Once upon a time, the top half of the power rankings was dominated by the West. But this week, after second-place Phoenix and No. 3 Seattle, Eastern Conference teams -- which are in a tight race in the division as just a half-game separates the second- through fifth-place spots -- are tying up the rankings. Four-spot jumps from Atlanta and Chicago highlight this week's power rankings, as compiled by ESPN.com women's basketball editor Melanie Jackson (through Tuesday's games):

2009 Power Rankings: Week 9
	RANK(LW)	TEAM	RECORD	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Fever	15-4	The Fever have won three straight, including an overtime victory over the Sun last Thursday that ran their franchise-record, single-season home winning streak to 10 games. With a five-game lead over the rest of the East, the Fever seem safe atop the division. But after hosting Chicago on Wednesday, Indiana embarks on a three-game road swing against West opponents. The Fever are 13-2 against East teams, but 2-2 versus the West.
	2 (2)	Mercury	16-6	Just the third team to win in Seattle this season (and just one of three teams in the league with a winning road record), the Mercury beat the Storm on Tuesday for their league-leading 16th victory. As if the offense wasn't potent enough, Penny Taylor came up clutch in her second game back, scoring seven of her 18 points in overtime to spearhead Tuesday's win.
	3 (4)	Storm	12-8	Seattle seems firmly planted as the West's second-best team but fell three games behind Phoenix on Tuesday after losing to the Mercury in overtime, the Storm's first home defeat in three weeks. Despite shooting just 33 percent from the field in her past two games, Lauren Jackson notched her first 20-point outing in more than a month and is getting her points at the foul line, where she has been nearly flawless (21-of-24). Four of the next five games are on the road.
	4 (8)	Dream	10-10	Are the Dream better than Connecticut or Washington? Is Atlanta ahead of either in the East standings? No and no. But the Dream are hotter than nearly every team in the league right now. Atlanta is .500 for the first time since late June and won three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. After Thursday's date at San Antonio, the Dream get six straight at home, where they are 7-3.
	5 (9)	Sky	10-10	Like Atlanta's, the Sky's vault in the rankings could be extremely short-lived. But the Sky are riding a two-game winning streak, including an impressive 84-72 victory over Connecticut on Saturday. Chicago rattled off a 26-0 run in that win, which ensured the Sky the season series against the Sun for the first time in franchise history.
	6 (3)	Sun	10-9	What a way to snap a three-game skid. After losing the previous night, the Sun pulled off the rare win on the back-to-back with a victory over Detroit on Sunday for their first win since the All-Star break. After shooting 6-for-23 from the field during the losing streak, Lindsay Whalen hit 9 of 16 attempts Sunday. Her improved play, plus Mike Thibault adding Tan White and Anete Jekabsone-Zogota into the starting five, could kick-start a Sun run.
	7 (6)	Mystics	10-9	Don't be fooled by the Mystics' 1-2 mark in their last three games -- both losses came against Indiana. The upcoming five-game stretch -- two games apiece against Detroit and Connecticut, as well as a date with New York -- will have a bigger impact, especially with just a half-game separating the four teams behind Indiana in the East standings.
	8 (7)	Silver Stars	9-10	Los Angeles trails San Antonio by just two games in the West and is nipping at the Silver Stars' heels for the division's final playoff spot. They can't afford another stumble against the likes of Sacramento, which beat San Antonio in overtime last week. The ball is in the Silver Stars' hands: Seven of their final 15 games are against Minnesota, Los Angeles or Sacramento. Keep an eye on Ann Wauters' impact.
	9 (5)	Lynx	10-10	The last three weeks are reminiscent of last season, when the Lynx's playoff hopes looked promising before a late-season collapse. Minnesota has lost three straight and five of its last six games. A three-game homestand awaits. But beware: The Lynx are the only team .500 or better with a losing home record.
	10 (11)	Sparks	6-11	On Thursday, Candace Parker was given a key to her hometown, where they also named a basketball court after her. But isn't it time the best things start happening on the court? If the Sparks are going to make something out of this season, the time is now. Lisa Leslie is back after an 11-game absence and 12 of the Sparks' final 17 games are at the Staples Center.
	11 (12)	Shock	7-10	Deanna Nolan is finally healthy -- and it's showing in the box score. Nolan has scored a combined 68 points in the Shock's three games since the All-Star break. Now it's time for Detroit to put together a winning streak to keep any postseason hopes alive. The Shock have won consecutive games on only one occasion this season.
	12 (10)	Liberty	6-13	The Liberty haven't won since before the All-Star break and have dropped five consecutive games. Interim head coach Anne Donovan, who took over when Pat Coyle was fired Friday, says inconsistent play has doomed New York: "We've been a very up-and-down team. Not just from game to game, but from quarter to quarter, minute to minute." The Liberty will have to step it up on the road, where they play their next three games.
	13 (13)	Monarchs	5-16	If the Monarchs have even the slightest shot of reaching the playoffs, the first half of August is crucial. Thursday's overtime win against San Antonio would have meant even more had Sacramento been able to beat Los Angeles two days later. Still, the Monarchs are five games behind San Antonio and the West's fnal playoff spot. Victories at San Antonio on Aug. 11 and then in a back-to-back, home-and-away series with Los Angeles on Aug. 14-15 are vital.