Yep, it's like that. The season is truncated, but we've already completed about 25% of it.  In this short long season things are starting to shape up and we can see who's who and what's what.  There may still be some pretenders and some teams that aren't quite up to par, but there are also the squads who are who we think they are (seven teams didn't change spots from the preseason rankings).  Without further ado, here are the first Mandom Power Rankings of the 2011-2012 regular season.  The second edition will be available when we reach the halfway point of the season.

1.  Oklahoma City Thunder (12-2)
Preseason rank:  4th
They are off to a great start and appear to be head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in the Western Conference.  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are as formidable a one-two punch as you'll find in the Association.  They've had a nice mix of success at home and on the road thus far and have compiled a tidy 9-2 record within their conference.  James Harden is also the early front runner for Sixth Man of the Year.  So far, so good in OKC.

2.  Chicago Bulls (13-3)
Preseason rank:  3rd
In addition to their three losses compared to OKC's two losses, it's the way they lost those games that keeps Chicago out of the top spot.   When they win, they tend to win big and when they've lost they've gotten their heads beat in.  Teams that can pounce on Chicago early have a good shot against them as they tend to start out games half asleep.  However, their defense and Derrick Rose are the two reasons why this team is arguably the best in the NBA right now.  They have the best defense in the league allowing only 85.8 ppg and only allow a stingy 71.8 ppg at home.  Keep an eye on injuries though as Derrick Rose, Rip Hamilton, and CJ Watson have all missed significant time.

3.  Los Angeles Lakers (10-5)
Preseason rank:  8th
The panic button was being mashed early by the talking heads, but Kobe Bryant would have none of that.  The early leader for MVP #PutDaTeamOnHisBack and shook off injuries and a slow start to get his team on track.  There is still reason to be concerned since the offensive burden is overwhelmingly on the shoulders of Kobe Bean.  However, he's been phenomenal thus far.  Oh, and Andrew Bynum has been a #StatBeast, averaging 16.5 ppg, 13.9 rpg, and 1.9 bpg.  Comparable numbers to another center who's also #StatBeastin' down in Florida.  Just sayin'.

4.  Miami Heat (9-4)
Preseason rank:  2nd
The late game struggles haven't disappeared and depth still seems to be a issue, but don't be fooled.  This team still has a another gear in them that can absolutely blast teams off the court.  Case in point, last night's win over the Spurs where the Heat turned a 19 point deficit into a 22 point victory.  Don't get complacent for a second against this team or you'll end up with your feelings hurt at the end of the game.  Once again, injuries are an issue as Dwyane Wade battles a nagging foot injury.  Mike Miller came back from a hernia and looked sharp, staying active on the offensive glass and going 6/6 from beyond the arc.  Remember, the championship hopes for this team rest on the shoulders of LeBron James.  He's been playing out of his mind but has also played mindless at times.

5.  Orlando Magic (10-3)
Preseason rank:  11th
They're sitting in first place in their division and are just ahead of Miami in the standings, but their schedule has been softer.  Dwight Howard has been #StatBeastin despite having one foot out the door.  It would be interesting to see how he'd react if they went on a slump. Ryan Anderson has played well in his starting role and provides match-up problems as a stretch 4 who can also crash the glass.  I would imagine Otis Smith is going to get creative to bring in a dynamic player to pair with Dwight rather than ship him off in exchange for some other team's slop.

6.  Atlanta Hawks (10-4)
Preseason rank:  14th
They have played surprisingly well while simultaneously underachieving.  In wins over Chicago and Miami they looked great and in losses against those same teams they looked inept.  Especially the loss against Miami in which both LeBron and Dwyane were watching in street clothes.  Still, they've played well but were dealt a huge blow when they lost Al Horford to a season ending injury.  Perhaps Joe Johnson will live up to his contract in Horford's absence.

7.  San Antonio Spurs (9-5)
Preseason rank:  7th
I think the Spurs are going to file a petition with the league to play all of their games at home.  They are 9-0 at home and 0-5 on the road, including the previously mentioned shellacking at the hands of the Heat.  They're another playoff team that is playing without a major piece as Manu Ginobili is out for another month or so with a broken hand.  They'll only get better when he returns, so they've got to maintain in his absence.

