Christmas day brought a lot of surprises for NBA fans. The first was the Celtics getting a win versus the Magic. After beating the Celtics in Boston and with Paul Pierce missing in action, I thought the Celtics would lose but to my surprise, they were able to pull out the win. The Lakers versus the Cavs was another, I was surprised to see Kobe play so selfishly, he took 32 shots while Ron Artest and Pau Gasol took 11 shots each. The Blazers, who were missing half their roster to injury, defeated the Denver Nuggets behind Brandon Roy's 41 points. Roy was absolutely amazing on Christmas.

Baron Davis's game winner over the Celtics is pretty much the reason why the Lakers are still a top the rankings this week. Let’s get right into it:

(1)1. LA Lakers (24-5)
The Lakers looked weak on Christmas day losing 102 - 87 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and frankly I blame the schedule. The Lakers schedule was way to easy to start the season, the Lakers bench is weak and Kobe took too many shots, he was 11-32 for 35 points.

(2)2. Boston (23-6)
After an impressive Christmas day victory over Orlando at Orlando the Celtics lost to the Clippers on Sunday night. Rajon Rondo missed two free throws that would have given the Celtics a two point lead.

(6)3. Cleveland (24-8)
Cavs went a very impressive 3-1 on their four game west coast road trip. I have been real vocal about how silly I think it is for Mike Brown to have Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal in the game at the same time but this strategy worked to perfection against the Lakers as the Cavs matched up real well against the Lakers frontline.

(3)4. Atlanta (21-8)
The Hawks are off to one of their best starts in franchise history. One guy who isn't getting enough credit is Al Horford. His numbers are up across the board and he is nearly averaging a double-double with 14.0ppg and 9.9rpg.

(4)5. Orlando (22-8)
Dwight Howard scored only five points against the Celtics on Christmas day which begs the question what exactly do they pay Patrick Ewing for? Dwight is in year five and I beginning to wonder if he will ever develop a move beyond the dunk.

(5)6. Dallas (22-9)
Erick Dampier had a very good December. The 34 year old center averaged 9.5ppg and 10.8rpg in this month.

(12)7. San Antonio (17-11)
Dejuan Blair has moved into the starting lineup for the Spurs. In his last two starts Blair has grabbed 10 plus rebounds.

(7)8. Denver (20-11)
The Nuggets are slumping right now; they have lost four of five games which is pretty bad for Coach George Karl who is currently negotiating a contract extension.

(11)9. Portland (20-12)
I think the Blazers injury woes are a blessing in disguise. When they were healthy they just had too many players and not enough basketballs now they are more focused on offense and things can revolve around Brandon Roy. Roy is averaging 31.3ppg in his last four games.

(8)10. Phoenix (19-12)
After starting 10-0 at home the Suns dropped two home games to the Cavs and the Thunder. Overall it was a very disappointing week for the Suns as they dropped three of four.

(9)11. Houston (18-13)
Tracy McGrady has demanded more playing time and apparently his demands haven't been met as he has not played in the Rockets last two games. It looks like the Rockets don't want to ruin what they have by giving McGrady major minutes.

(10)12. Utah (17-13)
The Jazz went 2-3 on their recent east coast road trip. The Jazz also traded Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring in an apparent cost cutting move, Maynor had played well for the Jazz while Deron Williams was out with injury.

(13)13. Miami (16-12)
The Heat have won five of their last six games, a major reason for their recent success is the improved shot selection of Dwayne Wade who has shot 48.1% from the field in the last six games compared to season average of 43.5%.

(14)14. Oklahoma City (15-14)
The Thunder are back over .500 with consecutive wins over the Suns and the Bobcats. The Thunder have a relatively favorable upcoming schedule with games against the Nets, Wizards, Jazz and Bucks.

(19)15. Toronto (15-17)
Gotta be excited about the Raptors play as of late. They have been playing good defense, a couple of weeks ago their points allowed was at 108, now they are down to 105.8ppg. The Raps are 11-0 when they allow fewer then 100 points.

(16)16. New Orleans (13-15)
Weird stat but Chris Paul has failed to get more then seven assists in his last three games. The Hornets are 4-6 when Paul fails to record 10 or more assists.

(18)17. Memphis (13-16)
Zach Randolph has been balling out of control lately, in his last four games he is averaging 29.5ppg and 18rpg. The Grizzlies have gone 3-1 during this four game stretch.

(15)18. LA Clippers (13-17)
The Clippers ended their rough week with a game winning shot by Baron Davis to hand the Celtics their second road loss of the season. The Clippers had loss their three previous games to the Spurs, Rockets and Suns.

(17)19. Sacramento (13-16)
Tough loss for the Kings Saturday night as they lost 112 -103 in double overtime to the Lakers. They also lost in overtime to the Cavs the game before. These losses, although tough should provide good experience for the young Kings.

(20)20. Milwaukee (12-16)
When Brandon Jennings scored 55 points against the Warriors all he did was put a target on his back. In December Jennings has averaged a mere 15.8ppg while shooting a horrid 36.5% from the field and 28.8% from behind the line.

(24)21. New York (11-19)
I must admit I am pretty disgusted by what is going on with Nate Robinson in New York. By Mike D'Antoni refusing to play Nate Robinson, he is effectively ruining Robinson's reputation around the league and anywhere Nate goes from here will be to redeem himself which isn't fair.

(21)22. Chicago (11-17)
Surprising, Christmas went by and the Bulls didn't fire their head coach. The Bulls fired Tim Floyd and Scott Skiles right before Christmas maybe this means Vinny Del Negro job is safe.

(23)23. Charlotte (11-17)
Tyson Chandler’s addition really hasn't worked out for the Bobcats but his contract expires next season which gives him some trade value.

(26)24. Washington (10-18)
Gilbert Arenas had guns in his locker but everything appears to be on the up and up as Arenas no longer wanted the firearms in his home after the birth of his daughter.

(22)25. Detroit (11-19)
Seven straight losses for the Pistons which includes back to back losses to the Raptors. During the seven game win streak the Pistons had three consecutive games where they recorded season lows in scoring.

(25)26. Indiana (9-20)
The Pacers are 3-8 without star forward Danny Granger and things are getting a bit ugly. The Pacers have now lost six games in a row but they are in the East and still have a realistic shot at making the playoffs.

(29)27. Minnesota (7-24)
Believe it or not but the Timberwolves are on a two game winning streak. Corey Brewer was big in both wins over the Nets and the Wizards scoring a total of 44 points on 16-27 shooting from the field.

(27)28. Philadelphia (7-22)
Lou Williams is back for the sixers but he doesn't look like he is in game shape. In the three games since his return Williams is averaging 8.3ppg and is shooting 9-27 from the field. Let’s hope he didn't rush back in fear of losing his starting spot.

(28)29. Golden State (8-21)
The Warriors broke their seven game losing streak with a victory over the Suns Saturday 132-127. Expect them to get right back to losing ways with games against the Celtics, Lakers and Blazers this week.

(30)30. New Jersey (2-28)
The Nets are working on their next big losing streak. They are currently at nine losses in a row with games against the Thunder, Knicks and Cavs this week.