Each week during the regular season, Steve will rank the five best teams - and the five worst teams - in the NBA.

　　THE HIGH FIVE

　　1. San Antonio Spurs (37-10) – Gregg Popovich says his team's fourth-quarter execution is rusty because they haven't had many close games this season. That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

　　2. Phoenix Suns (36-10) – The Steve Nash Show is back. On their current six-game road trip, the Suns are 4-0 and averaging 126.3 points per game.

　　3. Seattle SuperSonics (30-13) – They were 2-0 against San Antonio before Monday's loss without Ray Allen, so you had to expect Tim Duncan and Co. to be ready.

　　4. Miami Heat (33-13) – Shaquille O'Neal has missed just one game all season. He is committed, motivated and dominating. Can any team in the East stop him?

　　5. Sacramento Kings (30-13) – Rick Adelman won't get consideration for Coach of the Year, but he should. The Kings had chemistry issues entering the season, suffered injuries to key players and traded the popular Doug Christie, but here they are 17 games over .500.

　　THE LOW FIVE

　　26. Milwaukee Bucks (15-27) – Terry Porter's club was surprisingly competitive last season, but injuries have decimated the Bucks this season. With Michael Redd an unrestricted free agent, will Milwaukee try to move him before the Feb. 24 trade deadline?

　　27. Charlotte Bobcats (9-32) – At least the Bobcats are competitive. They're losing a lot of close games but are hopeful the experience will help in the future.

　　28. New Orleans Hornets (8-36) – Baron Davis is injured again, and his career could be at a crossroads. Will the Hornets try to trade him? Will his body hold up? Can he regain his All-Star form?

　　29. Golden State Warriors (12-32) – The Warriors are the "Atlanta of the West."

　　30. Atlanta Hawks (9-34) – The Hawks are the "Golden State of the East."