Backdoor Cut: NBA Power Rankings

Time for an updated NBA Power Poll

Music to listen to:  Champagne Supernova by Oasis

1- Los Angeles Lakers:  They’re rounding into form at the right time and have an outside shot of getting the top overall seed in the West.  Going 15-1 since the All-Star Gam e will do that for you.

2- Chicago Bulls:  Every team deserves a mulligan and losing to playoff-bound Philadelphia at home after having a 14-game home winning streak isn’t terrible.  As long as the Bulls get the top seed in the East, all will be well in Chicagol

3- Dallas Mavs:  One of the under-reported stories in the NBA this season has been the major contribution that Peja Stojakovic has made to Dallas this season.  While many, including myself, thought that the severe knee injury to Caron Butler during this year was going to be the downfall of the Mavs, Stojakovic has been excellent for them.  In fact, the Mavs are 15-0 when he plays at least 15 minutes in a game.

4- Oklahoma City Thunder:  There are some who look at Kevin Durant’s scoring average in the month of March, 25.1 ppg, the lowest scoring month this season for him, and see problems.  I prefer to look at the 11-2 record for the Thunder during March.

5- Miami Heat: Losing at Cleveland hurts the Heat’s chances to get the top overall seed in the East more than place a negative outlook on the overall status of the team.

6- San Antonio Spurs:  At this stage of the year, its best for Gregg Popovich to rest his aging players for the playoffs.  The drawback is losing winnable games like the one Monday at home against Portland and even losing home court advantage in the West.  However, while a young team like Chicago REALLY needs home court for the playoffs, the Spurs are a veteran-laced squad who have won on the road in the postseason numerous times.

7- Boston Celtics:  I see an aging playoff-bound team that’s bored with the regular season when I see the Celtics.  However, the Charlotte loss at home on Friday, when the Celtics blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, it showed all of the warts of a team that lacks interior defense and attitude that Kendrick Perkins brought to them.  It also doesn’t help that Rajon Rondo has had his worst stretch of basketball the past few weeks in three years.

8- Denver Nuggets:  The Nuggets have gone from cute Ewing Theory case to legitimate conference finalist contender.  Yes, Denver has benefited from an easy schedule in their 12-4 record since the Carmelo Anthony trade, but wins are still wins.

9- Orlando Magic: Monday’s overtime loss at New York showed that if Jameer Nelson is hobbled for the playoffs, than Orlando has no shot of getting past the second round of the playoffs.  Gilbert Arenas and Chris Duhon were below-average filling in the point guard spot for an injured Nelson on Monday and cost the Magic the contest.

10- Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay made strong improvements in his game this season but its clear that for this moment, the Grizzlies have been better without him.  The two main reasons are the top-10 MVP-caliber play of Zach Randolph and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Tony Allen.

11- Portland Trail Blazers:  The addition of Gerald Wallace has been outstanding for Portland, because it now has a second scorer to alleviate pressure on LaMarcus Aldridge.  Wallace’s 40 points against Oklahoma City on Sunday showed that if he, Aldridge and Brandon Roy are all in decent health for the playoffs, they’re going to give either the Lakers, Mavs or Spurs major trouble in the first round.

12- Philadelphia 76ers:  Philadelphia’s win at Chicago on Monday was impressive, especially since it was able to get a 20-point lead on the road on the best team in the East.  However, the loss at Miami on Friday, in which Lebron James and Dwayne Wade combined for 71 points, wasn’t a good sign.

13- Houston Rockets:  Seeing the sad state of the sixth through eighth seeds in the East, its going to be unfortunate that the Rockets, who themselves have been 12-4 since the All-Star break, will most likely miss the playoffs with a winning record.

14- New Orleans Hornets:  David West injury is a devastating blow for the Hornets, who will most likely have to face San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.  The lack of inside scoring have taken the Hornets from feisty playoff opponent to a team that would be fortunate to win two games.

15- Atlanta Hawks:  Yes, the Hawks are stuck in the fifth seed of the playoffs, and have been for most of March, but the inability to beat quality teams, especially at home, has to be a major concern for Atlanta.

Other thoughts:

-Its a shame that Steve Nash is going to miss the playoffs for only the second time in the past ten years, despite his high level of play and even leading the NBA in assists per game.  He really needs to make a push to be moved in the offseason and no one should blame him.

-The main problem with the Knicks is that they don’t play defense.  We all knew this even before the season started so what has happened since Anthony and Chauncey Billups have joined New York to explain the bad play by the Knicks.

First, the scheme doesn’t fit the parts.  The schemes of Mike D’Antoni don’t fit the current roster.  Second, you have THREE players who demand the ball consistently.  If you have one on your roster, things are OK.  If you have two, things get dicey.  If you have three, you’re seeing it with the Knicks now.

One thing that isn’t getting reported as much is the physical breakdown of A’mare Stoudemire.  He’s struggling to keep up with the minutes that he’s being asked to play this year and when you have bad knees, this happens.

Finally, either Anthony or Stoudemire has to step back and be the second fiddle.  Having both men demand the top offensive load is a problem that isn’t going to be solved in two weeks, which means that its a likely first-round playoff loss for New York.

-If the Golden State Warriors would play consistent defense, there isn’t a reason that they couldn’t be a playoff team.

-Sacramento won three consecutive road contests on their recent trip out East, earning victories over Milwaukee, Indiana and Philadelphia.  Marcus Thornton has been a nice scoring option for the Kings and even Samuel Dalembert has played well alongside DeMarcus Cousins.

-The Utah Jazz are 5-16 since Jerry Sloan resigned and the low point came on Monday when the Washington Wizards won only their second road game all season against them.

-No, beating the Heat at home on Tuesday doesn’t make up for the bad season that Cleveland has had.  However, it was a nice moment for a fan base that has been through a lot in the past nine months and showed loyalty to their Cavs.

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?