Here at the ICT Zone 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.
A surprising win over the Indiana Pacers vaults the Oklahoma City Thunder to the top spot in this week's rankings, despite suffering through a 6-11 record over their last 17 games. The Thunder have quickly gone from a team that perhaps had the best chance in the West of dethroning the Golden State Warriors, to currently sitting at the 7th seed and looking like they'll be little more than 1st round fodder for the Warriors or Denver Nuggets. Oklahoma City is mostly healthy right now, so if they can rattle off some wins to end the season, they'll have the confidence to be a much more dangerous team heading into the playoffs.
The Detroit Pistons are another team that has slipped recently, as they are now in danger of being left out of the playoffs altogether after claiming the 6th seed in the East for a little while. Regardless of what seed they end up, they are a likely candidate to be swept in the 1st round, whether that is at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, or Philadelphia 76ers. They have the potential to steal a game or two, but they're going to need Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson to up their efficiency for that to happen.
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. Oklahoma City Thunder +25
(44-31)
2. Milwaukee Bucks +9
(56-19)
3. Atlanta Hawks +17
(27-48)
4. Los Angeles Clippers +2
(45-30)
5. Charlotte Hornets +11
(35-39)
6. Boston Celtics -1
(44-31)
7. Portland Trail Blazers
(47-27)
8. Sacramento Kings +16
(37-37)
9. Denver Nuggets -8
(50-23)
10. Houston Rockets +13
(47-28)
11. Orlando Magic +4
(37-38)
12. Brooklyn Nets
(38-37)
13. Miami Heat -11
(36-38)
14. Golden State Warriors -6
(51-23)
15. Philadelphia 76ers -12
(47-27)
16. San Antonio Spurs -6
(43-32)
17. New York Knicks
(14-60)
18. Minnesota Timberwolves +10
(33-41)
19. Utah Jazz -6
(45-30)
20. Toronto Raptors -6
(52-23)
21. Los Angeles Lakers +6
(33-42)
22. New Orleans Pelicans
(31-45)
23. Cleveland Cavaliers -19
(19-56)
24. Washington Wizards -3
(31-45)
25. Memphis Grizzlies -7
(30-45)
26. Chicago Bulls -7
(21-55)
27. Dallas Mavericks -2
(29-45)
28. Indiana Pacers -19
(45-30)
29. Detroit Pistons
(37-37)
30. Phoenix Suns
(17-59)
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