The Celtics continue to win at a rate that hasn't been matched since Michael Jordan's best days in Chicago, and they are the imposing ruler of the Eastern Conference, where only Detroit seems capable of preventing the first NBA Finals in Boston since 1987.

In the West, San Antonio is the defending champion, but these days, the Spurs have more trouble scoring than a hockey team killing a penalty, meaning there's hope for perennial contenders Dallas and Phoenix - not to mention the surprising L.A. Lakers and New Orleans Hornets, even though few post-Katrina fans seem to know an NBA team still plays just down the road from rebuilt Bourbon Street.

There is no such apathy in Boston, where the Celtics' season exploded in anticipation unseen since the Larry Bird Era when executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge reshaped the franchise during a job-saving 34-day sell-a-thon last summer.

On June 28, Ainge sent Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and the rights to No. 5 overall draft pick Jeff Green to Seattle for Ray Allen and the rights to No. 35 pick Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

On the surface, it was a nice deal, netting the Celtics one of the game's best shooters. But in reality, it was a championship-caliber deal because it convinced Kevin Garnett to come to Boston.

On July 31, Ainge shipped five players and two future first-round picks to Minnesota for Garnett, who has played so well that - with apologies to Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steve Nash - he is the current MVP front-runner.

"I don't know what the limit is," coach Doc Rivers said at the time. "The sky, I guess. We'll find out."

Of course, Boston's lofty status in the East has been helped by the incredibly rapid demise of Miami and Chicago.

Considered major roadblocks in the Celtics' path to glory when the season began, the Heat and Bulls headed into the weekend with a combined record of 23-51, which has manifested itself in locker room issues that aren't likely to disappear.

Today, Detroit looks like the only Eastern Conference opponent capable of derailing the Celtics, despite a recent stretch when Boston lost to Charlotte and Washington at home and saw its record freefall to 31-6.

The good news?

Kendrick Perkins, one of Boston's role players, called out the supporting cast for trying to do too much instead of acquiescing to Allen, Garnett and Paul Pierce.

"I think we need to all go back to what our roles are and stick to them," Perkins said. "Guys have been getting outside their bodies in what they do. . . . We've got to know we're going through Paul, Ray and K.G. If we get shots off them, that's fine. But as far as us trying to create shots on our own, I just see too much of that."

Obviously, Perkins knows who butters his bread.

So do the rest of the Celtics, who used the mini-slump to re-energize and refocus, just in time to bully Portland on Wednesday night and re-establish themselves as the NBA's best team.

So far.

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* STEVE LUHM is The Tribune's national NBA writer and can be reached at luhm@

com.

NBA Power Rankings

1. Boston (32-6)

Is PG a problem?

2. Detroit (29-11)

Rip: 39 vs. Raptors

3. Dallas (26-12)

6 of 8 on the road

4. Phoenix (28-12)

Nash just keeps rolling

5. L.A. Lakers (26-12)

Losing Bynum hurts

6. New Orleans (27-12)

5 of next 6 at home

7. San Antonio (25-12)

Allowing only 92 ppg

8. Portland (24-15)

Jones: 53 percent on threes

9. Denver (23-15)

Linus Kleiza? Please

10. Utah (23-18)

2 games in 7 days

11. Orlando (24-17)

Still leads Southeast

12. Golden State (24-17)

Has cooled off lately

13. Toronto (22-18)

41 percent on three-pointers

14. Cleveland (21-18)

Brown gets an extension

15. Houston (20-19)

T-Mac being shopped?

16. Washington (21-17)

Two wins over Boston

17. Indiana (18-22)

Only .500 at home

18. Charlotte (15-24)

Spurs, Mavs this week

19. Atlanta (17-19)

On a roller coaster

20. New Jersey (18-20)

Lost 3 to the Knicks

21. Milwaukee (16-23)

Bogut is stepping up

22. Chicago (15-23)

Players suspend Noah

23. Philadelphia (15-25)

Nice rally at Houston

24. Sacramento (16-22)

Bibby is finally back

25. New York (12-27)

Talking playoffs again

26. L.A. Clippers (11-24)

A Sam Cassell sighting

27. Memphis (11-28)

Losing the close ones

28. Seattle (9-30)

Durant shooting 40.6 percent

29. Minnesota (5-33)

A long, cold winter

30. Miami (8-30)

A long, warm winter

* NO STARBURY: New York's Stephon Marbury is out indefinitely after ankle surgery, which might not be a bad thing for the surging Knicks, who, heading into the weekend, were 6-18 with him in the lineup and 6-8 without him.

* TOUGH GUY: Philadelphia's Andre Miller got poked in the eye at San Antonio and was questionable the next night at Houston. But he played, scored 26 points and ran his consecutive games streak to 405 - second-longest in the NBA.

