NBA Playoff Power Rankings: Who's Hot, Who's Not Heading into Week 5

The 2012 NBA playoffs may be winding down, but the stakes have never been higher.

Week 4 has seen the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs seal the deal on their Western Conference semifinal bouts, as well as a potential Cinderella story brewing between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers

And then there's the Miami Heat, who have just clawed their way past the Indiana Pacers en route to a second straight Eastern Conference finals appearance.

Which teams find themselves carrying momentum as we journey into Week 5 of the NBA playoffs?

I'm glad you asked.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

Postseason Record: 7-5

Hot or Not: Not

The Sixers have hung tough against an experienced Celtics squad but have been unable to capitalize off Boston's misfortunes on a consistent basis.

All season, Philadelphia has struggled to put points on the board, a trend that has continued into the playoffs.

The Sixers are shooting just 42.5 percent from the field and have dug their own grave at the charity stripe, converting on just 68.5 percent of their free-throw attempts.

While the victory in Game 6 is likely to provide Philadelphia with some form of momentum, the Sixers have been blown out of the game after their two most recent victories.

Andre Iguodala and company's stingy defense has held the Celtics' most potent offensive options in Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in check this entire series, but their even stingier offense has prevented them from making the most of the opportunity.

4. Boston Celtics

Postseason Record: 7-5

Hot or Not: Not

The Celtics have been in position to take control of their series against the Sixers numerous times but have come up short at each opportunity.

Boston is shooting just over 28 percent from beyond the arc and are struggling to find a source of consistent offense outside of Kevin Garnett.

Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Garnett have combined for 54 turnovers over the first six games, as they've been unable to solve Philadelphia's defense, especially with Andre Iguodala on the floor. Iguodala has defended Pierce in particular rather well, holding him to 9.5 field-goal attempts per 36 minutes compared to 17.3 without A.I. on the floor.

With both Pierce and Allen struggling, and Avery Bradley done for the season thanks to an ailing left shoulder, the Celtics find themselves in a real predicament.

We want desperately to believe Boston is a title contender, but after two straight series laden with missed opportunities and narrow escapes, there's a very real possibility Doc Rivers' team is eliminated on Saturday.

The way the Celtics are playing, though, scraping together a victory in Game 7 will only be prolonging an inevitable demise. 

3. Miami Heat

Postseason Record: 8-3

Hot or Not: Hot

After losing Chris Bosh to an abdominal strain and falling behind in the series 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers, the Heat won three straight to advance to their second straight Eastern Conference finals appearance.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade took over the series, combining for an average of over 56 points, 16.3 rebounds, 9.5 assists and four steals per game. Their defense was also impeccable, as both were blocking shots and forcing opponents into corners.

While the Heat appear near unstoppable at the moment, there are a few concerns moving forward.

For a majority of Game 6, only four Miami players had put points on the board. By design, the ball spends most of the time in the hands of James or Wade, but other players are going to need to step up, especially against the likes of the Spurs or Thunder.

And yet, despite injuries, suspensions and a lack of complementary contributions, the Heat not only refuse to go away, but refuse to shy away from dominating.

2. San Antonio Spurs

Postseason Record: 8-0

Hot or Not: Hot

The Spurs have won their last 18 games going back to the regular season.

Need I say more?

San Antonio has been the most efficient team this postseason, hardly ever allowing their opponents to develop any sort of fluidity on the court.

Tim Duncan has turned back the clock, Tony Parker is playing like he believed the Spurs were title contenders all along, and Kawhi Leonard is making everyone wonder why he wasn’t a lottery pick.

Though both the Clippers and Jazz were clearly inferior opponents, San Antonio’s refusal to play down to their level cannot be discounted. 

Of the Spurs’ eight postseason victories to date, six have come by double-digits. That’s hardly a common trend during the regular season, let alone the postseason.

San Antonio’s perfectly balanced mix of youth and experience has them riding Cloud 9. Whether they'll ever return to life on solid ground remains to be seen.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Postseason Record: 8-1

Hot or Not: Hot

Say what you will about the Thunder’s penchant for narrowly escaping defeat, but there’s an undeniably fast-paced and unwavering demeanor that gives them a stronghold on the top spot.

The Spurs, meanwhile, have passed through their opponents like a cloud of smoke, because that’s all they were.

Utah’s playoff berth was impressive, but they were running on fumes by the time they reached San Antonio. And as for the Clippers, those who expected a tight series seem to forget it would have been the Grizzlies facing the Spurs if Memphis had played even below-average basketball in every fourth quarter.

The Thunder, however, rose above the last two NBA champions in the Lakers and Mavericks. Regression or not, those are two formidable postseason opponents.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have never been more in sync, and Oklahoma City’s bench has crucified their adversaries in nearly every game.

There’s still plenty of basketball to be played before the Thunder are crowned champions, but right now, they have to be considered the favorites to win it all.

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