NBA Power Rankings: That Have Hard Road Back to the Top

The NBA season is careening towards the All-Star break already, which is just over a month away.

Many teams are struggling to adjust to the 66-game schedule and have found that playing an increased amount of games on a shorter amount of rest has slowed them down and not given them enough time to really gel with their teammates.

Here are the squads that are going to have a tough time climbing back to the top of the power rankings after their falls from grace.

No. 12 Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers started the year off hot, but just came out of a three-game losing streak against the lowly New Orleans Hornets on Monday.

They are in the midst of a long road stretch and need to figure out a way to beat some of the better teams after losing to Houston and San Antonio to start off their trip.

Portland finishes at Atlanta, Toronto and Detroit and needs to win at least two of those games to prove they are a legitimate road squad.

No. 17 New York Knicks

The Knicks collapsed in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic on Martin Luther King Day and seem to have no identity on offense or defense.

In the fourth quarter, an injured Carmelo Anthony was chucking up terrible shots down the stretch. Amar’e Stoudemire was hot at the beginning of the period but was not given the opportunity to continue dominating in the post.

They gave up far too many points to J.J. Redick and Ryan Anderson and allowed the Magic to hit 17 of their 35 attempts from beyond the arc.

No. 18 Boston Celtics

Boston is out of whack right now and mired in a five-game losing streak.

They aren’t even putting up 90 points per game, and their point differential is in the negatives—something that has rarely happened in the Big Three era, which has been defined by tough defense and solid scoring.

There are no easy answers to fix this aging roster of former stars, and GM Danny Ainge knows he might need to swing a blockbuster trade if this team wants to become competitive come the postseason, if they even make it. 

Alex Kay's NBA Power Rankings
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Miami Heat
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. L.A. Lakers
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Orlando Magic
8. L.A. Clippers
9. Indiana Pacers
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. Denver Nuggets
12. Portland Trail Blazers
13. Atlanta Hawks
14. Utah Jazz
15. Houston Rockets
16. Memphis Grizzlies
17. New York Knicks
18. Boston Celtics
19. Milwaukee Bucks
20. Cleveland Cavaliers
21. Phoenix Suns
22. Minnesota Timberwolves
23. Golden State Warriors
24. Sacramento Kings
25. Toronto Raptors
26. New Orleans Hornets
27. Detroit Pistons
28. New Jersey Nets
29. Charlotte Bobcats
30. Washington Wizards