2014-15 NBA Power Rankings as Season's 2nd Half Begins
The second half of the 2014-15 NBA season is off to what might be best described as an intriguing start.
The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are still flying high. The Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves remain among the dregs, and the Western Conference is as competitive as ever.
But there's no shortage of noteworthy wrinkles therein on which to keep tabs as the All-Star break approaches. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are hitting their respective strides. The Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons are poised to crash the playoffs after their abysmal beginnings. On the flip side, Sacramento, Denver, Orlando and Indiana must soon decide whether to sell off some of their fringe players for scraps.
And while 10 of the league's most popular talents are celebrating All-Star selections via the fan vote, one (Kobe Bryant) may also be mourning the end of his season, while an otherwise likely choice for the reserves (LaMarcus Aldridge) prepares for a slightly tidier recovery.
That, in a nutshell, is what's happening in the NBA. Here, in a larger nutshell, is how all 30 teams measure up against one another, with recent performance and available personnel factored in heavily.
If you want to see what these power rankings looked like last week, click here.
30. Philadelphia 76ers
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It's been a few weeks since the Philadelphia 76ers were at the bottom of these power rankings. Among other things, a 98-91 loss to the New York Knicks—the previous occupants of the NBA's basement—put the Sixers back where management wants them to be.
Fortunately for folks in Philly, that stay in the cellar may not last long beyond this season. For one, head coach Brett Brown said the Sixers haven't ruled out Joel Embiid, the Sixers' top pick in the 2014 draft, for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Dario Saric, Philly's other big get from last June's draft, became just the third person to win the FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year Award more than once, joining Ricky Rubio and Jonas Valanciunas in that regard.
Of course, these bits of news don't guarantee great success for the Sixers going forward. In Embiid's case, Philly took the same approach to Nerlens Noel's recovery in 2013-14, and he didn't see the court until this season. As for Saric's honor, neither Rubio nor Valanciunas has yet lived up to the international hype on the NBA stage.
Still, while it may not always be sunny in Philadelphia, the city should see its fair share of shine showers—once the current campaign is done, anyway.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves
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Good news for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Their veterans are starting to return.
Emphasis on "starting."
Nikola Pekovic, who missed more than two months of action while nursing an ankle injury, scored 14 points and grabbed four boards in 23 minutes off the bench during a 98-75 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Which brings us to the bad news: Kevin Martin is still out with a bum wrist, and Ricky Rubio remains on the mend from an unusually nasty ankle sprain. "It's a very unique ankle sprain," head coach Flip Saunders told The Associated Press' Jon Krawczynski. "They said at the time it's going to be worse than a high ankle sprain, and everyone knows those go eight to 12 weeks. So it has nothing to do with him not wanting to play."
In the long run, though, this misery could be good for the Wolves. Andrew Wiggins has taken advantage of the uptick in touches to take control of the Rookie of the Year race while flashing the tremendous talent and potential that made him the No. 1 pick last June.
And the more Minnesota stinks, the better its odds will be of landing the top spot in this year's draft.
28. New York Knicks
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Break up the New York Knicks! They've won their last two games!
...What's that? Phil Jackson has already tried to break them up? I suppose that's what jettisoning J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert for a second-round pick and some cap flexibility was all about.
And, well, it's not as though this pack of Davids was busy slaying Goliaths here. The Knicks beat the New Orleans Pelicans sans Anthony Davis and outlasted a Sixers squad that's still closer to bare bones than New York is.
But wins are wins, especially when the Knicks hadn't won in a month—literally. If nothing else, they've been spared the indignity of no representation in next month's All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, courtesy of those 647,005 fans who voted for Carmelo Anthony.
"For me to be the face of New York, representing New York during All-Star weekend is a special moment u [sic] really can’t put into words," Anthony told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley.
27. Los Angeles Lakers
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Another year, another season-ending injury for Kobe Bryant?
The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday—the same day he was voted into the All-Star Game for a 17th time, nine years to the day that he torched the Toronto Raptors for 81 points—that Bryant tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Should the Mamba's latest setback require surgery, it would mean Bryant's last three campaigns were closed by his crumbling body. He missed the last two games of the 2012-13 season (and L.A.'s four playoff games thereafter) following a rupture of his left Achilles tendon and sat out the final four months of 2013-14 on account of a fracture in the tibial plateau in his left knee.
