NBA Power Rankings: How the Spurs' Success Reshapes Western Conference
Entering the 2012 season, no one really expected the San Antonio Spurs to be the threat that they currently are in the Western Conference race.
Surely the Spurs would be a good team, but given their age and the fact they were coming off of a disappointing first-round playoff series loss to the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs were somewhat overlooked coming into the season.
With the shortened schedule and the lack off days off in between games, many expected the Spurs' age to catch up with them. But that certainly hasn't been the case.
San Antonio is a real threat to win the West and compete for another NBA championship in the Big Three era.
How will the solid season from the Spurs impact our latest power rankings, though?
Let's jump right in and take a look.
1. Chicago Bulls (41-11)
No Derrick Rose. No Richard Hamilton. No problem for the Bulls, who remain in the top spot after a dominating win over Atlanta, fueled by 22 points from All-Star Luol Deng.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (38-12)
It's been a great season for the Thunder, and they've closed the gap on Chicago for the top spot. A win over the Lakers tonight could close that gap even more.
3. San Antonio Spurs (35-14)
Good teams win the games they are supposed to win, and the Spurs certainly do that. Last night's win against the Kings make six straight and nine of their past 10. Don't be so quick to assume Oklahoma City will have an easy time winning the West.
They've had great success this season without much of a contribution from Manu Ginobili, but his 20-point effort last night may mean he's ready to finish up strongly.
4. Miami Heat (35-13)
Suddenly there are questions in Miami, mostly due to a pair of double-digit losses and the overall health of LeBron James. Miami may have their eyes on the postseason, but they are a team that's not playing great basketball, only 8-6 in the month of March.
5. Los Angeles Lakers (31-19)
Andrew Bynum's immaturity is causing problems, and that's a distraction that the Lakers don't need at the moment, holding only a two-game lead over the Clippers for the Pacific Division lead.
6. New York Knicks (26-25)
Another dominating performance last night from the Knicks bumps them all the way up to No. 6. Carmelo Anthony stepped up against the Magic and had his best game in a long time, and the Knicks keep on rolling, despite Amar'e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin being out of the lineup.
The Knicks are 8-1 under Mike Woodson, and the defensive effort is fantastic, allowing only 86 points per game since Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni.
7. Dallas Mavericks (29-22)
Dallas is peaking at the right time, going 6-2 in their past eight games, but they need to keep the momentum going, as they are in the middle of their toughest part of their schedule.
8. Orlando Magic (32-19)
The Magic's effort is terrible at times, and Dwight Howard has no chance of becoming a legitimate leader of an NBA team.
9. Los Angeles Clippers (29-21)
The Clippers possibly have figured things out, winning their third consecutive game and knocking off a hot Phoenix team last night, behind a superb 27-point and 14-rebound effort from Blake Griffin.
10. Indiana Pacers (29-20)
Teams that consider themselves legitimate playoff threats don't get blown out by an awful short-handed Nets team.
11. Atlanta Hawks (30-22)
After a nice stretch that saw the Hawks win six of seven games, Atlanta has lost two straight and is faced with tough tests against New York and Philadelphia coming up.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (27-21)
Statistically, the Grizzlies look like an average team across the board. Memphis ranks 18th in the NBA in scoring, 17th in rebounding and 22nd in assists. But they are very talented and play good team defense, and now that Zach Randolph is back in the fold, Memphis could be very dangerous.
13. Philadelphia 76ers (28-22)
Despite a nice win against Cleveland, the Sixers have been sliding as of late, losing five of their past eight games.
14. Boston Celtics (28-22)
Despite being only 27th in the NBA in scoring and last in the NBA in rebounding, the Celtics keep on winning, victorious in five of their past six games. The Knicks keep winning, but Boston hasn't allowed them to close the gap much.
After last night's win over Utah, the Celtics pulled even in the Atlantic Division with Philadelphia.
15. Utah Jazz (27-24)
Tough loss for Utah last night, but they're still very hot, as they've won seven of nine. They can extend that tomorrow with a win against Sacramento, as Utah is right in the middle of a playoff push.
16. Houston Rockets (27-24)
Kevin McHale's team is barely hanging on to the No. 8 seed in the West, and it's not going to be easy with Kyle Lowry out and Kevin Martin banged up. After two tough losses to Dallas in their past two, the schedule does them no favors, as they have Memphis and Indiana on tap next.
17. Phoenix Suns (25-26)
Phoenix is two games out of a playoff spot, but haven't done themselves any favors as of late by losing four of their past six. They can jump right back into things, though, with games against Sacramento and New Orleans up next.
18. Denver Nuggets (27-25)
Yesterday, the Nuggets had ahold of the No. 8 spot in the West and Toronto on the schedule, but the Nuggets got blown out by the Raptors, and that simply can't happen.
19. Milwaukee Bucks (23-27)
The Bucks have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA down the stretch, and they will need every win to try and catch New York for the No. 8 seed.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-27)
If the Wolves can get to .500 and somehow squeeze into the playoffs, you have to make a legitimate case for Kevin Love as the league MVP. Another huge effort from Love last night, dropping 40 points and grabbing 19 boards in a Minnesota win.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (23-27)
Portland's lost four of six, and there's nothing really to get you excited about this team until next season, when a pair of lottery picks can help change the culture.
22. Golden State Warriors (20-29)
Ugly effort last night against New Orleans, as the Warriors appear to be going through the motions, losing eight of their past 10.
23. Toronto Raptors (17-33)
You can't lose them all, as the Raptors showed last night in an impressive win against Denver, breaking a nine-game losing streak to Denver in the process.
24. Sacramento Kings (17-33)
Once the Kings figure out how to close teams out, they could be pretty good. In the meantime, they've dropped four straight.
25. New Orleans Hornets (13-36)
Give the Hornets credit: They compete every night, and there's very little quit on this team.
26. New Jersey Nets (17-34)
Deron Williams showed up last night and had an impressive 30 points and nine assists in a Nets win. New Jersey's till lost eight of 11 overall, though.
27. Detroit Pistons (17-32)
Impressive double-digiit win for Detroit last night, giving them consecutive wins for the first time in over three weeks.
28. Cleveland Cavaliers (17-31)
The Cavs were competitive early on in the season. Not so much anymore, as they've looked awful, losing eight of their past nine games.
29. Washington Wizards (11-37)
The Wizards have a slim chance to catch Charlotte for worst record in the league. They won't win too many down the stretch.
30. Charlotte Bobcats (7-40)
Charlotte is the first to 40 losses. Getting to 50 should be an easy task.
