No fancy Weekly Thread full of Youtubes or gifs today...
Instead I'll just give you the NBA Power Rankings (with a quick summary for each team).
The Rankings will be based on Adjusted Net Rating, i.e. the best performing teams on the following Graph:
Efficiency Power Rankings
1. Golden State Warriors (24-1)
(Adj. NetRtg +14.6)
Bucks fans looking pretty smart right now.
2. San Antonio Spurs (20-5)
+12.6
Held Atlanta to a 25 points in the first half of yesterday's game. So yeah, pretty much on cruise control right now.
Oh, and Kawhi leads the league in 3PT FG% this season at .483%
3. OKC Thunder (15-8)
+7.4
Put any old scrubs around Westbrook & Durant (2nd & 3rd repsectively in PER) and you're gonna have a pretty good team.
4. Charlotte Hornets (14-9)
+5.7
Yep, Charlotte is the best Rated Team out East with the Efficiency Graph showing them bang in the middle of a cluster of Larry O'Brien trophies.
Their defense has continued to get better as the season has progressed and the balanced offensive attack has remained steady in the absence of Al Jefferson.
(BTW, if Big Al can get a 5-game suspension for violating the league's Anti-Drug Policy, then surely Lin should get 5 games for violating the league's Anti-Hair Gel Policy?...Double standards I reckon)
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-7)
+5.0
Broke out of last week's slump with a couple of wins. Will Kyrie Irving return this week? What will that mean for Delly? Does he get backup minutes ahead of Mo? Alongside Mo?
6. Miami Heat (12-9)
+4.0
Lucky to be ranked this high after their offense went missing last week...Speaking of missing, has anyone seen Goran Dragic this season?
7. Boston Celtics (14-10)
+4.0
They may be ranked below Charlotte, but they beat the Hornets last weekend. Away from home. On the end of a back-to-back. After having played a double-OT game the night before. And they did without Tyler Zeller.
Yep, the Celts are looking OK right now: Brad Stevens is a genius, Isaiah Thomas is a scoring/assisting machine, Evan Turner is the funniest player in the league, Kelly Olynyk is wearing his hair in a man-bun and Tommy Heinsohn is the best commentator in the NBA.
8. Toronto Raptors (15-9)
+3.6
If I told you before the season that Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola would be the starting frontcourt on a Playoff team, you would've laughed in my face, told me I was smoking some of that Al Jefferson herb and recommended that I stay away from Basketball and stick to complaining about late-running Trains.
Of course Valanciunas is injured, Patterson can't find his shooting touch and Anthony Bennett is Anthony Bennett (looking forward to more Bebe cameos during the season though).
In any case, it's good to see Scola's "old-man game" still proving to be useful...unlike Kobe, who is simply an "old man trying to play a game".
9. Indiana Pacers (13-9)
+3.2
Lost 4 out of their last 5, giving up at least 118 points in each of those losses. On the bright side (literally): George Hill re-dyed his hair.
10. L.A. Clippers (14-10)
+2.7
Paul Pierce had a break out game, scoring 10 points against the Nets yesterday...he hadn't hit a field goal in his previous 4 games.
The artist formerly known as The Truth is shooting it worse than Kobe right now.
11. Dallas Mavericks (13-11)
+1.6
An odd week for the Mavs: they won their first 2 games (which were on the road), then inexplicably dropped their last 2 games at home against Eastern Conference teams.
And to add to the weirdness, Raymond Felton got himself a triple double in yesterday's game against the Wiz.
12. Atlanta Hawks (14-11)
+ 1.5
If you can't see Atlanta's logo on the Graph, that's because it's hidden directly behind the Mavs logo (which itself is hidden behind the Mavs logo).
After being easily handled by the Thunder and Spurs last week, Atlanta will face only Eastern Conference teams this week with a chance to climb back up the East standings.
13. Utah Jazz (10-11)
+1.1
Utah's Defensive Rating continue's to head in the wrong direction...something that was happening even prior to Gobert's injury.
Trey Lyles has been inserted into the starting lineup but has struggled. And in the week's biggest news, Joe Ingles barely avoided his first DNP-CD of the season in yesterday's game.
How much longer can the Jazz stay in the West's top 8?
14. Detroit Pistons (14-11)
+0.4
I know it's early, but Reggie Jackson for the All-Star team?
