The top spot in the final regular-season power rankings goes to LeBron James and the Cavaliers, who secured the NBA's best record and matched the Celtics' mark of 66 wins a year ago. They did it by taking care of business at home, by overcoming multiple injuries and by playing the most consistently excellent basketball of any team in the league.

That's ultimately what separated them from the Lakers, who have the most talent but didn't bring their "A" game every night. The playoffs may very well be a different story, especially with Andrew Bynum back in purple and gold, but the road to a championship this year is going to go through Cleveland.

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Records are through the end of the regular season.

NBA Power Rankings Week Of 04/14/2009
Rk	Team	Last Wk	Rise/Fall	High/Low	Comment
1	Cavaliers	1	-	1/8	(66-16) Playoff outlook: NBA Finals. Owning the best record doesn't guarantee success in the playoffs. Just ask the Mavs two years ago. LeBron is too proud to go out early, but a 3-6 record against the NBA's other three elite teams suggests things will get tough in the East and NBA finals. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
2	Lakers	2	-	1/4	(65-17) Playoff outlook: NBA Finals. It's hard to see any West team winning four of seven from the Lakers, but no series figures to be easy, especially if they have to face the Blazers in the West semis. Once they get in the finals, they'll have to match the defensive intensity and toughness of the Cavs, Celtics or Magic. If not, they'll be runners-up again. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
3	Celtics	4	(+1)	1/4	(62-20) Playoff outlook: East finals. It all depends on Kevin Garnett, who missed the last quarter of the season with a strained right knee. If he's not right, Boston will have trouble matching up with Dwight Howard in the second round and have no chance against Cleveland. But if he's a force on defense, the Celtics may be even better than last year with the improvement of Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
4	Magic	3	(-1)	1/12	(59-23) Playoff outlook: East semifinals. The Magic won't take any momentum into the playoffs after stumbling down the stretch and squandering a chance to earn the No. 2 seed in the East. They might struggle in the first round, but if they survive and gain confidence, they could be dangerous. They proved they could beat the Big 3 all season and Dwight Howard can establish himself as a superstar by raising his game in the playoffs. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
5	Trail Blazers	7	(+2)	4/13	(54-28) Playoff outlook: West semifinals. Greg Oden didn't have a dominant rookie season, but he anchors the best second unit in the NBA. With a go-to player in Brandon Roy and an underrated coach in Nate McMillan, the Blazers may be the biggest threat to the Lakers in the West. They've beaten Kobe and Co. eight straight times at the Rose Garden and, after struggling away from home all season, won seven of their last nine road games. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
6	Nuggets	5	(-1)	4/17	(54-28) Playoff outlook: West finals. Thanks to the Chauncey Billups trade, the emergence of Chris Anderson and Nene, J.R. Smith's explosive offense and the overall improvement of Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets were the biggest surprises in the NBA (other than maybe the Cavs, who won just 45 games last year). Denver will need superior play from Billups and Anthony to push the Lakers if they get that far. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
7	Rockets	6	(-1)	4/12	(53-29) Playoff outlook: West first round. The Rockets fell all the way to the fifth seed on the last day of the season, meaning they'll have to figure out a way to beat the red-hot Blazers in Portland. Yao and Artest need to come up big. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
8	Spurs	11	(+3)	4/25	(54-28) Playoff outlook: West semifinals. The Spurs still have the heart of champions, but not the legs. Without Manu Ginobili and with Tim Duncan's knee problems, there's just not enough firepower to get through the West gauntlet. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
9	Mavericks	8	(-1)	7/24	(50-32) Playoff outlook: First round. If Josh Howard's ankle holds up, the Mavs won't be a pushover. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry are scoring machines and Dallas is hard to beat at home. But Jason Kidd will have a hard time keeping up with Tony Parker and the Mavs aren't tough enough on the road to get very far. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
10	Hornets	10	-	2/12	(49-33) Playoff outlook: First round. Chris Paul and David West can match up with any duo in the league, but Tyson Chandler's gimpy ankle and a punchless bench mean a likely quick exit for the Hornets. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
11	Jazz	9	(-2)	4/15	(48-34) Playoff outlook: First round. A month ago, the Jazz were the hottest team in the league and looked like a serious contender with Carlos Boozer's return. But they've fallen apart down the stretch, thanks mainly to a porous defense, and the home fans have soured on Boozer, who's likely to leave as a free agent. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
