NBA Power Rankings: Houston Rockets regain "title contender" status

We're back. This is a weekly column to track the Houston Rockets standing in POWER RANKINGS across the NBA.

The Houston Rockets officially have their title contender status back. Getting the moniker back required an undefeated 4 - 0 week to wipe away the hangover of a three game losing streak.

The season-starting hangover caused a two-year low in the NBA power rankings last week. NBA.com put the Houston Rockets at 25th while the CBS rankings put the Rockets at 23. Both of those rankings wildly corrected after the Rockets defeated the Thunder, Magic, Kings and Clippers.

Sorry Heat, Raptors, Bulls and Pistons. James Harden has single-beardedly carried the Houston Rockets back in the conversation for an NBA title:

After close study, these rankings show your "power rank" is directly correlated to the number of 20-point losses you have suffered in the last week. We'll continue running tests on that theory throughout the season and submit a final study after the regular season to the "Journal of My Team Just Had The Worst Week Ever." It's a specialized publication.

In other news the Southwest Division doesn't look like the power house of 2014 - 2015. The Pelicans might as well drive Ben Simmons from class at LSU straight to the Smoothie King Center now. They're on pace to take the Son of the South(ern hemisphere) with the number one pick.

Meanwhile, it's very difficult to tell what's happening with the Grizzlies. No one on the team looks like an all-star and the team's success hinges on Marc Gasol and Mike Conley displaying an aptitude for roundball.

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks are trying to prove they will live forever. A team expected to be one of the worst in the conference is currently in 9th place in the conference. They're arguably on the upswing as they continue to recover from several injuries.

Here's the Southwest Division Standings: