The latest Power Rankings are out, and since I’m too lazy to do one myself, I’ll just link you to theirs. A couple of notes:

• The Celtics are back to No. 1. Yay. I just love the Celtics, with overglorified players like KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Please, LA or Cleveland, please beat them in the playoffs.
• The Nuggets are No. 6. How is it that one good point guard can change a team around so much? No AI, insert Chauncey, and this team is rolling.
• At 23-19, the Heat are No. 10. I know they’ve been surging, but c’mon. No. 10?
• In the same conference and same division, and three games up on the Heat, the Hawks are No. 11. This is the power Dwyane Wade has on a team.
• Beware the 76′ers, who sit at No. 12. After their terrible start, they’ve come on strong and are looking like the playoff threat they were last year.
• At No. 30, is there really any hope for the Kings? They don’t have the worst record, at least, which belongs to No. 26, the 9-35 Thunder.

I bet compulsively on the NFL and college, so I figure why not grow an addiction to the NBA. I’m going to pick three or four games a night, with no real knowledge. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Here we go.

Hawks @ Celtics (-10): Just look at their games in Boston last year. That’s all you need to know.

Blazers (+1.5) @ Heat: Take the points in the game Oden returns in.

Jazz (-4) @ Wizards: Washington stinks.

LA Lakers @ Hornets (-1): One point at home? Take it. They’re solid in New Orleans.

It’s probably not the new Dream Team — I mean, how can you beat Hakeem, Clyde, Charles, Scottie and MJ? — but it’s as formidable a crew as the U.S. has put together in a long, long time. The 12 man team was named today, and it lists some pretty good names.

The team is headlined by the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, but joining them will be Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer, and Carmelo Anthony.

Though I’d leave a few of those off — there’s got to better player than Redd, Prince, and Kidd — it’s a solid squad. The starting five will more than likely be Paul, Kobe, D-Wade, LBJ, and D. Howard. That leaves guys like Jason Kidd, Deron Williams, and Chris Bosh coming off the bench, which is about as good a sixth, seventh and eighth man as it gets.

Oddly, not a single player from the World Champion Celtics. No one in LA’s complaining about that one.

Game 7 tips off here in just a few minutes, and the buzz for me is a pretty mild one. The way these playoffs have gone, I feel that I can go to sleep, wake up, and know with certainty that New Orleans won the game. There’s that part of me that says, Hey, San Antonio has experience with this kinda stuff, and there’s that other part of me that says, Hey, they never win back-to-back championships, so why should this year be different?

Beyond that, it’s also somewhat hard to get your hopes up in a second round that shows nothing but home winners. Orlando choked — but hey, they’re Orlando — and Utah choked — but hey, they’re all white — but something tells me the Hornets won’t blow this one at home.

Vegas says it’s New Orleans by 4.5, and I’ve gotta say take the Hornets — this series hasn’t featured a game in which a team has lost in single digits, and San Antonio has had a knack for losing the third quarter by 20. I think it’ll be close to the fourth, but I see Chris Paul and New Orleans pulling away, ultimately winning by 11. Bet it hard. If I’m right, we’ll set up some kind of PayPal forwarding where you can donate some of your winnings. If I’m wrong, serves you right for gambling.

I watched Game 1 of the Spurs/Suns series, and I figured I was in for one of the better series of all time. With that game pretty much kicking off the playoffs, and with Atlanta taking Boston to seven, I figured I was in for one of the better NBA Playoffs of all time.

We’re halfway through the second round now, and all we’ve got is a bunch of teams that can’t lose at home and can’t win on the road. I’m waiting for something to change — you know, something that will maybe make this thing exciting — but I’m not holding my breath.

Utah visits LA tonight and Cleveland visits Boston. If I had to choose an upset and pick a road team to actually win, I’d say Cleveland by four points, only because I feel like Boston is starting to unravel a bit. Of course, I thought this against Atlanta, and the games weren’t even close at home.

If I was a betting man — wait, I am — I’d say every one of these series will go the distance, with seven games needed to decide the winner. And the real winner in all this? Detroit, who idly awaits, getting some much needed rest for an injured bunch.

Orlando Magic 86, Detroit Pistons 91: You want to look at this series and say, “Hey, Detroit looks like the toast of the East right now.” But then you really look at this series, and you start to scratch your head and get a little nervous.

The Pistons won, and finished this thing off in five games, but was there ever a time you were super impressed? I know they didn’t have Chauncey. I know they didn’t play their A Game and still got by. That said, this one featured one team (Detroit) turning the ball over only three times, and the other team (Orlando) turning it over 21 times.

I don’t want to rain on Detroit’s parade, but when you get 21 turnovers, and you only have 3, and you only win by 5. . . well, that’s concerning, but I guess I’m different.

The Pistons shot 36 percent from the field, but due largely in part to the turnovers, all five scorers still managed double figures, led by Rip Hamilton’s 31 points. Tayshaun had a sick block on Hedo Turkoglu’s attempted dunk towards the end of the game that would have pulled the Magic within one. Dwight Howard had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Magic, but was only able to hit 4 field goals the entire game.

San Antonio Spurs 79, New Orleans Hornets 101: I went to bed and San Antonio was up, and I started thinking: “You know, they’re a mature, experienced team; they may actually break this ridiculous home winning streak that’s going on in the NBA right now.”