I don't know if this helps or hurts his cause, but Jackson's numbers are markedly different in wins vs losses:
23.4 ppg @ .498% in wins vs. 14.3 @ .343% in losses.
Another question about Jackson: Is he smoking the same stuff as Al Jefferson?
I mean, his eyes are always bloodshot....And as far as I know, checking for bloodshot eyes is about the extent of the NBA's drug testing regime
In more serious Pistons news, with Derrick Rose ditching his mask, Aron Baynes now takes over the title of NBA's 'Best Masked Player'. I'm sure Rip Hamilton would be proud.
15. Chicago Bulls (13-8)
+0.6
A lot of close games for the Bulls in the last couple of weeks, which is why their Net Rating isn't that great.
Gibson into the starting lineup...a couple more minutes for Noah and a couple less for Mirotic. Will this be the long-term frontcourt situation?
16. Orlando Magic (12-11)
+0.1
Finished their West Coast road trip at a respectable 3-2 before getting brushed off at home by the Cavs...You know about the lineup changes by now...A +.500 record but still only 10th in the Conference.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-13)
-0.5
Meanwhile, the 10th best team in the West are the Wolves, struggling with only 1 win in their last 6 games.
An angry and frustrated Sam Mitchell on the sidelines is always an amusing sight.
18. Portland (10-15)
-0.6
A bit of a 4th quarter collapse against the Knicks yesterday. Lillard missed a potential game-winning turn-around, fade-way 3-pointer...what a scrub.
19. Phoenix Suns (10-14)
-1.2
Remember when the Suns were lovable underdogs, when both Morris brothers were in town and beating up people? Ah those were the days...
Fast forward to this season and with only 3 wins in their last 9 games there hasn't been much to shout about for the Suns lately.
But somehow this team is still in 9th place in the West. The next fortnight is as follows: Min, @Dal, @GS, NO, Mil, @Uta, Den, Phi.
I could see them going anywhere from 6-2 to 2-6 in that time...In any case, an important stretch for Phoenix (especially since the games after that are tough ones against Cle, OKC & SA).
20. New York Knicks (11-14)
-2.0
Porzingis had 0 pts, 2 TO's and 3 fouls against the Blazers yesterday.
I always knew he was a bust.
21. Houston Rockets (12-12)
-3.0
I saw bits of their win over the Wizards and that was just an up-and-down track meet filled with lax defense and bricked threes. Houston threw out a lineup of Lawson/Beverley/Harden/Brewer/Motiejunas and just ran at every opportunity.
It's rare, but fast high-scoring basketball isn't always aesthetically pleasing.
22. Washington Wizards (10-12)
-3.4
If OKC are a 2-man team, then the Wizards are a one-man team. Wall has picked it up in December: 27.3 ppg, 10.9 apg, 5.4 rpg, 2.5 spg, .546/.455/.840 shooting
A dicey period for the Wizards now with Beal missing.
23. Sacramento (9-15)
-3.9
The Kings are on a winning streak! Granted, it's only a 2 game winning streak, but that's still 2 games better than the Warriors I guess.
Quiz Question of the Week
Rondo leads the league in assists per game...but we all know that the more important stat is assist-to-turnover ratio.
Who is the league-leader in this stat?
24. Memphis Grizzlies (13-11)
-5.4
The lowest ranked of the teams curently in Playoff spots; when the Grizzlies lose, they lose big.
Tony Allen may be 1st Team All Jedi, but is he still 1st Team All Grizzlies?...Perhaps Courtney Lee would make for a better fit in the Memphis starting lineup.
25. Brooklyn Nets (7-16)
-5.5
No-one cares.
26. Milwaukee Bucks (10-15)
-5.5
Ah, here they are, the owners of the NBA's Championship Belt.
What the Golden State game taught us: Greg Monroe is the best post-player in the league, Giannis is the most versatile player in the league, Jabari Parker cannot be stopped, O.J. Mayo is a star, 2-pointers are worth more than 3-pointers and MCW is better than Stephen Curry.
ICYMI:
27. Denver Nuggets (9-14)
-6.0
Gallinari was clutch in overtime in Denver's win over the TWolves. And Will Barton continues to be a one-man fast break...other than that, not much to report here.
28. New Orleans Hornets (6-17)
-7.1
The Hornets are currently on pace to win 21 games. But there's still a long way to go and the unexpected mediocrity of the West's middle class means a playoff push is definitely still on the agenda.