Whatever Bryant's prognosis, don't expect this sad act to be his last, says Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding: "Is Kobe done? Fundamentally, I can't see him doing anything but going out on his terms."
26. Boston Celtics
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Evan Turner probably won't ever live up to his billing as the No. 2 pick in the same draft that produced John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, among others. But that needn't preclude Turner from doing good things in NBA games, as he has here and there throughout his pro career.
Turner added another moment to his personal highlight reel Thursday. With the Boston Celtics down two and the clock quickly winding down to close the fourth quarter, Turner fielded a pass from Jared Sullinger and squared up for a three-pointer that proved to be the game-winner in Portland.
All told, Turner poured in 10 points, six rebounds and eight assists on the night—right around his averages of 9.6 points, 6.4 boards and 6.2 assists since becoming a full-time starter for the C's on New Year's Eve.
25. Indiana Pacers
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So much for the Indiana Pacers sneaking into the Eastern Conference playoffs without Paul George. They've lost six in a row and seven of eight—including defeats to Philadelphia and Minnesota—to fall a season-worst 14 games under .500.
Granted, the Pacers aren't that far out of it; they're just three-and-a-half games back of the eighth seed in the East. According to The Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner, George Hill could soon return from a groin strain to help Indy turn its fortunes around.
Trouble is, even if the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat do fall clear out of the playoff picture, the Pacers would still have to overcome the Detroit Pistons and/or Charlotte Hornets, both of which have been red-hot of late.
24. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz got a sneak preview of their promising future—particularly on the perimeter—on Thursday in Milwaukee. Dante Exum, the team's top pick in last year's draft, got the starting nod at point guard, with Trey Burke coming off the bench. The Australian teenager came through with 15 points and five assists, while Burke chipped in 10 points and a pair of dimes in relief.
More important, Gordon Hayward, the closest thing the Jazz have to a franchise player, came through with a game-high 24 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter alone on 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line.
Not until Derrick Favors returns from attending to personal matters this season and Alec Burks from a shoulder injury next season, though, will Utah truly take that all-important next step toward respectability.
23. Orlando Magic
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Nikola Vucevic has garnered most of what little attention has been paid to the Orlando Magic this season, and rightfully so. If the Magic were winning games, Vucevic's 19 points and 11.1 rebounds would probably be reason enough to put him on the Eastern Conference All-Star squad.
In truth, though, the fate of this franchise rests with the young backcourt of Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton. According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the former will be tapped to fly through the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend.
The latter, a rookie out of Louisiana-Lafayette, already seems to understand what he and Oladipo are capable of. "I've always had confidence in myself, but I know I have so much to learn," Payton told Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher. "There are a lot of good guard combos in the league right now, but I think me and Vic [Oladipo] have a chance. We're not there yet, but we've shown a little bit of what we can do."
They may well get to show even more as teammates on the American squad during the Rising Stars Challenge in Brooklyn next month.
22. Brooklyn Nets
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According to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, the Brooklyn Nets balked at the notion of giving up Brook Lopez to get Lance Stephenson and Kendrick Perkins in a three-way trade with the Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder—and good on them for it.
That doesn't mean, though, that the Nets will stop trying to move Lopez before the Feb. 19 trade deadline. They just can't expect to get much in return, as The Denver Post's Christopher Dempsey explained:
"Brooklyn closed trade conversations because of a collective shrug at the offers they were receiving. They hope trade deadline desperation improves the packages offered to them. Yet, Lopez can walk on any team at season’s end, and no franchise is going to give up too many valued assets with the risk it could be out everything by the time June hits.
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If Thursday's 39-point pounding at the hands of the Clippers is any indication, it may not matter who or what Brooklyn brings back for Lopez; the team's playoff hopes will be on life support anyway, with Charlotte and Detroit hot on the Nets' heels.
21. Miami Heat
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For the first time in a decade, Dwyane Wade will not be starting in the Eastern Conference backcourt during the All-Star Game. Instead, Kyle Lowry will get the nod, courtesy of a boost at the ballot box from Canadian tabloid darling Justin Bieber (h/t Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy).
Chances are, Wade would have had an easier time fending off Lowry's Bieber Fever-fueled charge had the Miami Heat not hit the skids this season. With three losses in their last four games, the Heat now sit just a half-game up on the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets for seventh place in the East. They could fall clear out of the playoffs if the Detroit Pistons keep surging.
