Smart said that, folks. Stating the obvious in this case is a matter of too little, too late. Like Atlanta, the focus of this team just isn’t there as they’re getting erratic play from Monta Ellis and committing stupid fouls, along the way. Which explains why they’re out of the Western Conference playoff race – probably for good.
20. Indiana Pacers (27-35) (20) Some way, somehow, the Pacers manage to hang on to the #8 seed despite losing three of four this week. But to be fair, Charlotte isn’t exactly showing that they want that playoff seed. But give interim coach Frank Vogel credit for outing his team for their lack of productivity.
21. Charlotte Bobcats (26-36) (19) It’s hard to say which team wants the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase the most – Charlotte or Indiana?  The Bobcats aren’t capitalizing on the Pacers’ losing streak and the lack of offense is catching up to them at the wrong time of the season.And they’re getting blown out too (their average loss is by 24/game). They have 20 games (less, really) to get their act together.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (23-40) (24) The acquisition of Mo Williams and Jamario Moon seem to be bringing mixed results, although they have won two straight. Not to mention that they lost Eric Gordon again as he re-aggravated his wrist. Gordon’s status is unclear as of this post. If he isn’t able to go on Monday against Charlotte, look for Randy Foye to start at the 2.
23. Detroit Pistons (23-41) (23) Ever since the player boycott during a team shootaround, Rodney Stuckey’s game has seemed to swung upward, averaging around 21 PPG, 6 RPG and 8 APG. And the team is flirting with run-and-gun basketball, which worked well for them in their win over the Wizards last Sunday. But I sense that this experiment won’t last long.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (23-38) (22) Technically, they’re in the Eastern Conference playoff chase, despite being 3 1/2 games behind Indiana. Despite that, their lack of offense is going to be what ensures they have a seat that the lottery table in the offseason. Even with Michael Redd’s return around the corner, it probably will be too late for Milwaukee to make up ground.
25. New Jersey Nets (19-43) (27) All of a sudden, the Nets have decided to show a glimpse of what to expect form them in the future as they scored 116 and 137 against the Toronto Raptors.The jury’s out on whether they can keep up thta frenetic pace as they play Golden State and the Clippers this week.
26. Toronto Raptors (17-46) (25) This team is puzzling. How do you explain a win against New Orleans, followed by a pair of losses to the New Jersey Nets? The recent trip to London should be an indicator of how they do this wek as they play three at home this week against Utah, Indiana and Charlotte.
27. Sacramento Kings (15-45) (26) If there is one positive for the Kings, it is the acquisition of Marcus Thornton. He’s been the first off the bench, while averaging 21 PPG since his arrival. Tyreke’s Evans’ absence is still felt in the locker room. But the doozy – team co-owner Joe Maloof tweeted that  the Clippers will serve as a great rivalry. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that th eMaloofs have made up their minds in terms of the Kings’ future in Sacramento.
28. Washington Wizards (16-46) (29) The Wizards are a team of “ones” – they’ve won one road game and won one game agaisnt their divisional rivals. It doesn’t help matters that Rashard Lewis may miss the rest of the regular season with a knee issue. 20 games left until the regular season ends and the Washington renovation continues shortly thereafter.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-49) (28) The T-Wolves are the only team in their division that hasn’t beaten a team – still. Granted, the division is tough, but still winless against the rest of the Northwest Division? Meanwhile, superstar-in-waiting Kevin Love continues to impress as he’s a game shy of the NBA record for consecutive double-doubles – held by NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers (12-50) (30) Playoff chances? Gone. Yet with 20 games left, the Cavaliers have the opportunity to climb out the Slam Dunk Central NBA Power Rankings cellar. Baron Davis has actually been productive from off the bench, being a mentor to the younger players. Meanwhile, Duke point guard Kyrie Irving seems to be the odds-on favorite to become the Cavs’ first pick of the nect NBA draft.