NBA Power Rankings: What happened to the Bulls?

1. team. 41. <p>Another 4-0 week is in the books for the Warriors and their 66-7 record just looks preposterous on paper. Golden State is, in fact, <em>that</em> good and this isn’t a tough decision, even with the presence of a legitimate contender at number two. The next few days and weeks will be largely focused on whether they can track down the all-time wins record, and the Dubs have earned that attention.</p>. (66-7). Previous: . Golden State Warriors

29. <p>In true Gregg Popovich fashion, the Spurs utterly punted Saturday night’s game against the Thunder. San Antonio rested <em>everyone</em> and, as a result, lost convincingly, but we won’t be swayed by that result. This is the team that is clearly the biggest challenger to the Warriors, and Pop is playing possum beautifully.</p>. (61-12). Previous: . San Antonio Spurs. 2. team

(51-22). Previous: . Oklahoma City Thunder. 3. team. 149. <p>For once, the Warriors aren’t the hottest team in the league. OKC has won seven straight games and six of those victories have come against quality opponents. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and company haven’t been nearly as consistent as the top two teams on this list, but the Thunder have flashed the upside to really compete at the highest level.</p>

4. team. 156. <p>This week’s loss to Brooklyn was flat-out embarrassing, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Cavs are the team to beat in the East regardless. It is unquestionably true that this has been an underwhelming season, but the talent alone is terrifying and they absolutely toyed with the Nuggets, Bucks and Knicks at times this week.</p>. (52-21). Previous: . Cleveland Cavaliers

5. team. 81. <p>There is no crime in losing two straight games (on the road) to the Celtics and Rockets, but Toronto’s margin of error just isn’t as great as that of Cleveland. Until the playoffs arrive and the Raptors win a series, there will be an aura of skepticism, and some of the cracks of this roster have begun to widen in recent weeks.</p>. (49-23). Previous: . Toronto Raptors

<p>Since the calendar flipped to March, the Hawks have been on fire. Atlanta is 11-3 this month and two of those defeats came on the road to the Warriors and Raptors. Beyond that, Mike Budenholzer’s squad has won eight of their last nine, and visions of last year’s 60-win output are beginning to surface once again. No one wants to play this team in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.</p>. (44-30). Previous: . Atlanta Hawks. 6. team. 125

(45-27). Previous: . Los Angeles Clippers. 7. team. 77. <p>The Clippers are somewhat difficult to trust, but at the same time, they remain dangerous. Chris Paul is still an elite player, Blake Griffin is nearly back and Los Angeles should be commended for how they have performed in the absence of their All-NBA forward.</p>

8. team. 170. <p>The Hornets scored seven points in the first quarter against the Spurs on Monday.</p><p>The Hornets won that game.</p><p>That won’t keep Charlotte in the top ten on its own, but this is a team that has played tremendous basketball in recent weeks and no one is more underrated in the league right now.</p>. (42-31). Previous: . Charlotte Hornets

110. <p>I don’t know Miami is doing it… but they are. Even without Chris Bosh in the lineup, the Heat remain incredibly dangerous, and their recent three-point barrage has done quite a bit to open the floor for the likes of Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic.</p>. (42-30). Previous: . Miami Heat. 9. team

18. <p>It is nice to have the Celtics back. Boston had real trouble in adjusting to the absence of Jae Crowder after his injury, but Brad Stevens has suddenly guided his team to four straight wins. For me, this is still a group built for the regular season and not for the playoffs, but a top-ten ranking is nothing to sneeze at for anyone.</p>. (43-30). Previous: . Boston Celtics. 10. team

11. team. 118. <p>Winning 7 out of 9 games has improved Utah’s overall profile, but I always believed. It is fair to say that I overrate them in the grand scheme because of their ultimate upside, but the Jazz will be the toughest out for the top-tier squads in the West’s first round.</p>. (36-37). Previous: . Utah Jazz

<p>In general, the Pacers beat the teams they are supposed to beat and the Pacers lose to the teams they are supposed to lose to. There is something to be said for that.</p>. (39-34). Previous: . Indiana Pacers. 12. team. 100

<p>Stan Van Gundy saw his team’s five-game winning streak come to an end against the Hawks on Saturday night, but that won’t put a black mark on Detroit’s recent play. The Pistons are rounding into form as a dangerous team in the East, and their numbers since adding Tobias Harris into fold have been quite encouraging.</p>. (39-35). Previous: . Detroit Pistons. 13. team. 64

(38-36). Previous: . Portland Trail Blazers. 14. team. 34. <p>The Blazers aren’t a threat to the top tier in the West, but they are fun to watch and highly dangerous on a per-game basis. It was another winning week for Dame Lillard and his crew, and that will keep them afloat in this space.</p>

