NBA Power Rankings: Oklahoma City Thunder awaken

<p>The Spurs won the battle (this time), but the Warriors win the war in my view. Golden State continues to hold a 3-game lead in the standings despite falling to San Antonio on Saturday, and the Warriors remain on pace to break the 72-win barrier. More than that, though, Stephen Curry and company have an aura about them that can’t be fully quantified, and until they fall in the playoffs, it is tough to supplant them for number one.</p>. (62-7). Previous: . Golden State Warriors. 1. team. 41

81. <p>Toronto just won’t go away. The Raptors were set up to fail this week based on a grueling schedule with five games in seven nights, but all they did was come away with four victories including a road win in Indiana and a strong victory over Boston. No one will believe until May, but I’m in.</p>. (48-21). Previous: . Toronto Raptors. 4. team

Cleveland Cavaliers. 5. team. 156. <p>I’m still trusting in Cleveland, but they laid an egg on Saturday in Miami and that doesn’t help in their push to pass the Raptors. If all things are equal, I’ll take the Cavs in a playoff series, but Toronto looks better on the court right now.</p>. (49-20). Previous:

team. 125. <p>The Hawks have won five straight (and eight of their last nine) games and Atlanta is firing on all cylinders. It would be difficult to find someone who would actually pick this crew over a team like the Clippers in May, but the Hawks are looking a lot more like the 2014-2015 edition right. Just ask the Grizzlies, Pacers, Pistons, Nuggets and Rockets.</p>. (41-29). Previous: . Atlanta Hawks. 6

(39-30). Previous: . Charlotte Hornets. 7. team. 170. <p>The Hornets have cooled off a bit since their scorching hot start to the month, but their numbers remain encouraging. Charlotte is (way) off the radar given their lack of a star, but a road win in Miami this week was impressive in its own right.</p>

team. 77. <p>There is no sin in losing to the Cavs at home and to the Spurs on the road. However, there is no excuse for losing, by double figures, to the current edition of the Memphis Grizzlies or losing to the Pelicans without Anthony Davis. Those losses alone provide justification for sliding the Clippers down to this spot.</p>. (43-25). Previous: . Los Angeles Clippers. 8

team. 110. <p>How does Miami ascend after a week that included a home loss? Well, beating the Cavs (by 21 points!) should do the trick. The Heat are generating all kinds of whispers as a “dangerous team” around the league, and they certainly fit that bill.</p>. (40-29). Previous: . Miami Heat. 9

118. <p>It may seem insane to have a sub-.500 team this high on the list, but Utah is finally rounding into form. The Jazz have won five of six, including a win over Cleveland, and with relative health now, it isn’t difficult to see how high this team’s upside could be.</p>. (34-36). Previous: . Utah Jazz. 10. team

Indiana Pacers. 11. team. 100. <p>Indy is in the midst of a skid that involves losing three of four games. A closer look at the schedule, though, makes that excusable given that the defeats came to the Hawks, Raptors and Thunder. Nothing to see here.</p>. (36-33). Previous:

<p>My tombstone might read “he believed in the Pistons”, but I can’t quit Stan Van Gundy’s group. The Pistons haven’t quite reached the heights that they potentially could with this roster, but Detroit is super dangerous on a nightly basis and there is something to be said for that.</p>. (36-34). Previous: . Detroit Pistons. 12. team. 64

<p>When the Rockets try on the defensive end of the floor, they are terrifying. When the Rockets don’t try on the defensive end, they are utterly unwatchable. Fun times.</p>. (35-35). Previous: . Houston Rockets. 13. team. 169

34. <p>Schedule matters a great deal, and it bit Portland this week. The Blazers were blessed with the “opportunity” to play the Thunder and Spurs back-to-back on a road trip. Things didn’t go well, but Portland remains a feisty, overachieving bunch.</p>. (36-35). Previous: . Portland Trail Blazers. 14. team