20. Sacramento Kings
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Now that the Sacramento Kings have lost five in a row and six of seven, to fall nine games back of a playoff spot out West, it's probably safe for this franchise to turn its attention toward an uncertain future.
That begins with the situation at head coach. Tyrone Corbin, who was promoted after Michael Malone was fired earlier this season, seems likely to be replaced himself this summer.
At this point, the field is tough to handicap, since so many potential candidates are currently employed. Among those out of work, though, George Karl appears to be a clear front-runner. As USA Today's Sam Amick detailed, Karl has worked with too many important people in Sacramento to not garner a long look from team owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Pete D'Alessandro:
"Karl's Kings connections—which range from his more-recent Denver Nuggets days with Sacramento general manager Pete D'Alessandro, assistant general manager Mike Bratz and director of player personnel Dean Oliver to his tumultuous time spent 30 years ago coaching Kings advisor Chris Mullin while with the Golden State Warriors to ties with the representatives of the centerpiece player DeMarcus Cousins—will remain relevant once that time comes.
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That time won't come for at least another three months and may have to wait until June, once a champion has been crowned.
19. Denver Nuggets
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The Denver Nuggets have a curious habit of coming back to life right when they seem ripe to have a proverbial fork stuck in them. They've lost four in a row to fall seven games back of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Denver's postseason hopes are probably cooked, but this club could still be competitive for the remainder of the season. According to The Denver Post's Chris Dempsey, Danilo Gallinari is ready to play again, and JaVale McGee will back shortly thereafter.
Then again, to hear Dempsey tell it, getting those guys back may just cause general manager Tim Connelly to crank up the Nuggets' trade machine again, perhaps with Brook Lopez as the target:
"For the Nuggets it could be an opportunity to unload center JaVale McGee’s contract, which is an expiring one next season. That’s also part of the problem. It’s not expiring this season. And for any team to take that on right now for a player the caliber of Lopez, there’s probably going to have to be a first-round pick involved and or/young player with sizeable upside included as well.
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18. Milwaukee Bucks
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Years from now, this past week may well read like foreshadowing in the history of the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the one hand, Larry Sanders, once the Bucks' best bet to be a homegrown anchor, could see his career in Wisconsin cut short by his own substance use, per Grantland's Zach Lowe: "Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo reported over the weekend that the Bucks had not yet discussed a potential buyout with Sanders, but most league sources expect the discussion to eventually go that direction."
While Sanders could be on his way out, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee's newest Luke Skywalker, is on his way up...and up...and up. According to Woj, the Greek Freak will feature in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend. Antetokounmpo also figures to play on the World team during the Rising Stars Challenge the night prior.
17. Detroit Pistons
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Brandon Jennings' career-high 21 assists against the Magic still left him four short of the Detroit Pistons franchise record—shared by Isiah Thomas and Kevin Porter (twice)—but marked an impressive performance nonetheless.
Truth be told, Jennings has put together big games, in one way or another, more often than not since Josh Smith's ouster. The L.A. native has averaged 20.0 points and 7.2 assists while knocking down 40.4 percent of his threes over Detroit's last 15 games, 12 of which have resulted in wins.
"I am aware. I'm more vocal and I'm more about putting the team first. It's a part of growing up," Jennings told The Detroit News' Vincent Goodwill. "You see things like what happened to Josh, it's a wake-up call for a lot of players. If they waive him, they'll waive the next person. It's a wake-up call for all of us in the locker room. We got a job to do."
And Jennings, among others, has been doing it exceedingly well.
16. New Orleans Pelicans
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These are chaotic times for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Off the court, team owner Tom Benson is under fire from his daughter and grandchildren after transferring future ownership of the Pelicans and the NFL's New Orleans Saints to his wife, Gayle, and away from the 87-year-old's descendants. On the court, New Orleans will have to forge through the distraction wrought by family drama without the help of Jrue Holiday, who's expected to miss the next two to four weeks with a stress reaction in his right leg.
Fortunately for the Pelicans, they can count on Anthony Davis to be a steadying force amid all this turbulence. On Wednesday, he returned from a sprained toe to pile up 29 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 96-80 win over the Lakers. The very next day, Davis officially became New Orleans' first All-Star Game starter since Chris Paul was selected in 2011.
