NBA: Monthly Power Rankings

1. Golden State Warriors (37-9, +0): The reigning champions currently hold the best record in the league at 37-9 while simultaneously looking like the best team in the league for the next few years. The truly beautiful thing about sports is the uncertainty of it all, but what is for certain barring injury is that the Golden State Warriors will repeat as champions. Okay, maybe it's not promised that they'll repeat but nobody possess an immediate threat to their soon to be dynasty. The Warriors are currently on a 14-game road win streak and show no signs of slowing down. Kevin Durant is looking like the Defensive Player of the Year while also leading the pack of MVP candidates, then the two-time MVP in Steph Curry isn't far behind. Their offense is as good as it's ever been boasting the best offensive rating in the association to go along with a top five defense. When a team is that good how can you not pencil them in to hoist up the Larry O’Brien trophy?

2. Boston Celtics (34-11, +1): Without question Brad Stevens is one of the best coaches in league who has the ability to get the most out of his roster. Look no further than former Celtic turned Cavalier, Jae Crowder, who has seen a significant drop off in production from his time in Boston. Both Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown look like seasoned vets poised to be forces in the league. The Celtics dismantle opponents by giving a total team effort on both sides of the court. It's really scary how great of a team they'd be had Gordon Hayward not suffered that gruesome injury during the first game of the season. Boston is first in defense boasting a rating of 101.9 per 100 possessions and currently sit atop the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving gets looked as the Celtics best player, and rightfully so, but it's Al Horford who is the most important player on the team. Horford shoots threes, covers the pick and roll, rebounds, and defends the paint; without Horford, Boston may not be this good. As they say “defense wins championships” and with the way the Cavs have been playing thus far, Boston might be playing well into June.

3. Houston Rockets (30-12, -1): The second most dangerous team in the league is ranked third in the power rankings for obvious reasons. If there is an team that kind of has a chance against Golden State it would be the Houston Rockets. In a few ways the backcourt of Chris Paul and James Harden are just as dangerous as the Splash Bros with enough defense on the roster to make things difficult. The Rockets are first in threes attempted and made which means they have enough firepower to run with the Warriors. There’s no guarantee for Houston to win but they'd make things difficult with a small lineup of Harden, Paul, Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute, and P.J. Tucker. Currently sitting at 30-12 the Rockets have seen their fair share of early season success. They've recently gone on a dry spell but when Harden gets back up to speed look for the Rockets to pick up there they left off.

4. Toronto Raptors (30-13, +0): Unfortunately, Toronto head coach Dwayne Casey may have been fired had he not changed his approach to shooting and utilizing his entire team. But that's in the past and the Raptors are one of the best teams in the league right now because of their recent shift. Casey has transformed Toronto's entire offensive philosophy in relation to modern NBA offenses by shooting more threes which had provided more lanes for DeMar DeRozan to operate. DeRozan has always been elite but this year he's taken it to another level by also adding a long range jumper to his already impressive repertoire. Toronto has not only transformed on the offensive end but on the other side of the ball as well. The Raptors are currently ranked third and fourth in offensive and defensive rating, respectively. This year's team is much more focused and it shows by their annihilation of the Cavaliers, winning 133-99. If the Cavs and Raps meet again in the playoffs, Toronto might actually host Game 1 this year.

5. San Antonio Spurs (30-16, +0): Year after year publications overlook San Antonio as one of the best teams in the league but we're not going to do that on this site. Right now, the Spurs aren't their usual selves due to reoccurring injuries to Kawhi Leonard and the overall age of the Spurs, and yet they are still good enough to be recognized as the fifth best team in the league. Lamarcus Aldridge has turned things around from last year after speaking with Gregg Popovich this past offseason on his role which has led to him averaging 17.3 points last season to 22.4 points this year. Newcomer Rudy Gay has also helped San Antonio stay afloat this season by providing defense and adequate scoring off the bench. Popovich is essentially the best coach of all-time (let's argue) and typically if he can't find any use for you, then you probably don't belong in the NBA. With Leonard in and out of the lineup so often the Spurs have relied on their depth and ability to play team ball.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-17, +1): The Minnesota Timberwolves are continuously climbing in our rankings. After beginning in November ranked ninth, they reached the seventh spot last month, and now in January, the T-Wolves are all the way up at the sixth spot. They currently stand fourth in the Western Conference and are holding off the Thunder in the division. Speaking of O.K.C., the Timberwolves have already beaten them twice, including once on the road. Minnesota has seen a drastic change in defensive efficiency, namely because of Jimmy Butler. He has helped make the team take the defensive side of the ball more seriously. And in the meantime, he's also leading the team in scoring at 21.7 points per game and will most likely be named an All-Star next week. But the talent on this team doesn't stop there. With guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Jeff Teague, they should be favored to win at least one playoff series.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-17, -1): The Cleveland Cavaliers are far from the team they want to be when the playoffs come, but we're getting closer and closer to spring, and it still seems like the franchise is a mess. Even with Lebron James at the helm, they can't seem to get things figured out. But remembering that they've reached the NBA Finals in each of the last three seasons, and have had endless drama every year, we're going to give them the benefit of the doubt. But still, the Celtics and Raptors are looking more and more like legitimate contenders, and if either of them end up with home court advantage, it could go a long way in dethroning the Cavs atop the Eastern Conference. James is putting up career numbers in his 15th year, somehow, going for 27.0 points, 8.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. Isaiah Thomas is averaging 14.8 points, but he's only played in six games, so it's still taking him time to become acclimated with his new team. All in all, the Cavs will get it figured out.

