NBA Power Rankings Week 4: Spurs still winning, having a good time

The Spurs won their 10th game in a row on Saturday, blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers, occasionally punking each other, and ultimately moving to a 12-1 record. The red-hot Portland Trail Blazers, who dealt San Antonio their only loss of the season, are right behind the Spurs in the Western Conference standings, and the West continues to dominate the top of most power rankings.

Injuries ravaged a number of contenders over the weekend, some more than others, which is reflected in many of the rankings below. Luckily, aside from a few bumps and bruises, the good guys have dodged the dreaded injury bug so far, thanks in part to a few big wins that have afforded some much-needed rest for the starters.

The Spurs, admittedly, haven't been challenged too much so far. That'll change starting this week, with a few tough contests scheduled, including a Wednesday night matchup in Oklahoma City and the first regular season game against Dwight Howard's Rockets.

Marc Stein from ESPN, (Spurs rank: 1, last week's rank: 1)

Should I be harder on the Spurs than I've been when Tim Duncan continues to look so mortal and only three of their wins have come against teams with winning records? Or do you focus on the fact they sport the league's only double-digit nightly average point margin? See how hard this job is?

Marc J. Spears from Yahoo! Sports (Spurs rank: 2, last week's rank: 2)

The Spurs, winners of 10 straight, face a tough challenge Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

Jason Patt from SBNation NBA (Spurs rank: 1, last week's rank: 1)

The Spurs are just clowning fools these days, and they lead the league in average point differential at +11.5. In their latest conquest, San Antonio beat the Cavaliers by 30 and led by as many as 43 points. Yowza.

USA Today (Spurs rank: 2, last week's rank: 2)

Tim Duncan has not even played well, and they still keep winning.

John Schuhmann from NBA.com (Spurs rank: 1, last week's rank: 1)

What's more amazing about the Spurs' hot start: that they're 12-1 with Tim Duncan shooting 39 percent or that they're 12-1 with three of their four most-used lineups holding a negative plus-minus? Their bench, aka "The Foreign Legion," has been fantastic and the starters are staying fresh. Only Tony Parker (30.3) is averaging more than 28 minutes a night. Wednesday's game in OKC is a must-watch.

Matt Moore from CBSSports.com (Spurs rank: 2, last week's rank 3)

You can count on death, taxes and the Spurs eventually climbing to No. 1 here -- and for long stretches -- every season.

Consensus Track:

• The bad side of the Spurs first ten games
• Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans
• How will the Spurs defense fare through the next ten games?
• Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker prank Tim Duncan on the bench during blowout
• Morning Rehash: Spurs Pummel Flailing Cavaliers