Here are this week’s version of the NBA Power Rankings. All comments and concerns are welcomed. Don’t forget the Poll!
Rank(Pv) |
Team |
Record |
Comments |
| 1(2) |  |
52-16 | They’ve got the playoff berth, and pretty much have home court advantage sewn up. What’s left? They have to prove they can handle some Western Conference big dogs. Oh, and it just so happens they’ve got Houston and Phoenix on this week’s schedule. |
| 2(1) |  |
49-16 | With Duncan out for an unspecified amount of time, the Suns have the door wide open for them to get the 1 seed. With Atlanta and Charlotte next on the schedule, the Suns will pass the Spurs by weeks end. |
| 3(6) |  |
42-23 | Detroit won the “Finals Preview” on Sunday to prove that they are indeed back in Championship form. The problem with “Finals Previews” is that injuries aren’t taken into account. A Duncan-less Spurs team will not be in the Finals. |
| 4(3) |  |
50-17 | Even if there is a chance that Duncan might return before the playoffs, the Spurs shouldn’t play him. No more chances need to be taken. See the last line of the Pistons comments for further explanation. |
| 5(5) |  |
45-20 | Losing Radmanovic won’t hurt the Sonic seeding at all. But they’ll definitely want him back for a potential 1st round series against Houston. |
| 6(9) |  |
38-29 | We all knew that the winner of the Atlantic Division would be the team that wanted it the most. With 11 wins in 12 games, it looks like the Celtics have answered the call. |
| 7(7) |  |
44-22 | Its was weird seeing Avery Johnson in anything but a Spurs uniform, but its plain strange seeing him as Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks. |
| 8(4) |  |
39-27 | The Rockets have been brought down to earth with a couple of humbling losses over the weekend. They better snap out of it quick, Shaq is coming to town to give Yao another spanking. |
| 9(8) |  |
38-28 | Believe it or not, the Grizzlies could be a surprise in the playoffs. They play good defense, allowing 90.3 points per game. That’s good for 3rd in league behind San Antonio and Detroit. A decent run can get them that 6th seed and avoid playing the Spurs or Suns in the 1st round. |
| 10(10) |  |
35-30 | By winning 11 or 12, the Nuggets have created some breathing room (2 ½ games) between themselves and the T’Wolves. They can’t put in cruise control just yet; they only have 7 games vs. teams with losing records left on their schedule. That’s 7 out of 17. |
| 11(11) |  |
41-27 | The way Golden State man handled the Kings recently; it looks like there could be a changing of the guard for Nor Cal’s best pro team. |
| 12(12) |  |
36-28 | Scott Skiles might be the favorite for Coach of the Year in the East, but Eddie Jordan is definitely a close 2nd. |
| 13(19) |  |
34-34 | Garnett is continuing to will the T’Wolves into playoff contention. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like its gonna be enough. Maybe he should’ve took over as coach as well. |
| 14(18) |  |
33-32 | Indiana has been benefiting from the struggles of Philly and Orlando. Those struggles have almost given the Pacers a playoff spot. Now all Indy has to do is not screw it up. |
| 15(16) |  |
32-34 | It’s real easy to rip the Sixers right now. Here’s why; they have gone 6-6 since the Webber deal. Boston has won 11 games during that same 12 game span. Ouch. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? |
| 16(13) |  |
34-31 | The Bulls are getting healthy and have their leading scorer (Eddy Curry) back on the court. I don’t think we’ll be seeing anymore 4 game losing streaks out of them. |
| 17(15) |  |
34-30 | Wanted: A Coach that can mold a young superstar and has some winning experience. Looks like Flip Saunders immediately becomes the favorite for this job. |
| 18(20) |  |
31-36 | The Nets are like Freddy Krueger. Just when you thought he was dead, he reappears with a 4 game winning streak. You get my point. |
| 19(14) |  |
32-34 | I am not going to write the Lakers off completely because anything can happen. But if you look at their remaining schedule, they need that anything to be in the form of a miracle. |
| 20(24) |  |
23-44 | In case anybody didn’t see the Rankings last week, the Warriors will be in the playoffs nest season. With the right draft pick, they could be as high as 4 seed. Write is down. |
| 21(17) |  |
32-35 | Downward spiral is the 1st thing that comes to mind when I think of the Magic right now. Stevie didn’t make it any better with the cameraman incident. They aren’t locks over the Bobcats Thursday night. |
| 22(21) |  |
28-37 | New York got a much needed break by playing the Spurs without Duncan. They are gonna need a few more breaks to sneak in the playoffs. They better be hoping Paul Pierce falls down the stairs or something. It doesn’t matter, the Celtics would probably still win. |
| 23(22) |  |
30-37 | The Clippers actually have a legitimate chance to finish the season with a better record than the Lakers. They are only 2 ½ games back. I wonder how many fans will jump ship to the Clipper Bandwagon if that happens. |
| 24(23) |  |
28-38 | Cleveland followed Philly as the 2nd playoff hopeful team to lose in Toronto. Chicago will be 3rd. |
| 25(26) |  |
27-38 | There are 4 teams with a worse road record (7-25) in the NBA. With 4 games remaining on a western conference road trip, that record is gonna change. For the worse. |
| 26(25) |  |
23-42 | After a coach is fired, it usually doesn’t take long for a list of names to pop up as possible replacements. I think we all know why that list hasnt appeared for the Blazers. |
| 27(27) |  |
15-51 | Reason Number 36 that the Hornets weren’t ready for the Western conference; they are 0-13 in their division. |
| 28(28) |  |
20-46 | If Jerry Sloan can turn this around next season, he automatically becomes the best coach over the past decade. No question. |
| 29(30) |  |
13-52 | Its too bad Wake Forest took that early exit in the Tournament. Bobcat fans didn’t get to see much of their next point guard, Chris Paul. |
| 30(29) |  |
11-55 | I know a lot of people are pissed off that Georgia Tech had the early exit from the Tourney. But if they were playing the Hawks tomorrow, I can guarantee everybody in Atlanta would go with the Yellow Jackets. |
2 replies on “NBA Power Rankings March 22nd 2005”
nice job I cannot believe you had the guts to put Miami #1 where they should be.
I do disagree with the Pistons being #3. I don’t know how to argue it, but I think you did overrate them. But then again, who should be ahead of them? Hmm….
Pistons were number 4 until Duncan-less Spurs got handled by the Knicks.