NBA Power Rankings: West Is Still Best

Dec 13, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball past Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Warriors defeated the Mavericks 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a play during the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs beat the Hornets 97-88. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

(14-9). Previous: . Cleveland Cavaliers. 11. team. 156. To be fair, it’s not that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been bad by any stretch of the imagination. At 14-9, they’re only one game behind the Miami Heat’s record through 23 games in LeBron James’ first season there. But for the purpose of these power rankings, beating the Hornets and DeRozan-less Raptors isn’t much cause for celebration. <p> </p> <p>For now, all that matters is that LeBron’s knee isn’t an issue. But the Cavs need to keep up the defensive intensity that carried them to an eight-game win streak, and they certainly need to avoid what we saw when they took on the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans last Friday. That being said, it was nice to see both LeBron (27 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks) and Kevin Love (22 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, four steals) put up Herculean numbers last night, even if it was only against the Hornets.</p>

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