8. Oklahoma City Thunder (25-20, +0): The Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting at 25-20 on the season, but it seems like the trio of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George have not been working out as good as they could, or as good as most people expected during the offseason. They continue to lose to teams they should beat and lose focus in crunch time. It has cost them multiple games. However, even though they lose some close games, they show signs of gelling. The Thunder have won their last three games and still have a big win against the Warriors on their record. If they are able to continue improving as the year goes by, they could become a dangerous team come playoff time. Westbrook is leading the team with 24.8 points, 9.9 assists, and 9.7 rebounds per game, following up on his NBA MVP campaign last season. The Thunder will play the Cavaliers tomorrow during the day, which will be a good litmus test for both franchises.

9. Miami Heat (26-18, +6): The Miami Heat are playing amazing and are playing better than most people expected. They are playing great as team and if they continue this (even without Dion Waiters), they can be a fourth or fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Goran Dragic is leading the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game, and the big man, Hassan Whiteside, is grabbing 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per outing. It's kind of a strange unit, as they don't have any superstar players, but they're consistently getting it done. That's no more apparent than right now, and the fact that they'll likely fail to have any player selected as an All-Star, despite being such a high seed in the conference. Josh Richardson, in his third year out of Tennessee, is also playing much better this season than last. He is scoring at 12.7 points a night, and has started every single game this year. The Heat should continue to climb. They're 8-2 in this last 10 and play the Charlotte Hornets next.

10. Washington Wizards (25-20, +1): The Washington Wizards are also seeming like they are once again underachieving this season. They should be a top three team in the East, but they sit fifth in the conference at a 25-20 record just like the Thunder. The wizards lose to team they should beat and seem unfocused at some parts of the game. The upcoming All-Star break will be helpful for them to figure out if they want to go further in the playoffs and show the talent this team actually has. During the playoffs, they have consistently underachieved. They did get to the second round last season, and took the Celtics to Game 7, but weren't able to get over the hump. If the Wizards can't get to the Eastern Conference Finals, it may be time to shake things up. It'll be a failure of a season if they can't get there. Bradley Beal is leading the team in scoring with 23.7 points per game, while John Wall is dishing out 9.3 assists per game.

Second Tier:

11. Philadelphia 76ers (20-20, +7)

12. Milwaukee Bucks (23-21, +1)

13. Indiana Pacers (24-20, -1)

14. Los Angeles Clippers (23-21, +5)

15. New Orleans Pelicans (23-21, -1)

16. Denver Nuggets (23-22, -6)

17. Portland Trailblazers (23-21, -1)

18. Detroit Pistons (22-21, -9)

19. New York Knicks (20-25, -2)

20. Utah Jazz (18-26, +0)

The Philadelphia 76ers hit a bit of a slump after a hot start to the season, but in the month of January, they've gone 5-2 and are back in the playoff seedings. In that span, the Sixers have climbed seven spots in our rankings. Another team that has been playing better as of late is the Los Angeles Clippers. Now that they have Blake Griffin back in the lineup, the Clips have gone 12-3 in their last 15 outings, including a win over the Rockets last week. Lastly, the Detroit Pistons are the biggest loser of these rankings as they have struggled mightily in the last couple weeks, going 3-6, including a four-game losing streak. They'll need to right the ship soon if they want to have any chance of returning to the postseason. The same can be said for the sliding Utah Jazz.

Third Tier:

21. Charlotte Hornets (18-25, +2)

22. Chicago Bulls (17-28, -1)

23. Memphis Grizzlies (15-28, +5)

24. Brooklyn Nets (16-29, -2)

25. Los Angeles Lakers (15-29, +0)

26. Phoenix Suns (16-29, +0)

27. Dallas Mavericks (15-30, +2)

28. Sacramento Kings (13-31, -4)

29. Atlanta Hawks (13-31, +1)

30. Orlando Magic (13-31, -3)

The Brooklyn Nets haven't had their best player, D'Angelo Russell, for much of the season, but he's coming back, and may give them a much needed boost. Standing at 16-29, they're likely out of the playoff race unless something totally unexpected happens in the next couple of months. However, they have showed some signs of improvement compared to last year. The Sacramento Kings aren't playing well lately either, despite rookie guard De'Aaron Fox looking more comfortable as he matures. If he can develop a better outside shot, Fox will be a solid starter in this league. The last team in our rankings is the Orlando Magic who have been downright pathetic lately. They have gone 1-7 in the month are have dropped down three spots because of it.

Photo Credit: Sporting News.