8.  Utah Jazz (9-4)
Preseason rank:  21st
This team is a major surprise and are tied for second biggest change in ranking since the preseason.  Fortunately for them, it's in the positive direction.  They've had a relatively soft schedule, but they're doing what they need to do to win.  A 7-1 home record is a nice place o start.  They've been getting the job done with a strong team effort.  Props to Ty Corbin for the nice start thus far.

9.  Los Angeles Clippers (7-4)
Preseason rank:  10th
They're ranked lower in these rankings but so far they can claim to be the best Los Angeles team since they're 1-0 on the season against the Lakers.  Chris Paul is the straw that stirs this drink and has them playing like a legitimate playoff team.  Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are enjoying their stay in Lob City and the acquisitions of Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams and Caron Butler have all payed dividends.  Their preference for the highlight play versus the plain vanilla play might be their undoing.

10.  Portland Trailblazers (8-5)
Preseason rank:  12th
After a strong start, they've fizzled a bit.  I saw them play live against the Rockets and I'm not sold on them.  They're a playoff team, no doubt, but they're not a threat to win the West.  They're a good team and have some solid pieces in LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and Nicholas Batum but I'm not quite ready to put them in the upper echelon of the West.  The fact that the West is more open this year than in years past leans heavily in their favor.

11.  Denver Nuggets (9-5)
Preseason rank:  16th
George Karl has his team off to a good start.  They're second in the league in points scored at 104.1 ppg.  If Danilo Gallinari could make a layup they'd be 2-0 against the Lakers this year, but what's done is done.  Ty Lawson is leading this high octane offense and Andre Miller isn't a bad second option at the point guard position, even if he is already disgruntled with his backup role.  And remember, they've got potential upgrades to their teams stashed in China so they could eventually get even better.

12.  Philadelphia 76ers (10-3)
Preseason rank:  15th
Clap for Doug Collins.  He's got the Sixers playing excellent basketball and they're currently sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division.  They are tied with Chicago holding teams to 85.8 ppg and they lead the league in point differential, blasting teams off the court by an average of 14.9 ppg.  So why are they so low?  Simple...they've played the weakest schedule in the league.  They only have one win against a playoff caliber opponent.  As of now, the numbers are telling fibs.  I need to see them perform well against a good team to consider them legit.   Good start, though.

13.  Indiana Pacers (9-3)
Preseason rank:  13th
Frank Vogel is right behind Doug Collins for Coach of the Year thus far.  The Pacers are off to a great start.  They added key pieces in David West and George Hill and have seen continued improvement in Paul George and Tyler Hansbrough.  They get dinged though due to also having a weak schedule thus far and getting beat by playoff quality teams.  Danny Granger would disagree, but the Pacers haven't arrived to contender status.

14.  Dallas Mavericks (8-6)
Preseason rank:  1st
Tied with Utah for second biggest rankings swing, but in the wrong direction.  They started out the season looking old and slow.  They were getting hammered.  They shook off the slow start to rack up some wins and show that there is life in their old bones.  I still don't expect much out of them, but in a wide open conference anything can happen.

15.  Memphis Grizzlies (6-6)
Preseason rank:  5th
The loss of Z-Bo is terrible, but the addition of Mareese Speights may help ease the pain in the interim.  They haven't looked great, but all is not lost yet.  Their best win so far came against a Bulls team that humiliated them on New Year's Day, so perhaps they'll use the revenge victory as a spring board to better things.  Don't count them out just yet.

16.  Houston Rockets (7-7)
Preseason rank:  19th
In spite of their fans pleas to tank the season, the Rockets refuse to lay down and die.  Kyle Lowry has been excellent for them and is my early pick for Most Improved Player thus far.  If they can move up in the standings, he should be an All-Star.  Credit this team for playing well despite the turmoil David Stern inflicted on them after dashing their hopes for roster upgrades.

