I'm officially sold on the Magic.

I have been seduced by Dwight Howard's utter dominance on offense (where he has been overpowering for years) and on defense (where he has taken his game to another level this season). I have been staggered by Jameer Nelson's meteoric rise to stardom. I have been wowed by Rashard Lewis' and Hedo Turkoglu's prolific play, particularly from the behind the three-point line. And I have been impressed by the fact that Orlando ranks third in the league in field-goal-percentage defense.

For those reasons and more, Orlando is my new No. 1.

The SI NBA Power Rankings aren't based on records alone. The writer, now Chris Mannix, usually takes into account what the team did that week, how well they performed, etc. I've followed these rankings for the past few years, and this is the first time the Magic have been #1! It might not seem like much, but dammit if it isn't an awesome feeling! :D