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NBA Power Rankings 2/22/19

The All Star Break is over, and as fans and players evacuate from Charlotte, North Carolina back to the comfort of civilization, trying to forget about the atrocity that was this year’s dunk contest and the disappointment that was Joe Harris winning the 3PT shooting contest, so too does the typical NBA fan return to his or her television set to watch this final sprint to the play-offs. Across America, eager basketball fans tuned in to TNT Thursday night to watch LeBron James and the Lakers take on James Harden and the Rockets. These fans were enthralled watching LeBron showcase his “play-off intensity” and Harden showcase his “throwing a fit when the refs are mean to him.” They probably also watched DeMar DeRozan’s return to Toronto tonight and the fanfare that came with it. These fans are ardent SportsCenter enthusiasts and savvy basketball gurus in their own right. This blog is not for them. Rather, this blog is for the readers who have never heard of Joe Harris, or the readers who just learned the NBA had a dunk contest while reading this post, or the readers who don’t know what Toronto is. These are all irrelevant bits of trivia knowledge, absolutely meaningless in the real world. The purpose of this blog is to distill the joy and excitement of current sports happenings and present them in a format that assumes no previous knowledge of rules, history, or players. I hope through this medium, I can introduce a new world to those totally unversed in it and possibly even spark a great enough interest in even one person to inspire the next sports fanatic.

Now, to the meat of this post. Power rankings are a tool sports analysts use to rank teams not by win/loss record or by any statistical measure, but rather their perceived “power” or strength. I like to think of power rankings as a question: What team would I least want to go up against if my team had to play them tonight? So, without further ado, here are my February 22nd, 2019, NBA Power Rankings.

Tier 1: Clear Title Favorite

1. Golden State Warriors (42-16)

The Warriors won three of the last four championships and everything points to them winning again this year. Not only do they have all four of last year’s all stars returning to the team in close to peak form this year, but they have added DeMarcus Cousins, another 2018 All Star and one of the best big men in the league. He fits perfectly into their offensive system and truly puts this year’s Warriors in the conversation for best team ever.

Tier 2: Could Make the Warriors Sweat

2. Toronto Raptors (44-16)

The Raptors are second in the East behind the Bucks, but they show a lot more depth than Milwaukee and seem a more viable threat given their recent addition of seasoned veteran Marc Gasol. He joins Kawhi Leonard, who is new to Toronto this year and has brought something the Raptors haven’t had maybe ever. Kawhi is one of the best two-way players in the league, meaning he exhibits prowess on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The fact that Kawhi has one championship under his belt (with the 2014 San Antonio Spurs) also adds to the potency of this team in my opinion. If there were a team that could defeat the Golden State Warriors, it would be this team.

3. Milwaukee Bucks (44-14)

The Milwaukee Bucks, led by breakout star and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, have been somewhat of a surprise this season, playing well under new head coach Mike Budenholzer. The way Giannis, or the “Greek Freak” is playing is reminiscent of a young LeBron James in that he’s just getting baskets when he wants and how he wants. Giannis’s supporting cast is somewhat of an eclectic group, including a 3PT shooting first-time all star Khris Middleton, a volatile point guard Eric Bledsoe, and an aging Brook Lopez who’s just decided to start casting threes now.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-20)

You may have heard of Russell Westbrook and his endless pursuit of triple-doubles, which is a statline where three categories, usually points, rebounds, and assists, are in double digits by the end of the game. This year, he’s taken it to a new level, almost changing his identity entirely. He has become an incredible playmaker, leading the league in assists per game, but unfortunately his ability to score has diminished significantly. This has been more than made up for by co-star Paul George, who is having the best season of his career and should be seriously talked about as an MVP candidate. He, Westbrook, Adams, Ferguson, Grant, and Schroder make this team a threat to any other in the league, and they showed that tonight in their double overtime win against Utah.

5. Philadelphia 76ers (38-21)

If you love drama, bickering, and infighting, you’ll be a huge fan of this 76ers team. It seems every week, the combination of headstrong Jimmy Butler and “call-it-like-I-see-it”-type center Joel Embiid produces yet another headline about failing team chemistry and off-court troubles. However, as it turns out, the play on court has not suffered one bit. The 76ers are an incredibly strong team. The one concern I have about them is that Jimmy Butler tries to take the last shot in close games every time, when I think the ball should go to Embiid. Hopefully Butler gets it through his head that he is not as good as Embiid, or even Redick, in those situations come play-off time.

Tier 3: Good Job, You Guys!

6. Denver Nuggets (40-18)

The Nuggets have been the surprise team this season, getting off to a great start and maintaining that pace throughout. Led by one-of-a-kind playmaking center Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have been short-handed due to injury pretty much the entire season, but it almost seems to be playing into their favor. Players that would usually come off the bench are getting a feel for the game with more minutes, and typical role-players are showing they can make a meaningful impact on the game. The reason I don’t put the Nuggets up in Tier 2 is their inexperience and poor play on the road. I don’t see them being a real threat to those top five teams, but they are definitely a force to be reckoned with now and in the foreseeable future.

7. Houston Rockets (33-25)

James Harden. One of the most polarizing players in the league, but without a doubt the most lethal offensive threat this year, Harden has gone on an absolute tear midseason with nearly all his typical starting team mates out with injuries. He’s the MVP favorite in most people’s opinions, and although Chris Paul and Clint Capela’s recent return will limit Harden’s ability to score as much the rest of the season, this streak will be remembered for a long time as one of the best stretches of offensive performances in recent NBA history.

8. Boston Celtics (37-22)

The Celtics are vying for the “most dysfunctional” title that the 76ers currently boast, what with seemingly constant rumors about Kyrie Irving’s free agency plans and Kyrie’s off-beat comments to the press every other week. However, they have some of the best young talent in the league combined with gritty vets in Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart, and Al Horford, and a superstar in Kyrie. Although this season has been disappointing for the Celtics in many ways, they are still a dangerous team, and when Kyrie really wants to, he can take over a game and win it in the fourth quarter.

Tier 4: See You In The Play-Offs

9. Los Angeles Lakers (29-29)

The Los Angeles Lakers have been an enigma all season. Their young core takes turns being hurt and getting yelled at, their seasoned veterans seem to be sore more often than not, and rumors surrounding the iminent firing of head coach Luke Walton do nothing to help team morale. The Lakers are two spots out of the play-offs, and everything looks pretty dreary for them. Well, everything but one little detail. LeBron James is on this team. Thus, they are propelled to a top 10 team in these rankings. Yes, LeBron is that good.

10. Portland Trailblazers (35-23)

Damian Lillard is making his way through another incredible season during which he is absurdly underrated. Nobody speaks about Damian Lillard despite his consistent amazingness, and it’s due in part to their awfully disappointing play-off performance last year. It seems like not many take the Trailblazers seriously in terms of title contention, and I don’t either.

11. Utah Jazz

12. Indiana Pacers

Tier 5: Maybe Next Year You’ll Get Past the First Round

13. San Antonio Spurs

14. Sacramento Kings

15. Brooklyn Nets

16. Detroit Pistons

17. Los Angeles Clippers

18. Charlotte Hornets

Tier 6: You Could Have Been So Much Better

19. Minnesota Timberwolves

20. Dallas Mavericks

21. Miami Heat

22. New Orleans Pelicans

23. Orlando Magic

24. Washington Wizards

Tier 7: Teams Fantasizing About Zion Already

25. Atlanta Hawks

26. Memphis Grizzlies

27. Chicago Bulls

28. New York Knicks

29. Cleveland Cavaliers

30. Phoenix Suns