We are just about one-quarter of the way through the 2015-2016 season. The Warriors continue to cruise and the Cavs take a couple steps backwards. Here’s this week’s edition of the NEOSI NBA Power Rankings.
1. Golden State Warriors (22-0)
Last Week: 1
There is a case to be made that Steph Curry is having the best 22 game stretch of any player in NBA history. He has scored 40 or more points in seven games. He is on pace to break his own record for three-pointers made in a season by over 100.
The Warriors have a good test coming up against Indiana Tuesday night, but if they get through that it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if they are undefeated heading into Christmas.
2. San Antonio Spurs (17-4)
Last Week: 3
The Spurs might be the only team in the West that can challenge Golden State. They haven’t met head-to-head yet, but that will be a must-watch game in late-January. Barring major injuries to either team, it seems like a virtual lock that the Spurs and Warriors will be playing in the Western Conference Finals.
3. Miami Heat (12-6)
Last Week: 7
It may be unrealistic to expect Miami to hold this spot much longer, but for now, they are the best team in the Eastern Conference. Their win over the Cavs came with LeBron James on the bench, but you can’t blame the Heat for beating the team that was in front of them. Now that Miami has a much more talented roster compared to last season, the Heat vs Cavs could be one of the more exciting rivalries in the NBA.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-7)
Last Week: 2
The Cavs have lost three in a row and four of their last six games. They fell to second in the East Saturday night after getting blown out by Miami with LeBron getting the night off to rest. Last season, the Cavs went 3-10 without LeBron, but even the recent stretch of games in which he did play, there were some concerning signs. Lack of effort. Lack of ball movement. Losses to sub. 500 teams like the Wizards and Pelicans. Help is on the way in the form of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, but most of the Cavs’ seven losses are inexcusable.
5. Chicago Bulls (11-6)
Last Week: 5
The Bulls are quietly going to be one of the best teams in the NBA all season long. They fly under the radar when compared to the Warriors, Spurs, Cavs, and Thunder, but their consistency and the fact that they play hard every night is what separates them from teams that might be a little more star-studded.
6. Indiana Pacers (12-7)
Last Week: 4
The Pacers lost their last two games and they have a matchup coming with Golden State that could very well extend that streak to three. Even in a loss the other night, Paul George dropped a career-high 48 points, and if it weren’t for the amazing roll Curry has been on, we would be talking about George as the MVP candidate. There’s still a lot of time left in the season.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-8)
Last Week: 6
The weakness of the West this season means that 12-8 gets you a three-seed if the playoffs started today. Durant’s return hasn’t made the Thunder invincible, but Sunday night Russell Westbrook led the way with yet another triple-double. We keep waiting for the Thunder to go on a long winning streak, but through 20 games, it looks like they’re just going to continue to win 3 out of 5 the rest of the way if nothing changes.
8. Memphis Grizzlies (12-9)
Last Week: 10
Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are back to playing like all-stars. The Grizzlies have won seven of their last ten and have bounced back from a rough start, due, in large part, to taking advantage of a weak Western Conference. If they had started 3-6 last season, they may not have been able to recover from that slow start and would have been fighting for a playoff spot, but this season they have climbed all the way up to the four-seed in no time.
9. Atlanta Hawks (13-9)
Last Week: Just Missed the Cut
The Hawks aren’t anywhere close to their regular season dominance of last season, but still hold the fifth-seed in a competitive Eastern Conference. Another impressive aspect of their season is that they are 4-0 against teams within their division. Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague are all very good players, but unless the Hawks make a trade in the next two months, it’s hard to envision them giving Chicago, Indiana, Miami or Cleveland a run for their money.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (11-9)
Last Week: 8
The Clippers can’t decide whether they want to be good or not. Every week that we go back to the narrative that they’re not, they do something to make you go “Ok. Maybe they’re back.” Then, the next week the revert back to playing poorly. The Clippers are the biggest disappointment in the NBA, not named the Houston Rockets. We’ll see if the talent of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan, (who are all having good seasons, statistically) will be enough to get them back to legitimacy.
Who Fell Off?
Toronto Raptors (12-9) : After an impressive win at home over Cleveland, they followed it up by losing three of their next five.
Just Missed the Cut:
Dallas Mavericks (12-9) : They might be coming back to earth a little bit after a great start, but the fifth seed in the West is nothing to be ashamed of.
Charlotte Hornets (11-8) : The Hornets just need to figure out how to win on the road. They’re 8-3 at home and 3-5 on the road. If they can play .500 or better away from home, they’ll be near the top of the East.
Detroit Pistons: (12-9) : The Pistons had such a great start, going 5-1 to begin the season, but seemed to fall back to reality. Now, they have won four in a row, the second-longest active winning-streak in the NBA.
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