BDL’s Most Interesting Power Rankings: The Warriors own Christmas
Let’s face it — the best and most powerful teams in the NBA don’t really change from week to week. A handful of results in the middle of winter can only mean so much to a franchise’s championship hopes. What does shift regularly, though, is how much interest a squad can hold over the course of a season. Every Monday, BDL’s Most Interesting Power Rankings track the teams most worthy of your attention.
THE TOP FIFTEEN
1. Golden State Warriors (28-1, Last Week: 1): It stands to reason that all these Warriors wins will eventually become a bit dull, because even a historically great run can get same-y after a while. But we’re not there yet, and Golden State’s Christmas win against Cleveland was the most notable victory in the league this week. Yes, the Cavs controlled the terms of engagement just as they did in the NBA Finals, but the Warriors proved that they still have the requisite defensive toughness and versatility to win in a variety of ways. It’s mind-boggling to think that they figure to get better whenever Harrison Barnes returns from the ankle sprain that’s kept him out of 12 straight contests.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-9, LW: 2): The holiday weekend was not kind to the East favorites. The big Christmas visit to Oakland saw them lose in nearly the same fashion as they did four times in June (perhaps by design), with the added disappointment of having Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving (still very clearly working his way back to All-Star form) in the starting lineup. They then followed that disappointment up with a bizarre blowout loss at Portland on Saturday in which neither Irving nor Damian Lillard played a minute. The Cavs are now 6-8 on the road, which is partially borne of scheduling but also not especially inspiring.
It’s fairly easy to explain away any concern about the Cavs, just as it’s difficult to judge their readiness for a title run until Kyrie plays more than three games. But it’s worth wondering when things will begin to come easy for a conference champion with very high expectations. They could use a lengthy winning streak if only to take some of the focus off a goal that’s still nearly six months away.
3. Charlotte Hornets (16-13, LW: Not Ranked): It was not a great week for the Hornets, who sit a half-game out of the playoff picture and had lost five of six before Saturday’s home win over the Memphis Grizzlies. But that form is secondary to what makes the Hornets interesting, because they’re the rare team that has defied preseason expectations at a time when the completist school of NBA analysts strives to make any outcome familiar. With apologies to Jeremy Lin’s hairdo, they don’t have any one rotation player who especially stands out from the rest. They’re just a solid, deep-shooting outfit that seems to be discovering its limits at the same time as the rest of us. Sometimes it’s nice to maintain a little mystery.
4. Houston Rockets (16-16, LW: 8): I’m not sure I can recommend watching the Rockets given that they seem incapable of playing hard in consecutive games, but that inconsistency is fascinating in itself. This is a team that looks perpetually on the brink of breaking out before silencing that excitement by losing a very winnable game and frustrate once again. This week was the best example yet — they held the Spurs’ to their lowest point total of the season with a stellar defensive effort on Christmas and lost to the lowly Pelicans the next day with a display that caused head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to accuse them of disrespecting the game.
As our Kelly Dwyer noted in last Monday’s rankings, the Rockets have just started a very difficult stretch (this week’s games involve the Hawks, Warriors, and Spurs) that could make or break their season. But this team is so unpredictable that they could win all three contests this week and communicate very little about their likely future form. “How good are the Rockets?” remains this season’s best zen koan.
5. San Antonio Spurs (26-6, LW: 3): The Spurs are so clearly excellent that a high-profile loss to an in-state rival isn’t enough to create any doubt about their quality. Thirty-one games in, it’s perhaps best to view the regular season as a means to discovering what could possibly trip them up when they face the other elite squads this postseason. Is there 9-6 road record cause for concern given that they could play the Warriors without homecourt advantage? Can they win without Tony Parker continuing to look like a star? Can Kawhi Leonard play at an MVP level for a full season? These issues don’t mean much now, but we can begin to try sketching out the answers.
6. Atlanta Hawks (20-12, LW: NR): The ascent hasn’t been nearly as loud or shocking as that of 2014-15, but it’s late December and the Hawks are just one game behind the Cavs for the best record in the conference. Their ongoing six-win streak doesn’t feature any defeats of the league’s best teams, and observers could be forgiven for thinking they’re not a title contender and don’t stand out among the various East teams with an outside shot at beating LeBron and Co. in the playoffs. Nevertheless, Atlanta usually beats the teams it’s supposed to, ranks seventh in offensive efficiency with six players averaging between 10 and 18 points per night, and rarely plays a game without offering some amount of enjoyment.
In other words, they’re very similar to the team that seemed so fun last season. Don’t neglect them just because they’re no longer a big surprise.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-10, LW: 4): We’re deep enough into the season that it’s time to accept that the Thunder are about the same as they were with Scott Brooks as head coach. They’re heavily dependent on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, appear to run late-game plays diagrammed as “Kevin or Russ does something cool,” and do not inspire confidence that they can win via tactical advantages.
This turn of events was initially a stone-cold bummer after the appointment of Billy Donovan promised a new approach, but prolonged exposure has served as a reminder that this team is pretty darn great. OKC is clearly the West squad with the best chance of knocking off the conference’s top-two teams, ranks second in offensive efficiency and seventh in defensive efficiency (through Saturday), and regularly plays very entertaining games. It’s even possible to argue that they’re better off as they are than they would have been mimicking the Warriors and Spurs without the proper personnel. Plus, neutrals should value their old-fashioned ways for the sake of variety among contenders.
