NBA Power Rankings: Week 21

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We are all currently witnessing NBA history as the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are both sporting winning streak of at least 15 games.  That will be something to keep an eye on as the Heat look to take over the longest winning streak in NBA history and the Nuggets try and move up the Western Conference and get home court in the playoffs.  The New York basketball scene is starting to heat up as well as the Knicks and Nets are playing for the Atlantic Division title. 

1.) Miami Heat (55-14) – 26 wins in a row. That is all you need to know.  Sure a large amount of them are against lottery teams but the Heat doesn’t make the schedule.  They are handling business and if they beat the Magic, Bulls and Hornets they will have a matchup with the Spurs for win number 30 on Easter Sunday.

2.) San Antonio Spurs (53-17) – The Spurs continue to roll along and will be getting a boost with the return of Tony Parker; not that they missed him too much as they went 6-2 without their leading scorer and assist man. 

3.) Denver Nuggets (49-22) – The Nuggets are on an impressive winning streak of their own, winning their last 15 games in a row and six in a row on the road.  Their winning streak is not getting as much attention as the Heat but is something worth keeping an eye on.

4.) Oklahoma City Thunder (52-19) – A soft spot in the schedule could not have come at a better time for the Thunder who lost to the Nuggets and Grizzlies before bouncing back against the Magic and Blazers.  A couple easier games against the Wizards, Timberwolves and Bucks will lead into a game against the Spurs.  That game against the Spurs very easily could be for the Western Conference title.

5.) Memphis Grizzlies (47-22) – Losing Marc Gasol to an abdominal injury could not have happened at a worse time.  They should let him rest for the regular season so that he is healthy come playoff time.  The Grizzlies will also need a little help to avoid going to Denver in the first round of the playoffs.

6.) Los Angeles Clippers (48-22) – The Clippers are in danger of falling down to fourth in the standing with how hot the Nuggets are currently.  The Clippers will have home court in the first round because they will win their division but will have a tough matchup if they go up against the Grizzlies instead of the Warriors.

7.) Indiana Pacers (43-27) – The Pacers do not have a strangle hold on the two seed in the Eastern Conference as the Knicks are starting to turn things around.  Since the beat down in Miami, the Pacers are only 4-3 but are still playing great defense.  The Bucks recently became the Pacers 27^th victim this season to shoot lower than 40 percent from the field, a single-season team record.

8.) New York Knicks (42-26) – The Knicks lucked out during that rough West Coast trip that no one in the East outside of the Heat really played too much.  The Knicks have bounced back and are currently riding a four game win streak heading into a back-to-back against the Celtics and Grizzlies. The Celtics game is huge for the Knicks as they need to win some games in division so they do not lose the tiebreakers.

9.) Houston Rockets (39-31) – The Rockets look like they will hold onto a playoff spot and are currently sitting in the standings matched up against the Thunder.  What a first round series it would be to see James Harden go up against his old team.

10.) Brooklyn Nets (41-29) – The Nets are off to a great start on their own circus trip, going 3-1 thus far.  They blew a golden chance to take control of the Atlantic when the Knicks were struggling though and are now two games behind for the Atlantic lead as the Knicks have straightened the ship a little with Carmelo Anthony back in the lineup.

11.) Golden State Warriors (40-31) – Stephen Curry is facing yet another ankle problem which is nothing any Dubs fan wants to hear.  They have come a long way though since last season when the fans were booing new owner Joe Lacob to cheering him now for the team that he has put together.

12.) Atlanta Hawks (39-31) – The Hawks have struggled big time in March, going 1-7 thus far but like the Knicks have benefited from no team in the East playing well.  The Hawks are still in the hunt for home court in the playoffs but will have to turn things around eventually if they are to get home court.

13.) Chicago Bulls (38-31) -  The Bulls would like for nothing more than Derrick Rose returning to the lineup but that seems unlikely with how cautious Rose seems to be.  How great would it be to see Rose return when the Heat visit this week with their massive winning streak?  Unlikely but a fan can dream.

14.) Los Angeles Lakers (36-34) – How bad the Lakers are with Kobe, Nash, Howard and Gasol is honestly amazing, as they are 6-12 with losses to the lowly Suns and Wizards coming this past week.  The Lakers are holding onto the eighth spot in the West currently but who knows how long that will hold as the Mavericks are coming on strong.