18. <p>Jae Crowder isn’t <em>this</em> good, is he? Boston dropped four straight games before righting the ship against Philly on Sunday, and the Celtics simply aren’t the same team without Crowder. This is probably an overreaction from a rankings standpoint, but the early returns in a Crowder-less landscape aren’t great.</p>. (40-30). Previous: . Boston Celtics. 15. team

Washington Wizards. 16. team. 142. <p>Here come the Wizards? Washington has strung together four consecutive victories, and at the time of this post, John Wall and company are just 1.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the East. It is weird that the Wizards are (still) out of the top eight but they might be rounding into form at a good time.</p>. (34-35). Previous:

Previous: . Dallas Mavericks. 17. team. 79. <p>Dirk Nowitzki is a legend. He turned back the clock over the weekend with a 40-point performance in an overtime win over Portland, and when Dirk is cooking like that, Dallas is tough to upend.</p>. (35-35)

18. team. 24. <p>There are signs of life in Chicago. Fred Hoiberg’s team has won three of four, and during that stretch, the Bulls knocked off both the Jazz and the Raptors. It is still tough to trust what has been a mediocre product all season, but the talent level remains high.</p>. (35-33). Previous: . Chicago Bulls

73. <p>Unsurprisingly, the Nuggets have cooled off after a red-hot stretch of play. Still, that can be explained away with losses to quality teams (Miami and Atlanta) and Denver is better right now than their overall profile suggests.</p>. (29-41). Previous: . Denver Nuggets. 19. team

89. <p>For me, the Bucks are much more fun to watch on a nightly basis than most teams in this range. It’s just a shame that it took this long for things to come together in Milwaukee.</p>. (30-40). Previous: . Milwaukee Bucks. 20. team

Previous: . Memphis Grizzlies. 21. team. 211. <p>Look past the record and see what’s happening here. Memphis is barren of healthy talent, and not even a surprising win over the Clippers can mask that. If the season started today and the Grizzlies unveiled this roster, it would be a disaster over 82 games.</p>. (40-30)

Orlando Magic. 22. team. 38. <p>Orlando ascends this week despite a 1-3 record. That is what happens when the losses come to the Hornets, Cavaliers and Raptors in highly competitive fashion. The Magic are spunky.</p>. (29-40). Previous:

Minnesota Timberwolves. 23. team. 86. <p>There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the Wolves as an overall product. However, the talent level is real to the point where nobody wants to play Minnesota when they are clicking. The future is bright.</p>. (22-47). Previous:

<p>The off-court stuff never ceases, but Sacramento did manage to pick up two road wins in a single week. That is grounds for celebration given where the franchise is at on the whole.</p>. (27-42). Previous: . Sacramento Kings. 24. team. 84

25. team. 27. <p>I will not make a Kurt Rambis joke.</p><p>I will not make a Kurt Rambis joke.</p><p>I will not make a Kurt Rambis joke.</p>. (28-43). Previous: . New York Knicks

<p>The Anthony Davis news is just brutal. New Orleans rivals anyone (with the exception of Philly) in terms of ugliness without Davis on the floor, and the Pellies will probably keep dropping until the season ends.</p>. (26-43). Previous: . New Orleans Pelicans. 26. team. 69

Previous: . Brooklyn Nets. 27. team. 147. <p>The Nets held serve in toppling the Sixers this week. Other than that, it was a status quo period for a bad and uninspiring basketball team. Brooklyn in the house!</p>. (19-50)

Phoenix Suns. 28. team. 66. <p>Break up the Suns!</p><p>Phoenix won two of their three games this week, including a death match with the Lakers that allowed them to climb this week. Godspeed, Earl Watson.</p>. (19-50). Previous:

20. <p>The Lakers have lost four in a row and I can’t make an argument for them in any other spot. That’s what happens when you lose, at home, to the Suns.</p>. (14-55). Previous: . Los Angeles Lakers. 29. team

30. team. 93. <p>What else is there to say about the Sixers?</p><p>No, seriously, what is there? They are an atrocity and there was no debate as to who would occupy the basement this week. Sorry, Brett Brown.</p>. (9-61). Previous: . Philadelphia 76ers