NBA Power Rankings: Week 20
We are into May. May the 4th be with you. That stupid pun means the playoffs are coming. I don’t think I have changed the top 16 teams in a month or so. It seems like our 10 teams in both divisions are pretty much set and now it is just the seeding. We have had a lot of movement this week with teams shooting up and dropping down. The standings as of the early afternoon of May 4th. Let’s go!
16. Golden State Warriors (33-32)
Previously: 15
Steph Curry continues his MVP level play and almost single handedly keeps the Warriors in the playoff picture. An issue that is arising is the injury to Kelly Oubre’s wrist that could keep him out of the lineup. With one more game against the Pelicans this week and win could all but secure them a spot in the playoffs.
15. Memphis Grizzlies (32-32)
Previously: #14
Going 1-3 in the third to last week of the season is not going to help Memphis climb into the top 6. The offense struggled last week as they lost the first two games by an average of 22 points. Memphis is just a game ahead of the Warriors and will need to fight to stay in the top half of the playin tourney bracket.
14. Boston Celtics (34-31)
Previously: #13
Eric and I both agreed that the Celtics are probably going to finish the season as the seven seed. One of the big worries for the C’s is their two star players got tangled up and had to leave the game, Brown and Tatum. They play a two game series against the Heat and the season's final matchup with the Knicks to determine their playoff fate.
13. Portland Trailblazers (36-29)
Previously: #16
Portland has had a nice little turnaround after sliding down in my rankings after a five game losing streak. It couldn’t come at a better time as they are fighting with the two teams ahead of them in my rankings for that 5th and 6th spot in the west. Every game is going to matter down the stretch and they need help from anyone not named Dame Lillard.
12. Los Angeles Lakers (37-28)
Previously: #11
Again it was a good news, bad news kind of week for the Lakers. Lebron James came back and then the Lakers lost 2 games. Now he will miss a couple more games with that ankle acting up again. Also bad news Dennis Schroder will now miss 10-14 games as he has entered Covid protocols. James will have to knock off the rust quickly if the Lakers want a chance at a repeat.
11. Dallas Mavericks (36-28)
Previously: #10
Dallas almost went 5-0 this week, but seemed to run out of energy in the last game after playing five times in seven days. They are fighting with the Lakers and Blazers to stay out of that seven seed. Luka is still playing at an elite level, but got some help from Dorian Finney-Smith who shot well from deep last week. Doncic does have to be careful as he is one technical foul away from being suspended and every game matters.
10. Atlanta Hawks (36-30)
Previously: #9
The Hawks have been one of the most injury riddled teams all season. Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic both have been in and out of the lineup,but both were able to return this week to stop a mini three game losing streak. Just like in the West, the Hawks are in a fight to stay out of the seven seed with the Celtics and Heat, if they stay healthy I think they will finish in the top six.
9. Miami Heat (35-30)
Previously: #12
The Heat rose in my rankings after going on a three game winning streak and 7-2 over their last nine. Butler, Nunn, and Adebayo have been carrying the load with the three averaging almost 63 a game, with Goran Dragic adding 6 assists and 14 points a game. The Heat will have to fend off the Hawks and Celtics but I believe they will and end up a five seed.
8. New York Knicks (37-28)
Previously: #8
The New York Knicks are going to the playoffs and are going to finish the season above .500 for the first time in almost a decade. Now can they hold onto the 4 seed and give the fans at MSG a playoff game one at home? Julius Randle and RJ Barrett have been leading the charge and Derek Rose has added some fire power off the bench. Their offense has really turned the corner after the all star break, where they have turned into a fringe top 10 offense since that time.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (43-22)
Previously: #1
Well the Clippers fell hard after I finally caved and gave them a top spot in my rankings last week. They went 0-3 last week, starting with a loss to the Pelicans and then dropping two huge matchups with the Nuggets and Suns. The Clippers should be okay with keeping home court advantage in the first round in the playoffs, but with the Clippers loss to the Nuggets, Denver owns the season series. With the Lakers looming don’t be surprised if the Clips try to manipulate the standings to avoid them in the first round.
6. Brooklyn Nets (43-22)
Previously: #3
The Nets have fallen slightly in my rankings after losing back to back games for the first time since early February. KD is still missing games and it resulted in a 19 point loss to the Trailblazers and then they couldn’t win a duel with the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo losing by three. The Nets are still without James Harden and they really need Kyrie Irving to carry the load but there has been some concern with his poor shooting. Can the Nets ever get healthy enough to have a full team?
5. Utah Jazz (47-18)
Previously: #5
Utah is trending in the wrong direction right now. Donovan Mitchell is still out with an ankle injury and Mike Conley re-aggravated his hamstring. With Phoenix on the rise, things are more tight in Utah then they have been for a while. Utah went 2-2 this week which is fine, but one of those losses was to the Suns who now hold the season series. I think Utah really wants the number 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs but can they hold off the Suns without Mitchell?
4. Milwaukee Bucks (40-24)
Previously: #7
Giannis missed a couple of games with a twisted right ankle, but was back for the huge matchup with the Nets. His ankle didn’t seem to bother him too much as he scored 49 points. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday played well in that win and they will need them if they want to go deep in the playoffs. The Bucks could have cracked my top 3 if they didn’t lose to the lowly Rockets.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (44-21)
Previously: #6
The 76ers have gotten back on track after losing four in a row, by winning four in a row and regaining the lead in the East over the Nets. The 76ers are in the driver's seat, they only play one team above .500 the rest of the season. They have two top 3 or 4 defensive player of the year candidates. They will be a tough team to beat in seven games with that defense, is it finally the 76ers time?
2. Denver Nuggets (43-22)
Previously: #4
You have to give the Denver Nuggets a shit ton of credit for how they have played after losing Jamal Murray. Denver has gone 9-1 after the injury, and a lot of that is because of Michael Porter Jr. and his connection with Nikola Jokic. Over the last 10 games Porter has averaged 25.6 points and added almost 7 boards a game. The two man play with Porter and Jokic has kept Denver around, but their title hopes are definitely hurting without Murray.
1. Phoenix Suns (46-18)
Previously #2
The Suns have to move into the top spot after the wins they had this week. They stopped the Knicks winning streak, beat the Clippers, and won a huge game over the Jazz. Chris Paul is in the MVP conversation and he has led this team to a real contender. Other than Chris Paul this is a very young team and this postseason will be a real learning experience for them. The Suns finish the season with six out of eight games remaining on the road, can they hold off the Jazz for 1st in the West?