This NBA season has never failed to entertain us yet, from all the drama in Cleveland that lead to the team trading basically half their roster at the trade deadline, Kyrie successfully running his own show in Boston, Joel Embiid with his fantastic play and hilarious tweets, to the Rockets giving defending champion Golden State all they can handle, the first half of the NBA season was one hell of a ride. Well, where do we go from here? What teams are legit contenders? What teams are pretenders? Can anyone beat the Warriors? We’re going to attempt to answer these questions with my list of the current top 10 NBA team power rankings, so let us get started.
10. Utah Jazz
You might say to me how the heck are the Jazz the 10th best team in the NBA if they don’t even currently hold a playoff spot? Let me explain, the young Jazz are currently on an 11 game winning streak, in which they beat the powerhouse Warriors, Raptors, and Spurs twice. Also, even though the Jazz currently sits in 10th place in the western conference at 30-28, there are only 4 and a half games separating Utah from the Spurs who currently hold the third spot in the west. Do I believe Utah will finish top five in the west? no, I do not, but right now the Jazz just can’t lose no matter who the opposing team is. The winning streak has catapulted a team that looked like they were heading deep down in the draft lottery to a team that can give plenty of NBA teams in the playoffs a serious problem. If outstanding rookie Donovan Mitchell (19.6 PPG, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds) can continue to play top-notch basketball and will this team, all-star center Rudy Gobert remains healthy, and point guard Ricky Rubio continues playing at the high level he’s been playing at all season, the sky is the limit for this young team. Oh, by the way, they’re doing all this winning this in the western conference (which is no joke).
9. Milwaukee Bucks
One of the most exciting thing going on in the basketball world currently is the happenings in Milwaukee. The franchise from a small market city that had pretty much been forgotten about since the Ray Allen and “Big Dog” Robinson days has come roaring back into the realm of NBA relevance. The Bucks currently hold the 6th seed in the east with a 32-25 record, they are lead by “The Greek Freak” A.K.A. Giannes however you spell his last name. The man who fans and analysts have labeled as “possibly the second coming of LeBron” this year is averaging a remarkable 27.8 points per game, 10.4 rebounds a contest, to go along with 1.4 blocks a game, if those numbers aren’t “LeBron-Esque” I don’t know what is. With Milwaukee actually having a real solid support cast surrounding Giannes, which includes star point guard Eric Bledsoe who they acquired from Pheonix earlier this season, three-point sniper turned all-around solid player Khris Middleton, and the return of former second overall pick Jabari Parker to the basketball floor (who looks like he’s going to be a star in his own right), the Bucks are just warming up the engine for a team that looks like they will only get better as this season goes along and as the years come along. Milwaukee’s ceiling is as high as any young teams in the NBA right now, do I think they will do lots of damage in this year’s playoffs? no, probably not, but Giannes and co. have put the league on notice this year, and the NBA better get ready for them.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
Don’t get me wrong the Thunder are one of the most talented teams in the league, but they are also the NBA’s biggest enigma this season. Some nights the Thunder look like they can go out and beat any team in the NBA with relative ease, which they have proved with performances of them this year pretty much dominating the Warriors, but then there are games where the basement dwellers such as the Suns or Mavericks give OKC all they can handle. At the end of the day, the Thunder are still pretty freeking good, currently, they hold a 33-26 record which is good for 5th in the west. Lead by reigning MVP Russell Westbrook (25.4 points per game, 10.4 assists per game, 9.4 rebounds per contest) and the acquisition of star players Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, this team can realistically give the very best teams a real big problem when these three stars are playing at their very best, but we have only seen it in spirts so far this year. If OKC’s big 3 can figure out the little quirks that still might be holding them back and correct the issues, look for the Thunder to give the Rockets and Warriors all they can handle if they meet with these elite teams in the postseason.
