Power ranking responses to NBA Power Rankings

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors, his wife Ayesha, and daughter Riley celebrate with his NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award during the Victory Parade on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to win the 2022 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Urakami/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 20: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors, his wife Ayesha, and daughter Riley celebrate with his NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award during the Victory Parade on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to win the 2022 NBA Finals. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Urakami/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images /

NBA Power Rankings are a fraught subject. While numbers often look like facts, the truth is they pretty much boil down to a person’s opinion. Yours too.

Sometimes there are numbers, or letters, or tiers in a specific order. Sometimes this happens for things you care about a lot like teams, or players, or foods. Every once in a while, these are NBA Power Rankings. When this happens, it’s hard not to have a reaction.

It can be easy. When a thing and the thing’s position match up in your mind, a little signal in your brain fires that tells you to be happy. It feels nice. It’s a little confirmation from the universe that not everything is gross and messy. The puzzle piece fits neatly into its place, and everything is fine.

Unfortunately, there are the other times. In these times, a thing and its placement are very different from what you believe or want. Sometimes very different. This can make your brain do bad things.

It’s not uncommon to feel aggrieved. “If the writer knew what they were talking about they’d agree with me,” one can think. “This is an outrage,” one can say. “I need to do something about this,” one can conclude.

This is where it gets dicey. How one proceeds to react to NBA Power Rankings can range from really, extremely bad to constructive and good. “How will I know if what I’m doing is one of the good things though?” Good question, you. Reacting to NBA Power Rankings is complicated. I’ve tried to simplify it by power ranking the possible reactions.

*These rankings work for responding to other kinds of power rankings as well