As we approach the midpoint of the season, some teams have surprised and others have disappointed. And then there are the Lakers.

Welcome back to another installment of HoopsHype’s power rankings. Last time, we made New Year’s resolutions for each team. This week, we’ll look at an X-Factor for each team, someone or something

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best team in all of basketball. As such, it only made sense that they got that recognition. However, it seems that they had to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a nationally televised game to finally receive the praise they deserved.

The Houston Rockets are establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the NBA as they continue to rise in the power rankings.