With the All-Star break coming up this weekend, we thought we'd take a look at all the teams in the NBA in some sort of season-so-far column or maybe a look ahead. After some thinking, I decided to go with a power rankings, but with a twist. These aren't just ranking the 32 teams, but ranking them in the order of who has the best chance of holding up the trophy come the end of the season.
1. San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs gaudy 45-9 record is the complete opposite of their "boring" play. Come playoff time the experience this team has is going to best friend. They just hope the age of their stars doesn't start to become a problem when game 100 rolls around.
2. Boston Celtics- The Celts are in the same boat as the Spurs. They have lots of experience, but their stars are getting up there in age as well. Their bench is pretty deep but they are also being hit by the injury bug, which could turn out to be a big problem.
3. Los Angeles Lakers- Things are somewhat ugly in LA right now, but I don't think anyone is worried about the two-time defending champs. There's definitely still a strong possibility of a three-peat.
4. Chicago Bulls- The Bulls have arguably the NBA MVP right now in Derrick Rose and lead the league in team defense. Also, they're 36-16 without Boozer and Noah being on the court at the same time. Throw in a nice bench, and this could be a sleeper pick to make the finals.
5. Miami Heat- They definitely have the star power to make the finals, but what worries me is their 0-5 record this season to the teams listed above. Though I still have them ranked high because you can't ever count out a team that has Wade and LeBron
6. Dallas Mavericks- This team is actually pretty deep as well. I think they live and die by Dirk a little bit to much, but if players like Butler can step up, and they can keep getting excellent play from Barea and Chandler, then they definitely have a good shot at making a run.
7. Orlando Magic- The 8 game losing streak to teams with a winning record was ugly, but the stomping of the Lakers Sunday was impressive. Inconsistency is their downfall, but this team does have the talent to take them there.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder- They're an extremely young team which is great for the future, but could be their downfall in this year's playoffs. Durant and Westbrook are gonna be stars in this league for years, but I don't know how far they can carry the rest of the team this year. Especially without a legitimate big man.
9. Atlanta Hawks- I'm not sure if Atlanta is ever gonna make the jump from 4-5 seed to legitimate Finals contender. Joe Johnson is playing outstanding this year though, as well as Al Horford. If they can consistently get big games out of Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith, then this might be the year that they start scaring people.
10. New Orleans Hornets- Okafor has been a nice addition for the Hornets this year, and could help take some of the pressure off of Chris Paul in the playoffs.
11. Memphis Grizzlies- This team reminds me a lot of the Thunder with all the young talent that they have. Rudy Gay is a stud, and Zach Randolph is playing like a man possessed. I just wonder if they're going to get absolutely anything positive out of OJ Mayo this year.
12. Portland Traiblazers- LaMarcus Aldridge is tearing it up this season. His numbers are ridiculous. I'd have this team a little higher, but Brandon Roy scares me if he's not completely heathly. They need him to come back strong.
13. Denver Nuggets- This ranking is only this high if they keep Carmelo. I like the rest of the Nuggets alright, but they will need 'Melo if they want to make a push for the finals.
14. Philadelphia 76ers- It's definitely not been pretty all season, but the 76ers have seemed to fare pretty well against the better teams in the league. They could put together a little run come playoff time.
15. New York Knicks- If they pull off the Carmelo deal then I'd rank them a few spots higher, but until then they stay here in the middle of the pack. Felton and Landry Fields have been playing well, and Amare has been quite the addition but without 'Melo they don't have much of a chance.
16. Indiana Pacers- The Pacers aren't very good, but the Eastern Conference is weak and so the Pacers would make the playoffs as it stands now. I give them slim to no chance on winning the finals.
17-21. Still a shot at the playoffs, but at this point wouldn't make it: Charlotte, Milwaukee, Utah, Phoenix, Houston.
22-25. Barely alive: Detroit, New Jersey, Golden State, LA Clippers.
26-31. No chance: Washington, Toronto, Sacramento, Minnesota
32. Cleveland Cavaliers- They had to be grouped by themselves considering how awful they are.
ok I agree with most of the rankings, but the team with the best record shouldn't be the favorites to win the finals aka the spurs. I would of ranked my top five like this.
ReplyDelete1. Celtics- They still have the big 3, rondo, perkins, Shaq and have a decent deep bench.
2. Lakers- they are the champs and yes things don't look good right now but, they are notorious for late season push and play lights out in the playoffs.
3. Chicago- Great team all around, i love rose and they have a good low post. They play unselfish basketball and i agree with you about them being a sleeper
4. Spurs- Now i Put them here. Yes experience helps but in the same regard they seem to fade away in the playoffs, because of the age.
5. Orlando- Surprise right? yeah i put them here because the have the only true shut down center great rotation and a deep bench. I would of rated them higher but since the trade there hasn't been the best chemistry but when they start clicking...Watch Out!
tell me what you think
A week or two ago I would've definitely put Celtics number one, but the Spurs are just too good right now to not have at number one. This is either the fourth or fifth best start in league history. I also agree that Chicago could be three. They're scarier than most people think. I'd still keep the Heat in the top 5, though I did contemplate the Magic. I think there is an argument that could be made for all 6 teams in any position.
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