12	Heat	12	-	11/22	(43-39) Playoff outlook: East semifinals. Dwyane Wade's brilliance might be enough to create a first-round upset against the Hawks, especially if Michael Beasley continues his offensive hot streak. They probably can't hang with the Cavs, but a LeBron-Wade matchup sure would be fun to watch. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
13	Hawks	14	(+1)	4/17	(47-35) Playoff outlook: First round. The Hawks took care of business against some bad teams last week to secure the 4 seed in the East, but they'll need a healthy Marvin Williams and a big series from Joe Johnson to beat the Heat -- and a lot more than that to challenge the Cavaliers. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
14	Suns	15	(+1)	4/16	(46-36) Why they're in the lottery: Amar'e Stoudemire's injury, a lack of team identity, defensive indifference and the deepness of the West. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
15	Bulls	16	(+1)	15/24	(41-41) Playoff outlook: First round. The Bulls were as hot as anyone until they lost to the Raptors in the season finale, dropping them into a matchup with the Celtics. The backcourt rotation of Derrick Rose, John Salmons, Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich has been outstanding, but a lack of low-post scoring makes a first-round upset unlikely. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
16	76ers	13	(-3)	10/21	(41-41) Playoff outlook: First round. Who would guess that Thaddeus Young's injury would be more costly than Elton Brand's? Even with Young back for the playoffs, Philly looks like an easy out in the first round after completely unraveling on defense down the stretch. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
17	Pistons	17	-	5/20	(39-43) Playoff outlook: First round. How the mighty have fallen. The East's best team over the decade is now nothing more than a mediocrity in need of a major overhaul in the offseason. The Cavs should sweep them. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
18	Bobcats	18	-	17/26	(35-47) Why they're in the lottery: The trade for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell upgraded the defense and team chemistry, but there just wasn't enough size or athleticism to compete. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
19	Pacers	19	-	16/24	(36-46) Why they're in the lottery: Mike Dunleavy's absence negated Danny Granger's breakout season. A plodding frontcourt and atrocious defense didn't help. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
20	Raptors	20	-	7/27	(33-49) Why they're in the lottery: All their skilled players and excellent shooters couldn't overcome a pillow softness that pervades the entire roster. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
21	Bucks	21	-	16/22	(34-48) Why they're in the lottery: Injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut destroyed any hope they had of making the playoffs. In truth, they stayed in the hunt longer than expected. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
22	Nets	22	-	13/27	(34-48) Why they're in the lottery: Devin Harris and Vince Carter were the NBA's most productive backcourt, at least offensively, but the frontcourt was simply too raw. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
23	Knicks	23	-	14/28	(32-50) Why they're in the lottery: They jettisoned their playoff bid when they got rid of Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, but those were still the right moves to make. The mess from the Isiah years will take more than one year to clean up. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
24	Warriors	24	-	21/27	(29-53) Why they're in the lottery: Injuries sabotaged the season, but a lack of interior offense and any semblance of defense would have kept them out of the playoffs anyway. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
25	Thunder	25	-	23/30	(23-59) Why they're in the lottery: When your best players are 20 (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook) and 22 (Jeff Green), you're just too young. Give it two or three more years. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
26	Grizzlies	26	-	21/30	(24-58) Why they're in the lottery: Ever since they dealt Pau Gasol to the Lakers last year, their frontcourt has been a joke. O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay can score but must get better on the defensive end. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
27	Wizards	27	-	18/29	(19-63) Why they're in the lottery: Gilbert Arenas' absence is the obvious answer, but the injuries to Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas meant the Wiz had to play almost the entire season without a true center. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
28	Timberwolves	28	-	17/30	(24-58) Why they're in the lottery: Al Jefferson is the only Timberwolf who would start for most teams in the NBA. His injury in the 50th game effectively ended Minnesota's season. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
29	Clippers	29	-	20/30	(19-63) Why they're in the lottery: Baron Davis was a bust and the big men couldn't stay healthy, but let's face it, the biggest reason is the same as usual -- they're the Clippers. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy
30	Kings	30	-	22/30	(17-65) Why they're in the lottery: They had it all -- injuries, youth, inferior talent, lousy coaching, bad personnel moves and franchise instability. Team: Home | Stats | Fantasy