A 1-11 road record won't cut it though, and 11 or New Orleans' next 17 games are on the road...the good news is that only 4 of those road games come against teams currently occupying a Playoff spot.
Rumours starting to surface around trading Ryan Anderson. This confused me at first - Anderson seems like a pretty important cog in the New orleans machine - but then I realised why he has now become expendable: The return of Kendrick Perkins from injury.
29. L.A. Lakers (3-21)
-11.5
The Kobe farewell tour continues, with uncomfortable, forced tributes from teams in opposing arenas that are filled with bandwagonLaker Kobe fans shouting things like "We Want Kobe!" as they did while Bryant sat on the bench in last week's game at Minnesota.
As for Byron Scott, well, he speaks for himself really.
Apparently the kids are gonna get more playing time? I hope that actually turns out to be the case...Russell played heavy minutes the last couple of games, but that's because Clarkson was injured, and Randle is still coming off the bench for 20-30 mpg.
With Golden State losing, the Lakers are now the owners of the NBA's longest streak: 6 games...Sure, it's a 6-game losing streak but a record's still a record in my book.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (1-23)
-11.7
Colangelo in. D'Antoni maybe in. Brown extended. Embiid shooting free throws.
The last time things have been this exciting in Philadelphia was that time when they traded for future 2nd round draft picks.
Boban Marjanovic Highlights Of The Week
What to Watch For This Week
Mon: Phi @ Tor. I wonder if Raptor fans will be wearing "1-24" t-shirts.
Tue: Pho @ Dal. Brainless midget faces actual midget as Brandon Knight matches up against J.J. Barea.
Wed: Mil @ Lakers. Wait, so you're telling me the Lakers have a good shot at owning the NBA Championship Belt?!?
Thu: Min @ NY. KAT vs Porzingis. Should be a good one.
Fri: OKC @ Cle. Star Wars is released on this day, but if you don't want to watch the Empire vs the Rebel Alliance, then LeBron vs Durant is a pretty good alternative.
Sat: Clippers @ San Antonio. A good test for both teams. Spurs will continue to shoot 3's even though Pop hates it.
Sun: Chi @ NY. Bunch of campaigners...I'm talking about BigFooty fans of both teams of course.
Instead I'll just give you the NBA Power Rankings (with a quick summary for each team).
The Rankings will be based on Adjusted Net Rating, i.e. the best performing teams on the following Graph:
Efficiency Power Rankings
1. Golden State Warriors (24-1)
(Adj. NetRtg +14.6)
Bucks fans looking pretty smart right now.
2. San Antonio Spurs (20-5)
+12.6
Held Atlanta to a 25 points in the first half of yesterday's game. So yeah, pretty much on cruise control right now.
Oh, and Kawhi leads the league in 3PT FG% this season at .483%
3. OKC Thunder (15-8)
+7.4
Put any old scrubs around Westbrook & Durant (2nd & 3rd repsectively in PER) and you're gonna have a pretty good team.
4. Charlotte Hornets (14-9)
+5.7
Yep, Charlotte is the best Rated Team out East with the Efficiency Graph showing them bang in the middle of a cluster of Larry O'Brien trophies.
Their defense has continued to get better as the season has progressed and the balanced offensive attack has remained steady in the absence of Al Jefferson.
(BTW, if Big Al can get a 5-game suspension for violating the league's Anti-Drug Policy, then surely Lin should get 5 games for violating the league's Anti-Hair Gel Policy?...Double standards I reckon)
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (15-7)
+5.0
Broke out of last week's slump with a couple of wins. Will Kyrie Irving return this week? What will that mean for Delly? Does he get backup minutes ahead of Mo? Alongside Mo?
6. Miami Heat (12-9)
+4.0
Lucky to be ranked this high after their offense went missing last week...Speaking of missing, has anyone seen Goran Dragic this season?
7. Boston Celtics (14-10)
+4.0
They may be ranked below Charlotte, but they beat the Hornets last weekend. Away from home. On the end of a back-to-back. After having played a double-OT game the night before. And they did without Tyler Zeller.
Yep, the Celts are looking OK right now: Brad Stevens is a genius, Isaiah Thomas is a scoring/assisting machine, Evan Turner is the funniest player in the league, Kelly Olynyk is wearing his hair in a man-bun and Tommy Heinsohn is the best commentator in the NBA.
