The only teams hotter than the Nuggets (winners of 8 of last 10) are the Thunder and Rockets, whom have each won 9 of the last 10 games. All will be represented in this week’s rankings, along with the ‘surging’ Mavericks, steady teams in Indy and Philly, and a sinking ship in Orlando. I know you saw LeBron James leapfrog John Lucas III (no worries if you didn’t, stay tuned), be prepared for the trend to continue in the rankings.
1.) Oklahoma City Thunder ( 16-3, LW #2) OKC loses Maynor, guys like Skip Bayless over-emphasize an in-game spat between the 2 stars (Durant/Westbrook), Westbrook emerged as a viable offensive weapon…subsequently gets paid, and the Thunder just keep on rolling. This team has a date with the Western Conference Finals. Only questions is, what other team out West is going to put up a tough enough fight to prevent KD35 from playing in a Finals? Major tests this week @ Clippers and @ Dallas, host Memphis, and close out the week @ San Antonio.
2.) Miami Heat (15-5, LW#7) Enough playing around, as the Heat have made a serious jump in the rankings. LeBron James, while he can’t be relied upon to make free throws down the stretch, is still 2nd to only one player in terms of sheer freakish athleticism (Blake Griffin)…and that remains very debatable. The Heat can keep pace, as James leapfrogs his way through a few games, but a healthy Wade is going to be a must once the playoffs arrive. So far, Coach Spoelstra has used a steady wave of hustle and scrap from guys like Cole/Battier/Haslem/Chalmers/Miller. Anyone else realizing how complete of a team the Heat are developing into? Friday’s rematch @ Philly the next challenge?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjjEtjwKHE&w=420&h=315]
3.) Chicago Bulls (17-5, LW#1) Didn’t the Bulls start the season playing something like 5 of 7 on the road? Sure seemed like it, but (regardless) the Bulls are going to have to be road warriors again, with 9-straight on the road. Luol Deng‘s absence has definitely been felt. Opposing teams are able to funnel DRose into the teeth of the defense and sag off the Bulls shooters…especially when Rip Hamilton shoots 4-16 from the field (Sunday vs Heat). Regardless of when Deng is able to return, the Bulls are still a scorer/slasher away from being able beat Miami. The Heat are one of the few teams that would currently dare covering DRose with (primarily) one player (James), but look for other teams to adopt a similar strategy once things get serious. It may be a case, similar to the Iverson-led Sixers teams, where the opposing teams begin simply ‘accepting’ big numbers from Rose, but really focus on limiting his teammates. That’s a bit of the risk you run when so much of your team’s success is predicated upon one player’s output.
4.) Denver Nuggets (14-5, LW#4) A team shouldn’t be penalized for the inactivity the schedule-makers created, but they shouldn’t benefit from it either. That said, the Nuggets go 2-0 against inferior competition (SAC/TOR) but suffer a late-Sunday loss to a good team in the Clippers and remain, firmly, in their position. The Nuggets look like last year’s Grizzlies squad that made the run in the playoffs by hitting you in waves and waves of contributions from a wide variety of players. Guys like Gallinari and Rudy Fernandez have been hot from the outside, Aaron Afflalo locking down the perimeter while Nene continues to anchor the the paint. Even when Ty Lawson goes down with a sprained ankle, Andrew Miller provides stability. @Memphis, @Clippers, vs. Lakers, @ Portland should provide a chance for the Nuggets to move next week.
5.) Indiana Pacers (13-6, LW#5) The Pacers looked rough in their losses to Orlando (home) and Boston (road), and tough in each of their road victories over the Bulls and Magic throughout this week. They even managed to upset the reigning MVP DRose with their ‘perceived’ celebration on Chicago’s home court. For one, these stars are too sensitive these days. Secondly, if you don’t want to bump into Pacers players happy to get a tough road win, then simply stop them from beating you. @Minny, @Dallas, and host Orlando to close the week. With Chicago within 1 game in the loss column and without Deng, this could be that week tells a great deal about Indiana’s season.
6.) Philadelphia 76ers (14-6, LW#8) Coach Collins has this team playing as well as could possibly be expected. Iguodala, while he will never be a franchise-player, has learned to simply play his game. It was unrealistic to ever expect Iggy to develop into that 27/7/6 guy the organization was attempting to pass him off as (a few years back), but the second coming of “AI” in Philly has settled in to a Kobe-light player. Can’t bring you 30 ppg, but will gladly give you stat-lines resembling his 13/5/6 averages of this year. Lou Williams has developed into their go-to scorer, and Jrue Holiday has proven to be an above-average point guard. You would think it would only be a matter of time before the Evan Turner experiment comes to an end. At some point, you have to either determine the system simply won’t fit the player, or the possibility of the player simply not being worthy of the 2nd pick in the draft.
7.) Atlanta Hawks (15-6, LW#9) The enthusiasm garnered from a 3-1 week is only slightly curbed by the lack of viable opponents. The one decent team they played, they were ‘handled’ by on the road (@San Antonio). Jeff Teague has provided a bit of recent scoring punch, and Joe Johnson (no joke) reminded me he was still one the Hawks with his recent box scores. Are the Hawks buyers or sellers at the trade deadline?
8.) Houston Rockets (12-8, LW-NA) Kevin McHale has pushed all the right buttons, and Kyle Lowry is running his system to near perfection. I often get questions about where Lowry ranks among the other top point guards, and the only answer I can give is “his numbers speak for themselves.” Of course, this isn’t a game of fantasy basketball, but Lowry’s 15 ppg, 8+ assists, and nearly 7 rebounds per game are all career highs, and the Rockets (as previously mentioned) have won 9 of the last 10 games.
9.) Los Angeles Clippers (11-6, LW#10) The Clippers started their week being reminded by their Staples Center co-tenants, Los Angeles Lakers that the ‘Battle for L.A.’ will not be won, nor settled overnight. They can deny the fact that it is a rivalry all they want (http://realtalkonsports.com/2012/01/26/dont-tell-me-this-isnt-a-rivalry-battle-of-l-a/), but any of us that witnessed that Wednesday night showdown can attest to a full on knock-down drag-out affair. The offense is beginning to flow again, as CP3 works himself back after missing 5 games due to a sore hamstring. LAC hosts OKC, visits Utah, before coming home to host the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back. That favorable schedule the Clippers have benefited from is about to get serious in a hurry. After that stretch, LAC plays 8 of the next 10 on the road. Time to separate the men from the boys. I do not expect the Lakers and Clippers to be within a game of one another (as they currently are) by the end of the next 10 games (respectively).
10.) Dallas Mavericks (13-8, LW-NA) The Mavs opening night ( blowout loss to Heat) Banner Ceremony didn’t turn out so well. Neither did the scheduled Ring Night when hosting Minnesota on Wednesday night. Someone tell Cuban to stop scheduling victory laps, and get a healthy Dirk to lead these defending Champs into the All Star break with a cushion between themselves and their in-state rivals (Spurs and Rockets). They currently sit in first place, but by mere % points and all 3 teams (HOU, MEM, SAS) behind them surging. They’re @ Phoenix on Monday (doesn’t it seem like they play more than 3-4 times per year?) before returning home to host the Thunder and Pacers. The World Champs conclude their week @Cleveland on the second night of a back-to-back. Should definitely make for a highly entertaining week of basketball throughout the NBA.
Jabari A. Davis
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