NBA Power Rankings: How Far Have the Miami Heat Fallen?
A quarter of the way through the NBA season, it's time to take a look at the current NBA Power Rankings.
Several teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder have had very good weeks, but several clubs like the Miami Heat have had a rough go of things.
Here's a look at who's risen and who's fallen in the latest power rankings.
No. 26-30
1 of 630. Washington Wizards (1-12): There's no doubting how bad this team currently is.
29. Charlotte Bobcats (3-11): They have major problems on the defensive end of the floor.
28. Sacramento Kings (4-10): Only 22 baskets and 60 points in a loss to Dallas? This team is bad.
27. Detroit Pistons (3-10): Speaking of teams that can't score, the Pistons are the worst offensive and the worst rebounding team in the NBA.
26. New Jersey Nets (3-11): Deron Williams looks frustrated. Things could get much worse.
No. 21-25
2 of 625. New Orleans Hornets (3-10): They are bad, but have had to go at it without Eric Gordon.
24. Toronto Raptors (4-10): Despite an All-Star season from Andrea Bargnani, they can't score as a team.
23. Phoenix Suns (4-8): The early play of Steve Nash can serve as a distraction of how bad the Suns are at times.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (4-8): The Bucks are a perfect 4-0 at home. Unfortunately, they are 0-8 on the road.
21. Golden State Warriors: (4-8): Might be a little bit better with a healthy Stephen Curry.
No. 16-20
3 of 620. Boston Celtics (4-8): Still have the Big Three, but no one expected them to struggle this bad.
19. Houston Rockets (6-7): After a slow start, Kevin McHale's team is starting to get things together. Kyle Lowry is a future All-Star.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves (5-8): Kevin Love is playing out of his mind and Ricky Rubio off to a fantastic start to his first season.
17. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-6): Byron Scott's team has been an early surprise and No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving has been fantastic.
16. Memphis Grizzlies (6-6): After a slow start and the loss of Zach Randolph, Memphis has got things together behind the play of Marc Gasol.
No. 11-15
4 of 615. New York Knicks (6-7): They've been very disappointing, but still have more talent than most teams.
14. Portland Trail Blazers (8-5): After a great start to the season, Portland has come crashing back down to earth. They've scored over 105 points per game at home, but barely over 89 on the road.
13. Utah Jazz (8-4): Utah's been a surprise and has won seven of their past eight games.
12. Dallas Mavericks (8-6): Dallas is starting to pick things up after a slow start.
11. Atlanta Hawks (10-4): Despite the 10 wins, there's no getting around the fact that they lost Al Horford for an extended period of time.
No. 6-10
5 of 610. Orlando Magic (9-3): Before recent wins against Portland and New York, the other teams the Magic have beaten have a combined record of 31-69.
9. Denver Nuggets (8-5): They pounded Dallas and ran Miami out of the gym in the fourth quarter this week. Denver is deep and talented.
8. Indiana Pacers (9-3): A top-four finish in the Eastern Conference isn't unthinkable any longer.
7. San Antonio Spurs (9-4): I bet the Spurs are glad they didn't use the amnesty clause on Richard Jefferson after all. He's done a fine job in the absence of Manu Ginobili.
6. Miami Heat (8-4): Three consecutive losses, a trio of fourth quarter failures and an another injury to Dwyane Wade suddenly leaves a ton of questions in South Beach.
No. 1-5
6 of 65. Los Angeles Lakers (10-5): It's hard not to get caught up in what Kobe Bryant has done of late.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (7-3): This might look a bit high for the Clippers, but wins over both the Heat and the Lakers have them cracking the Top Four.
3. Philadelphia 76ers (10-3): Doug Collins' team just keeps on winning.
2. Chicago Bulls (12-3): A great start to the season and doing so without great frontcourt production and a Derrick Rose injury.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-2): Fantastic start to the season with the Thunder getting production from everyone. Who would have thought a 12-2 start to the season was possible without a 30-point game on the season for Kevin Durant?