8. Toronto Raptors (15-9)
+3.6
If I told you before the season that Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola would be the starting frontcourt on a Playoff team, you would've laughed in my face, told me I was smoking some of that Al Jefferson herb and recommended that I stay away from Basketball and stick to complaining about late-running Trains.
Of course Valanciunas is injured, Patterson can't find his shooting touch and Anthony Bennett is Anthony Bennett (looking forward to more Bebe cameos during the season though).
In any case, it's good to see Scola's "old-man game" still proving to be useful...unlike Kobe, who is simply an "old man trying to play a game".
9. Indiana Pacers (13-9)
+3.2
Lost 4 out of their last 5, giving up at least 118 points in each of those losses. On the bright side (literally): George Hill re-dyed his hair.
10. L.A. Clippers (14-10)
+2.7
Paul Pierce had a break out game, scoring 10 points against the Nets yesterday...he hadn't hit a field goal in his previous 4 games.
The artist formerly known as The Truth is shooting it worse than Kobe right now.
11. Dallas Mavericks (13-11)
+1.6
An odd week for the Mavs: they won their first 2 games (which were on the road), then inexplicably dropped their last 2 games at home against Eastern Conference teams.
And to add to the weirdness, Raymond Felton got himself a triple double in yesterday's game against the Wiz.
12. Atlanta Hawks (14-11)
+ 1.5
If you can't see Atlanta's logo on the Graph, that's because it's hidden directly behind the Mavs logo (which itself is hidden behind the Mavs logo).
After being easily handled by the Thunder and Spurs last week, Atlanta will face only Eastern Conference teams this week with a chance to climb back up the East standings.
13. Utah Jazz (10-11)
+1.1
Utah's Defensive Rating continue's to head in the wrong direction...something that was happening even prior to Gobert's injury.
Trey Lyles has been inserted into the starting lineup but has struggled. And in the week's biggest news, Joe Ingles barely avoided his first DNP-CD of the season in yesterday's game.
How much longer can the Jazz stay in the West's top 8?
14. Detroit Pistons (14-11)
+0.4
I know it's early, but Reggie Jackson for the All-Star team?
I don't know if this helps or hurts his cause, but Jackson's numbers are markedly different in wins vs losses:
23.4 ppg @ .498% in wins vs. 14.3 @ .343% in losses.
Another question about Jackson: Is he smoking the same stuff as Al Jefferson?
I mean, his eyes are always bloodshot....And as far as I know, checking for bloodshot eyes is about the extent of the NBA's drug testing regime
In more serious Pistons news, with Derrick Rose ditching his mask, Aron Baynes now takes over the title of NBA's 'Best Masked Player'. I'm sure Rip Hamilton would be proud.
15. Chicago Bulls (13-8)
+0.6
A lot of close games for the Bulls in the last couple of weeks, which is why their Net Rating isn't that great.
Gibson into the starting lineup...a couple more minutes for Noah and a couple less for Mirotic. Will this be the long-term frontcourt situation?
16. Orlando Magic (12-11)
+0.1
Finished their West Coast road trip at a respectable 3-2 before getting brushed off at home by the Cavs...You know about the lineup changes by now...A +.500 record but still only 10th in the Conference.
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-13)
-0.5
Meanwhile, the 10th best team in the West are the Wolves, struggling with only 1 win in their last 6 games.
An angry and frustrated Sam Mitchell on the sidelines is always an amusing sight.
18. Portland (10-15)
-0.6
A bit of a 4th quarter collapse against the Knicks yesterday. Lillard missed a potential game-winning turn-around, fade-way 3-pointer...what a scrub.
19. Phoenix Suns (10-14)
-1.2
Remember when the Suns were lovable underdogs, when both Morris brothers were in town and beating up people? Ah those were the days...
Fast forward to this season and with only 3 wins in their last 9 games there hasn't been much to shout about for the Suns lately.
But somehow this team is still in 9th place in the West. The next fortnight is as follows: Min, @Dal, @GS, NO, Mil, @Uta, Den, Phi.
I could see them going anywhere from 6-2 to 2-6 in that time...In any case, an important stretch for Phoenix (especially since the games after that are tough ones against Cle, OKC & SA).
20. New York Knicks (11-14)
-2.0
Porzingis had 0 pts, 2 TO's and 3 fouls against the Blazers yesterday.
I always knew he was a bust.