I wake up this morning, check my phone to see the score, and realize I was off. Samsonite-way-off kind of off. The Spurs were up 3 at halftime, then down by 14 at the end of the third quarter. For those that don’t feel like doing the math, they were outscored 28-11 in the third, thus capping the game, thus making home teams now 17-1 in the second round of the playoffs.

David West went off for 38 points for the Hornets, but left early with some back spasms. Chris Paul had 22 points and 14 assists, doing what he does best, scoring a lot and passing more. Tim Duncan finished with 10 points on a 5-18 shooting night, and if the Spurs want a chance to defend, they’re going to have to actually show up one of these nights in the Big Easy. The Hornets lead the series 3-2 as we shift back to San Antonio.

Boston Celtics 77, Cleveland Cavaliers 88: It’s hard to say Boston’s the best team in the NBA when they’re now 0-5 on the road in the playoffs, and three of those losses were against the Hawks, but at the same time, it seems that everyone who plays on the road is incapable of putting together some sort of winning effort. Take away Detroit’s win — a win in which they had to come back from 15 down against a team that pretty much choked it away — and the second round home teams would be 16-0 (as of now, they’re 15-1).

LeBron James scored 21 points, but was only 7-20 from the line, and continues to struggle with his jump shot and three. He did have a nasty dunk on KG, and his mom did get involved when Paul Pierce decided it best to grab his entire body and bring him into the crowd to prevent him from an open dunk.

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rando led the Celtics with 15 points, and Paul Pierce put in 13 on a bad shooting night. The Celtics are now winless on the road, and you have to wonder how many series they can really win without taking one away from home. If Cleveland can win Game 5, you may be able to wrap this thing up.

The Spurs visit the Hornets tonight, and the Jazz head back to LA. I’ve got a hunch — just a hunch — that the home teams will probably be 2-0 tonight.

Cleveland Cavaliers 73, Boston Celtics 89: Don’t let this score fool you. The Cavs jumped out to a 21-11 lead, and never did anything after that. At one point, the lead for the Celtics was as high as 26 points, and there was no one holding their breath in this one.

And one thing that has to be going through every Cavs fan’s head right now: What in the hell is going on with LeBron James? I’ve always been “that guy” who’s said he’s a bit overrated — I’m not saying he’s not great; that said, I don’t think he’s the second coming of Michael Jordan — and even I’m perplexed right now with what’s going on. LeBron did play better than his first game, but that’s like getting drunk, hooking up with a girl that’s a three, then bragging that you bagged one the next night that’s a five. He scored 21 points, a dramatic increase from Game 1, but was only 6-24 from the field, couldn’t hit a three to save his life, and had more turnovers than he had field goals. Boston used an all-around arsenal to kill the Cavs, who are now down 0-2 and look like the Atlanta team before them — incapable of making this thing even close on the road.

New Orleans Hornets 99, San Antonio Spurs 110: Something tells me you’re going to see a lot of home winning in this one, which doesn’t bode well for the Spurs, given they have less home games. Chris Paul had 35 points and 9 assists in the losing effort. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli showed that you don’t have to be American to win this game, going for 31 a piece, also combining for 17 assists. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 13 rebounds, helping the Spurs make this thing competitive again. The next game will be Sunday, giving the two teams three days of rest before they tangle again.

San Antonio Spurs 84, New Orleans Hornets 102: It’s not so much that the Spurs are losing, but how they’re losing. In Game 1, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli carried the load, combining for over 40 points, but managed just 24 points between the two of them in Game 2. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 18 points, but was held to only 6 field goals on 11 attempts. The Spurs shot 42 percent from the field, and had 15 turnovers on a night where the offense looked utterly lost. Chris Paul had 30 points and 12 assists, abusing anyone that was defending him every time down the court. Peja Stojakovic had 25 points and Mo Peterson chipped in with 12. The Hornets shot 48 percent from the field and were 10-18 (58 percent) from beyond the arch. They take a 2-0 series lead heading back to San Antonio.

Orlando Magic 93, Detroit Pistons 100: Dwight Howard put on a I’m-Playing-The-Raptors kind of performance, getting 22 points and 18 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Magic from the claws of defeat. The Magic out-rebounded the Pistons by five, made seven more three pointers, but couldn’t ever seem to take a lead. All five Pistons starters scored in double digits. Detroit takes a 2-0 lead with the win as the series shifts back to Orlando, where hopefully the Magic can make this thing interesting.

Orlando Magic 72, Detroit Pistons 91: Detroit went into the half with a one point lead, but Orlando buckled down the stretch and Dwight Howard got injured. Chauncey Billups led the Pistons with 19 points, Rip Hamilton had 17, and Jason Maxiell and Tayshaun Prince both contributed with 12. The Pistons lead the series 1-0, and are now 3-1 against the Magic this year. Dwight Howard says his hand is only “bruised,” and he’ll be fine to go for Game 2 in Detroit.

San Antonio Spurs 82, New Orleans Hornets 101: There was a 19 minute delay, and that’s exactly what’s above. When you’re planning on sending your mascot through a hoop of fire, make sure you can put the fire out without having to use extinguishers that leave a cloud of dust covering the court. The Spurs were hot before the incident, and cold afterwards. Tim Duncan had 5 points on 1-9 shooting, and outside of Tony Parker’s and Manu Ginobli’s combined 42 points, the Spurs didn’t do a whole lot as a team. Chris Paul had a moderate night — 17 points, 13 assists — but New Orleans had a balanced offensive attack, led by David West’s 30 points and Peja Stojakovic’s 23.