NBA Power Rankings (March 6th, 2013)

LeBron James  and Dwyane Wade are on another level. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com

The NBA Power Rankings are updated every Wednesday throughout the season and can be found here! We go through all 30 NBA teams, with a short update on the team, their ranking from the previous week and their record!

Previous week rank in parentheses.

1. (2) Miami Heat (44-14) – We can just end the MVP discussion right now. LeBron James is averaging 27 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 2.4 steals over his last 10 games. The Heat dispatched the Grizzlies and won at the Knicks this week. Your 2013 NBA champions if they stay healthy.

2. (1) San Antonio Spurs (47-14)  – Losing Tony Parker is an obvious issue, as the Spurs could also lose home court advantage throughout the playoffs if they aren’t careful. This means leaning more on Tim Duncan, which isn’t always  a bad thing.

3. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder (44-16) – They demolished the Lakers in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated on Tuesday night and turned the ball over TWICE in the entire game. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant won’t be stopped on the same night.

4. (4) Los Angeles Clippers (43-19) – The loss at home to the Thunder has to weigh on the psyche of the Clippers. They’re on a collision course as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the West right now. If OKC can win in LA, then Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will get to watch the Finals from home again.

5. (5) Indiana Pacers (38-22) – Taking care of business at home against a quality Chicago team is very important this time of year. A home tilt against the Celtics looms on Wednesday. Is Roy Hibbert ever going to turn into a decent offensive player?

6. (6) Denver Nuggets (40-22) – Too much talent on this team for them to be overlooked. Danilo Gallinari, Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala will get on the same page at some point. Nobody wants to face Denver in the playoffs.

7. (7) Memphis Grizzlies (39-19) – Addition by subtraction, as the Grizzlies plug right along without Gay. They were tested in Miami, but then so is everyone else. Marc Gasol is making his case for best center in the West right now.

8. (8) New York Knicks (36-21) – If Carmelo Anthony goes down, this team goes down as well. A knee injury scare has the Knicks worried. They had to sneak past the Cavaliers on Monday. That doesn’t bode well for them.

9. (9) Brooklyn Nets (34-26)  – Their losing streak can’t be ignored, because playoff teams should take care of a team like the Mavericks at home. Deron Williams has taken on more of the scoring, but at the cost of his teammates staying involved. Not good.

10. (10) Golden State Warriors (34-27) – Even though they have one of the best home floors in all of basketball, the Warriors will have to take care of business on the road to advance in the playoffs. Losing to Boston and Philly on the road looks bad right now.

11. (14) Boston Celtics (32-27) – Quietly, the Celtics are just 1.5 games back of having home court advantage in the first round. Avery Bradley is playing out of his mind and Paul Pierce looks to be enjoying his role as part-time facilitator.

12. (11) Chicago Bulls (34-26) – It’s becoming more evident than ever that this team, while good, just doesn’t have enough firepower to contend. Over their last 10, it’s Carlos Boozer who leads the team in scoring, with just 14 points per game.

13. (15) Houston Rockets (33-28) – The Rockets should save some of those points for when they really need it. When was the last time that a team with a chuck-n-duck philosophy won the NBA championship? James Harden for MVP? Not with LeBron and Kevin in the league.

14. (12) Utah Jazz (32-28) – Derrick Favors going off is a good sign for the Jazz’s future, but how long until he lets his lack of playing time get to him? Has to be frustrating. The Jazz are the top contender for falling out of the playoffs at this point. Just not enough backcourt help.

15. (13) Atlanta Hawks (33-26) – After Wednesday’s game against the 76ers, they get Boston, Brooklyn, Miami and Los Angeles. Let the swoon continue. On a brighter note, Al Horford is playing out of his mind right now.

16. (18) Milwaukee Bucks (30-28) – We know the Bucks want to hold onto Brandon Jennings, but what if a team gives him $13-14 million a year? He’s good, but he’s not a guy who’s going to win you the NBA championship. What’s Monta Ellis going to do? Smart money is on opting-out.

17. (16) Los Angeles Lakers (30-31) – A minor setback against the Thunder. The problem is, Kobe Bryant is playing through damage to his elbow and is burning the candle at both ends just to get into the playoffs. He’s going to run out of gas at some point, right?

18. (17) Toronto Raptors (23-38) – Now that the excitement of the Rudy Gay trade has worn off, the real problem is back. Who’s manning the middle? Amir Johnson‘s been their best interior player, but he’s not meant for starting minutes.

19. (19) Dallas Mavericks (26-33) – Dirk Nowitzki is getting his legs back, but is it too little, too late? O.J. Mayo seems best suited to be a stat-stuffing stud on a bad team as opposed to a solid No. 2 or No. 3 option on a good team.

20. (20) Portland Trail Blazers (28-31) – The wall is very unfriendly and this team is approaching it quickly. Teams just can’t play their starters 38 minutes every night and expect them to make it through the season unscathed. Nicolas Batum is showing those effects, as is Damian Lillard and his plummeting field goal percentage.

21. (21) Detroit Pistons (23-39) – The Pistons could make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference….next season. Adding one more solid piece and a healthy Andre Drummond would put them right there. Not contenders, but definitely near that No. 8 spot.

22. (22) Washington Wizards (19-39) – Probably the best “bad” team out there right now. They’ve got a handful of NBA talent and one of the best young guards in the league in John Wall. Wish they didn’t give up Jordan Crawford for a sack of peanuts, but oh well.

23. (26) Phoenix Suns (21-39) – The Suns are playing terrific defense and Wesley Johnson is making big shots for them. Still, team defense is great but team offense doesn’t work. Who’s the late-game option? Goran Dragic should be.

24. (23) New Orleans Hornets (21-40) – Anthony Davis is going to be really good in this league. It’s not out of the question to see him put up 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks on a nightly basis. Will Eric Gordon ever realize his potential in New Orleans? Maybe if he can stay healthy.

25. (25) Cleveland Cavaliers (20-40) – They weren’t expected to do much, but it’s teams like this where hidden gems pop up. Tristan Thompson is starting to blossom and could pair with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters to form a solid trio for years.

26. (24) Minnesota Timberwolves (20-37) – Injuries decimated this team but it didn’t tear their hearts out. They played hard against the Miami Heat, but they’re playing three point guards on the floor at one time. With a healthy Kevin Love, this team will be a major spoiler.

27. (27) Philadelphia 76ers (23-36) – Is Doug Collins simply overmatched at this point? His players aren’t responding well and his team is circling the drain. Jrue Holiday is coming back to earth and the rest of the team just isn’t very good.

28. (28) Sacramento Kings (21-41) – The Kings can score a lot of points and probably will playing at Golden State on Wednesday. However, they can’t stop anyone. They give up an effective field goal percentage of 52.0 to opponents (No. 28 in NBA). DeMarcus Cousins isn’t playing inspired basketball right now, either.

29. (29) Orlando Magic (17-44) – Three out of their top four scorers over the last 10 games are Tobias Harris, Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson. Harris is looking like a great pickup for them, but the Magic are still years away from being relevant again.

30. (30) Charlotte Bobcats (13-47) – It seems so long ago that they were 7-5. Will fate deal them another costly blow in the next NBA draft? They need a star badly and no stud free agent in their right mind would choose that franchise right now.