2018 NBA Power Rankings: Week Nine
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.
The sky must be falling, because the two preseason favorites to reach the NBA Finals - the Warriors and the Celtics - currently occupy the two bottom spots in our rankings. Both teams clearly have no other option than to tear down their teams and start from scratch. Jokes aside, the Celtics are another casualty of the unusual trend of teams claiming the top spot one week, only to find themselves at the bottom the next week. On a brighter note, the Miami Heat are finally starting to make waves in these rankings, reaching the number two spot after a big win over the Houston Rockets. The Nets and the Suns are creeping up the list as well, behind winning streaks of 7 games and 4 games, respectively.
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. Milwaukee Bucks +12
(22-9)
2. Miami Heat +14
(14-16)
3. Charlotte Hornets
(16-15)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder +5
(20-10)
5. Houston Rockets +10
(16-15)
6. Utah Jazz +24
(16-17)
7. Indiana Pacers +3
(21-12)
8. Phoenix Suns +18
(8-24)
9. Denver Nuggets +3
(22-9)
10. San Antonio Spurs -6
(18-15)
11. Detroit Pistons +18
(15-15)
12. Chicago Bulls +5
(8-25)
13. Minnesota Timberwolves +9
(14-18)
14. Toronto Raptors +7
(25-9)
15. Atlanta Hawks +4
(8-23)
16. Los Angeles Lakers -14
(19-13)
17. Orlando Magic +11
(14-17)
18. Philadelphia 76ers -10
(22-12)
19. Washington Wizards +4
(12-20)
20. Portland Trail Blazers
(18-14)
21. Brooklyn Nets -14
(15-19)
22. Sacramento Kings -11
(17-15)
23. New Orleans Pelicans -18
(15-18)
24. Memphis Grizzlies
(16-15)
25. Cleveland Cavaliers -11
(8-25)
26. Los Angeles Clippers +1
(18-13)
27. Dallas Mavericks -9
(16-15)
28. New York Knicks -3
(9-25)
29. Boston Celtics -28
(18-13)
30. Golden State Warriors -24
(21-11)
It is time to throw away the American inferiority complex with its place in the sport, where many blindly claim that technique should come above all in choosing and developing the best prospects and that the U.S. is not an international power because it cares too much about athleticism.
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