1. San Antonio Spurs – Although they dropped their most important game of the week – a road loss to Orlando on Thursday – they still hold the league’s best record, and rightfully so. Tim Duncan’s numbers are well below his career averages, however, that has been proved to mean nothing, as the Spurs are playing their best offense (106.2 PPG) since Timmy D was drafted in 97. Couple their newfound fire on the offensive end with their immortal, championship-winning defense on the other end, and you won’t see the Spurs lose to many games this season. They are going to have quite a challenge defending their post as number one, as their next five opponents include: at home against the Los Angeles Lakers; on the road against the Dallas Mavericks; home against the Oklahoma City Thunder; then back-to-back road matchups with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
2. Dallas Mavericks – Unfortunately for the Mavs, they have to play in the same division as the Spurs; nevertheless, they have proved to be just as much of an obstacle for opposing teams, as for the first time in recent memory, a high-octane offense is not the sole reason behind their success. Instead, they have flipped the switch, and are holding their opponents to 43.4 percent shooting, good for fourth in the league. Dirk Nowitzki is being mentioned as an MVP candidate, but although he is having yet another outstanding season (24.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG), he can’t receive all of the credit. Dirk is playing alongside an outstanding supporting cast in Jason Terry (15.4 PPG), Caron Butler (14.6 PPG) and Shawn Marion (10.5 PPG). And at 37 years old, Jason Kidd is still exhibiting why he is still one of the best point guards in the league as he is averaging 8.8 APG and 1.64 SPG. The biggest asset to the Mavs’ success has been the defensive play of Tyson Chandler, who is anchoring this team’s defense similar to how Kevin Garnett altered the Celtics’ defense upon arriving in Boston in the 2007-08 season. Although two out of their next three games are against the Spurs and Thunder, don’t expect the Mavericks to let up – now, or anytime soon.
3. Miami Heat – Everyone knew it was coming. .500 ball wasn’t going to be the story of the South Beach Super Friends’ first season together, and it was just a matter of when before they got hot and went on a winning streak. After their 12-game string of victories was ended by Dallas, they got right back up and won on the road in Phoenix by 12 points three nights later. Then on Christmas Day, came the most anticipated game of the year, as LeBron, Wade and Co. traveled to Los Angeles to take on the two-time defending world champion Lakers. While they game was hyped up almost as much as Miami’s new trio was coming into the season, the Heat played up to the buzz surrounding them, and behind a triple double from LeBron James, they blew out the Lake Show by 16 points. Having won 14 of their last 15 games, it appears the Heat have caught fire and don’t plan on looking back. They play two moderately tough games against the Knicks and Houston Rockets, but after that, they won’t play a team that’s above .500 until January 9.
4. Boston Celtics – Although they are tied for the second best record in the league, the Celtics are not the same team without Rajon Rondo, who remains sidelined with an ankle injury. Prior to Christmas day, they had won 14 consecutive games (five without Rondo), and despite being dropped by the streak-busting Orlando Magic, they are still among the league’s best. Kevin Garnett is showing flashes of his Defensive Player of the Year season (he is currently averaging 15.6 PPG and 9.7 RPG), and Paul Pierce (18.2 PPG on a career-high 48.6 percent shooting )continues to be a nightly offensive threat for this team. Ultimately, their depth down low is what will keep them among the league’s elite, as they possess an untapped arsenal of big man that are ready to contribute (Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, Glen Davis, Jermaine O’Neal and when he returns from injury, Kendrick Perkins). At full health, there might not be a better team in the league than the Celtics, who, despite being one of the oldest teams in the league, continue to find ways to grind out wins on a nightly basis.
5. Los Angeles Lakers – It’s tough to look at other rankings and not see the Lakers in the top three. It’s even tougher having to concede to the fact, that whoever conjured those rankings, are undoubtedly right. At this point in the season, the Lakers are not playing elite basketball. The collapse on Christmas Day contributes to that notion, but it doesn’t complete it. Through 30 games, they have only beaten one team that has a winning record; but take that with a grain of salt considering they have only played a total of six games against teams with such a win percentage. Pau Gasol’s molasses hands of late, are making people wonder if the Kwame Brown trade has been reversed, and Ron Artest is not being the defensive player he was for the Lakers last season. The Lakers will get back on track; the question is, when? Their next two games are on the road against the Spurs and New Orleans Hornets. Picking up wins in both games would be the jumpstart the Lakers so desperately need. Kobe wasn’t more on point when he said (in reference to the team’s matchup with the Spurs), “We could be playing Minnesota –Yeah, I said it – and I’d still be concerned.”