Previous: . Houston Rockets. 15. team. 169. <p>All 1-3 weeks aren’t created equal. Houston lost to Oklahoma City, Indiana and Utah this week and, well, none of those are embarrassing. It is tough to separate this team from their preseason expectations, but they aren’t horrid by any means.</p>. (36-38)

Previous: . Denver Nuggets. 16. team. 73. <p>At this moment, Denver is better than their record. That is a statement that I simply can’t make for many teams ranked below them. Even with they lose, the Nuggets compete and their young guys have improved greatly during the season.</p>. (31-43)

team. 211. <p>I don’t know how to rank Memphis. On one hand, they are really competing every night despite insane circumstances. On the other, this is essentially a D-League roster at the moment given the injuries. This week, I’ll split the difference.</p>. (41-32). Previous: . Memphis Grizzlies. 17

(35-38). Previous: . Dallas Mavericks. 18. team. 79. <p>Losing by 22 points (and giving up 133!) to the Kings on Sunday was ugly, but Rick Carlisle has earned enough trust to look past recent results. Dallas isn’t <em>that</em> team, but the Mavs probably aren’t playoff-bound either and they should be judged as such.</p>

142. <p>For as ghastly as a two-overtime home loss to Minnesota was this week, the Wizards did manage to get a split agains the Hawks and they took care of business in a win over the Lakers to close things right. Washington is highly frustrating because they are still in the playoff race, but they also aren’t terrible. That does matter.</p>. (36-37). Previous: . Washington Wizards. 19. team

team. 89. <p>I tried to move the Bucks down. I really did. Milwaukee just finished a winless week and that isn’t exactly encouraging in late March. However, the Bucks simply lost to four playoff-level teams and, more importantly, the squads below them on this list are just worse. Let’s call this purgatory.</p>. (30-44). Previous: . Milwaukee Bucks. 20

<p>Just a week ago, I wrote that there were “signs of life” for the Bulls. Now, Chicago has dropped three straight games (two to New York and one to Orlando) and this is a team that appears bound for an early vacation. Let’s just agree that things haven’t gone according to plan for Fred Hoiberg and his staff in year one.</p>. (36-36). Previous: . Chicago Bulls. 21. team. 24

(24-49). Previous: . Minnesota Timberwolves. 22. team. 86. <p>The talent level is beginning to shine in Minnesota. This is a roster with more than one blue-chip prospect, and they flashed some of that potential in a road win over Washington this week. Wait until next year.</p>

(29-44). Previous: . Sacramento Kings. 23. team. 84. <p>The Kings absolutely throttled the Mavs on Sunday, scoring 133 points on the way to a 22-point victory. More than anything, though, that performance served as a frustration for fans that have seen this inexplicably awful product throughout the year.</p>

New York Knicks. 24. team. 27. <p>My weekly pact to avoid a Kurt Rambis joke remains, but there was real progress for New York this week. It came in the form of two wins against the struggling Bulls, but still!</p>. (30-44). Previous:

<p>Wait, the Nets have won back-to-back games against the Cavs and Pacers? I don’t get it, but we have to acknowledge it.</p>. (21-51). Previous: . Brooklyn Nets. 25. team. 147

<p>Orlando is better than this, and their season-long record shows it. At the same time, the Magic have dropped six of seven, with the lone win coming over the imploding Bulls. Do better.</p>. (30-43). Previous: . Orlando Magic. 26. team. 38

66. <p>Phoenix stinks, but at least they are entertaining at times. Devin Booker, for instance, is one of the best young players in the league and the Suns can blame much of their fruitless record on injuries this season.</p>. (20-53). Previous: . Phoenix Suns. 27. team

20. <p>The Lakers just can’t beat the Suns. L.A. has dropped back-to-back games to Phoenix over the past two weeks, and that leaves Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant looking upward at every other team in the Western Conference standings.</p>. (15-58). Previous: . Los Angeles Lakers. 28. team

(26-46). Previous: . New Orleans Pelicans. 29. team. 69. <p>26 wins should be enough to rank higher on this list, but if we really ask ourselves who the second-worst team in the NBA is <em>right now</em>, it is the Pelicans. Anthony Davis being on the shelf has a lot to do with that, but this season has been a disaster from start to finish.</p>

93. <p>There is no mystery about the occupant of the league’s basement right now. Philly has lost nine in a row, and while they aren’t quite on the “historic” pace of a Golden State (or even San Antonio), the Sixers are doing their best to rid themselves of any remaining goodwill. Woof.</p>. (9-65). Previous: . Philadelphia 76ers. 30. team