Break up the Blazers! After dropping nine of 10 to fall to 5–12 on the season, the Blazers have responded with an improbable 10-game winning streak that has vaulted them to the no. 7 spot in the hypercompetitive Western Conference.

Second-year guard Brandon Roy has led the way, averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 assists during the streak, but contributions have come from everywhere. Center Joel Przybilla has solidified the defense, reserve Travis Outlaw has become one of the league’s top bench scorers, and forward James Jones has buried nearly every 3-point chance he’s been given.

Sum it all up, and the Blazers are surprisingly in the hunt, when most had expected that Greg Oden’s season-ending knee surgery had killed any hope of a playoff run. Their big move up to no. 10 this week in my rankings reflects that.

1 BOSTON CELTICS (22–3) (LW: 1) I’m not going to ignore the other 25 games just because Tony Allen bit on a pump fake. Despite the loss to Detroit, the Celtics remain the class of the league.

2 DETROIT PISTONS (20–7) (3): However, the big win in Boston did cement Detroit’s status as the NBA’s second-best team in the first third of the season. Who thought we’d be saying this about two teams in the East?

3 SAN ANTONIO SPURS (19–7) (2): They lost four of five without Tony Parker; now they may be without Manu Ginobili for a while after he hurt his finger.

4 PHOENIX SUNS (19–8) (5): The early worries about inconsistency may have been overdone, but somebody needs to wake up Boris Diaw (7.0 ppg, 43.6% shooting).

5 LOS ANGELES LAKERS (17–10) (4): The Knicks did nothing to commemorate Kobe Bryant’s 20,000th career point on Sunday. You stay classy, MSG.

6 DALLAS MAVERICKS (19–9) (5): As with the Suns, the early worries are fading. Five-game win streaks will do that, especially with Dirk Nowitzki looking more like his old self.

7 DENVER NUGGETS (16–11) (9): They had two last-second game-winning shots this week, and you’ll never guess from who. A.I. and Melo? Nope — try Anthony Carter and Linas Kleiza.

8 UTAH JAZZ (15–14) (8): Yes, no. 8. Despite the recent slump, they’re a far better team than their record shows. But a trade looms, as coach Jerry Sloan essentially kicked Gordan Giricek off the team this week.

9 ORLANDO MAGIC (18–11) (7): Orlando’s defensive tailspin has coach Stan Van Gundy seething about his team’s softness. That’s what happens when Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are your starting forwards.

10 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (15-12) (15): More good news for Portland: Stud forward LaMarcus Aldridge has returned to the lineup and long-forgotten swingman Darius Miles is now back practicing with the team.

11 NEW ORLEANS HORNETS . (17–10) (12): Shhhhh — the Hornets are rolling up wins in the Big Easy, and only three Western teams have better records. Keeping starters healthy will be important, as the bench isn’t ready for prime time.

12 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (16–12) (10): Andris Biedrins (10.9 points, 9.7 boards, 62.7% shooting) has been so good that it’s made coach Nellie overcome his distrust of centers to give him regular minutes as a starter.

13 TORONTO RAPTORS (15–14) (11): Point guard T.J. Ford is still pondering options after a scary injury in Atlanta two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Raps’ D was AWOL out West, giving up 245 points in losses to the Suns and Sonics.

14 ATLANTA HAWKS (14–12) (19): If the season ended today, Atlanta would be the no. 4 seed in the East. Forward Marvin Williams has been one of league’s most improved players.

15 HOUSTON ROCKETS (13–15) (14): The struggling Rockets got an encouraging sign while winning at Chicago, as secondary players finally provided some offense (78 points, to be exact) to keep the pressure off Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.

16 WASHINGTON WIZARDS (13–13) (13): They’ve had a nice run with Gilbert Arenas out, but the bottom could fall out with Antonio Daniels and Caron Butler hurting and the schedule turning nasty.

17 INDIANA PACERS (15–13) (17): Even overachievers have their off-nights. Indiana gave up 111 points to the T’wolves — in three quarters!

18 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (12–16) (16): After a home loss to the Warriors, they’re now officially struggling. They’re also looking to move Larry Hughes — perhaps back to Washington.

19 S ACRAMENTO KINGS (11–15) (22): Most-Improved candidate John Salmons torched the Nets (31 points), helping to keep this spunky club on the fringes of the playoff race.

20 CHICAGO BULLS (9–16) (18): Merry Christmas, coach — and, oh, you’re fired. But Scott Skiles’s dismissal won’t have much impact unless Chicago can figure out how to get Kirk Hinrich (38.5%) and Ben Gordon (38%) out of their horrific early-season slumps.

21 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (11–6) (20): Andre Miller trade rumors won’t stop, although he’s playing well and helping to keep Philly in the playoff hunt.

22 NETS (12–15) (25): 19 points and 13 boards for new starting center Josh Boone in a win over Golden State: That’s a month’s worth for Jason Collins.

23 MILWAUKEE BUCKS (11–15) (24): A monstrous game from Yi Jianlian (14-of-17, 29 points, 10 boards) in a win over the Bobcats puts him back into the Rookie of the Year discussion.

24 MIAMI HEAT (8–19) (21): Yes, they’ve lost a ton of close games. But with Alonzo Mourning out for the season and Dwyane Wade’s other shoulder now hurting, the Heat are teetering on the verge of irrelevance.

25 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (8–19) (23): Another team that can’t seem to catch a break in the close ones, the Griz have a budding star in forward Rudy Gay and could be big trouble in another year or two.

26 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (9–17) (26): Al Thornton has had a rough rookie year overall, but raised eyebrows when he blew up for 25 points against the Spurs this week.

27 CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (10–15) (28): A trade for Nazr Mohammed has paid immediate dividends for the frontcourt-challenged ‘Cats, as they showed during a rout of the Knicks.

28 SEATTLE SUPERSONICS (8–19) (27): Kevin Durant gets all the ink, but high-flying forward Chris Wilcox has been Seattle’s best player so far. He’s averaging a career-high 14.0 per game on 51.6% shooting.

29 MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (4–22) (29): Optimists will point out that the young frontcourt of Al Jefferson and Craig Smith has been overpowering at times. Darn shame about the other three positions.

30 KNICKS (8–19) (30): From the Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic department, Isiah says he’ll shake up the lineup after the Knicks’ latest embarrassment.

jhollinger@nysun.com