* DRY DOCK: After the Rockets blew a 16-point lead in the second half against Miller and the 76ers, Yao Ming said, "It's like a big ship is sinking and sinking. There is a big hole below and it needs fixing immediately."

BOSTON at NEW YORK

Monday, 11 a.m., TV: NBA TV

* The best team in the East faces one of the hottest teams in the conference - seriously - when the Celtics play the revived Knicks at Madison Square Garden. A key matchup: Kevin Garnett vs. up-and-down Eddy Curry.

L.A. LAKERS at SAN ANTONIO

Wednesday, 7 p.m., TV: ESPN

* Kobe Bryant is the NBA's most explosive offensive player. Anchored by Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen, San Antonio is the NBA's best defensive team. This interesting matchup of contrasting styles could be a playoff preview.

PHOENIX at CLEVELAND

Friday, 5 p.m., TV: ESPN

* While Steve Nash and the Suns have been near the top of the Western Conference standings since the opening of the season, LeBron James and the Cavaliers started slowly but are beginning to climb in the East.

GERALD WALLACE

Charlotte

* After signing a six-year, $57 million contract last summer, Wallace is averaging a career-high 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Not bad for a guy who was taken from Sacramento in the 2004 expansion draft.

MIKE JAMES

Houston

* Acquired in the offseason to solidify the Rockets' suspect backcourt, James rarely plays these days, partly because he's shooting 35 percent. "It's tough, especially when you know you have a lot of basketball left in you," he said.

JOSH BOONE

New Jersey

* A second-year power forward from UConn, Boone had 14 points and 16 rebounds in last week's loss to Boston. Since moving into coach Lawrence Frank's starting lineup, he averages 10.4 points and 8.7 rebounds.

"I had a mini-Kirilenko. I was three steals short of a full Kirilenko. We'll call it a Battier." - Houston's Shane Battier, who had six points, five rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals in a win over the Knicks. He just missed a 5x5, the statistic made famous by Utah's Andrei Kirilenko

NBA MIDSEASON AWARD WINNERS

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

KEVIN GARNETT, BOSTON

Garnett (19.5) isn't among the top 20 in scoring. In fact, he is second on the Celtics behind Paul Pierce. But Garnett's all-around presence is the reason Boston has been the NBA's dominant team during the first half of the season. Last year, the Celtics allowed 98 points on 47 percent shooting. This season, they lead the league in scoring defense (87.1), and opponents shoot just under 42 percent. Any questions?

Runners-up: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers; LeBron James, Cleveland

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

KEVIN DURANT, SEATTLE

When Greg Oden was picked No. 1 in the draft and Durant went No. 2, everyone expected a close Rookie of the Year race. But Oden hasn't played because of preseason knee surgery and Durant has been as good as advertised. The Sonics are on track to win 20 games, which is one strike against Durant. But it's not his fault they are being totally rebuilt and won't contend for awhile.

Runners-up: Al Horford, Atlanta; Jamario Moon, Toronto

COACH OF THE YEAR

NATE MCMILLAN, PORTLAND

In a field full of worthy candidates, McMillan stands above the rest for his work with the Trail Blazers. Nobody thought much of Portland's prospects, even before Greg Oden's injury. But McMillan has helped develop second-year man Brandon Roy into an emerging star while leading the Blazers into playoff contention despite a 5-12 start that could have shattered the confidence of a young team.

Runners-up: Byron Scott, New Orleans; Doc Rivers, Boston

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

CHRIS KAMAN, L.A. CLIPPERS

When Elton Brand ruptured his Achilles' tendon last summer, the Clippers' inside presence apparently disappeared. But nobody told Kaman, who has had his best season. He averaged 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds last year; he averages 17.6 points and 13 rebounds this season. He has never blocked more than 116 shots in a season; he will have that many by the All-Star break.

Runners-up: Rudy Gay, Memphis; Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

JASON MAXIELL, DETROIT

He's a relative no-name in a high-profile field of contenders, but no player coming off the bench has meant more to a championship-caliber team than Maxiell. He averages 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in only 23 minutes per game. He shoots 55 percent from the field. Beyond the numbers, Maxiell is a physical presence, taking wear and tear off veterans Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess.

Runners-up: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio; Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix

DEFENSIVE PLAYER

MARCUS CAMBY, DENVER

Denver's opponents average 103 points a game because the Nuggets' uptempo style of offense means more possessions and more shots for everybody. But the Nuggets also limit their opponents to 45 percent shooting, and it's not because Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are lockdown defenders. Did you notice Camby's 24 rebounds and 11 blocks against Utah on Thursday?

Runners-up: Bruce Bowen, San Antonio; Tim Duncan, San Antonio