Grizzlies latest to reach top spot

A place atop the Power Pankings has its perks, but it also can make some teams squeamish.

For the Clippers, No. 1 in last week's rankings, the honor immediately led to a three-game slide. For the Knicks, the top dog the week before, it produced the first loss of their season and .500-basketball ever since. And for the Heat, who sat on the the throne the first two weeks ... well, actually they're doing just fine.

So how will the Grizzlies, the NBA's most consistent team through the first four weeks, handle the burden? They've won 11 of their last 12 games with the only loss coming by five points. They've beat the reigning champions, the Finals runner-up, a former No. 1 in these rankings and the star-studded Lakers. They lead in the league in adjusted margin of victory, which takes into account the strength of opponents, and adjusted net rating, an estimate of point differential per 100 possessions.

It's an encouraging start for a team starving for success after finishing its last two seasons with painful Game 7 losses. For the last few years, the Grizzlies have embraced the underdog mantra instilled by coach Lionel Hollins, trying to outhustle and outlast supposedly superior opponents. But now a healthy Memphis squad is the one with the target on its back -- and the rest of the NBA is coming.

Outside of the Grizzlies, the big winners this week are the Nets (fifth), Hawks (eighth) and Jazz (12th), who used hot stretches to shoot up the rankings. The past seven days weren't as kind to the Clippers (seventh), Lakers (15th) and Mavs (20th), who took significant stumbles. And while the middle class might be shrinking in America, it's alive and well in the NBA, as 22 teams are within two games of .500.

Without further ado, let's crown the rankings' newest king and break down where all 30 teams stand this week.

NBA Power Rankings