8. Chicago Bulls (16-12, LW: 15): It feels all too right that the Bulls soundly defeated the Thunder on Christmas and lost on a Derrick Rose five-second call the very next night. This is a team with such glaring big-picture issues — the effectiveness of Fred Hoiberg’s coaching style, Rose’s role, the health of Joakim Noah, etc. — that any single result indicates very little about the team as a whole. This was always going to be a transitional season, but few thought it would carry the potential for outright disaster. Chicago’s worth paying attention to for no other reason then that we have no idea what could happen next.
9. Washington Wizards (14-14, LW: 26): A four-game winning streak has the Wizards at .500 for the first time in more than a month, and John Wall has stepped up his creative impact after a disappointing stretch that affected the entire team. This improvement would be more notable if not for the mass of quality East squads that sits several games ahead of Washington already. As is, the Wizards are facing a moment of truth in which they must show that they have shed their early-season problems or risk an uphill race to the playoffs. The challenge continues in earnest Monday when they welcome the Clippers and 2015 postseason hero Paul Pierce to the Verizon Center.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (18-13, LW: 6): Blake Griffin’s quadriceps injury appears to have been the impetus for Doc Rivers to wake Paul Pierce from cryo-sleep. The 38-year-old scorer put up a season-high 20 points (just his fifth game in double figures) on 5-of-7 from deep in Saturday’s win over the Utah Jazz and should get extended minutes as a stretch four to ensure that Doc never has to look Josh Smith in the eye again. Or maybe that strong game was just a proof-of-life message for everyone wondering why Pierce has been used so sparingly.
11. Boston Celtics (18-13, LW: NR): The Celtics have settled into being what we thought they’d be — an energetic team that wins on collective effort and the best perimeter defense in the league. But it’s still surprising to see their defense rise to the top three in points allowed per possession without a legitimate interior presence, a supposed impossibility in this era. The ongoing four-win streak has included three margins of nine points or more and should continue with three upcoming games against the Lakers and Nets (in a home-and-home).
12. Orlando Magic (17-13, LW: NR): It seems like the Magic are always in a close game — their last five results have been within single digits and only two of their losses (both against the Cavs) have been in double digits. They still resemble a collection of talent more than a cohesive team, but they’re typically one of the better viewing experiences in the early stretch of a League Pass night. Although it’s not clear what this group can realistically achieve together, there are worse ways to spend an hour or two for a basketball junkie.
13. Miami Heat (18-11, LW: 5): The East is so much more interesting than the East this season that even the largely familiar veteran teams seem fresh. The Christmas opener with the Pelicans was a reminder that overtime games are not always exciting, but it’s hard to complain about the entertainment value of a week that saw Chris Bosh end a game in this position:
14. Toronto Raptors (19-12, LW: NR): The league’s most commonly forgotten good team. It’s easy to overlook their fourth-most efficient offense given that they play the sixth-slowest pace and end up with far too many DeMar DeRozan mid-range jumpers for anyone’s liking. But those numbers offer some sense of the team’s value.
15. Los Angeles Lakers (5-26, LW: 27): I know it’s bad for me, but I cannot get enough of Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour. Tuesday’s visit to the Nuggets wasy perhaps the best show yet. Kobe ran like an old man, received positive chants in Denver, and matched his season high with 31 points on reasonable efficiency. Add in the simultaneously overdetermined and insightful quotes and you have an all-time great going out on unique terms. His All-Star Game appearance should be fun, too.
The rest of you can have your wins and forward momentum.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
26. Portland Trail Blazers (13-20, LW: 11): Plenty of intelligent people, including our Kelly Dwyer, find this mostly bad team very enjoyable. They’re not wrong — they have a top-10 offense, a legitimate star in Damian Lillard, and the kind of organizational cohesion that excites “values”-minded voters and college basketball fans. Hell, they even thrashed the Cavs this weekend. That’s impressive!
They just flat-out don’t do it for me. Those positives are very real, but I’m not one to flock to a mediocre team with relatively few weirdos. Or maybe I just like Mason Plumlee that little.
I don’t mean to start any fights here. It’s OK to disagree with me. I’m just one man who did his job from a Maine basement all week. Happy New Year!
27. Milwaukee Bucks (12-19, LW: NR): Jason Kidd is out indefinitely after undergoing hip surgery. If you’re a non-Bucks fan who can tell me the impact of his absence, then I will recommend a movie to watch instead of the next Bucks game.
28. Brooklyn Nets (8-22, LW: 28): Regular readers of this feature probably know that we rarely have anything to say about the Nets. The best I can do is my recent discovery that Joe Wolf is one of their assistant coaches. Remember him from mid-’90s basketball cards and video games?
29. Philadelphia 76ers (2-30, LW: 29): The addition of associate head coach Mike D’Antoni has added a little excitement to the season, but one our articles Saturday night made the front page of Yahoo.com just because this team won a basketball game. The context didn’t even matter. The story was considered notable because they won a game.
But, hey, Ish Smith is there now!
30. Phoenix Suns (12-20, LW: NR): The only thing worse than a bad team is one that can’t even fall apart with any flair. The Suns had a horrible week — the front office is interviewing players to see if it should fire Jeff Hornacek, Markieff Morris was suspended two games for a throwing a towel at him, and Eric Bledsoe is now out for a while with a torn meniscus. But none of it registers as exciting, and not just because everyone has been preoccupied with the holidays. They lost to the Sixers at home, for crying out loud.
The Suns have appeared to lack direction for a while — they play really fast with little indication that they know why and don’t seem to consider when personnel decisions could alienate their core players. Maybe the dissolution is dull because it was inevitable. Or, more likely, it’s hard to care about the end of a project that hasn’t mattered for a while.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
