When your faithful NBA Power Rankings committee (of one) moved to Southern California during the same summer that its beloved Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego, it did not adopt the Clips as its new favorite team. The Braves will hold that distinction here, as an entity unto themselves based on a 9-year-old's logic, now and forever.

However ...

The committee graciously thanks the Clippers for their December hot streak. Reason being: L.A.'s franchise-record 13 wins in a row eclipsed the 11 consecutive W's strung together by the Braves early in the 1974-75 season ... but in the process brought the Braves more turn-back-the-clock pub than they've enjoyed in a long, long time.

The best way to express that gratitude, of course, is by bumping the Clips up to No. 1 in ESPN.com's weekly NBA rankings. Yet it's a distinction they've undeniably earned thanks to a 12-0 record this month and an average victory margin of a whopping 16.5 points in that span. The Clips have been so hot that the Oklahoma City Thunder -- after finally losing Thursday night in Minnesota after 12 wins in a row of their own -- couldn't avoid a dip to No. 2 entering a Christmas Day showdown with the defending champions and No. 3 Miami Heat.

The rankings were compiled with the usual Ricky Rubio-esque dishing from ESPN Stats & Information and the Elias Sports Bureau. Click here to rank the teams yourself.

--Courtesy of ESPN