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.
With all the concern surrounding Kyrie Irving's free agency and whether or not Anthony Davis wants to play for the team, the Boston Celtics continue to rattle off wins, once again claiming the top spot in the rankings. The Philadelphia 76ers, despite having the 3rd best record in the East, have not performed well in these rankings in recent weeks. That changes this week after a huge win over the red-hot Golden State Warriors. It's debatable if the 76ers have the roster makeup to be a legitimate championship contender, but at the very least they are team that has performed well through roster fluctuation.
The New York Knicks are back near the bottom of the rankings, and after trading their two best players in Kristaps Porzingis (who hasn't played yet this year) and Tim Hardaway Jr., they are likely to be prominently featured in a similar position for the rest of the season. Their blatant attempt to tank and free up cap space for free agency may be better for their future, but is detrimental to their standing this year.
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. Boston Celtics +1
(32-19)
2. Philadelphia 76ers +8
(34-18)
3. Oklahoma City Thunder +1
(32-18)
4. Milwaukee Bucks -1
(37-13)
5. San Antonio Spurs +19
(31-22)
6. Brooklyn Nets -5
(28-25)
7. Denver Nuggets +8
(35-15)
8. Sacramento Kings
(26-25)
9. Portland Trail Blazers
(37-13)
10. Minnesota Timberwolves +9
(25-26)
11. Atlanta Hawks +9
(16-34)
12. Utah Jazz
(29-23)
13. New Orleans Pelicans +13
(23-29)
14. Toronto Raptors +2
(37-16)
15. Golden State Warriors -10
(36-15)
16. Orlando Magic -3
(21-31)
17. Detroit Pistons -3
(22-28)
18. Memphis Grizzlies +7
(20-32)
19. Los Angeles Lakers -1
(27-25)
20. Los Angeles Clippers -9
(28-24)
21. Dallas Mavericks -4
(23-28)
22. Chicago Bulls +6
(12-40)
23. Charlotte Hornets
(24-26)
24. Cleveland Cavaliers +5
(11-41)
25. Washington Wizards -19
(22-29)
26. Houston Rockets -5
(29-21)
27. Phoenix Suns
(11-42)
28. Indiana Pacers -21
(32-19)
29. New York Knicks -7
(10-40)
30. Miami Heat
(24-25)
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