2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Warriors Reign, Heat Rise In Week 17

In Week 17 of NBA Power Rankings, the Golden State Warriors remain the undisputed No. 1, while the Miami Heat are back in playoff contention.

With less than a week left before the All-Star break and less than two weeks before the 2017 trade deadline, the NBA community is bracing for hectic couple of days that could see multiple teams jostling for playoff positioning.

Though the end result of this season — Cavaliers vs. Warriors Part 3 — seems as inevitable as ever, there are a couple of teams in each conference that hope to say otherwise once April and May roll around.

The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets don’t compare to the Golden State Warriors’ reign in the West, and the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics are probably still a trade away from challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East, but that hasn’t stopped this season from being incredibly interesting.

Kevin Durant‘s return to Oklahoma City was the main story this week, but the Miami Heat have improbably risen from Eastern cellar-dweller to possible playoff contender. The question is, what other storylines are worth covering as we likely head toward a predictable Finals rematch?

Here’s a look at our Week 17 2016-17 NBA Power Rankings.