With or without the Brow, the Pelicans should be able to right their ship in the coming week. Three of their next four games will feature the Wolves, Sixers and Nuggets in the opposing locker room.
15. Charlotte Hornets
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The Charlotte Hornets have won eight of their last nine games—and crept into a virtual tie for eighth place in the East—by getting back to their roots as a scrappy defensive outfit. They haven't allowed a single opponent to hit triple digits since the calendar turned to 2015, with Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo patrolling the paint behind the pesky perimeter defense of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker.
As Grantland's Danny Chau put it: "They’ve been amazing at protecting the rim in 2015, and teams have shot less than 28 percent against them on non-corner 3s. The team deserves some shine for rediscovering its strengths and doubling down on them."
Now that Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson are back in action, perhaps Charlotte's 27th-ranked offense can start pulling its weight, as well.
14. Portland Trail Blazers
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Damian Lillard has been playing like an MVP candidate all season. Now, he'll have a clear opportunity to prove his bona fides to the basketball world, albeit for the worst reasons.
The Portland Trail Blazers announced Thursday that LaMarcus Aldridge, Lillard's All-Star partner up front, will miss the next six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb. Between Aldridge's setback, Robin Lopez's ongoing absence and Nicolas Batum's own no-show-of-a-season (and persistent wrist problems), the Blazers frontcourt is in shambles.
Lillard wasn't able to bail the Blazers out on his own against Boston on Thursday. He scored a game-high 21 points but needed 23 shots to get them and didn't get off a shot before the buzzer to help Portland avoid defeat at home to the tank-tastic Celtics.
13. Toronto Raptors
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Think the six years Canada's private industry has spent trying to jam the Keystone XL pipeline down America's metaphorical throat qualifies as a long time? Well, it took our neighbors to the north even longer—eight years, to be exact—to vote one of the Toronto Raptors into the All-Star Game.
They finally succeeded this year, vaulting Kyle Lowry past Dwyane Wade at the virtual ballot box.
Lowry, who'll be Toronto's first All-Star starter since Chris Bosh in 2007, is in the midst of yet another career year for the Raptors. He's averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals—all personal bests—while keeping Toronto competitive during DeMar DeRozan's 21-game absence.
"When I re-signed here I said one of great things is being able to play for an entire country," Lowry told The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat. "This is further proof how special that is."
Even more so since he pulled it off without the public support of the Raptors' global ambassador.
12. Chicago Bulls
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Derrick Rose has long been more of an exemplary leader than a vocal one. But with Joakim Noah sidelined by knee troubles and the Chicago Bulls struggling, particularly on the defensive end, Rose could keep quiet no longer.
"Everybody has to be on the same page," Rose said after a 14-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, via ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. "Until then, we're going to continue to get our ass kicked."
Rose's words must have stuck with the Bulls. They responded to their MVP's public chiding by demolishing the San Antonio Spurs, 104-81. Chicago held the defending champs to a season-low 81 points on 37 percent shooting. On the other end, the Bulls put six players in double figures, including Rose, who led (by example) with game highs in points (22) and assists (five).
There's no time for the Bulls to relax, though. They'll head to Dallas on Friday to face a Mavericks squad whose offense has been the NBA's best all season.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers
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Seemingly everything the Cleveland Cavaliers do, will do and have done this season has inspired such hyperbolic reaction as to require some serious brake-pumping.
As such, any talk of the Cavs' four-game winning streak would go well with a chill pill or two. Cleveland built its recent success on the backs of the lackluster Lakers, the defenseless Clippers, the then-struggling Bulls and the rebuilding Jazz.
That being said, there's no denying that the Cavs are, indeed, on an upswing of some sort.
LeBron James has looked spry since returning from his two-week respite. Kyrie Irving is still scoring in bunches. Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith are fitting in well, and Iman Shumpert is due to make his Cavs debut soon.
There's still plenty of work to be done in northeast Ohio; Kevin Love's role remains unsteady, as does the team's overall defense.
But, if nothing else, folks in Cleveland can shelve that Chicken Little talk—for a little while, at least.
10. Houston Rockets
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James Harden isn't a psychologist by trade, but perhaps he's heard of projection. He seemed to be projecting his own insecurities about the Houston Rockets when he told his teammates that the Golden State Warriors "ain't that good" prior to hosting the NBA's best team (by record) on Jan. 17.