The Best of the Rest:

17.  Golden State Warriors (5-8)
Preseason rank:  17th
Warriors fans have to wonder how much better they'd be if Steph Curry's ankles weren't made of paper.  They know that if they made it to the Finals they can compete with the East's best teams with wins over both Chicago and Miami.  Their ownership is going to be aggressive in their attempts to upgrade the tale ton this roster.

18.  New York Knicks (6-7)
Preseason rank:  9th
Some would call them a disappointment, I just call them the Knicks.  Their subpar guard play is their Achilles heel.  Stoudamire's numbers are a far cry from his early season dominance of last year.  Could it be that the superteam model is better in theory than in practice?  We'll get a better read on this squad once Baron Davis takes the court.  In their defense, they still have a shot at winning their division.

19.  Cleveland Cavaliers (6-7)
Preseason rank:  30th
This team has been a big surprise in my opinion as I figured they'd be at the bottom of this list.  Kyrie Irving is the early front runner for Rookie of the Year and has led them to a better than expected record thus far.  It's early, but the Cavs have to be pleased with where they are thus far.

20.  Minnesota Timberwolves (5-8)
Preseason rank:  24th
The losses have piled up, but they've been in most of the games they've played.  Ricky Rubio is neck and neck with Kyrie Irving for Rookie of the Year and Kevin Love continues to #StatBeast.  Props to Rick Adelman for getting this young team to play hard night in and night out.

21.  Boston Celtics (4-8)
Preseason rank:  6th
This season has been a complete disaster for Celtics fans every where and it started the moment they traded Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder.  As presently constituted, this team may never recover from that decision.  There are no signs that things will get better and there isn't much on their roster that they can use to improve the situation.  You know things are bad when there's talk of moving Paul Pierce in hopes of making things better.  Yikes.

22.  Phoenix Suns (4-9)
Preseason rank:  18th
Steve Nash is old school.  So old school to the point that he has the audacity to play out his contract despite being on a team that will never compete for a championship.  He's not even trying to play GM to try to form a superteam.  The dude is a relic from the past for real.

23.  Milwaukee Bucks (4-9)
Preseason rank:  23rd
At some point this team will get tired of being sub par.  I don't know when they'll reach that point though.  Scott Skiles probably has his resume on Monster and Career Builder right now.

24.  Sacramento Kings (4-10)
Preseason rank:  25th
Congratulations on being the first team to fire it's coach.  No truth to the rumor that Jimmer reapplied for another season of NCAA eligibility.  The good news is that one day this team will be in Anaheim.  The bad news is that the roster won't change much.

25.  Toronto Raptors (4-10)
Preseason rank:  28th
I really want to rank them lower for being the only team to lose to the Wizards, but the teams below them are just that much more terrible.

26.  Detroit Pistons (3-11)
Preseason rank:  26th
At least Greg Monroe has been playing well. And they beat Orlando. Other than that, I got nothin' about these guys and they've got nothin' about themselves. This once proud franchise is in the dumpster and there's no hope on the horizon of climbing out.

27.  New Orleans Hornets (3-10)
Preseason rank:  27th
Eric Gordon has missed time but I'm not sure how much better things could get for the Hornets.  This far they're right where I thought they would be.  At least Gordon is a finalist for Team USA.

28.  New Jersey Nets (3-11)
Preseason rank:  22nd
Deron Williams misses Turkey.  By summertime, his misery will conclude and he won't call New Jersey home.  Brooklyn will not enjoy their new team.

29.  Charlotte Bobcats (3-12)
Preseason rank:  29th
Congratulations are in order for Michael Jordan on his engagement.  Sadly, that's the only way he'll get another ring.  Boris Diaw already ate the wedding cake and the groom's cake.

30.  Washington Wizards (1-12)
Preseason rank:  20th
Fear not, Flip Saunders.  You will be fired soon and this mess will be left for some one else to clean up.  Excluding his 38 point outburst, John Wall might be the most disappointing player so far this season.  There is no leadership in this organization so I'm not too surprised.  Oh, and JaVale  McGee said he won't cut his hair until they win another game so expect him to have a huge Afro by the time the next Power Rankings come out at the halfway mark.