21. Houston Rockets (12-12)
-3.0
I saw bits of their win over the Wizards and that was just an up-and-down track meet filled with lax defense and bricked threes. Houston threw out a lineup of Lawson/Beverley/Harden/Brewer/Motiejunas and just ran at every opportunity.
It's rare, but fast high-scoring basketball isn't always aesthetically pleasing.
22. Washington Wizards (10-12)
-3.4
If OKC are a 2-man team, then the Wizards are a one-man team. Wall has picked it up in December: 27.3 ppg, 10.9 apg, 5.4 rpg, 2.5 spg, .546/.455/.840 shooting
A dicey period for the Wizards now with Beal missing.
23. Sacramento (9-15)
-3.9
The Kings are on a winning streak! Granted, it's only a 2 game winning streak, but that's still 2 games better than the Warriors I guess.
Quiz Question of the Week
Rondo leads the league in assists per game...but we all know that the more important stat is assist-to-turnover ratio.
Who is the league-leader in this stat?
Matthew Dellavedova. 5.4 apg and 1.5 topg for a ratio of 3.65
24. Memphis Grizzlies (13-11)
-5.4
The lowest ranked of the teams curently in Playoff spots; when the Grizzlies lose, they lose big.
Tony Allen may be 1st Team All Jedi, but is he still 1st Team All Grizzlies?...Perhaps Courtney Lee would make for a better fit in the Memphis starting lineup.
25. Brooklyn Nets (7-16)
-5.5
No-one cares.
26. Milwaukee Bucks (10-15)
-5.5
Ah, here they are, the owners of the NBA's Championship Belt.
What the Golden State game taught us: Greg Monroe is the best post-player in the league, Giannis is the most versatile player in the league, Jabari Parker cannot be stopped, O.J. Mayo is a star, 2-pointers are worth more than 3-pointers and MCW is better than Stephen Curry.
ICYMI:
27. Denver Nuggets (9-14)
-6.0
Gallinari was clutch in overtime in Denver's win over the TWolves. And Will Barton continues to be a one-man fast break...other than that, not much to report here.
28. New Orleans Hornets (6-17)
-7.1
The Hornets are currently on pace to win 21 games. But there's still a long way to go and the unexpected mediocrity of the West's middle class means a playoff push is definitely still on the agenda.
A 1-11 road record won't cut it though, and 11 or New Orleans' next 17 games are on the road...the good news is that only 4 of those road games come against teams currently occupying a Playoff spot.
Rumours starting to surface around trading Ryan Anderson. This confused me at first - Anderson seems like a pretty important cog in the New orleans machine - but then I realised why he has now become expendable: The return of Kendrick Perkins from injury.
29. L.A. Lakers (3-21)
-11.5
The Kobe farewell tour continues, with uncomfortable, forced tributes from teams in opposing arenas that are filled with bandwagon
As for Byron Scott, well, he speaks for himself really.
Apparently the kids are gonna get more playing time? I hope that actually turns out to be the case...Russell played heavy minutes the last couple of games, but that's because Clarkson was injured, and Randle is still coming off the bench for 20-30 mpg.
With Golden State losing, the Lakers are now the owners of the NBA's longest streak: 6 games...Sure, it's a 6-game losing streak but a record's still a record in my book.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (1-23)
-11.7
Colangelo in. D'Antoni maybe in. Brown extended. Embiid shooting free throws.
The last time things have been this exciting in Philadelphia was that time when they traded for future 2nd round draft picks.
Boban Marjanovic Highlights Of The Week
What to Watch For This Week
Mon: Phi @ Tor. I wonder if Raptor fans will be wearing "1-24" t-shirts.
Tue: Pho @ Dal. Brainless midget faces actual midget as Brandon Knight matches up against J.J. Barea.
Wed: Mil @ Lakers. Wait, so you're telling me the Lakers have a good shot at owning the NBA Championship Belt?!?
Thu: Min @ NY. KAT vs Porzingis. Should be a good one.
Fri: OKC @ Cle. Star Wars is released on this day, but if you don't want to watch the Empire vs the Rebel Alliance, then LeBron vs Durant is a pretty good alternative.
Sat: Clippers @ San Antonio. A good test for both teams. Spurs will continue to shoot 3's even though Pop hates it.
Sun: Chi @ NY. Bunch of campaigners...I'm talking about BigFooty fans of both teams of course.
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