NBA Power Rankings: Week 8
Week 8 of the NBA Power Rankings, we are officially a quarter through the NBA season, and we are down to the quarter finals in the NBA Cup.
1 - Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have not left the top or second spot in my rankings all season. They lost their fourth game of the season but most importantly they had their first injury to a big star, Evan Mobley.
2 - Boston Celtics
Similar to Cleveland, Boston has been towards the top of my rankings all year. The Celtics are not as dominant as they were last year, but they are a force to be reckoned with. They are shooting threes at a rate like no team ever.
3 - Oklahoma City Thunder
We all felt when the season started the Thunder were the clear best team in the West. Well they are now a full three games up on the rest of the West and they are still without Chet. The Thunder will be a playoff team and honestly are just looking to find their best rotation.
4 - Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are on a tear. They have won 11 out of their last 12 after a schedule where they crossed the country multiple times. In contrast to the Celtics, the Mavericks are shooting more in the paint and taking more free throws.
5 - Memphis Grizzlies
Alright, Memphis is back. They have won nine out of their last ten and got a huge win over the Celtics in Boston this week. The Grizzlies are a team that are elite on both sides of the ball, and they have skyrocketed up my power rankings.
6 - Golden State Warriors
The Warriors were on a five game slide, and they beat a Houston team without Steph and Draymond playing. The offense has come back down to Earth a little bit, but their lineup has a lot of depth and can score in bunches.
7 - Houston Rockets
Houston is still sitting in a good spot in the West and lost two games in a row for the first time in awhile. They had a rough defense game in Sac the other night but still rank as the second best team defensively. I am all the way in on this Rockets team.
8 - New York Knicks
The Knicks now sit 5 games above .500 and are really starting to round into form. They have really turned things around on the defensive side and I do feel like they will start rising more in these rankings.
9 - Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic and oblique muscles are not great friends right now. Former number one overall pick Paolo Banchero has been out for weeks with an oblique issue and Franz Wagner is sidelined with an oblique injury. This team when healthy is legit.
10 - Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are really confusing, they get very hot and cold. The time off that is coming with the NBA cup week will help. They look like a team that needs some rest.
11 - Miami Heat
The Heat are well heating up, god I hate that I did that, and have climbed into my power rankings. But wins over the Lakers, Suns and Cavaliers really prove that when they are playing well they can compete with any team in the NBA.
12 - Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves are on the prowl, dude what the fuck stop with the puns. The Timberwolves were an elite defensive team last year and they didn't get off the best start this year on the defensive end. Back into the top 5 in defensive rating, the Timberwolves are getting back to who they are.
13 - Denver Nuggets
Look Denver, you have the best player in the NBA, but you are not the same team as you were two years ago. As much as the NBA is a star driven league, Jokic can only do so much. A really bad loss to the Wizards who had lost 16 straight games really shows where this team is.
14 - Atlanta Hawks
We have another new team here. The Hawks have won 6 straight and they are the only team that has beat the Cavaliers twice and they just beat the Bucks to stop Milwaukee’s win streak. The East is getting better but the Hawks have climbed back into the race to get out of the play-in.
15 - Milwaukee Bucks
It might be a little unfair to leave the Bucks in the 15th spot, but they are still just a single game over .500. Khris Middleton made his season debut which will take some of the pressure off of Giannis and Dame. Milwaukee might be the most interesting team moving forward.
P.S. I am only doing the top 15 teams, if you want me to talk about you; be better, it’s that simple.