Power Rankings Week 18: Spurs move up in rankings as they become whole

The Spurs average rank this week improved to 4.3 from 5.6 last week, and Matt Moore continues his insightful analysis.

Mark Stein From ESPN, (Spurs rank: 5, last week's rank: 6)

Clinching another winning season isn't exactly parade material in the Alamo City. In this case, though, Friday night's win No. 42 was notable because it clinched the Spurs' 17th straight winning season. Which is the second-longest such streak in history behind Utah's 19 seasons in a row (1985-86 to 2003-04).

Marc J. Spears from Yahoo! Sports, (Spurs rank: 5, last week's rank: 5)

The Spurs welcomed back All-Star point guard Tony Parker, who had 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds in Sunday's victory over Dallas. Parker had missed the previous six games.

Jason Patt of SBNation NBA, (Spurs rank: 4, last week's rank: 5)

The Spurs are healthy and winners of three straight, so they're once again a mainstay in the top five of the power rankings.

USA Today, (Spurs rank: 4, last week's rank: 4)

They have not lost a game by three points or fewer.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com, (Spurs rank: 2, last week's rank: 5)

The Spurs are whole for the first time in two months and in time to face the champs on Thursday. They're also home for most of the next two weeks, so it will be interesting to see if Gregg Popovich gives his regular starting lineup a chance to find a rhythm. It was terrific last season, but has struggled this year, especially offensively. Kawhi Leonard has looked pretty good in his first three games back.

Matt Moore of CBS Sports, (Spurs rank: 6, last week's rank: 9)

There is nothing surprising about this team, but also nothing boring.

Track of the Week: Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up