If that's the case, Harden has a point. His Rockets dropped to 10-12 against teams with records of .500 or better after getting demolished by the Warriors twice in a five-day span.
Harden has since softened his stance on Golden State's strength, now that Houston has dropped its four regular-season meetings with the Warriors—all by double digits, no less. So, too, has the Rockets' own standing out West softened, with the Clippers and Spurs quickly gaining ground.
9. Los Angeles Clippers
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The Los Angeles Clippers capped a week full of patsies with a 39-point pasting of the Nets, their largest victory of the 2014-15 season to date.
Blake Griffin celebrated his fifth All-Star starting nod in as many seasons with 24 points in just 25 minutes. Meanwhile, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan made their cases for inclusion as reserves—the former with 17 assists in 24 minutes, the latter with a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) and a slew of highlight-worthy dunks, including a full-on facial over Brook Lopez.
Portland is reeling with injuries, and Houston is scuffling in its own right, making now is as good a time as any for the Clippers to ride their All-Star-caliber core into a top-four spot out West.
8. Phoenix Suns
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Apparently, the Phoenix Suns didn't get the memo. They were supposed to relinquish their spot in the Western Conference playoff picture to the Thunder once OKC got all of its ducks in a row.
Yet, there are those stubborn Suns, sitting in the eighth spot out West, with a three-game lead on OKC and a four-game winning streak in their back pocket.
That doesn't mean Phoenix can rest on its laurels. On the contrary, the Suns had better kick their operation into an even higher gear, and fast. This next week alone, they'll host the Rockets, Clippers and Wizards, with dates against the Bulls, Warriors, Grizzlies and Blazers awaiting them thereafter.
7. San Antonio Spurs
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If it wasn't abundantly clear before that Kawhi Leonard is the San Antonio Spurs' most important player, it should be now.
The Spurs won their first three games upon Leonard's return from a hand injury, with the reigning Finals MVP averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and three assists therein. In his fourth game back, he exploded for 14 points in the first quarter against the Bulls but was held to just two thereafter as Chicago ran San Antonio out of the building, 104-81.
Of course, the Spurs, of all teams, don't rely on any one guy to carry them from night to night. Their reliance on roster balance and system basketball has made them the NBA's model organization.
Clearly, though, Leonard is key to what they do and will be as the Spurs attempt to climb the Western Conference standings as the second half of the season proceeds.
6. Washington Wizards
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For the first time since 2007, the Washington Wizards will have a starter in the All-Star Game. John Wall led all Eastern Conference guards in voting and, thus, will be among the first five players to take the floor for Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer next month at Madison Square Garden.
And who, pray tell, was Washington's last such representative? Why, Gilbert Arenas, of course.
The same Arenas whose use of the Wizards' locker room as storage for his firearms in 2009 sparked the downward spiral that brought the top pick in the 2010 NBA draft (i.e., John Wall) to D.C.
In a related story: Time is, indeed, a flat circle. All hail Rusty Cohle...and John Wall.
5. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Watch out, Western Conference: The Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to hit their stride. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both healthy and clicking. Dion Waiters has boosted OKC's bench. As a result, the Thunder have won their last four games, including impressive results against the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards.
As Scott Brooks told Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling, OKC's early-season adversity could benefit this team in the long run:
"The way we started, there could be a lot of satisfying moments at the end of the season because I know we had to overcome a lot, and we still do. There's no question our goal is to win a championship. I know that we have the ability and we have the team to get there.
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Brooks and his players will have a better idea of just how ready they are to achieve that goal once they've roared through Atlanta and Cleveland this weekend.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
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Marc Gasol has done plenty to earn his second All-Star selection and certainly deserved to be the fans' choice to start this time around. But, if there's any justice in the basketball world, Gasol shouldn't be the only member of the Memphis Grizzlies to represent Tennessee in New York City next month. Mike Conley, the team's ever-improving point guard, belongs among the Western Conference's reserves.
Conley, who's no stranger to being overlooked, isn't all that concerned with nabbing an All-Star nod.
"My ultimate goal isn’t making the All-Star team," Conley told Grantland's Jonathan Abrams. "It’s bigger than that. It’s championships."
