Ranking the Mavs

Where the Mavericks fall in various sports websites weekly NBA power rankings.

ESPN: 9. "One of the surest signs this season's West is deeper than it used to be: Dallas is only up to No. 7 after a five-game win streak that has the Mavs at an even 10 games over .500. This group is a far stronger team than last season's 41-41 mess ... but you wouldn't know it looking at the standings."

NBA.com: 9. "The Mavs have won five straight, but their offense has been off the charts for a month now. Dirk Nowitzki has averaged 24.6 points with an effective field goal percentage of 56.2 percent over that stretch. Vince Carter, meanwhile, is a plus-89 over the five-game streak, which included an important win in Memphis. Dallas is now three games up on the Grizz, already holding the head-to-head tiebreaker."

Sports Illustrated: 8. "The Mavs have won a season-best five in a row, but it's worth pointing out that none of the victories came against current playoff teams. Still, Dallas is playing impressive ball, led by the effective duo of Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki.

Yahoo Sports: 10. "Dirk Nowitzi's 38-point, 17-rebound game against Houston on Jan. 29 was his first 30-point, 10-rebound game of the season and 108th of career."

CBS Sports: 8. "The less I think of the Mavericks because of their defense, the better they play because of their offense."

NBC Sports: 9. " Winners of five in a row, they have moved up to a tie for the sixth seed in the deep West (tied with Phoenix). This race down the stretch for the final spots in the West will be one to watch — three games separate the six and nine seeds in the conference."

Fox Sports: 11. "This past week has been a reminder of the days when Dirk Nowitzki was a legitimate superstar. He's just two seasons removed from beating the Heat for a title, remember. Nowitzki is averaging 30.8 points on 59.7% shooting and 9.8 rebounds. If he keeps playing like this, Dallas certainly holds onto a playoff spot — even if they can’t play defense."