Our rankings are molded after Ric Flair's famous quote "to be the man, you gotta beat the man." The week's ranking are based solely on the week's results so if a lower ranked team defeats a higher ranked team, the two teams automatically swap rankings.
July of 2019 will mark the 6-year anniversary of the infamous Nets-Celtics trade, one that saw the Nets cripple their future for a second round exit from the playoffs. If this week's rankings were the only barometer for determining the success of the trade for either side, it would appear as though the Nets actually came out on top. Left for dead after the injury to breakout star Caris LeVert, the Nets have been absolutely shocking since then, currently occupying the sixth seed in the East - right behind the Boston Celtics. With LeVert hopefully rejoining the team on the court this season, the once bleak future of New York's second team now looks bright.
The Miami Heat has been plagued by mediocrity ever since LeBron James took his talents back to Ohio. Despite currently being in the playoff picture in the East, there isn't much to be optimistic about when it comes to the Heat. Josh Richardson is the only player on the team with star talent, but even may not be best suited for carrying a franchise.
Here are the current NBA Power Rankings, as determined by Ric Flair's legendary quote, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man":
1. Brooklyn Nets +6
(26-23)
2. Boston Celtics
(30-18)
3. Milwaukee Bucks
(34-12)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder +14
(29-18)
5. Golden State Warriors
(33-14)
6. Washington Wizards
(20-26)
7. Indiana Pacers -3
(32-15)
8. Sacramento Kings +18
(24-24)
9. Portland Trail Blazers +3
(29-20)
10. Philadelphia 76ers +6
(32-17)
11. Los Angeles Clippers +13
(26-22)
12. Utah Jazz -3
(27-22)
13. Orlando Magic +7
(20-28)
14. Detroit Pistons -13
(21-26)
15. Denver Nuggets
(31-15)
16. Toronto Raptors +11
(36-14)
17. Dallas Mavericks +13
(21-26)
18. Los Angeles Lakers +3
(25-23)
19. Minnesota Timberwolves
(23-24)
20. Atlanta Hawks -7
(15-32)
21. Houston Rockets -11
(27-20)
22. New York Knicks
(10-36)
23. Charlotte Hornets +2
(23-24)
24. San Antonio Spurs -7
(27-22)
25. Memphis Grizzlies -11
(19-29)
26. New Orleans Pelicans -3
(22-26)
27. Phoenix Suns -19
(11-38)
28. Chicago Bulls +1
(11-37)
29. Cleveland Cavaliers -1
(9-40)
30. Miami Heat -19
(22-24)
Guys, I am devastated. I let you all down last year. It was right under my nose that UConn would win the championship, but I missed it due to poor data collection. I began last year's prediction by saying a team with eight losses would win March Madness, and in listing all the teams that qualified, I somehow missed...
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A new season is upon us, and with it comes plenty of intriguing storylines. From massive traves and superstar uncertainty in the East to a West perhaps the deepest it has ever been, here is an early season NBA Power ranking.