Not that such honors don't register on Conley's radar:
"But when it comes to just All-Stars, that is one of my goals. I told myself last year, ‘I didn’t do enough. We didn’t win. We weren’t a good team early.’ [This season], I feel like I’ve gotten much better and our team is where we want to be. We are one of the better teams in the league. We’ve put ourselves in a position where everybody can get noticed individually. This would be a good time [to be named an All-Star]. If it doesn’t happen, it would suck.
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3. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks aren't just third in these power rankings; they're also second in the NBA in net rating, outscoring their opponents by an outstanding 7.8 points per 100 possessions.
But it's the Mavs' work in crunch time that's truly catalyzed their 30-13 start. According to Mavs.com's Bobby Karalla, Dallas has been 35.3 points/100 better than its foes through 90 clutch minutes (i.e., time within the final five minutes of games during which neither team is ahead or behind by more than five points). Not surprisingly, then, the Mavericks have won 16 of the 22 games they've played that have been decided by clutch situations.
As Karalla explained, this likely has plenty to do with Dallas sporting a crunch-time unit, including Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis, composed of five guys who thrive under pressure:
"What we’re seeing develop is a team which gains leads late in games and holds on to them at all costs, while typically adding to the lead as time goes on, as well. The Mavs have two productive closers down the stretch playing next to a point guard in Rajon Rondo who knows how to facilitate, a center who can defend the rim and rebound better than just about anyone (Chandler is fourth in total clutch rebounds), and a wing in Chandler Parsons who shouldn’t be left out of this, either: Parsons boasts a 45.0/38.5/83.3 clutch slash line this season, which is nothing to scoff at.
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Neither are the Mavs' championship chances.
2. Golden State Warriors
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It's tough to say that a squad has truly arrived if it hasn't yet so much as sniffed the conference finals. But the Golden State Warriors are about as close to that as any team at this point in a season, without those aforementioned credentials, could be.
Their best player, Stephen Curry, is not only the most popular player in the NBA, as far as All-Star Game votes are concerned, but also arguably the front-runner in this season's MVP race. Their second-best player, Klay Thompson, is a solid bet to join Curry in New York City courtesy of the coaches' votes. Their coach, Steve Kerr, will be minding the West's bench either way.
Moreover, the Dubs are starting to draw some serious shade from their competitors. Last Saturday, Rockets guard James Harden tried to pump up his teammates by claiming that Golden State "ain't that good" (h/t Slam's Marcel Mutoni). After the Warriors' most recent meeting with the Rockets, Dwight Howard insisted that Atlanta, not Golden State, was (and is) the cream of the NBA's crop, via CSNBayArea.com.
Better yet, the Dubs drubbed the Rockets on both occasions—as any potentially great team would.
"He’s right," Draymond Green responded when asked about Harden's assertion, via the Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung. "We’re nowhere near where we’re going to be at the end of this year. We’ve got to continue to get better and stay healthy and then we’ll look back at this point in the season and say, ‘Man, we weren’t that good.’ So he’s right."
1. Atlanta Hawks
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According to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, NBA scouts and GMs are mixed on whether the Atlanta Hawks can translate their current regular-season success (i.e., 35-8 overall, a franchise-record-tying 14 straight wins) into true title contention come playoff time.
"Chicago, Toronto and Washington are all better built for the playoffs than Atlanta," one Eastern Conference executive told him, "because they have size and at least one guy who can break you down."
Last I checked, two All-Stars—Al Horford and Paul Millsap—still comprise the Hawks frontcourt. And Jeff Teague, a potential All-Star this year, ranks fourth in the league in drives per game, per NBA.com, which is a pretty good indicator of a player's ability to, you know, "break you down."
Either way, Atlanta, a franchise that's actively tried (and failed) to lure superstars in recent years, could find itself, accidentally or otherwise, at the forefront of a sea change in the way teams are thinking about roster construction if the Hawks' winning ways carry into April, May and June.
"I would definitely think the model now is a team that plays stronger together than just having a couple of superstars," a Western Conference scout told Bucher. "The Spurs proved you can go all the way if you get enough guys who will buy into you telling them, 'This is all you have to do.' I hate to call Atlanta 'the Spurs of the East' but they do play the best team basketball outside of San Antonio. I'm buying (that they can win in the playoffs). They move and they play for each other."
The Spurs comparisons are apt too, since Danny Ferry, Atlanta's exiled general manager, and Mike Budenholzer, the team's head coach, both learned under Gregg Popovich's surly wing.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