15.) Boston Celtics (36-33) – The Celtics biggest problem without Rajon Rondo has been on the road, where they are 6-12 with a -3.4 point differential.  At home everything is still fine, as they are 12-1 with a +10.2 margin.  They have a big game against the Knicks this week that they have to win if they want any chance of winning the Atlantic this season.

16.) Milwaukee Bucks (34-35) – It would look as if the Bucks are trying to get the Heat in the first round of the playoffs.  They got hot after the trade deadline yet have dropped six of their last eight, three of which saw Larry Sanders get tossed from the game.  The Bucks are as up and down as a team can get but still present some problems with the dynamic backcourt trio of Jennings, Ellis and Redick.

17.) Dallas Mavericks (34-36) – The Mavericks have played well since Mike James became their starting point guard, going 9-3.  They should finish no worse than ninth with how poorly the Jazz have been playing recently but will have no easy games to finish out their home stand as the Clippers, Pacers and Bulls are all coming to town.

18.) Utah Jazz (34-36) – The fact that the Jazz have eight of their next 10 games at home does not sound as promising after they lost to the Knicks at home, who were without Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler.  Al Jefferson has not been producing well recently either, failing to reach the 20 point park in eight straight games.

19.) Portland Trail Blazers (33-37) – The Blazers are still one of six teams vying for the last three places in the Western Conference but their chances are fading fast.  This is a big week for the Blazers if they want to reach the playoffs, as games against the Jazz and Warriors are on deck, two of the other teams vying for a playoff spot.

20.) Washington Wizards (25-44) – The Wizards would be a lock for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference if John Wall hadn’t gotten hurt before the season started, going 20-15 with him on the court.  They have some really impressive wins over the Thunder, Clippers, Nuggets and Lakers.  With another lottery pick this summer, the Wizards can add another talented player and will be a team to watch for next season.

21.) Philadelphia 76ers (27-42) – The 76ers were able to end their 15-game road losing streak with a win in Sacramento but otherwise nothing has really gone well with the 76ers.  Andrew Bynum finally was shut down for the season and will be interesting to see how the 76ers handle him in free agency.

22.) Cleveland Cavaliers (22-47) – Will we see Kyrie Irving back on the court this season?  With Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao already being out for the season it might make sense for the Cavaliers to shut down Irving and try again next season.  No reason to risk further injuring their star player.

23.) Minnesota Timberwolves (24-44) – Just how important is Kevin Love to the Timberwolves?  With him they were 9-9 this season, without him they managed only 13 wins and lost 35.  Which means the Timberwolves clinched their eighth consecutive losing season and Rick Adelman potentially stepping down as head coach.

24.) New Orleans Hornets (24-46) – The Hornets are finally out of the Western Conference cellar with wins in five of their last six games. Anthony Davis has also come alive since the All-Star break averaging 15.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.  They are the Western Conference Wizards and will be a team to watch next season after adding another lottery pick to the roster with the draft this season.

25.) Sacramento Kings (25-46) – The Kings run in Sacramento could be coming down the stretch with only six games remaining at home this season.  The fans will miss not having a team in their city anymore but it has been rough once again this season for Kings fans.

26.) Phoenix Suns (23-48) – The Suns are on pace to set the record for lowest win percentage in franchise history but everything may not be bad in Phoenix.  After thumping the Lakers this past week, the Lakers fall closer to dropping out of the playoffs.  If the Lakers do not make the playoffs the Suns will receive their lottery pick.

27.) Toronto Raptors (26-44) – Amir Johnson has begun to progress and break out for the Raptors but there is not much more going on in Toronto.  Rudy Gay’s back injury has put a damper on the second half as the Raptors were looking at potentially sneaking into the playoffs after acquiring Gay but that no longer looks like it will happen.

28.) Detroit Pistons (23-48) – The Pistons have been terrible since the All-Star break, winning only two games and have really missed Andre Drummond.  The Pistons are also in the middle of their third double-digit losing streak in the past four seasons; something witnessed by this franchise only four times in its last 61 seasons and not since 1993-1994.

29.) Orlando Magic (18-52) – The Magic have another shot at taking down the Heat this week but putting on a performance like they did last time seems very unlikely.  Without the help of Arron Afflalo and Nikola Vucevic the Magic will have a tough time keeping up with the Heat from the start.

30.) Charlotte Bobcats (16-54) – The Bobcats actually won two games this past week but that was not enough to keep them out of the cellar.  It is fair to ask if this franchise will ever turn it around as all the top lottery picks just do not seem to pan out and help this franchise.  It will be another top 4 pick heading to Charlotte this offseason.