7. San Antonio Spurs
No surprise here, the Spurs once again are one of the NBA’s elite, as they have been every season for the last 20 plus years or so. Not only do the Spurs hold the third spot in the west with a 35-24 record, but they have done it while missing their superstar Kawhi Leonard for almost the whole season so far (he’s only played in 9 games this season), and there is no timetable as to when he is going to return. Even without Leonard, San Antonio continues to hold their own, with LaMarcus Aldridge having another superb season (22.4 points per game 8.4 rebounds per game), Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker continuing to give the Spurs valuable minutes in their limited amount of playing time, and Coach Greg Popovich finding the right niches for each individual player which usually leads to each player performing at their best night in and night out, the Spurs will once again be a real tough out come playoff time. Who knows, maybe Kawhi returns for the postseason? If that happens, then the whole western conference might just get flipped on to its head (Basically look out Houston and Golden State).
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
Another small market team that has finally made the rise back to NBA relevance is the Timberwolves. The Wolves, who have pretty much dwelled at the bottom of the west since KG got traded to Boston back in 2007, are once again a real good team in the NBA. Minnesota currently sits fourth in the Western Conference with a 36-25 record. The Wolves are lead by superstar power forward Karl Anthony-Towns (20.2 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game) and star small forward Jimmy Butler (22.4 points per contest, 5 assists per game, 5.5 rebounds per game) whom the Timberwolves acquired from Chicago this past summer. The acquisition of Butler from the Bulls put Minnesota back on the map as a legitimate threat in the west, and they have not failed to disappoint. With the young core of starts such as Towns and Andrew Wiggins and the veteran leadership of Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler, the Wolves have the perfect mix of youth and veterans in their star-studded starting lineup. The Wolves have shown time and time again that they can play with the best teams in the league, but things will get interesting when their young studs step on to the court for their first playoff appearances this April, and if everything goes well for Minnesota once late April arrives, Minnesota is going to be a fun place to be come NBA playoff time.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
For a time I could not tell if the Cavs were a basketball team or if they were a new show that was a shoot off of Love and Hip Hop. Let’s just say the whole Isaiah Thomas experiment did not work out all that well in Cleveland, it was clear he did not want to be there, there were rumors swirling around every day that the Cavs locker room was a total drama fest, mired by players shunning Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert throwing a towel intentionally on coach Tyrone Lue when leaving a timeout huddle, and Jae Crowder having to be escorted out of the Cavs locker room when he found out he was traded because he tried to confront LeBron about it. Anyway, hopefully for the Cavs the whole dramafest is out the window considering they just traded pretty much half their roster at the trade deadline, and brought in a bunch of younger players that are hungry to win and are excited to play with the best player in the world, things that the players on the Cavs that just got traded did not always seem encouraged or excited about. Cleveland currently sits a 34-22, which is the third-best record in the eastern conference. The Cavaliers are once again lead by LeBron James who is having another all-time great season (26.5 points per game, 8.9 assists per game, 8.1 rebounds per game). With LBJ continuing to show us every night why he is still the best basketball player on the planet, to go along with some fresh air in that Cavaliers locker room, and if these players can learn how to play together well enough in this short period of time, look for Lebron and co. to once again be the favorites to get to the NBA finals from the eastern conference once the playoffs begin.
4. Boston Celtics
What a year it has been so far for the Celtics, yes they might have been struggling a bit as of late, but you cant take away the fact that pretty much everything has gone right for the Celtics so far this season. Ok, yes there big summer signing of Gordon Hayward got hurt in his first game of the year and will most likely miss the whole season, but does anyone even remember that Hayward is on Boston? Becuase they have been so good in his absence. Boston currently sits second in the east with a phenomenal record of 40-19, trailing the first seeded Raptors by only two games going into the all-star break. The Celtics are lead by superstar point guard Kyrie Irving (24.7 points per game, 5 assists per game, 3.6 rebounds per game), there were plenty of questions as to weather Kyrie was good enough to be the number one option on a team competing for a championship, and he has answered those questions, and loudly with his superb play, and the answer is damn right he can be the number one option on a team competeing to win it all. To go along with Irving, Boston also is living quite well off the success of their super talented young core, such as Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, and rookie of the year candidate Jayson Tatum. With Kyrie playing the best basketball we have ever seen him play, and the continued growth of the Celtics young players (who are already really good players at the NBA level) Boston, just like they usually do, has their eyes on capturing yet again another championship, to add on to the franchises illustrious history.
