Week 4 NBA Playoff Power Rankings
And then there were seven.
With the Los Angeles Clippers now among the teams preparing for the offseason and watching the NBA playoffs from the comfort of their own homes, it's time for the Week 4 edition of the NBA playoff power rankings.
The Western Conference seems to have more elite teams than the Eastern Conference, but how do all of the squads stack up?
You'll have to read on to find out.
7. Los Angeles Lakers
1 of 7Playoff Record: 5-6
The Los Angeles Lakers were pushed to the limit by the Denver Nuggets and survived, but now they're on the verge of being pushed out of the playoffs entirely at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kobe Bryant and company are down three games to one with an upcoming contest in front of the Thunder faithful.
Not many teams have been able to come back from that type of deficit. However, not many teams have had the Black Mamba. As long as No. 24 is healthy and wearing the purple and gold, anything can happen.
But with the internal dysfunction stemming from the Pau Gasol turnover at the end of Game 4 and the lack of chemistry between Bryant, Gasol and Andrew Bynum at the moment, I wouldn't bet on a turnaround.
6. Philadelphia 76ers
2 of 7Playoff Record: 6-4
Andre Iguodala has done wonders for his reputation in the minds of the notoriously fickle Philadelphia fans. His fourth-quarter heroics have bailed the 76ers out time and time again during the playoffs thus far, and he has his team in position to potentially advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
So, you might ask, why are they stuck down in the second-to-last spot of the power rankings?
The rationale is twofold.
1. The Sixers are a great defensive team, but they lack the firepower on offense to make a lot of noise against the league's best defenses. You may have noticed that I called them Iguodala's team in the first paragraph of this slide, but they're much more of a team by committee than a star or two with a supporting cast.
I'm just not convinced that the team has a scorer capable of carrying them for the duration of a tough game or series.
2. Philadelphia has three games potentially remaining in the series, but it would have to travel to the Boston Garden for two of the three if the series goes to seven games. In a tightly contested series between two comparable teams, the lack of home-court advantage is enough to push it slightly below the next team in the rankings.
5. Boston Celtics
3 of 7Playoff Record: 6-4
The Boston Celtics may struggle to put up a lot of points night in and night out, and their squad may be comprised of quite a few seemingly over-the-hill veterans, but they're peaking at the right time and could scare any team left in the Eastern Conference.
Though he struggled in their most recent game, Kevin Garnett is playing his best basketball since he first put on a C's jersey after his Minnesota Timberwolves days came to a conclusion.
You might say that "The Big Ticket" has been well worth the price of admission in the postseason.
If Rajon Rondo keeps throwing up well-rounded performances while Paul Pierce transitions out of volume-scorer mode and becomes the efficient player we have come to respect throughout the years, I might end up regretting ranking the Celtics at No. 5.
4. Indiana Pacers
4 of 7Playoff Record: 6-3
The Indiana Pacers have played well enough to give the Miami Heat a serious scare during the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the Game 4 loss on their home court could very well end up being the decisive turning point of the series.
Without Chris Bosh, the Heat were at a serious disadvantage in the size department and on the verge of an internal collapse with Dwyane Wade and Erik Spoelstra at each other's throats. Indiana was supposed to take advantage and seize a promising 3-1 lead while maintaining home-court advantage.
However, foul trouble kept Roy Hibbert on the bench during Game 4, and the Heat came back in the second half to tie up the series and bring some momentum back to South Beach.
Indiana is still a severely underrated team that should have received far more recognition all year, but it doesn't have a LeBron James or a Dwyane Wade. With Wade rounding back into form, the Pacers have to be ranked below the Heat.
3. Miami Heat
5 of 7Playoff Record: 6-3
The Miami Heat would not have come in at No. 3 had Dwyane Wade not rebounded from one of the worst shooting performances of his career by performing admirably in a come-from-behind victory to even up the series with the Indiana Pacers.
If Wade is off, the Miami Heat might actually be worse than the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers squads of years past. And we all know how that turned out.
But if Wade is his All-NBA self and James continues to play like the best player in the world, it's almost too much of a challenge to hold this team down.
Miami's supporting cast may be terrible and playing worse than it should right now. Chris Bosh may be out with an injury to his abdominals. There may be some tension between Wade and Erik Spoelstra.
But as long as James and Wade are playing up to their abilities, it just doesn't matter (in the Eastern Conference, at least).
2. Oklahoma City Thunder
6 of 7Playoff Record: 7-1
After another epic comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the brink of defeating the last two NBA championship-winning teams with some room to spare.
That's what happens when Russell Westbrook plays like he's the best point guard in the game and Kevin Durant elevates his game to an unthinkable level. The three-time reigning scoring champion is not only scoring in high volume, but he's maintaining his efficiency, distributing the ball well and locking down opposing players on defense.
Oklahoma City has depth, rabid fans and a barrage of great players to throw at the teams it meets on either side of the ball.
It looks like we need to start preparing for an epic Western Conference final between the Thunder and the No. 1 team in the rankings.
1. San Antonio Spurs
7 of 7Playoff Record: 8-0
It takes a truly special basketball team to displace the Oklahoma City Thunder from the top spot in the rankings. Fortunately for the San Antonio Spurs, that's exactly what they are.
Led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (now to a lesser extent), the Spurs have yet to lose a single game during the postseason and are the first team to advance to the third round of the playoffs.
Assuming that the Thunder step on the throat of the Los Angeles Lakers and advance as well, they will have to beat San Antonio as many times in four games as the Spurs have lost in their past 35.
That's not an easy feat.
This isn't the same Spurs team that won championship after championship during the 2000s, even if the most recognizable faces are still there.
San Antonio has morphed from a defensive powerhouse into an offensive juggernaut thanks to the lasting greatness of Duncan and the unrelenting speed and court vision of Parker.
It might have flown under the radar for a long time, but it should be the unquestioned title favorites at this point.