Next: 6-10
6. Chicago Bulls – They have only won three of their last five, but the Bulls look ready to bust out at any moment. Derrick Rose is arising as an early candidate for the MVP award, and Carlos Boozer is playing some of the best basketball of his career. This team proved that they were capable of picking up wins while Boozer was out to start the season, and the story appears to be no different even with Joakim Noah out of action for awhile. They don’t play a team above .500 until January 8 when the play host to the Celtics, so they should be able to collect a nice string of victories leading up to the rivalrous game.
7. Utah Jazz – December has not been very kind to Deron Williams and the Jazz, as they were only able to muster a 1-4 record against legitimate playoff teams. However, the return of Mehmet Okur will surely bolster Utah’s bench as they prepare for a season-long battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Northwest Division crown.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder – Their defense is struggling and they have no resemblance of an offensive presence on the block. At the same time, it’s hard not to love the tremendous trio of Kevin Durant (who became the second youngest player to score 40+ on Christmas Day), Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. The Thunder could extend that trio to four if they started James Harden, who put up 21 points on 6-11 shooting in OKC’s win over Denver on X-Mas. They have a tough string of games coming up, and eight of their next 14 contests will be away from Thunder U.
9. Orlando Magic – After losing the first two games of the post-trade segment of the season, the Magic rebounded, and picked up huge wins over San Antonio and Boston. Don’t expect the Magic to be done dealing yet either. Brandon Bass is good, but they will need a better option at the power forward spot if they want to contend for a title. Regardless, with the additions of Arenas, Turkoglu and Richardson, the Magic offer one of the toughest offenses in the league.
10. New York Knicks – The Knicks came up big on Christmas, knocking off the Bulls in spectacular fashion. Led by Amaré Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, the Knicks are going to remind everyone of D’Antoni’s late 2000’s Phoenix Suns – as their game plan consists of scoring, scoring and more scoring.
Next: 11-15
11. Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks play in the Eastern Conference’s toughest division but they still find ways to pull out wins. Barring an instrumental change, they won’t finish in the top four, but they will continue to be a tough opponent for every team in the league. They start 2011 with a relatively easy schedule, which will allow them to pick up speed heading into the half-way point.
12. New Orleans Hornets – Chris Paul and the rest of the Hornets’ starting five is very good. Their bench? Not so much. They are 7-11 since starting off the season 11-1, and things don’t appear to be getting easier for CP3 and co., who are scheduled to play the Lakers (twice), Boston, Orlando and Denver over their next nine games.
13. Houston Rockets They lost the face of their franchise – possibly forever – however, that might be for the best, as his presence early in the season only seemed to disrupt the Rockets’ chemistry. Brooks is back and they are riding a four-game winning streak, but a tough upcoming schedule to start 2011 will truly test this Houston team.
14. Philadelphia 76ers – Iggy Pop and the Sixers started the season off abysmally (just five wins heading into December), but they seem to have turned things around behind their nice trio of Iguodala, Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday are all having very solid seasons. They are in the middle of an eight-game road trip, but will have a favorable January schedule as they only play four definite playoff teams.
15. Denver Nuggets Melo is on indefinite leave while mourning the death of his sister and while the Nuggets continue to put up points in his absence, they continue to give them up as well, as they have allowed their opponents to score 105.2 PPG so far this season. Could a two-point win be the last the Nuggets see of their star forward, who has been in trade talks since before the season began?
Next: 16-20
16. Portland Trail BlazersThe Blazers are 5-2 without their star guard, Brandon Roy, but don’t expect to see them win at that rate for long. With heavy clouds of uncertainty surrounding their all-star guard’s status, a big trade might be looming in Portland.