3. Toronto Raptors
Everyone thought that was it (including me), that the Raptors had reached their potential and would never even stand a fighting chance at getting to the NBA finals, I think it is safe to say that everyone (including me) was wrong. The Raptors currently hold the top spot in the eastern conference with an outstanding record of 41-16. The Toronto Raptors are once again lead by super-star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan (23.7 points per contest, 5.2 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game) and star point guard Kyle Lowry (16.6 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, 5.7 rebounds per game). The question remains, how did a team with the same core that everyone thought had already reached their potential all of a sudden get significantly better? Well, Lowry, this season has done a much better job at making his teammates around him better, which has obviously lead to them performing better. Also, the Raptors have one of the deepest and best-performing benches in the NBA this season, with guys such as Fred VanVleet, C.J. Miles, OG Anunoby, and Jakob Poeltl giving Toronto valuable minutes off the bench. A deep and talented bench could become quite important for Toronto come playoff time, considering their bench can outperform almost all the benches in the NBA, and with so much talent on their bench, it could allow for their stars and starters to rest and be more rejuvenated for important late-game situations in the playoffs then their opponents. The Raptors proved me wrong once already this season, I do not think they will get to the finals to be completely honest with you, but like I just said, I was wrong about this team once this season already (and weren’t we all?).
2. Houston Rockets
If there is one team in the NBA this season that might have a decent chance at beating the Empire from Oakland this season in a seven-game series it’s the Houston Rockets. The Rockets currently sit first in the west (yes, they are ahead of the Warriors by half a game) with a record of 44-13. The Rockets are once again lead by the beardman himself, James Harden (31.3 points per game, 9 assists per game, 5.1 rebounds per game) who most people consider the frontrunner currently to win this years MVP award. In the offseason, the Rockets made it clear to Golden State that they were coming for their heads acquiring super-star point guard Chirs Paul from the Clippers (19.2 points per game, 8.3 assists per game, 5.7 rebounds per game). Once they acquired Paul from LA, fans and analysts questioned whether Harden and CP3 would be able to mesh together and play well together, and the answer is they can absolutely play well together as we have seen this season. How well do Harden and Paul play together you might ask? well, as of February 2nd, when they both played together the Rockets were an astonishing 21-1, so practically unbeatable. With the outstanding play of Harden and Chris Paul together this year, and the emergence of Clint Capela into a real dominant force at the center position, the Rockets have their eyes set on one thing and one thing only, a World Championship (oh, by the way, Houston is also on a 10 game winning streak, no big deal).
1. Golden State Warriors
To be completely honest with you, even if the Rockets had an eight-game lead in the west on the Warriors I would still put Golden State at number one on my power ranking. The Golden State Warriors, the best team in basketball (do not fool yourself) currently sit second in the western conference with a 44-14 record, which is honestly a sub-par record for this Warriors team as compared to years in the past. The Warriors continue to show the world every night why they are the hunted, lead by the greatest shooter to ever walk this earth, Stephen Curry (26.6 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, 5.2 rebounds per game) and one of the greatest scorers to ever live, Kevin Durant (26 points per contest, 5.5 assists per game, 6.8 rebounds per game) these two men never fail in showing NBA fans what the best basketball show on earth looks like. Even with a bench that has been underperforming as compared to the past few seasons, Golden State still has on their roster two once in a generation players in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, a borderline super-star player in Klay Thompson, and an all-star caliber power forward who is also the heart and soul of the Warriors in Draymond Green. With this abundance of basketball talent on one roster, even with a fizzling bench that is underperforming, I really dont see how teams such as Hoston, Cleveland, Toronto, or Oklahoma City would be able to win a seven-game series against a team with this much talent. For me I believe the Warriors are just too good and will win their third championship in four seasons, and the rest of the NBA will once again have to go back to the drawing board and try to figure out how to stop the Empire In Oakland from continuing their reign over the basketball world.
