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Steph Curry and the Warriors are looking to start another winning streak.So now that the Golden State Warriors have lost a game, falling last Saturday to the Milwaukee Bucks, the real NBA regular season can begin. The Warriors are still holding down the top spot in the rankings, but the San Antonio Spurs have put the league on notice, with their continually improving offense, that they are right on the Warriors level. In the Eastern Conference, there are still 10 teams just separated by 3.5 games, meaning there is almost constant shuffling in the standings and we have to look deeper than record to see who is worthy to grace these very powerful rankings.We have one team, the Atlanta Hawks, dropping out, being replaced by the surprising Charlotte Hornets, who sport the seventh-best scoring margin in the league. The Boston Celtics, despite their impressive statistical resume are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoffs, and thus, my first team outside the power rankings, with the Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks all right on their tails. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the rankings.
#10 Los Angeles Clippers
It might be weird to see the Clippers this low in any rankings, but right now, they are still looking to find the right mix of bench players to help their starters. Paul Pierce seems to be toast, to slow to play defense and not shooting well enough to make up for it. Austin Rivers is not good yet continues to play because there is no other backup point guard. Jamal Crawford hasn’t found his shot this year and Lance Stephenson seems to be Doc Rivers doghouse, though he has played more of late.
Josh Smith is the only bench player seemingly playing like the team thought he would. However, they still have two of the best players at their positions in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, so they will never fall too far down the standings. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and seem to be playing better, hopefully sparking a run that can enter them back into the conversation of title contenders.
#9 Charlotte Hornets
The true surprise team of the NBA resides in Charlotte, as the Hornets, written off when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went down for the season, are up to 6th in the Eastern Conference. What is more impressive is they have the 7th best scoring differential, 5th best net efficiency, and 5th best offense in the league. For a team that has so long struggled on offense, being the 5th best team is no joke and it perfectly explains why they are playing so well and so consistently when compared to years past.
In addition, in Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker, they finally have two guys shooting semi consistently, who can help carry the offense when the others around them are having an off night. And, as any Steve Clifford team will do, they play great defense, getting better production than you would ever expect when you looked at their roster man for man.
#8 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls currently sit in the number two spot in the Eastern Conference, but they have been less than impressive despite their standing. As it stands right now, they are 12th in both scoring margin and net efficiency rating, showing that they are doing just enough to win but not more than that. Usually, a statistical profile like that suggest a team isn’t as good as their record would indicate.
We will see over the next few weeks if statistical models hold true or if the Bulls will begin to win games in the more dominating fashion that their talent suggests. Joakim Noah’s improved play in December has been a reason to smile about the team, as he has been a rebounding and passing menace from the center spot this month. If they can get him reverse his trend of awful shooting, just 36% on four shots a game this season, they might actually look like more than just an average playoff team.
#7 Toronto Raptors
As their two All-Star guards go, so do the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are having two very good years, Lowry, in particular, and the Raptors have shown that when that happens, they can play some truly high-level basketball. However, they are going to need center Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll to step up their play if they want to avoid another first round flame out.
Carroll needs to come back from his leg injury that has held him out the last five game and find his game that he displayed last year, being that do everything dirty worker who fixes all the leaks that spring around the team. Do this, and the Raptors will become a very scary team.
#6 Miami Heat
As the picture shows, we did not need to worry about Chris Bosh coming back from blood clots in his lungs that cut his season short last year. He is once again playing at a high level, worthy of yet another All Star bid. He is still learning how to play comfortably with center Hassan Whiteside, but their aren’t many players better in the league of morphing their elite talents to fit with the rest of their team.
If the Heat can get Goran Dragic playing closer to the type of player they thought they traded for last season, they will be that team to battle the Pacers for the right to meet LeBron and the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.
#5 Indiana Pacers
The Pacers continue to play well and stand as that first team below the big four who seem like will be the true contender for the championship. While they couldn’t match the Warriors small ball last week, they might be the third best small team after the Cavs and Dubs and continue to blitz the league behind one of the top offense/defense combos in the league.
While all the pub has been going to Paul George who is having an MVP-caliber type year after breaking his leg in the summer of 2014, CJ Miles has been the player who has really helped push the Pacers over the edge.
He gives the Pacers a second, elite three-point shooter who can punish teams any time they lose track of him. Combine him with George, and the Pacers have two wings capable of playing high-level pace and space basketball, taking advantage of drives from guards Monta Ellis, George Hill, and Rodney Stuckey.
#4 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs sit one game ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the East, but the only team that is close to them right now in the conference is the Indiana Pacers. The Cavs are slowly getting healthy, welcoming back Iman Shumpert back to the lineup this week and possibly Kyrie Irving. Even if Irving doesn’t come back this week, he should be back by the end of December, setting the Cavs up for another late January/February run like the one they went on last season.
The one blessing of the injuries is that it helped LeBron James and Kevin Love build invaluable chemistry, learning better how to play off one another, something that is going to be very important come playoff time. The Cavs have a two big test coming up, this Thursday night vs the Oklahoma City Thunder then in Golden State on Christmas day.
Both games will be a good measuring stick to see where the Cavs match up.
#3 Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder’s defense has been steadily improving, up to 10th in the league now, and it is something that they absolutely need if they want to knock off the two giants at the top of the Western Conference. With two offensive players the caliber of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, if they Thunder can sniff the top five in defensive efficiency, they have a chance to watch those two lead them to two series wins over the giants.
Something to watch will be whether Enes Kanter can provide more than just big offensive numbers for this group. As it stands now, he is one of the worst defender who gets serious time in the league, but the Thunder just need him to be merely bad at defense so they can truly reap the benefits of his prodigous offensive talents.
#2 San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are playing slower than they have in years, but still lead the league in passes per possession and are seeing their offense, which started the year slow as they have worked to integrate LaMarcus Aldridge into the lineup, begin to perk up and reach their lofty heights of years past. They currently stand at third in the league, still seven points per 100 possessions behind the Warriors, but each week they have been getting better.
And with how dominant their defense has been this season, a top three offense that is within shouting distance of the Warriors might be all they need to dethrone the champs. Tony Parker’s return to stellar play has been huge for them, as he played poorly to close last season, leaving many to wonder if Parker was beginning the end of his career. So far, it seems those concerns may have been premature.
#1 Golden State Warriors
While the Warriors weren’t able to stay unbeaten on the season, they still finished up their seven-game road trip an impressive 6-1 and got back to their winning ways with a 128-103 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. They narrowly reclaimed the scoring margin title over the Spurs with the win and looked refreshed after tired legs help give them their first loss.
Klay Thompson seems to be hitting his stride that made him an All Star last season, having some of his best games since Harrison Barnes went down three weeks ago. If he can maintain his high level play when Barnes comes back, the Warriors will be as scary as ever. If they can just improve their focus to defense that made them the best defensive team in the league last year, they will have the current advantage over the Spurs.
Guess the Lakers players!
