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 Eastern Conference reigns supreme in this week's standings, with the Raptors, Bucks, and Celtics, which are the three widely considered as having the best odds of winning the Eastern Conference Finals, claiming the top 3 spots in the rankings. The Raptors and Bucks have been especially impressive, possessing the top two records in the NBA up to this point. (Side note: at least for this week, the Timberwolves have established themselves as the top team in the Western Conference, thanks to a huge road win over the Thunder.)
The New Orleans Pelicans are not as fortunate as the other teams mentioned. Despite having an MVP-frontrunner on their roster in Anthony Davis, they can't seem to pull together any wins, and are now in the Western Conference's cellar alongside the Phoenix Suns. The Charlotte Hornets are also showing how inconsistent they have been this year, taking the number 29 spot this week after being in the top 3 last week.
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. Toronto Raptors +13
(26-10)
2. Milwaukee Bucks -1
(23-10)
3. Boston Celtics +26
(20-13)
4. Minnesota Timberwolves +9
(16-18)
5. Houston Rockets
(18-15)
6. Utah Jazz
(17-18)
7. Indiana Pacers
(23-12)
8. Brooklyn Nets +13
(17-19)
9. Detroit Pistons +2
(16-16)
10. San Antonio Spurs
(19-16)
11. Atlanta Hawks +4
(9-24)
12. Chicago Bulls
(9-26)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder -9
(21-12)
14. Philadelphia 76ers +4
(22-13)
15. Washington Wizards +4
(13-22)
16. Memphis Grizzlies +8
(18-16)
17. Phoenix Suns -9
(9-26)
18. Miami Heat -16
(16-17)
19. Los Angeles Lakers -3
(20-14)
20. Portland Trail Blazers
(19-15)
21. Orlando Magic -4
(14-19)
22. Los Angeles Clippers +4
(20-14)
23. Dallas Mavericks +4
(16-17)
24. Golden State Warriors +6
(23-12)
25. Cleveland Cavaliers
(8-27)
26. Denver Nuggets -17
(21-11)
27. Sacramento Kings -5
(18-16)
28. New York Knicks
(9-26)
29. Charlotte Hornets -26
(16-17)
30. New Orleans Pelicans -7
(15-20)
This year's draft is shaping to be one for the ages. Not only does it include game-changing prospects, but the turnaround from the finals last week to the draft and then free agency next week is so condensed compared to years past. Look for GMs and Players to move with more urgency. Draft night is set to have Woj bombs...
USA Men's Basketball heads into these Olympic games with less certainty than they've had in years, which leads me to believe they'll fall short of a gold medal. The squad is too thin, there is no clear leader, and the roster feels more like a mix and matching of stars than an actual roster.
Without hyperbole, I confidently say that the Milwaukee Bucks championship is the best thing to have happened to the NBA in a long time. With this championship, three vital things happened:
