NBA Power Rankings: Week 22

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The Heat and Nuggets both had their long win streaks snapped last week, opening up the door for another team to take over the NBA lead for wins in a row.  That team is also making their reappearance in the top five this week for the first time in a while.  Things are starting to shape up in the rankings and playoff picture as there is really only one spot still up for grabs; eighth place in the Western Conference.

1.) Miami Heat (58-15) – Chicago ended their 27-game winning streak last week, but the Heat were not down long as they destroyed the Hornets and then beat the Spurs without Lebron James and Dwayne Wade thanks to a Chris Bosh game winning three-pointer.  Erik Spoelstra is sitting pretty right now knowing he can pick and choose some places to rest his players if they have enough sans-James and Wade to still beat the Spurs.

2.) San Antonio Spurs (55-18) – After being relatively scathe free of injury prior to Tony Parker going down, the injury bug has come back to the Spurs, this time on Manu Ginobili.  Gregg Popovich thinks Ginobili could be out for weeks, which would be a real damper on the Spurs playoff hopes.

3.) Oklahoma City Thunder (54-20) – The Thunder have a golden opportunity to steal the top seed and home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs from the Spurs with the Ginobili news.  It will be another thing to get them up after a loss to the Timberwolves this past week.

4.) Denver Nuggets (50-24) – The Ty Lawson injury is a big blow to the Nuggets, as like any team without their starting point guard just isn’t the same.  Denver will be dangerous in the playoffs if they are able to hold onto home court advantage and will be heavy favorites to move on as long as they do.

5.) New York Knicks (46-26) – Currently riding the longest win streak in the NBA at eight games, the Knicks are rolling again, looking like they did earlier in the season when they started 18-5.  Pablo Prigioni and J.R. Smith have been the catalysts in the Knicks resurgence, as the 35-year old rookie is combining to help Smith play the best basketball of his career.

6.) Indiana Pacers (47-27) – Paul George has been great this season and it is reflected in the Pacers stats when he scores 25 points or more, leading to an 11-1 record for the Pacers in those games. Even with his emergence the Pacers will miss Danny Granger’s scoring as their bench is sorely lacking a scoring punch right now.

7.) Memphis Grizzlies (49-24) – The Grizzlies look like they are back on track after a hiccup where they lost three of four games to the Hornets, Wizards and Knicks.  Getting Marc Gasol back from his ripped abdominal muscle is also a big help for the Grizzlies as Gasol is a big part of what they do on both ends of the court.

8.) Los Angeles Clippers (49-25) – The Clippers would really do themselves a big favor if they can get back into the three seed and take their chances against the Warriors or Rockets in the first round instead of the Grizzlies or Nuggets.  A healthy Chauncey Billups would also go a long way in the Clippers having sustained success.

9.) Houston Rockets (40-33) – Houston seems locked into a playoff spot but it could get ugly fast for them, as they have a losing record against the Western Conference this year at 20-24 and that is after beating both the Spurs and Clippers in a week’s span.

10.) Golden State Warriors (42-32) – Golden State has locked up at worst a .500 record for the first time since the 2007-2008 season.  Nothing is set in stone yet as to whom they will face off against in the playoffs, but the Warriors will not be an easy exit as they are stepping up their efforts on the defensive end and will always be a dangerous team with Stephen Curry and David Lee leading the way.

11.) Brooklyn Nets (42-31) – The Nets are playing about as well as a team could in the middle of a 17-day, eight game road trip, guaranteeing themselves at least a .500 road trip going 4-3 thus far with a game in Cleveland to round it out this week.  The only negative is that the team they are chasing for the Atlantic Division in the Knicks are rolling and look to have a stranglehold on the division title.

12.) Chicago Bulls (40-32) – Could ending the Heat’s 27-game winning streak be enough to convince Derrick Rose this team has enough to compete for a title if he returned?  They looked good in beating the Heat in a very physical game without key players Joakim Noah and Marco Bellineli.  Could they do it again without Rose in a playoff series?

13.) Atlanta Hawks (41-33) – There are not many people that predicted the Hawks to be where they are currently, especially with their plans starting this offseason when they will have loads of cap space to throw at the likes of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.  If they matchup with the Nets in the first round they have a chance to move on but the other top three teams in the East should have their way with the Hawks.

14.) Utah Jazz (38-36) – The Jazz are right back in the playoff picture and sitting pretty.  As long as they keep doing their thing and winning games they will take the eighth seed in the Western Conference.  They hold almost every tiebreaker over the Mavericks and Lakers so they just need to play even with those two teams and a playoff berth should be within reach.

15.) Los Angeles Lakers (38-36) – The Lakers are once again in serious trouble with health problems riddling the roster.  Metta World Peace was lost for the season after injuring his knee; combined with the declining health of Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash not making the playoffs is a real possibility again.  One positive is that they play only one of their last eight games away from Staples Center to finish the season.

16.) Boston Celtics (38-35) – This Kevin Garnett injury has been crippling for the Celtics as they are struggling without their starting big man.  If these were playoff games Garnett would most likely be suiting up but how much would he really help out? The Celtics look like a team that will go out quietly in the playoffs, especially with a potential matchup with the Heat looming if they do not pick their play up and the Bucks rattle off a couple of wins.

17.) Dallas Mavericks (36-37) – Dallas kept their playoff hopes alive with huge wins against the Clippers and Bulls at home last week.  A slipup against the Pacers denied them reaching the .500 mark and the beards to be shaved but they are still alive thanks to the Lakers slipping and Jazz inconsistencies.  The Mavericks will embark on a four game road trip for this week that will make or break their season.

18.) Milwaukee Bucks (35-37) – Brandon Jennings has been in a funk lately, evident by his first scoreless game of his career last week.  The Bucks are missing out on a golden opportunity to leapfrog the Celtics in the standings as they have gone 3-8 since the Celtics lost Garnett. They look destined to be the Heat’s first sacrificial lamb in the playoffs.   

19.) Washington Wizards (27-46) – John Wall exploded last week against the Grizzlies, putting up video game like stats of 47 points, seven assists and eight rebounds in a Wizards win.  The Wizards have been better with Wall in the lineup but that will not keep them from inheriting a record no one wants in most consecutive seasons without winning 50 games; the Wizards will have it at 34 years once the Clippers win one more game this season.

20.) Philadelphia 76ers (30-43) – It may be too little too late for the 76ers, who still somehow have a chance to make the playoffs but it would be hard to fathom the Bucks playing poor enough to finish out the season and have the 76ers sneak in.  Three consecutive wins and Allen Iverson returning to town for his bobble head night brought some happiness to Philadelphia, but this will be considered a lost season after the big offseason move did not pay off.

21.) Portland Trail Blazers (33-40) – The Blazers may be better off tanking a few games at the end of the season.  Their playoff hopes seem to finally be extinguished and have more to gain from falling in the standings as their first round pick will remain in Portland if they find their way into the top 12.  If they fall outside the top 12, the pick will head to Charlotte.

22.) Minnesota Timberwolves (26-46) – As if this season wasn’t looked at as poor enough, this is actually the most wins the Timberwolves have had at home since Garnett left in a trade to the Celtics before the 2007-2008 season. One positive though is that one of those home wins came this past week against the Thunder, a win any team would be happy to have throughout the season.

23.) New Orleans Hornets (26-48) – The Hornets were playing the role of spoiler well, pulling off wins against the Celtics, Grizzlies and Nuggets before getting trounced by the Heat and Clippers.  The Hornets are in the same boat as the Wizards as they played a large majority of the season without their best player and have looked much better with him in the lineup.

24.) Sacramento Kings (27-47) – Basketball will not be the most important thing for Sacramento this week, as they are set to have a meeting in New York City as they will try and keep the Kings in Sacramento.  The final decision on where they will be playing next season will then be presented in two weeks.

25.) Toronto Raptors (27-46) – The Raptors look to be in for a long offseason as many roster decisions are to be made.  They haven’t looked great after the early results were positive ones from the Rudy Gay trade.

 

26.) Phoenix Suns (23-51) – The Suns seem to have been in tanking mode for quite some time now.  They have lost 10 of their last 11 games, with the sole win being against the Lakers, the team who happens to owe the Suns a draft pick if it lands inside the lottery.  No one will be rooting more for the Mavericks or Jazz to get the eight seed than the Suns.

27.) Cleveland Cavaliers (22-50) – Kyrie Irving did not actually have his season ended, as he came back and played with the Cavaliers last week.  He will now play in the second game of the back-to-back though as the Cavaliers really had little chance to contend after the injury bug bit them so badly throughout the season.

28.) Detroit Pistons (24-50) – They played the Bulls tough over the weekend, but March was a rough month for the Pistons.  Outside a victory over the even lowlier Bobcats, the Pistons went 0-fer the month of March in the win column.  One positive for the remainder of the season is that Andre Drummond returned in that Chicago game, putting up eight points and 14 rebounds. 

29.) Charlotte Bobcats (17-56) – Could Josh McRoberts be the secret to the Bobcats success? Since being inserted into the lineup as a 30+ minute a night guy the Bobcats are 4-4.  Before then, they were an ugly 6-45 in the previous 51 games.  At least they got out of the cellar by beating the Magic.

30.) Orlando Magic (19-55) – The new cellar dwellers in the ranking thanks to a loss to the former place holding Bobcats.  The Magic were rough to watch without Nikola Vucevic, who missed five games after suffering a concussion.  Tobias Harris and Moe Harkless have given people at least something worthwhile to watch for Magic fans, if there are even any left.