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.
The Northwest Division has flexed its muscles this week, with three teams from the division being in the top 5 (Thunder, Timberwolves, and Trail Blazers.) The only surprising team is the Timberwolves, who suddenly got hot going into the All Star Break, despite (or because of) Andrew Wiggins sitting out the last couple games with an illness. While the team is a long shot to make the playoffs, it's nice to see a team that's been ravaged by injuries all year have a good week.
The Memphis Grizzlies have descended to where they were expected to be after trading away longtime center Marc Gasol at the Trade Deadline. Unfortunately, they are too far ahead of the worst teams in the league to be serious contenders for the Zion Williamson sweepstakes in the draft this summer. Side note: poor Mike Conley does not deserve to be on such a miserable team.
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 +18
(37-21)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder +1
(37-19)
3. Minnesota Timberwolves +20
(27-30)
4. Orlando Magic +2
(26-32)
5. Portland Trail Blazers +10
(34-23)
6. Milwaukee Bucks -2
(43-14)
7. Detroit Pistons
(26-30)
8. Toronto Raptors
(43-16)
9. Denver Nuggets +11
(39-18)
10. San Antonio Spurs +20
(33-26)
11. Sacramento Kings
(30-27)
12. Indiana Pacers +1
(38-20)
13. Charlotte Hornets +8
(27-29)
14. Atlanta Hawks -2
(19-38)
15. Miami Heat -6
(26-30)
16. Washington Wizards +9
(24-34)
17. Houston Rockets -15
(33-24)
18. Golden State Warriors -13
(41-16)
19. Philadelphia 76ers -5
(37-21)
20. Dallas Mavericks -2
(26-31)
21. Los Angeles Lakers -20
(28-29)
22. New Orleans Pelicans
(25-33)
23. Los Angeles Clippers -6
(32-27)
24. Chicago Bulls +4
(14-44)
25. Brooklyn Nets -9
(30-29)
26. Utah Jazz
(32-25)
27. Phoenix Suns
(11-48)
28. Cleveland Cavaliers -4
(12-46)
29. New York Knicks
(10-47)
30. Memphis Grizzlies -20
(23-35)
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.
Following last year's list of nine underground teams to watch, I bring the list back with eight new teams you need to follow. From entertaining amateur players to professional coaches revolutionizing the sport from behind the scenes, here are eight underground soccer teams to watch this season.
The Premier League is here and with that comes an uncountable number of variables and uncertainty from which teams will stay up to which teams will secure a Champions League spot. Here is a prediction of the premier league table from 20th to 1st.