17. Indiana Pacers – At 13-15, the Pacers remain an average team in the Eastern Conference. However, average is probably all they need to sneak into the playoffs in a conference that regular sports sub-.500 teams in the postseason. Hibbert’s making a case for Most Improved and Danny Granger is Danny Granger, but this team still is majorly lacking in the identity department.
18. Phoenix Suns – Out of their 29 games this season, the Suns have only scored under 100 points nine times. Can you guess how many of those nine contests have resulted in victories? Zero. The recent acquisition of Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus will undoubtedly help them defensively, but the lack of any offensive presence down low makes you really question Phoenix’s decision to use their cap space on Channing Frye (11.1 PGG), Hakim Warrick (11.1 PPG) and Josh Childress (5.6) instead of Luis Scola (20.3 PPG).
19. Milwaukee Bucks – No Brandon Jennings for four-to-six weeks is going to be tough to overcome for this Bucks team, who carried so much promise into this season. Bogut has established himself as one of the premiere centers in the NBA, but past him and without Jennings, this team doesn’t have much to offer heading into the new year. On the flip side, a 19-point win over the Lakers in Staples Center is a great momentum builder.
20. Memphis Grizzlies – At 13-17, the Grizzlies are about where most expected them to be: not a bad team, but not a playoff squad either. They’ve lost more games than they have won so far in December, and January doesn’t look any brighter, as their first five games are: at Utah, at Lakers, vs Oklahoma City, vs Utah and at Oklahoma City.
Next: 21-25
21. Los Angeles Clippers – All nine of the Clippers’ wins this season have been by two players: Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon. If they stay together, the they are going to be one of the best one-two-punches for the next decade and the Clippers will reap the benefits. They are likely not playoff-bound this season, but like Baron Davis said earlier this week, they will be one of the team’s highly talked about going into 2011-12.
22. Golden State Warriors – Their 6-2 start was obviously a fluke, however, their offense is not. With injuries hampering Roy and Joe Johnson, Monta Ellis might be the third-best shooting guard in the NBA behind Kobe and Wade. Right now, they are 11-18, but if David Lee and Andris Biedrins can find a way to effectively coexist down low, they could be one of the teams that goes on a post all-star break surge.
23. Detroit Pistons – There are no bright spots on this Pistons team, who is simply just playing for another spot in the lottery. What’s more anticipated than the Pistons shot at the No. 1 pick in 2011, is the release date of Rip and Tayshaun’s trade announcement. Until then, this team is going to remain at the bottom of the barrel.
24. Toronto Raptors – Andrea Bargnani is proving his worth as the top pick from the 2006 draft and fellow young guns Jerryd Bayless, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis and Sonny Weems have been a bright spot for this team, but past that, the Raptors remain in the worst position possible: not a playoff team, but they don’t have a great shot at the top pick in 2011 either.
25. New Jersey Nets – The Nets are closing in on their win total from 2010, but all Nets fans can think about is Carmelo Anthony. Until the day Melo is dealt (whether to the Nets or another team), don’t expect any other noteworthy story lines to come out of Jersey.
Next: 26-30
26. Charlotte Bobcats – Larry Brown left (who blames him) and Gerald Wallace and/or Stephen Jackson are likely on their way out as well via trade. It’s hard to imagine that losing Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton could hamper a team so badly, but as seen in the pair’s play with their new team’s, they were obviously difference makers.
27. Washington Wizards – Trading Gilbert Arenas officially gave John Wall the keys to the franchise, but until he returns from injury, the team’s future remains in the hands of Kirk Hinrich, Rashard Lewis, JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche – I’m not impressed.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves – LeBron is right, it would feel much better to see Kevin Love on a winning team, but until he hits free agency and says “peace out” to Minnesota, get used to nightly 20/20’s from Love, and a whole bunch of losses from the T-Wolves.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers – When Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao move from your team’s second and third best players to it’s first and second, it’s slightly easier to see why LeBron bolted for Miami. However, a top-three pick in the draft is a fair consolation prize, right?
30. Sacramento Kings – This team is talented no doubt, but until they can sort out the off-court problems of their top-two talents (Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins), bottom-dwellers is what the Kings will continue to be.