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.
"Deeeee-troit basketball!" An up-and-down season for the Detroit Pistons (mostly down, of late) has somehow led to the Motor City team claiming the top spot in this week's rankings. Currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff seeding, the Pistons are hoping to build on their momentum after knocking off another inconsistent Eastern Conference team in the Orlando Magic. The Warriors find themselves back in the top 5 of the rankings after a few weeks of underperformance. With DeMarcus Cousins scheduled to come back this Friday, it'll be interesting to see how the team trends with the addition of the ball-dominant big man.
Luka-mania has not been as effective in recent weeks for the Dallas Mavericks, as they are currently outside the playoffs AND occupying the tail-end of this week's rankings. Their road doesn't get any easier this week, with three straight games against playoff teams on the schedule.
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. Detroit Pistons +19
(19-24)
2. Boston Celtics -1
(26-18)
3. Milwaukee Bucks +3
(32-12)
4. Indiana Pacers
(29-14)
5. Golden State Warriors +12
(31-14)
6. Washington Wizards +7
(18-26)
7. Brooklyn Nets
(23-23)
8. Phoenix Suns +20
(11-34)
9. Utah Jazz
(25-21)
10. Houston Rockets
(25-19)
11. Miami Heat +3
(21-21)
12. Portland Trail Blazers -7
(27-19)
13. Atlanta Hawks -2
(14-30)
14. Memphis Grizzlies -11
(19-25)
15. Denver Nuggets -7
(29-14)
16. Philadelphia 76ers +3
(29-16)
17. San Antonio Spurs +8
(26-20)
18. Oklahoma City Thunder
(26-17)
19. Minnesota Timberwolves -4
(21-23)
20. Orlando Magic +7
(19-25)
21. Los Angeles Lakers -9
(24-21)
22. New York Knicks
(10-33)
23. New Orleans Pelicans -7
(21-24)
24. Los Angeles Clippers -1
(24-20)
25. Charlotte Hornets +1
(20-23)
26. Sacramento Kings +4
(23-21)
27. Toronto Raptors -25
(33-13)
28. Cleveland Cavaliers +1
(9-36)
29. Chicago Bulls -8
(10-34)
30. Dallas Mavericks -6
(20-24)
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