NBA: Monthly Power Rankings
The NBA season has kicked into high gear after a few weeks of question marks. For a couple of days in a row, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic were leading the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, but that's all over now. Thankfully, I might add. The top-tier teams are back to looking like their normal selves after taking a handful of games to get used to adjustments that were made during the offseason. However, there is still one surprising team in the top-10 that most people didn't pick, and that's the Detroit Pistons.
1. Boston Celtics (18-4): The Celtics had a 16-game winning streak, after starting the season 0-2 with losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks, directly following the gruesome injury of new acquisition, NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward. Kyrie Irving has been lethal, especially late in games, as he's proven (so far) that he can be the main option on a winning team, and it's obvious that Brad Stevens' coaching has positively impacted guys like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum who are playing above their experience level.
2. Houston Rockets (16-4): The Rockets opened the season with a road victory over the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, and even though Chris Paul was hurt in that game and was out for a couple of weeks, James Harden was able to do his thing. And then when Paul returned against the Phoenix Suns last week, Harden dropped a season-high 49 points in a blowout win. The Rockets are an extremely dangerous team and might have he best chance in the Western Conference at taking down the Warriors in the playoffs.
3. Golden State Warriors (15-6): The Warriors didn't look very good this past week on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but we all kind of saw that coming. You knew the Thunder would get up for that game, looking for revenge against Kevin Durant, and they did so on that day. But the Warriors are still the most talented team in the league, and three of their six losses have come against fellow top five opponents so it's not like they're losing to bad teams. Plus, Stephen Curry is starting to roll so this team will be just fine.
4. Detroit Pistons (13-6): The Pistons have already defeated the Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Thunder, and Celtics, all on the road, and have gotten home victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers. That's a pretty impressive feat. They aren't a true contender in this league just yet, but a second round playoff appearance is realistic. Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris have been cooking all year long, and Andre Drummond's free-throw shooting is drastically improved.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-7): The Cavaliers are riding an eight game winning streak after struggling for the first few weeks of the season. Cleveland might have had their most impressive outing of the year last night, when they went on the road and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 113-91, as Lebron James went for 30 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, in 31 minutes. Dwyane Wade also played his best game in a Cavaliers uniform, dropping 15 points, while logging 25 minutes. Cleveland is still the favorite in the East, for now.
6. San Antonio Spurs (13-7): The Spurs are having a pretty good season (who saw that coming?), while waiting for NBA All-Star and MVP candidate, Kawhi Leonard, to return from an ankle injury, that he suffered in the playoffs last year. San Antonio is going what they always seem to do - They beat the teams that they should beat, and they compete with everyone else. The Spurs got Tony Parker back last night, which should be a boost, but this team won't reach it's full potential until Leonard returns.
7. Toronto Raptors (12-7): The Raptors were expected to go through a lot of change during the offseason, with both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka becoming free agents, but instead, most everyone decided to run it back. Toronto looks pretty much like they did last season, and that's likely to continue for the entire year. I don't see this team reaching the conference finals, but a playoffs berth is certainly in the cards. If I had to project their outcome right now, it sure seems like the Raptors are headed for another second round exit.
8. Portland Trailblazers (13-8): The Trailblazers have one of the best backcourts in the NBA, with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, and it's resulted in a number of good efforts this year, and luckily for them, they have gotten off to a much better start this year than last. In order to make the postseason in 2016-17, Portland had to make quite a run down the stretch, but with a 13-8 start to 2017-18, it seems like the Blazers will coast in the backend of the Western Conference playoffs.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-8): The Timberwolves have already defeated the "mighty" Thunder twice, once on the road and once at home, on the young season, and that could go a long way if the two end up being tied or close come March and April. Jimmy Butler's addition to this team has seemed to make a huge difference because Minnesota is actually playing defense for the first time in years. Karl-Anthony Towns is as impressive as always and Andrew Wiggins looks good. Minnesota will make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
10. Philadelphia 76ers (11-8): The 76ers are one of the most fun teams to watch in the league, and that has been no more apparent than in two games this season. On the road against the Detroit Pistons, Ben Simmons clinched his first career triple-double in a thrilling performance. And then a couple of weeks later, in a primetime match against the Los Angeles Lakers, Joel Embiid dropped 40 points. It seems like The Process has officially paid off, and Philly seems to be headed for a playoff berth, which will be exciting to see.
Middle Tier:
11. Denver Nuggets (11-8)
12. Indiana Pacers (12-9)
13. New Orleans Pelicans (11-9)
14. Washington Wizards (10-9)
15. Miami Heat (10-9)
16. New York Knicks (10-10)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (9-9)
18. Utah Jazz (9-11)
19. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11)
20. Los Angeles Clippers (8-11)
The Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and New Orleans Pelicans have been playing pretty well lately, and if the playoffs started today, they'd all earn postseason slots. Then there are a number of Eastern Conference teams, the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks, who are all around the .500-mark, and are battling for the seventh and eighth spots in the conference. Lastly, there are three Western Conference teams, the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers, all who made the playoffs last year, but have gotten off to poor starts this year. It remains to been seen if they'll turn it around. The Thunder have been puzzling, since their additions of Carmelo Anthony and Paul George have yet to materialize (i.e. the 2011 Miami Heat). I'm guessing they'll be able to turn it around eventually.
Bottom Tier:
21. Charlotte Hornets (8-11)
22. Los Angeles Lakers (8-12)
23. Memphis Grizzlies (7-12)
24. Orlando Magic (8-13)
25. Brooklyn Nets (6-13)
26. Phoenix Suns (7-14)
27. Sacramento Kings (6-14)
28. Dallas Mavericks (5-16)
29. Atlanta Hawks (4-16)
30. Chicago Bulls (3-15)
The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to get stops, so even when their offense is playing well, it's tough for them to win games. The Memphis Grizzlies are on a seven game losing streak and decided to let go of head coach David Fizdale. The Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets are competitive, but won't be legitimate threats anytime soon. And then there are a trio of Western Conference teams that are near the bottom of the league, in the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks, but hey, it could be worse! The same can't be said for the lowly Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, though. These two Eastern Conference teams are right at the basement of the league, and it doesn't look like it's going to get better. But, the silver lining is - Hello Marvin Bagley Jr., DeAndre Ayton, and Michael Porter Jr.!
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.